Disclaimer: I don't own the "Men in Black" series or any of its characters, wishful thinking aside.

Authors Note #1: I couldn't let young!kay and jay go, apparently.

Warnings: time travel, drama, emotional hurt and comfort, flirting, just guys being dudes, romance, slow burn, clueless boys, romance.

Repetition (refeature)

Chapter One

"Uh... Kay?"

He looked up, toothbrush slowing down until it stopped completely in his mouth. Foam threatening to trickle down his chin as Jay's reflection reared to life in the bathroom mirror.

Huh.

"What can I do you for, Chief?" he answered steadily. Steadier than he felt if he was being honest as Jay's mouth dropped open. Unable to stop the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth after he spat into the sink and wiped his lips. Turning around to face him as Jay milled awkwardly in the door jamb. Still dressed in the same suit, if not a bit more rumpled and depressed than the last time he'd seen him.

"Uh. Why am I here?" Jay asked, looking around as he rubbed his head. "Wait, is this your place?"

"Your asking me?" he hummed, leaning back against the sink as he took him in openly. Pleased beyond reason at seeing him again. "You're the one who travels through time, hondo. Remember?"

He had to admit, he didn't think he'd see him again, not until-

"Yeah, but this time I wasn't," Jay shot back, black shoes shuffling across the shag carpet. "There was no jumpin'. Last time I checked you actually needed that time device thing to do that and I'm fresh out. Man, I was about to dig into some really good Chinese too. Now it's gonna be gettin' all cold and shit. Damn, I was hungry too."

He held back another slight smile, but only just. Watching Jay watch him before his gaze got distracted by a half-dozen completely normal things. Like the turquoise sink, the clunky yellow land-line with the finger-wheel dial phone by the window. Or- the way he was standing there, still damp from the shower, with just a towel around his waist.

"Sure you aren't back to save the world, Slick? Or me? Maybe a bus-load of nuns while you're at it?" he deadpanned, teasing. Earning a snort and an eye roll as Jay tossed himself on the ottoman and let his head thud back against the wood-panel wall.

"Nah, that's next week."

He waited for a good thirty seconds before Jay cracked a lid and finally said it.

"And put some damn pants on, man. We've got ourselves a situation here, alright?! Situations mean clothes. No alien is going to take you seriously if you're are running around ass-naked."

Which actually wasn't true, but he decided not to go into detail about that particular mission.

As they said at headquarters, what happened on Sintra Prime, stayed on Sintra Prime.

"This is my apartment," he pointed out, amused. "And baring any invasions or related catastrophes, I have the night off. Time travel or not, I'm afraid you just don't qualify, Hondo."

Jay's expression was surprisingly long suffering when he fixed him with pleading eyes.

"For me? Please."

He smirked the entire way into the bedroom. Making in a point not to close the door when he dropped the towel and started hunting around in his drawers. Just to make that motor-mouth start up again.

As always, Jay didn't disappoint.

"Com'on man, my eyes," the man complained, the indignance making the exhaustion lurking on the edges sound a little bit lighter. "Just because we're partners doesn't mean you can just drop your shit without giving me some warning. Damn."

He settled on his usual dress pants and a blue shirt. Rolling the sleeves up to his elbows as Jay made a show of pretending not to watch from the cracks of his lids. Well aware he had no intention of calling this one in, not unless Jay pressed the issue.

He had a feeling that wasn't what this was about anyway.

"How long has it been for you since-" he trailed off, sobering. Feeling the weight of those bright brown eyes and the way the boy's hand had fit small, but somehow still perfect, in his. Knowing his father would have been proud to see the man his son had become.

Jay's expression was significant, making him wonder what he knew and what he didn't. Jay had told him everything would go back the way it was, but he didn't believe that. Not with the look Jay kept fixing him with whenever he figured he wasn't looking.

"Cape Canaveral?" Jay finished for him.

He nodded.

"Two weeks," Jay answered. "You?"

His eyebrows flew up. Wondering how the hell that worked.

"Three months," he answered, smoothing his hair back from where it was feathering softly over his forehead. Free of the gel he usually used to keep it tame.
Then-

"Been a busy few weeks?" he asked cautiously.

"You could say that," Jay answered with a sigh. "There were a couple of species that got a little handsy with Jeffrey over the time travel stuff, so we've been busy keeping him alive. Absolutely no preservation instinct in that one. I know his momma dropped him on his head when he was a baby or something."

He refrained from saying he looked like it as he led the way down the hall and into the kitchen. Hyper-aware of the soft rasp of shoe soles on carpet behind him as he crossed over to the fridge and uncapped a couple beers. Rummaging through the fridge and pulling out some leftover casserole as he flicked on the oven and shoved it inside.

"I didn't know you cooked," Jay remarked in surprise. Squeaking awkwardly on the plastic covered kitchen chairs as he tried to get comfortable.

"I don't for the most part," he admitted. "Save for breakfast and the occasional cook-out. I used to, but I got tired of getting interrupted and having everything go to waste. My housekeeper comes in a few times a week and stocks the fridge for me. Usually makes enough for three and then some."

Jay nodded.

"Its the job."

The corners of his lips tugged upwards in a commiserating smile.

"Yes, it is."

They made small talk until the food was hot enough to eat, then chowed down together. Filling the room with the sound of clinking cutlery and appreciative silence.

It was good to see him again. But it was still weird to reach for the pepper and find Jay already holding it. Looking at him in that way he'd apparently made a habit of, half laughing, half in awe. Knowing him better than he knew himself as the hours spanned out and he realized how quiet his life was without Jay in it.

"Maybe this is all a dream and I'm in the middle of choking on some chow mien," Jay remarked later as the clock showed somewhere past eleven. Looking a little too hopeful at the prospect as he yawned exaggeratedly.

"Get some sleep, Hoss," he said by way of answer. Grabbing the empty beer bottles and setting them on the counter before crossing over to the couch. Removing the cushions to reveal a fully-made hideaway bed. "You look like you need it."

Jay looked at him like he'd sprouted three heads for a long minute before his shoulders sagged. Nodding as he slumped down on the mattress and loosened his tie.

"Alright, but just because I'm 89% sure I'm on my sofa dreaming," Jay told him, cracking another huge yawn that made the protest sleepy rather than with any edge to it.

"Whatever you say, partner," he murmured with a half smile. Quietly putting their dishes in the sink and turning off the lights. Watching him drift off to sleep so fast it was a wonder he'd been able to keep his eyes open.

He tried not to let disappointment eat at him too much when nothing but the empty bed and rumpled sheets greeted him in the morning.

He was in the shower, singing along to the radio about a month later when the sound of a thud and a familiar-sounding curse echoed through the flat.

He rolled his eyes as the sound of Jay's voice filtered through the steam. Fingers working just a little bit faster to get rid of the shampoo suds.

"I ain't playin! I'm god damned sure that wall wasn't there before- ...Kay? Comon' man, I can hear the water running. KAAAAAY! This ain't funny no more. I was walking through MIB and everything. I'm pretty sure O and Cee just saw me disappear into thin air."

The water hid his grin, so he let it out for free. Unable to help the chuckle that rolled out in spite himself as he tipped his head back into the spray. Breathing comfortably into the almost non-stop commentary on everything from Jay's possible broken nose to how weird it was that there was a sink and mirror in the bedroom.

"I hear you laughing. Which is still weird, by the way! Hey! Get yo' ass out here!"

So he did.

The third time, Jay nearly gave him a heart attack when he came home from work and found him sitting at the kitchen table with his arms crossed. Looking for all the world like an angry house wife. Wearing- hold on.

"Man, where have you been? I've been here for hours."

He blinked.

"Are you wearing one of my shirts?" he asked instead. Stuck on it for way too long as Jay jerked his chin and crinkled a frown at him.

"Yeah, and don't even ask, okay?" Jay answered, clearly annoyed. "I was changing for the gym and bam- I was here. A little warning would have been nice is all I'm sayin'. This whole time travel thing we've got going on needs a god damned bell. You feel me?"

He nodded, deciding to just go with it.

He was good at that.

At adapting.

"Alright," he agreed, dog-tired as he dragged out the chair opposite and sat down with a grunt. "How do you propose we do that? Considering we don't know what's causing all this in the first place?"

"Rough day at the office?" Jay asked, ignoring what he'd said in favor of watching him critically.

"Negotiations with the Zrilloins," he said, by way of explanation. Frankly, not much more needed to be said.

Jay winced in sympathy.

"Ooh, how long?"

"Seventy-two hours," he said flatly. Vaguely wanting a beer, but to tired to do anything about it.

"Ouch," Jay remarked, meaning it. "The most I've ever done is fifty-six. Nearly passed out in the men's room. You- older you- had to drive me home. Ate all my leftovers while he was at it."

It was strange. Still strange. Hearing about himself like it was another person. Aware that for all intents and purposes, it probably was. Jay's Kay was him, but he wasn't Jay's Kay yet.

Hell, it made his head hurt.

"Go to bed, man. Before you fall over," Jay told him, smiling softly. "I'm getting tired just looking at you."

He shook his head, stickin' his metaphorical heels in.

"You're here, I don't want to waste that."

Something on the man's face told him he might have said more than he intended to. But as it was, he was too tired to dwell on it. Eye-lids feathering down-down-down in spite of his best efforts as Jay towed him towards the bedroom.

"Go to bed, Kay. I'll be here when you wake up." Jay told him firmly. Looking good and awkward and surprisingly soft in one of his button-down shirts and a pair of loud, bright orange gym shorts.

He eventually did.

But in spite of all his promises, when he jerked awake in the middle of the night because the tap in the kitchen was running, he couldn't find Jay anywhere.

"Come on, what about you, Slick? Future you got yourself a girl?

"I've got you."

He remembered that moment at the diner often. Hard to get it out of his head really.

He hadn't had time to dwell on it then, before Junior had his pie-inspired brain wave. But it'd stuck with him anyway. Digging deeper and deeper, like a Doritonia brain flea. Refusing to give him any peace.

It made him think about the rush he felt every time he opened the door and saw Jay lounging around the house or heard his voice suddenly call out from the other room.

It made him think about dangerous things.

Things like how he hadn't told anyone at headquarters what was happening.

Or how he hadn't thought of O the same way since Jay had barged his way into his life.

He'd always been good at adapting. Good at going with the flow. Rolling with the punches and throwing a few of his own along the way. But this was something else. Something he wasn't sure how to handle or if he should even be considering-

God damnit.

That night he sat down with a bottle of Jim Bean and drank enough to thoroughly regret it the next morning. Almost grateful that Jay hadn't shown up for the fifth week in a row.

Almost.

A/N: Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think. - There will be one more chapter.