"ITVR: Chapter 2"
Questions.
By Jadedoll, Penumbren, & Raising Kane
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Listening to Scott's explanation, Kevin could feel his own temper rising. He bit back a growl and glared at the little punk over Scott's shoulder, suddenly wishing that he hadn't been quite so fast in pulling them apart. A broken collarbone or rib would've meant that he'd be out for a while; a black eye just meant that he'd be visiting makeup longer than normal. He tightened his embrace, knowing how insecure Scott still was about practically everything, but especially their relationship. Not that he had any plans of letting the man go now; if they'd made it through hell and back---repeatedly---he wasn't about to walk away because of a temper flare. Especially one that was so well deserved. Scott's grin and sudden cocky attitude told Kevin more than his lover probably knew. That insecurity ran to himself as well, and Kev knew that he'd be spending some time tonight reassuring Scott. His flippant words made Kevin shake his head, smiling a little. They were definitely going to have some alone time tonight; he wasn't about to let unwarranted guilt eat Scotty up. The intimate touch, especially in such a public place, sent a shiver through him and he pulled Scott close up against him, not caring about the people around them. "Didn't bully him; he was already heading there," he answered, his voice husky. Dammit, that glint in Scott's eye told him that his lover knew exactly what he'd just done. Lowering his voice, he growled, "I think I might have to bully you tonight, though... pound you right into the ground. Make you scream. Maybe even make you pass out." Drawing a breath, he leaned forward and breathed into Scott's ear. "How does that sound to you?" **** Cursing softly, Shawn sped up as he got closer to the noise. He'd recognised Kevin's voice and suspected that he knew who was in the fight. God, they'd just come back. Vince would have a shit fit over this, that was for sure. He stopped at the fringe of the now-diminishing crowd and shook his head as he saw Kevin and Scott talking and Johnny being led off toward the trainer's by Maven. What the hell was Scotty thinking, starting a fight? Spotting Flair, he headed toward him and got his attention. "What the hell happened, Ric?" he demanded in a low voice. Ric looked at him, shaking his head. "Dunno. Apparently Johnny said something nasty to him and he flipped." Shawn sighed, the pounding in his head increasing in tempo. At least something had provoked Scott; when he was drinking, he'd started more fights than anyone could count just because he'd felt like it. Nodding his thanks to Flair, he started towards the two, smiling even through his exasperation. Whatever Scotty had just said to Kev, it got quite a reaction. He couldn't hear them yet, but he definitely recognised the look on Kevin's face. He paused a few feet away, not wanting to interrupt that conversation. Glancing around, he wondered where Hunter was. It wasn't like him to ignore a backstage altercation, especially when the Clique was involved. His forehead creased in a frown as he looked, and he jumped, cursing, as a hand fell on his shoulder. **** "How does that sound to you?" It took a moment for Scott to process the question. Between the heated breath blowing against his ear and the husky growl that accompanied it, it really wasn't that hard to figure out why. Scott absolutely loved it when Kev got all growly on him. In fact, that was probably the main reason that his legs felt like jelly right now. There was another part of him that felt nothing at all like jelly though, as Kevin was about to find out. Leaning forward until his cheek brushed gently against Kevin's chest, Scott shifted in his embrace managing to slyly inform Kevin exactly how it sounded to him when the result of Kevin's words brushed against his hip. Pulling away slightly he lifted his head until his eyes met Kevin's. His mouth tilted in a smirk and a twinkle in his eye, he finally got around to giving Kevin a verbal response. "Sounds to me like I'm going to be obstinate a little more often if that's the kind of bullying you're going to do," Scott said quietly, slowly wiggling his fingers that were still hooked in the top of Kevin's pants. He was just about to suggest that the two of them make a hasty exit and head back to the hotel when a loud voice interrupted his rather erotic train of thought. "Scott! That was so awesome. He's going to have a black eye for sure. You know Vince is going to freak." Scott laid his head against Kevin's chest for a moment again before taking a deep breath and turning to face the new arrivals while managing to stick close to Kevin's side. He noticed that most of the crowd seemed to have cleared except for a straggler here and there. "Hey, Kid," Scott said, happiness in his voice over seeing his friend. Ignoring the obvious statements and opening his arms wide, he swept Sean up in a hug, keeping it brief in the hopes that Sean would not announce his obvious condition to the whole company. Not that he honestly cared, but he'd made enough of a scene for tonight. After releasing Sean, Scott turned and nodded at Glen who returned the gesture. "Shawn! Did you see that? Get that sexy boy ass over here!" Scott and Glen shared a smile of amusement when Sean's voice rang out again. Though Scott really could have done without the reminder of the fight; he'd much rather have been thinking about what was going to happen when he and Kev got back to the hotel room. **** Before he spotted Jericho, Dave saw Shawn standing on the other side of Scott and Kevin. Since he hadn't really had a chance to check on Shawn since the match, Dave decided that he wanted to do it now. Shawn didn't seem busy at the moment so hopefully he wouldn't mind the interruption, though he did seem to be looking for someone. Giving Scott and Kevin a wide berth, Dave walked over to Shawn and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, surprised when the man jumped and cursed. "Sorry, Shawn. I didn't mean to startle you," Dave said, flushing slightly. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay after our spots earlier." He let his eyes linger on the spot where Shawn had been busted open and then looked down at the floor almost shyly when he realized he'd been staring. "You've got one hell of a swing," he said, referring to the chair shots earlier. He smiled as he tried to raise his eyes back up to Shawn's face getting momentarily distracted by the pattern on the tights that Shawn still wore before managing to raise his head. **** Hunter paced the hallway behind the skybox. He'd nodded Ric on when the older man had been prepared to wait for him, but Hunter wasn't quite ready for the locker room at the moment. He stopped and leaned his forehead against the wall, talking a few deep breaths. Eyes closed, he fingered the bloodstain on his shirt. Shawn was notorious for nearly blading his scalp off, but thank god this time hadn't been the usual bloodbath. He'd nearly cracked up over some of Shawn's comments while they'd been brawling. A small smile lit his features. Little shit was always trying to get Hunter to break character, although he usually got his own back. He'd described in detail the bouncy nature of t-shirt girl's chest every time his head had been near Shawn's. Watching the gorgeous eyes almost tear with restrained laughter had made his night, except with the blood and all. Inhaling Hunter turned and headed up the hallway to the locker room. He caught the last of the fallout from the brawl and checked over the other members of the Clique from a distance. He grinned at Kevin and Scott, the smile widening as Shawn, Glen and Kid joined them. Looked like everything was well in hand with Scott. Hunter had his own special place in the Clique. Despite his own formidable athletic ability, his true strength came from another source. Knocking politely on the door to his father-in-law's makeshift office, Hunter prepared his arguments for making the life of one Johnny Nitro, a complete shitheap. He was after all, the Cerebral Assassin. **** Damn, CJ had to admire Nitro's balls. Picking a fight with Scott Hall was like teasing a Rottweiler. You'd just as soon loose your whole arm as your finger. Chris had learned that pretty damn quick in the WCW locker room, when he'd witnessed another of Hall's legendary fights. He'd made a mental note to keep out of the Clique's way then and there. It was obvious after all, you were either one of them or you weren't. And he wasn't. He had that one brilliant programme with Michaels and the fun stuff over the hair with Nash, but backstage he'd kept his tongue between his teeth around the Clique. They'd barely acknowledged him outside the ring and despite a small feeling of disappointment, CJ was hardly surprised. Politics wasn't his game, he'd leave that to the ones with a taste for it. Shaking his head he tailed Nitro to the trainer's room. "Way to go Junior, piss off the people who have more power in this business than God," Chris complimented the peeved looking Nitro. "I just can't understand why you aren't getting a bigger push, what with all your backstage pull and all." Johnny's non-black eye squinted to the same size as his fantastically swelling one. "Fuck off Jericho." Crossing his arms CJ flashed his patented 'bite me' smile and ducked back into the hall. Hoping to catch Jay or Benoit at the exit he stopped as if he'd hit an invisible wall. Inwardly cursing he kept his smirk in place by force of will and turned casually away from the scene of the brawl. Not only was the wet-dream-inducing Clique all indulging in some kind of group hug, but Dave had joined them. Dave was chatting with Shawn, the Heartbreaker of the group. Dave was friendly with Shawn and Shawn was friendly with Dave. Well, good for them. They'd make a great couple. He'd tell them so when they got together. Because Hello!, why wouldn't Shawn want Dave? Big, built and so damn cool you were just drawn in like a magnet. And why wouldn't Dave want Shawn? HBK was the real deal after all, beautiful, funny, charismatic and sexy as all hell. Not just a cheap knock off. Seeing that his drinking buddies hadn't reached the exit, Jericho dropped his bag and looked out into the night. "Should be King of Pathetic-No-Chance-In-Hell rather than Bling Bling," he whispered quietly. Shooting a glance over his shoulder he spotted another of his oblivious objets de lust. Well, well, well. Adam was doing his whole, merge with a wall trick. It never failed to perplex Chris that someone as drop dead gorgeous as the Edgster played wallflower. Although if Jay was to be believed, and he probably wasn't, then Adam was a horny little bastard by anyone's measure. Pity that whenever Chris was around, his posture just screamed 'not interested'. Despite his reputation, CJ never went where he wasn't wanted and being turned down by Adam would have hurt more than he cared to acknowledge. Some people it didn't matter. Adam mattered. Once more scanning the parking bay, Chris considered where he'd lead his merry band tonight. Given that Jay and Ty were too busy learning the location of each other's tonsils and Trish could never make up her mind, CJ generally picked their drinking spots. He needed somewhere that Trish wouldn't be hassled and people would indulge any chaos Chris' impromptu drinking games caused. He watched Orton and Maven get into a crappy Honda rental. Randy flooded the engine. **** Hunter let the door close behind him and walked back towards his friends. Get that sexy boy ass over here! Sean's voice rang out in the hallway, bringing another smile to Hunter's face. Damn he'd missed them. Missed having his family all in the once place. It hadn't been the same, even with their weekends and time off in the same city. Having Kevin and Scott back was just like the old days and having Scott healthy was the icing on the cake. He noticed the small distance he'd created from the group with a twinge of regret. His decisions in the last few months had been difficult to say the least. Difficult enough that they hadn't been made lightly. Then there was that problem with Kevin, a problem that Hunter had reacted to with his typical run and hide gig. The distance was there no matter what was said, both metaphorical and physical. With Joanie gone and Stephanie as his 'wife' he hadn't touched anyone for nearly a year. Seeing Kevin and Scott back on the same page was both wonderful and bittersweet for his lonely heart. Glen and Sean were attached at the hip and so revoltingly happy that even the rest of the Clique's teasing hadn't subdued them in any way. And Shawn.... He stopped few feet from the group as Dave started talking to Shawn. He had a lot of respect for Dave and if Shawn liked Batista then that was more than okay with Hunter. As long as Shawn was smiling, Hunter was content. Putting hands on hips he shook his head at Scotty. "Scott! I leave you alone for five minutes and you wipe the floor with some rookie?" Shaking his head in mock reproof, he sighed. "You couldn't have waited for me? I wanted to get pictures." **** Realising who it was as soon as he started to turn around, Shawn felt like an idiot for the curse that had slipped out of his mouth. He didn't react well to being startled, but still... He blinked a little at the almost... shy tone in Dave's voice. He knew that Dave wasn't much at all like his on-screen persona, but this was a little different even for him. If the flush hadn't clued him in, the slow dragging of Dave's eyes over his tights would have done it. Shawn sighed a little as he recognised the signs, although he gave Dave a genuine smile, touched by his concern. He didn't want anyone to have a crush on him; he wanted someone to love him. Of course good things could develop out of crushes, but it was so hard to get past the awkwardness... and he'd really enjoyed working with Dave. Hopefully this wouldn't make things weird for them... especially, if he were going to be honest, since Dave was one of the guys he'd been looking over lately. His gaze flicked to the side as motion caught his attention, and he watched Jericho walk past, an indescribable look on his face as he glanced toward them. Shawn frowned a little, tempted to go after him, but CJ kept walking. That was pretty out of character for him and Shawn's protective instincts flared. He stomped them back down, reminding himself that although they'd worked together, Chris had never made any attempt to really get close to him, let alone too friendly. Maybe his reputation had scared him off, or the Clique, but whatever the reason, Shawn wished things had gone differently between the two of them. He'd thought for the longest time that Chris might be... something more, for him. Biting back another sigh, he turned his attention back to the man who was looking at him with intense dark eyes. "Sorry, Dave." He ran a hand over the big man's shoulder briefly without meaning to, and let it drop quickly back to his side, hoping that Dave wouldn't think too much of it. He was very hands-on anyway, so... "I'm fine. Just have a headache, and some instructions not to get too friendly with anymore ring posts for a while." He flashed a grin, then became more serious. "I didn't hurt you, did I? Sometimes I get a little carried away in the ring without meaning to." Sean's voice cut across the quieting hubbub. "Get that sexy boy ass over here!" Shawn looked at Dave apologetically, although he was smiling. "I've been summoned." He started to turn, then paused. "C'mon, let's go see what's up." He wasn't sure why he was inviting Dave to be privy to Clique business, but it felt right, for some reason. He didn't let himself dwell on it, and his eyes landed on Hunter as they approached the group of people near the wall. Hunter had been pretty out of sorts lately, although no one else seemed to have noticed. He was acting... depressed, Shawn's mind supplied, although that wasn't quite the right word. There was a distance between Hunter and the rest of them lately, and Shawn was sure that at least part of it was an unconscious reaction to the current story arcs. Everyone knew Hunter had enormous pull with Vince, for obvious reasons, but no one really seemed to think about how rarely he used it for himself. For others, sure, he was great at dropping a bug in Vince's ear, but... Shawn shrugged a little. Geez, he was damned melancholy today. He shouldn't be; for the first time in a decade, the Clique was back together and for the first time ever, all of them were healthy and happy. Well... he shot another look at Hunter as he stopped next to him. Maybe not all of them were happy. He was definitely going to corner his best friend later and drill him, because hell if Hunt was going to wrap himself up and distance himself from him, even if he seemed to be doing it with everyone else. **** Adam liked watching people. Their body language spoke so much louder than their words. Take Kevin and Scott for instance. Despite the debates backstage about their couple status, all anyone who paid attention would have to do is look at them right now to know that they were in fact back together. Shawn...Shawn was lonely but looking for someone special. That left Adam right out of the equation despite any interest he had. And face it, who wouldn't be interested in Shawn? Adam hadn't had an actual relationship in a long time, wasn't sure he was capable of having one, and practicing on Michaels would be a big, big no-no unless he wanted to get caught with his balls in a vice. If he attempted to make his move and then for some reason things didn't work out...he'd end up with a minimum of Kevin, Scott, Hunter, and Sean looking to maim his equipment. That wasn't necessarily the extent of it either...there was always Glen, who was completely enthralled by Sean, and the way it looked...Dave, who was sporting a rather obvious crush on the sexy boy, to contend with as well. No thank you. He'd make a pass at Stacy, whom he had absolutely no sexual interest in whatsoever, before he even thought of making a play for Shawn. Hunter, who had watched everything from the fringes of the crowd, had headed to MacMahon's office without delay. For once, Adam was completely in agreement with any politicking that Hunter did to get Johnny put in his place. Winning some half-baked contest did not entitle the kid to thinking he was all that and what he'd said to Hall was way out of line. With Hunter's pull, Adam wouldn't be surprised if next week the kid was scraping gum off the seats in the arena instead of performing in it. Hunter...now there was a puzzle. Married to the boss's daughter...except something didn't quite ring true there. Oh they acted as if they were the perfect couple in front of the people that counted, but there was something going on with Hunter that he just couldn't put his finger on...yet. Whiskey-colored eyes and blond hair notwithstanding, Hunter was an even bigger no-no than Shawn when it came to letting his thoughts linger. Not only would he have the exact same problems that came with Shawn, but then you had to add in HBK himself and that was enough to make any sane person watch their step. That didn't even bring into account having to deal with Stephanie or Vince, the latter of which would be shining a light up your ass to try to discover why you had a sudden interest in his very married son-in-law. No wonder he tended to keep his eyes from straying seriously to members of the roster...complications. Looking away from the group, he spotted a lone figure walking out of the trainer's room. Now there was an altogether different kind of complication involved with the man he was now watching. He watched curiously as the man stopped short at the sight of the small gathering with a wistful look on his face. Unrequited love...lust? Did it matter? Y2J had a definite interest in someone in that group though Adam wasn't sure if it was the big man Batista or Shawn. Adam felt a twinge over that thought. Chris was the biggest temptation of all that Adam had to break his hands-off rule when it came to the roster. He'd ended up with nailprints in his palms more times than he could count in order to keep up his uninterested façade when it came to the gorgeous blond. He genuinely liked Chris, enough so that he'd avoid getting involved with him for his own good. Chris deserved more than the attentions of someone that had slept with more people than he could remember in the last year. After his last relationship had broken up, he'd not been able to face spending his nights alone. Wary of the complications of being involved with someone he worked with, his failed relationship had taught him that amongst other things, Adam had taken to picking up whichever male fan he'd found with thick enough rose-colored glasses. They were smart enough not to expect commitment, yet happy enough to spend a few hours with someone that appeared on television. Adam didn't kid himself that it was him in particular that they were looking for, most likely anyone who'd had a few minutes of air-time would have had the same luck, but it kept him from being alone at night so who was he to complain? Adam didn't so much as flinch to give himself away when Chris looked at him, though his breath certainly caught in his throat like it always did when he had the blond's attention. Luckily Chris wouldn't realize that he was the focus of Adam's attention at the moment due to his dark glasses. Yes he did wear them inside the building, even at night, silly as it may seem. Adam released the breath he'd been holding when Chris looked away to the parking bay. Chris looked so alone most of the time despite the gang of people he surrounded himself with. Trish, Jay, Tyson... they all tended to follow wherever Chris led them. Maybe tonight he should join them... as a friend in any case. He knew Jay would be happy if he didn't spend the night prowling bars in the seedier part of town. He could spend one night alone without going to pieces...couldn't he? If he didn't try it sometime, he'd never know. He could try to cheer Chris up in any case. Jay had probably warned the blond of his predilections so if he turned on the charm, Chris would most likely take it with a grain of salt...better for both of them that way. Making up his mind to avoid the nameless, faceless person that he'd end up with if he went out on his own, Adam finally moved from his frozen position against the wall. Walking almost silently he approached the still figure who was looking at Randy and Maven as they attempted to get their rental started. Laying his hand on Chris' shoulder in a friendly gesture, though he was tempted to do a whole lot more, Adam simultaneously leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Looks like you're missing a few followers, Christopher, king of mine. Mind if I join the party this evening?" Fixing an innocent smile on his face, or as innocent as he could manage anyway, Adam held his breath as he waited for Chris' response. **** Scott turned to look at Shawn as he approached the group minimally surprised to see Dave accompanying him. Not that he had any problems with Dave, he barely knew the man. He just hadn't been aware that there was anything going on between the two of them that would induce Shawn to invite him to join their little group after what had just occurred. Scott pulled Shawn into a quick hug, trying to stealthily check his forehead as he did so. "Nice work tonight Shawn." Letting his eyes wander once again to the man standing next to Shawn, Scott decided he'd wait to see what was going on between the two before making any kind of verbal observation. "You too, Dave." He was on the verge of hoping that the discussion of the fight was over, at least until he and Kevin were alone, when he heard Hunter's voice behind them. "You couldn't have waited for me? I wanted to get pictures." Scott flinched before he could stop himself, but quickly pulled the smile back onto his face. Hunter was one of the reasons he felt so bad for starting the fight in the first place. Vince always seemed to hold Hunter responsible for the rest of their actions for some unknown reason. The last thing he wanted was to cause Hunter any grief over something which looking back seemed so minor. Wanting to keep the conversation in the joking spirit that Hunter had intended, Scott turned and looked at his friend. "Well, if I'd found the person I was looking for, namely you, then you would have been here when it happened," he said loudly with a wink. "Not my fault you're so damn hard to find, Hunter." Taking a step closer to the man who had eluded him earlier, Scott swept him up in a bear hug and whispered an almost silent "sorry, Hunter" against his shoulder. As he pulled away he took his position once again next to Kevin, drawing strength from his lover. As happy as he was to see his family, he wished that he and Kevin had managed to make good their escape since his body hadn't cooled off one bit from Kevin's early teasing. to be continued... |