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~[Shawn]~
Shawn stirred, his thoughts slowly drifting up out of his dreams toward consciousness. He mourned momentarily for the loss of those dreams, since they were the only place that he really had what he wanted, but the demands of his waking body were undeniable. He felt a dull ache throughout his body, centered in his lower back and hips. He started to wonder at that, but remembered his match with Jericho and mentally shrugged. He arched his back to stretch, almost feeling like he was being held down, and reached out with his arms.
And stopped cold as he touched warm flesh.
His eyes shot open, wide and disbelieving as he stared at the peacefully slumbering figure next to him. Tousled blond hair, long lashes in a soft smear against high cheekbones, faint musk rising from his bare skin...
Shawn collapsed back onto the bed, shocked. /I thought... I thought it was a dream. Not real.../ He reached out hesitantly, brushing his fingers against the soft lips, feeling the sharp pinprick of stubble on the cheek.
/Lord. It wasn't a dream./ His thoughts became jumbled as he stared at Chris. Beautiful, warm, sleeping Chris... beautiful naked Chris, he realised as he turned his head, his gaze sweeping the length of the bed. He forced himself to breathe as he drank in the sight before him, his shock ebbing, to be replaced by a warm wave of happiness.
/Now I remember why I ache,/ he thought ruefully. Chris murmured something and nudged closer to him, his arm resuming the spot around his shoulders that his stretch had dislodged it from. Shawn smiled, brushing the hair out of Chris's eyes, running his fingers through it, enjoying the soft silkiness.
Chris twitched at the touch, his eyes fluttering. Shawn hesitated, watching him, then slowly leaned forward the few inches necessary and pressed his lips to Chris's, a feather-light touch that brought a warm thrill to him. Chris made a quiet noise and tossed his head.
"G'morning, sweetheart," Shawn whispered, his voice rough. He watched, head on his hand, as Chris stiffened at his voice, obviously waking up... but his eyes remained closed. Shawn chuckled slightly. "You can open your eyes, Chris. Really. It wasn't a dream." A quiet sigh rippled through Chris, and as he opened his eyes, Shawn could see the wariness obvious within them receding rapidly as Chris found himself mere inches from Shawn.
"Shawn...?" Chris's voice was raspy. Shawn nodded slightly, curling his fingers into the hair he still held in his free hand, brushing against Chris's ear. Chris's eyes widened, the last remnant of sleep falling away from him. "Holy... you're here. I thought..."
Shawn leaned forward slightly and kissed him again, another quick brush of the lips. Chris's words ended on a sigh, and he tightened his grasp on Shawn.
"I dreamt this so many times..." Chris said quietly, looking at him. He nodded, a rueful smile pulling at his lips.
"Yeah. However, I've got the aches to prove that this was not just a dream," he said, shifting slightly and rolling to bring them closer together.
A soft hiss from Chris as their hips touched made him intensely aware of his morning erection---and of Chris's. A look, a silent question, and Chris nodded, his eyes wide and dark. Shawn slid his hand down Chris's side, grasping his hip, pulling them together as he rocked against the other man. Chris groaned, his own hips moving in response, and Shawn suddenly realised that he was right there...
He sighed into Chris's ear as he came, aware of Chris's shuddering response seconds later.
"Damn." Chris's voice was muffled against Shawn's neck, but he heard the smile in it anyway. He nodded, pulling back enough to kiss him.
"Guess we have to get up now. Or else get stuck together." Shawn's lips quirked, and Chris rolled his eyes.
"I guess when you talked about DX's "bad humour", you weren't kidding." Shawn laughed as Chris sat up, his nose wrinkling as he looked down at himself. He was pleased to note that Chris didn’t seem to be shy after their night together.
"I've got to get a shower. I stink." He shrugged, watching Chris stand up and walk to the bathroom, enjoying the chance to watch him openly. /So much better than trying to catch glances in the locker room without him noticing... Now I can look all I want because he's mine./ The flash of heat that went through him at that thought caught him by surprise.
"You need to clean up too, y'know," Chris made a face at him as he walked back into the room. Shawn smiled lazily at him.
"Well... we could always save water..." He lengthened his drawl and hid a smile as Chris actually shuddered at the sound of his voice.
"God, Shawn." Chris paused, taking a breath.. "If we try to save water, we'll probably end up drowning each other. And..."
A knock on the door ended the discussion. Chris frowned at Shawn, who looked at the clock.
/7:30? Who the hell.../ The question was answered almost immediately.
"C'mon, Shawn, get up. If I have to be awake, you have to be awake." Hunter's voice was immediately recognizable even through the yawn in the middle of his words. Shawn's smile turned wry as he looked at his lover.
"Guess we'll have to save that for another time." He watched, amused, as Chris grabbed his clothes and nearly sprinted for the bathroom, closing the door behind him. /Well, at least he wasn’t self-conscious around me.../ He yelled at the door, "Hang on a minute, Hunt!" Stretching as he stood, he walked to the bathroom and rapped on the door
"I need in for a minute, Chris," he called. He could hear the water running and some muffled thumps.
"Hang on," Chris answered. Shawn waited, listening to the rustling of clothes and wishing that they'd had more time to themselves. When the door opened a minute later, Chris was dressed, although rumpled. Shawn ran a finger down his cheek, then wrapped his hand around Chris's neck and pulled him forward for a quick kiss.
"I have to clean up. Go ahead and let Hunter in," he said. Chris looked almost panicked.
"But... but... if I..." He stuttered to a halt.
"Chris, Hunter's going to know that you spent the night with me one way or another. You're not ashamed of it, are you?" Shawn hid the sliver of hurt that he felt at that thought, and was immensely relieved when Chris immediately shook his head.
"No... it's just... well..." He stopped again, pink tinting his cheeks, and Shawn chuckled as he realised the problem.
"Chris, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm pretty sure that Hunt sent you up here fully expecting to find you here in the morning," he pointed out. Chris blinked at him, and he patted him on the cheek. "I'm going to wash up. Go let him in before he falls asleep in the hall."
~[Hunter]~
"Kevin...?" Hunter said groggily as he rolled over, reaching instinctively for the larger man next to him... His eyes shot open as his hand encountered emptiness, but even as he raised his head to look, he remembered, and he dropped back down onto his pillow with an unhappy grunt. /Dammit. It's been months. You'd think I'd be used to it by now./
With a sigh, he forced himself to sit up, knowing that regardless of how tired he was, sleep was not going to return. /Only a couple more weeks... thank god./ He resolutely pushed away the loneliness that threatened to overwhelm him and looked blearily at the clock.
"Damn," he muttered. /Only seven? Well... Vince did want us over at the arena early to shoot new promos and stuff./ He promised his body an entire pot of coffee as soon as possible, and stood up, stumbling to the bathroom. /I hate mornings./
After getting dressed and making himself presentable... well, as presentable as he could look at that ungodly hour, he threw the rest of his things into his overnight bag and took a last look around the room, making sure he wasn't leaving anything behind. With a shrug, he stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him. He wandered down the hall toward the elevator with a slight frown, trying to remember Shawn's room number.
/432? No, that's not right... 423? Shit. Well, I know it's on the fourth floor.../ He pushed the elevator button and reached into his back pocket for Shawn's room key, only to come up empty.
"What the hell...?" he grumbled, patting his pockets. /Where did I... oh, wait./ A memory surfaced, of him... holding Jericho? He frowned again as he tried to get his mind to cooperate with him. He stepped out on the fourth floor, thinking... His eyes widened for a minute as he remembered their conversation the night before, and...
"Shit!" He shook his head at himself. /That better have gone well, or Shawn'll kill me. Guess I'll just have to knock./ He smirked as he thought over the possibilities. /Hope I'm not going to be interrupting anything./
Stopping in front of a door marked "423", he raised his hand, hoping it was the right room as he banged on the door.
"C'mon, Shawn! If I have to be awake..." He swallowed a yawn halfway through his words. "... you have to be awake." He could hear lowered voices and movement inside the room, and wondered what he would've seen if he'd had the key to just open the door.
He was reassured when he heard Shawn yell at him to wait a minute, although his lips curved as he thought of various reasons why Shawn wouldn't immediately open the door. He leaned against the door, his eyes drifting shut as he pictured different situations, enjoying the mild arousal that they brought him.
When the door suddenly opened a few minutes later, he staggered and nearly fell as his eyes shot open, trying to place his surroundings. The smirk on the blond facing him didn't help.
"Do you always fall asleep when you're waiting, Hunter? I guess that would explain some of the more interesting suggestions you've made in creative meetings, though." Hunter rolled his eyes at Chris and stepped into the room, trying not to be obvious as he eyed the other man.
"I take it things went well last night," he said with a straight face, fighting down a smirk of his own at the blush that appeared on Jericho's face. /Same clothes as last night... messy bed... swollen lips... Yep, looks like they came to an understanding./ He firmly pushed away a flash of jealousy, knowing how long Shawn had been by himself. Chris refused to meet his eyes and turned away as the bathroom door opened.
"Hey, Hunt. How ya feeling?" Hunter's eyes fastened on the darkening mark on Shawn's throat and he raised an eyebrow.
"I'm fine. Looks like you're doing pretty good, too." The smirk finally escaped, but Shawn just laughed as he walked across the room and put a hand on Chris's shoulder, saying something too softly for Hunter to hear. Chris looked at Shawn, then glanced at Hunter, and nodded. Shawn's smile turned a little wistful, but he shrugged and kissed Chris on the cheek. Chris's blush deepened as he turned and saw Hunter watching, and he hurried out of the room. Hunter's other eyebrow raised as he looked at Shawn.
"What the hell was that?"
Shawn shrugged.
"He's a little shy. I think he was embarrassed at you finding him here."
Hunter frowned and set his bag down.
"Why? What's to be embarrassed about? I mean, yeah, I should be gloating at hooking you two up, but..." He was interrupted by Shawn's chuckle.
"Walking ego. He's shy, Hunt. At least about this. We haven't talked about it yet, but I'm pretty sure he's new to this whole "relationship" thing. And..." Shawn paused for a minute, looking at his hands. "He knows we have a history. Kind of an awkward thing, to have your new lover's ex-lover walk in on you the morning after you hook up, don't you think?"
"I dunno. That happened all the time to us," Hunter said with a slight smile. Shawn rolled his eyes, but Hunter added more seriously, "Yeah, I understand. Hope he doesn't hang on too tightly to that shyness, though. He's gonna have a lot to handle once Kevin comes back." Shawn narrowed his eyes at him.
"I hope you meant that figuratively. We are not pressuring Chris into doing things he's not ready for."
Hunter raised his hands defensively, taken aback by the protectiveness---and possessiveness---in Shawn's voice.
"I didn't mean it like that, Shawn. You should know that."
"I know he's not ready for that kind of thing, Hunter," Shawn answered, before smiling a bit. "Although he was interested in maybe having you watch us sometime. Or something." Hunter blinked, the images he'd been picturing earlier returning in full force. He sucked in a breath, shaking his head.
"Well. That's for future discussion, I think." Shawn nodded at him, and he cocked his head. "So what was that about right before he rushed out of here? You didn't look like you wanted him to leave." Shawn's mouth twisted slightly.
"I didn't. You have sucky timing, Hunter. That much hasn't changed." Hunter glared at him, but he ignored it. "We just woke up a little bit ago, and..." Hunter watched as Shawn, of all people, turned slightly pink as he paused. "... well, we were just getting up when you knocked. I was hoping to talk him into showering with me, but you kinda blew that idea out of the water." Hunter could tell exactly what he hadn't said, and had to smile.
"Ah. Sorry, Shawn. If I'd realised, I would've waited before coming up. To be honest, I didn't even remember giving Jericho your room key until I was almost here. I didn't mean to ruin your plans." And he did understand. /If somebody interrupts me and Kevin on our first night back together... yeah. I'd be pretty pissed./ Shawn shrugged again, a smile on his lips.
"It's okay, Hunter. I know your brain doesn't start working until after your first pot of coffee. Why don't you go grab some while I shower and change?" Hunter huffed at him, but took the room key Shawn held out.
"Thanks. Chris is coming back here after he gets ready?"
Shawn nodded, and Hunter stood up.
"Good. I'll get some coffee, you take your shower, and we'll wait for him."
He opened the door and started down the hallway, not able to keep his grin off his face. /Okay, so my timing sucks, but still... hopefully this'll work out. Shawn's been by himself for years./ He pushed away a familiar twinge of regret. /We were good together when we were together, but... best for everyone involved that we ended it when we did. I just wish he hadn't been alone for so long. If Chris hurts him, I swear I'll kill him./
Returning to Shawn's room with coffee in hand, he settled into a chair and waited, his mind on his own lover.
/Two more weeks.../
~[Chris]~
Chris turned away from Hunter and his knowing gaze, cursing himself. He hated how easily he blushed, but he couldn't help it. Especially now... he finally had what he'd wanted for years, but he still couldn't quite believe it. How often do you have your dearest dream handed to you on a silver platter, after all? He heard the bathroom door open and rolled his eyes at the exchange between Hunter and Shawn, but had to smile a little. He jumped a little when he felt Shawn's hand on his shoulder and looked at him.
"I know you're uncomfortable right now, Chris... if you'd rather go back to your room and shower and change, that'd be fine with me. Just meet us back here?" Shawn asked softly.
Chris bit his lip, feeling almost ashamed at the understanding tone in Shawn's voice. He glanced over at Hunter and couldn't help reddening further at the smirk on the other man's face. He looked back at Shawn and nodded silently. The wistfulness that came over Shawn's face made him feel even worse, but before he could change his mind, Shawn kissed him on the cheek and shrugged a little, as if to say that it was all up to him. He felt like a heel, but he just couldn't deal with Hunter's presence anymore. He turned and practically fled from the room, hoping that Shawn wouldn't hold it against him.
He sagged against the elevator wall as he waited for it to get to his floor, going over the events of the morning in his mind, wondering if Shawn had really meant everything he'd said last night. He knew Shawn was a man of his word, and there had been nothing but sincerity between them, but... he couldn't help but doubt. His own track record was short but bad, and Shawn's... well... it wasn't that great, either.
/What in the world is wrong with me?/ he wondered as he let himself into his hotel room, glad he hadn't been sharing with anyone else. That meant less awkward questions to answer... /Wait a minute! What the hell am I thinking?/ He stared at himself in the mirror over the low dresser, his eyes suddenly angry. /I just hooked up with one of the most gorgeous guys in the world, and I'm worried about people asking me where I spent the night? Christ, I spent the night with Shawn Michaels... who told me that he loves me. What is there to be ashamed of over that?/
Growling in sudden disgust with himself, Chris peeled off his clothes and started a shower, washing as quickly as he could. /I have to get back there and apologize to Shawn. I know I had to have hurt his feelings, running off like that, no matter what he said. I am such an asshole!/
He got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist as he took care of his normal morning routine, grimacing a little as his hair caught in damp snarls on his comb. /I swear to God I'm going to cut this all off. I don't care what the guys say, I can be a singer in a rock band and a wrestler with shorter hair that doesn't piss me off all the time. I wonder what Shawn would think if I cut it off to here.../
He was holding his hair up and squinting into the mirror, trying to picture it shorter, when he realised what he was doing. He grinned at himself as he let his hair drop, already knowing the answer. /He'd tell me that I look good no matter what my hair looks like. Which would be a lie,/ he admitted with a wince, remembering some of the looks he'd gone for when he debuted in the WWF. /But he'd mean it./ A little warm thrill shot through him at the thought. /I'm in love with Shawn Michaels. I'm with Shawn Michaels./
He paused, a blush creeping over his face as he thought for the first time, /I'm Shawn's lover./
"My God!" He couldn't help the exclamation as he shuddered at the thought, remembering Shawn's hands on him, his lips... He took a deep breath and finished combing his hair before dressing. He pulled on a pair of old, worn jeans and one of his t-shirts, then tossed everything else into his suitcase and glanced around one last time to make sure he wasn't leaving anything behind.
He had to force himself to calmness as he headed back toward the elevator, suitcase in tow. He felt like skipping, but realised that that would draw more attention than he really wanted at the moment. /I am not ashamed of being with Shawn... but I think this whole public relationship thing will take some getting used to,/ he thought with a wry smile as he punched the elevator button for the fourth floor. He didn't notice that he wasn't alone in the elevator until a low, amused voice drew him out of his thoughts.
"You look like you had a good night, CJ."
Chris flushed furiously as he met Benoit's smiling face.
"Benoit... hi. Umm..." He was saved from an immediate answer by the chiming of the elevator as it stopped on the fourth floor and the doors slid open. Hoping that Benoit was headed for the lobby, he yanked the suitcase out after him... but luck wasn't with him. Benoit stepped out after him, his own suitcase in tow, and followed him down the hall.
"So, where did you go last night, CJ? I saw you in the bar, talking to Hunter, of all people, before you took off like a bat out of hell. What's up?" Chris grimaced. Benoit was one of his oldest friends, but the man was an insatiable gossip. You'd never think it to look at him, but that was one reason he cultivated that quiet facade. True, he'd only gossip with friends... but practically everybody in the company called him "friend". He glanced at Benoit and stopped in the hall, sighing.
"Look, Chris... I... I was with somebody," he admitted reluctantly. Benoit grinned.
"I was right! So who is it, CJ? C'mon, you can't not tell me," he wheedled. Chris rolled his eyes at the tone, but had to smile. Benoit had always been a confidant and he knew just what buttons to hit to get him to admit things.
"Okay, okay. Look, this does not need to get spread around yet, okay? We just hooked up, and..."
Benoit interrupted him with a raised eyebrow. "'Yet'?"
"Yeah... I... This one's serious, Chris." He could tell Benoit was surprised by that, and he couldn't blame him. After all, he was known for short-term affairs, not for anything long-lasting. There were reasons for that, and Benoit knew them, so Chris was fairly certain that he'd just completely shocked his friend. "I..." He dropped his eyes to the floor, leaning slightly on his suitcase. He wasn't aware of the door opening behind him or of Benoit's glance toward it.
"It's Shawn," he said quietly. Benoit's eyes widened, and Chris nodded. "I know, I didn't think it would ever happen, but... it did. And... Chris, he loves me!" His absolute wonder at that thought was clear in his voice, and Benoit's expression changed to momentary surprise before a wide smile crept across it.
"And you?" His tone was knowing, and Chris made a face at him.
"You already know how I feel, Benoit. I've loved Shawn for years, and you know it." He frowned as Benoit's smile changed to an outright smirk, but the arm that wrapped around his waist and pulled him back against a solid body answered his question before he could ask.
The low, gravelly voice in his ear sent a shiver through him as his lover said softly, "I'm glad to hear that, you know. I was a little worried, the way you ran out of here earlier."
Chris twisted around to look at Shawn and his mouth twisted as he answered, "I know. I'm sorry. I just... I'm an idiot, is the problem." Shawn looked surprised, and Chris continued, "I was worried that maybe you hadn't meant it, or that I'd misunderstood, or... I don't know. I'm just an asshole, and I'm sorry, Shawn." A finger traced over his lips and he fell silent, watching the other man.
"I understand, Chris. I know. But..." Shawn's smile made Chris's heart melt all over again. "I do love you, y'know. Don't doubt that part of it, at least."
Chris's eyes widened, and he whispered, "I love you too, Shawn." He wrapped an arm around Shawn's neck and kissed him softly, his emotions obvious.
"Okay, you two, break it up out there! You're making a public spectacle of yourselves, you know." Hunter's voice was amused, and Chris found himself smiling back at the other man as he looked over Shawn's shoulder, making no attempt to move out of Shawn's embrace. /Maybe this'll be a lot easier than I thought. I think I worry too much,/ he thought, hearing Shawn's chuckle.
None of them noticed Benoit watching them thoughtfully, before nodding once and leaving, still smiling.
~ finis ~
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