"ITVR: Chapter 26"
Arrivals.
By Jadedoll, Penumbren, & Raising Kane
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Hunter shook his head ruefully at the backs of Scott and Kevin. He may have been out of the loop for a while, but he could still read Kev pretty well. Whatever exactly it was Scotty wanted to talk about, and Hunter could easily guess, the big man was reluctant to say the least. Hunt would rather not have Kevin pushed into making amends by his lover if he didn't want to, but Kevin had never held a grudge, against Hunter or anyone else, it was simply their discomfort with talking that was the problem. And Scotty seemed to provide the solution to that. Whether they liked it or not, he and Kevin would just have to get over it. Now that... well now , wasn't going to be the time and place for this 'talk', Hunter would at least have a chance to catch his emotional breath. If they were going to talk about Vince and Scotty, then Hunter would need to decide his own feeling on the situation. On further consideration, Hunter would prefer it if they didn't have too many witnesses to this, if they were to go over old dirt, then perhaps it would be easier without an audience. Although Hunter wanted Shawn and Dave there for support, he hoped Ric, Sean and Glen might be convinced to give them some privacy. But then, what was three more when skeletons were yanked from closets in public? Hunter relaxed further into Dave's embrace as Shawn was tugged into their three-fold hug. This much bodily contact was starting to give Hunter's long-dormant libido some ideas, some very definite ideas regarding beds, tongues and lots of naked. Dave leaning forward to kiss Shawn was enough to translate those ideas directly to other parts of his body. What a sight it was too. The sculpted beauty of Shawn's face, eyes shut with pleasure, contrasting Dave's gorgeously bronzed skin and midnight hair. Hunter doubted he could've chosen more attractive lovers if he'd tried. His choices in previous years perhaps reflecting his own opinion of himself rather that the merits of his lovers. With only one notable exception, Hunter had eased any loneliness by simply accepting offers from any interested parties. He'd never mustered the energy to pursue anyone with enthusiasm, anyone but Shawn had seemed less somehow. A rather unfair attitude he had to admit, perhaps more an indictment of Hunter's own shortcomings, than his boyfriend's. So...you going to kiss it better too, oh hard-headed one? Hunter's thoughts were snapped back from his wanderings once again by Dave's words. Hard-headed was he? Well maybe metaphorically rather than physically, although Hunt's head butts were nothing to be sneezed at, certainly not through Dave's slightly swollen nose at any rate. Giving Shawn's lower back a quick pat, Hunter lifted his hand to the back of his head, rubbing thoughtfully at the sore spot caused by the impact with Dave's face. "Well..." His words hanging softly between the three men, "... since you asked me nicely." Hunt leaned up and very gently kissed the skin between Dave's wicked slanting brows. A second and third kiss on each temple completed Hunter's medical skills. Pulling away, but so not to cause alarm, Hunter reached once again for the door, opening it. "Now... coffee... please?" he begged, backing out into the hallway. **** "...I know what would make it feel a lot better." Shawn leaned into the kiss, a quiet noise escaping him as their lips met. Willingly parting his lips to allow Dave entrance, he relished the slightly spicy taste of his mouth, a hand sliding up to wrap around Dave's neck. Shivering a little as the cool metal of the bar in Dave's tongue contrasted with the heat of his flesh, he wondered suddenly what it would feel like to have that bit of metal sliding against other parts of his body. His groan was muffled by Dave's mouth, but as the big man pulled away, Shawn sighed and buried his face against Dave's shoulder. Smiling a little at the exchange between the other two, glad to see Hunter's sense of humour reappearing, he wondered how in the hell he was going to survive this. It'd been almost a year since he'd been with anyone, and just waking up in bed with Dave this morning had pushed nearly every button he'd been ignoring for that time. With the three of them... Hunter was obviously still a little reluctant to be too "hands-on", and Dave wanted to talk before they did anything else... Shawn fully agreed that they needed to have a serious discussion about this little idea of his; he was more aware than anyone of the potential problems that could---and probably would---arise. He hadn't been with Scott and Kev for terribly long, less than a year, but it had been a helluva ride. In more ways than one... "Now... coffee... please?" Pulling away from Dave with another groan, he rubbed a hand across his eyes, wishing that he had better control over himself. The current round of touching and teasing was a good thing, as they all got used to each other, but his control was rapidly fraying, and he really didn't want to put on a show for their friends. Close as family, maybe, but he wasn't about to have their first time together put on display. The thought of Sean doing commentary on their sexual skills was enough to put a damper on his libido for the moment, but he knew that it was going to be an ongoing battle. The fact that he'd fantasised about Hunter for nearly a decade... and about Dave for the last year, to be honest... well, that wasn't going to help at all. Taking a deep breath, he followed Hunter out the door. The porter must've come by while Kev and Scott were there... in fact, he could see the man down the hall now. One less thing to worry about, at least. Yawning slightly, he realised that he could use some coffee, too, now that the emotional and adrenaline highs were wearing off. He held the door open for Dave, then walked down the hall beside him, itching to hold his hand or something, but afraid to push his luck too much. Maybe food and some caffeine would help settle him... he hoped. **** Dave blinked as Hunter pulled away. That hadn't been quite what he'd expected, but at least it showed that Hunter seemed to be in a better mood. His lips twitched into a smirk as he watched Hunter backing towards the door. "Now...coffee...please?" Dave forced himself not to make a gagging noise at that particular time, he'd wait until Hunter was actually drinking the stuff to pick on him again. As Shawn pulled away from him, Dave mourned the loss of contact. What did he think? He couldn't walk down the hallway with Shawn wrapped around him. Not only would it be a bad idea from the company standpoint, but he was pretty sure he wouldn't last to the end of the hall before he'd be picking Shawn up and turning around to head back to the room they'd just left. Somehow he'd have to put a rein on his base impulses around both Shawn and Hunter... at least for the near future. There was no way that he planned to display their newfound closeness to that degree in front of the others on the plane and they still needed to have a long talk. That probably wouldn't be happening before they made it to the arena... if that soon. The ride down in the elevator was a little tense. It wasn't an extremely large space for three guys of their size to start with and the company of the porter with them meant they needed to keep at least a bit of distance between them. Dave stuck his hands in his pockets to help him resist the urge to reach out and touch either man, even if it was only to hold a hand or something. He blushed slightly as his stomach rumbled, the sound much louder in the enclosed space than it would have been otherwise. Once they reached the bottom floor, they stopped in at the restaurant and got something to go. They didn't have the time for a leisurely sit-down meal if they were going to be to the airport on time. As they settled into the car, Dave shuddered at their assorted 'breakfasts'. Good thing he usually managed to get up on time so he could avoid this kind of thing too often. He picked at his cinnamon roll and sipped his orange juice as they pulled away from the hotel. As hungry as he'd been, the restaurant hadn't offered too many portable items at this particular point of the day. Looking at the cups of coffee in the other two men's hands, Dave couldn't help but pick after their little coffee discussion this morning. "I don't know how you can drink that stuff," he said with a grimace. "Hey, Hunter? Shouldn't you be whipping out one of those energy drinks you promoted instead of drinking that crap?" He knew he shouldn't be grinning as much as he was, but it was kind of funny if you thought about it. **** Fortunately the ride was over fairly quickly, Hunt could hear Dave and Shawn talking quietly in the back seat. Listening with half an ear, he let his sleepy mind drift into speculation of the relationship. Unlike Shawn, Hunter was strictly a one man guy... up until now. The mechanics of their relationship didn't concern Hunter at all, he'd never been jealous of Shawn's lovers before, he wouldn't be jealous of Dave now. It would be the 'couple time' that caused problems, if there were any, from Hunt's perspective. He'd got out of the habit of being with someone for the last few years and was almost totally self-sufficient regarding his emotional situation. Maybe too self-reliant. Hunter's reaction to Shawn's confession last night and over-reaction this morning seemed so out of character for him, that having some 'issues' was kind of an understatement. Talking was obviously a good idea. The feel of hot, black coffee slightly scalding his tongue took all the knots he didn't know he had out of Hunter's spine. Relaxing back in the comfortable passenger seat of the Grand's complimentary car, Hunter pulled his sunglasses down as they pulled out of the underground car park. It was still a ruthlessly hot day, but at least he could demand air-conditioning and not sound too much like a spoiled rich boy. Even without the hangover, Hunt wasn't at his best in temperatures like this. Joanie had often nagged him that he didn't drink enough water and that was why hot weather gave him headaches. It had been her insistence on the subject that had led to the whole 'spitting water at the audience' gimmick. That fact that it had lasted five years paid testament to Joanie's idea, even with the irony of spitting out the water rather than swallowing it. Given that he'd eaten less than nothing last night and this morning, his choice of breakfast left a lot to be desired. Fruit, coffee and sweet buns were about the worst combination to have right now, although the sugar kick would at least keep him compos mentus for the flight. They'd have to eat properly in Uniondale before the show, or three of Vince's headline tough men would be fainting all over the place from lack of protein. one of those energy drinks you promoted instead of drinking that crap? Looking back over his shoulder at the men in the back seat, Hunter gave them a toothy grin. "Too much sugar... and they don't pay me any more." The pounding in his head had softened to a dull roar, with the direct infusion of caffeine. Sitting back, Hunter shut his eyes against the strong glare of sunlight and made the vow all hung-over men make the morning after. "I am never going to drink again... I swear." **** You want a taste? Oh really? So Adam was going to lick the frosting off his lips in just that way huh? Suggest Chris could eat some of the cake off his fingers and then wave some of the sweet stuff right under Chris' nose instead huh? Looks like the banana was a necessary weapon in this battle after all. First though... CJ smiled sweetly, like he didn't get Adam's innuendo, and leaned forward to delicately lick the cake off the fork. He closed his eyes to savour the taste of spice and sugar, slowly chewing before swiping his tongue across his lips to catch a random crumb. Chris looked at his lover through his lashes, "Nice... thanks. So spicy huh? I would have thought more along the lines of soft and mushy rather than hot and spicy." Grinning to show his liking of the game, Chris tore a chunk from the herb bread he'd taken and dipped it into the oil and salt on the table. "Much as I would love to be welded to your side today Babe, you have a appearance in Uniondale right? I'm free so..." Chris drew the puppy dog look from his arsenal of expressions, "can I come?" If Adam wanted to make something of that CJ would be on that banana like nobody's business. He was free until the taping tonight at the arena and apart from the drive there, was only committed to some time at the gym. He could go there while Adam made nice with the fans, but he'd much rather hover behind the scenes at Adam's appearance and join in all the boys and girls watching the eye candy that was his boyfriend. As long as that wasn't too clingy or anything. **** Relaxing into the seat, Shawn sipped at his coffee in between chatting quietly with Dave. Keeping it work-related, they'd managed to exhaust their immediate conversational topics within minutes, falling into a not-uncomfortable silence. The look Dave had given him when he'd joined Hunter in front of the coffee pot told him that he could expect to be needled over his choice of beverage, but he'd been addicted to coffee for far longer than he'd known Dave---or Hunter, for that matter---and it wasn't about to change now. At least sitting in the car meant that he could press a knee against Dave's without being conspicuous about it, and although the touch was almost like teasing himself, it was relaxing at the same time. Having to keep his hands to himself in public and around others was going to be a huge test of his self-control. His gaze settling on Hunter, he wondered how his friend was going to deal with this. He wasn't even sure if Hunter had been with other men, now that he thought about it, although it was probably a safe assumption that he had some experience in the arena, given his reactions to him and Dave this morning. That was something else they'd have to talk about, although definitely not in public. While most of his exploits might almost be legendary, he wasn't about to sit and discuss their sexual histories in front of other people, not even the rest of the Clique. No, make that especially not in front of the rest of the Clique. Aside from Kid's big mouth, having that particular discussion in front of two people he'd been involved with off and on for over ten years would be more than a little awkward. Taking a bite of his cinnamon roll, he considered the time element and decided that he was going to ask that they stop for lunch before heading to the arena. If he didn't get some real food at some point, he was going to be grouchy as hell as well as strung out on caffeine, since the less he ate, the more coffee he had to keep him going. Not the best combination in the world, especially today. "I don't know how you can drink that stuff." Shawn laughed, taking another drink. It was a good thing that Dave was obviously teasing; if the big man were going to spend any real length of time around the Clique---and Shawn certainly hoped that he was!---then he was going to have to put up with their common addiction. "I am never going to drink again...I swear." Biting his tongue, Shawn forced himself to smile a little. Hunter didn't drink at all, as far as he knew... but obviously there were a lot of things he didn't know about his best friend. What had driven him to drink last night had been discussed briefly this morning, but Shawn made a mental note to put the topic on their list of things to talk about. If Hunt had done this before, he wanted to know why... although he suspected he might already know, given the things that Hunter had let slip earlier when Shawn pushed him. How someone like Hunter could have that big of an insecurity problem, Shawn would never understand. At least his doubts came from experience. His mouth twisted slightly at that thought and he shoved away thoughts of his previous relationships. This was definitely not the time or place to be dwelling on that topic, and he had no reason to, now. Arriving at the airport after a mercifully short ride, Shawn polished off his roll as he got out, tossing his garbage in the nearest trash can. When he turned back to the car, their luggage had already been stacked on a cart, and he followed the other two inside. The initial check-in line was short and within minutes they'd gotten through security. Midday in the middle of the week didn't seem to be a terribly busy time for this airport. Walking up to the lounge, Shawn couldn't stand it any more and draped what he hoped looked like a casual arm around Hunter's shoulders. A quiet sigh escaped him as the nervous emotional twitch he'd been feeling for the last half-hour calmed and went away. He cast a look at Dave, smiling, and hoped that the big man was ready for what they were about to encounter, because he could see a familiar group of people standing in front of the windows ahead of them. **** Glen slowly followed Sean through the doors of the mini-mart. He had a feeling that this was going to go somewhere along the lines of every other time they stopped at one and wasn't surprised to see Sean grab one of the baskets just inside the door. Heaving a sigh, he wandered back to the cooler section to grab a bottle of water. Walking slowly back the way he came, he stopped at the aisle where he knew he'd find his bouncy energetic lover. "Sean, you are not getting all of that stuff," he said, poking his finger into the depths of Sean's already half-full basket. "But Glen...." Sean's whine wasn't going to sway him in the least. He'd learned that he had to put his foot down rather firmly on occasions such as this or everyone on the plane would give him dirty looks. "No, Sean. If you eat all that stuff, not only will you be bouncing off the walls for the whole flight, but your family will be ready to toss you off the plane. No way." How in the world Sean stayed so thin when he ate this kind of stuff was a mystery to Glen. Picking up several packages of candy from the basket, he started looking for the spots they had originally come from. Sean gave an exaggerated sigh and grabbed a package from Glen's hand. "M & Ms---melts in your mouth, not in your hand. I guess I've got you if I want something that melts in my mouth," the shorter man said with a grin as he put them back on the shelf. Glen raised a brow and shook his head. Sean was simply incorrigible. He handed another package to his lover and waited for the inevitable comment. "Taste the rainbow! I suppose you fulfill my daily fruit requirement." Another grin and a wink. "Sean," he growled. "Not funny." His smile said otherwise. Holding up two candy bars, Sean laughed. "Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t?" Even as Sean opened his mouth to add something to it, Glen placed his hand over Sean's mouth. "Don't say it." Pointing at the shelves he laughed as Sean grumbled and put the candy back in its spot. Glen grabbed several more items from the basket and steered Sean into the next aisle. He handed Sean another package and waited patiently. "It's a creamy lickin' chocolate sensation...O R E O." Glen snorted as he noticed the direction Sean was looking in. "Where's the cream filling?" Sean was having a blast. He wondered if Glen realized that he did this on purpose? "Sean, put the Twinkies back." Glen felt a blush steal across his face as he noticed a teenage girl watching them in fascination. "We need to get going or we're going to be late." "Okay, okay. I'm getting the rest though and I need a can of pop." Glen shook his head as Sean bounced back to the coolers and up the next aisle. Meeting him at the register, he watched as Sean placed his items on the counter. His lover had managed to snag several more items on his way to the counter and Glen just rolled his eyes and dug out his wallet. At least they'd had Sean's ice cream so they wouldn’t have to stop somewhere else along the way. He almost choked as Sean turned to the woman at the counter waving one item at her with a smile. "So how many licks does it take to get to the center of...." Grabbing the bag from the laughing woman, Glen wrapped his other hand around Sean's arm and dragged the giggling brunet from the store. He smiled as they climbed into their rental car and headed towards the airport. One thing he could say about life with Sean... it was never boring. **** "...unless you'd rather wait until we get to the airport?" Oh, no. No way in hell was Scott going to do something like that in a public restroom... or for that matter, in front of the rest of the guys. Not that the action would bother him all that much, but having that kind of intimacy and then not being able to follow up on it... He smiled a little, but knew that to be honest with himself, revealing that much in front of everyone would bother him. His control was almost legendary, and having their family know that Scott could break it... or that he loved it when Scott did... well. As bad as it made him feel for thinking it, he _didn't_ want that to be public. At least not right now. It was still too new for him to be comfortable with others knowing. That might change in the future, but for now, there would definitely be no public displays of the physical signs of that loss. Not, he resolved immediately, that that discomfort was going to keep him from being just as affectionate with Scott in public as he wanted to be, regardless of the cause. He wasn't about to hurt his lover by pulling away from him, especially after the care Scott had shown him this morning. "I think, given the options, that the limo might be best," he admitted. He wasn't quite sure how to express the complexity of his feelings to Scott, but suspected that he didn't have to. "I don't... I don't think I really want to put on a show for the guys. Not like that, anyway." Wrapping his free arm around Scott's shoulders, he held him until the elevator stopped, hoping that he'd made sense. Fifteen minutes later, as he was moaning quietly under Scott's gentle touch in the back of the limo, he really wished that they were in a position to take advantage of their position... so to speak. Leaning against Scott after he was done, Kevin let himself relax into his lover, feeling an indescribable comfort in knowing that he didn't have to maintain that control all the time, in knowing that Scotty would be there for him whenever he needed him. Grimacing slightly at himself, he wondered when he'd gotten so sappy. A soft touch on his shoulder when the limo stopped reminded him, and he pressed a kiss to Scott's temple before climbing out of the limo, waiting next to it until Scott joined him. Pleasantly surprised at the relative speed with which they moved through the check-in and security lines, they were strolling back towards the lounge when Ric spotted them. "Hey, guys! Nice to see you made it," the platinum blond grinned at them. One eyebrow lifted momentarily at the sight of Kev's arm slung around Scott's shoulders, Scott's arm around his waist almost hidden by the jacket Kev was wearing. Kevin ignored the unspoken query by conveniently not seeing it and smiled back at Flair. "Good to see you, Naitch. A chartered flight seems a little much, but I have to admit that it'll be nice to get there in comfort." He stopped short of adding that he wasn't sure if he could've taken a three-hour drive that afternoon, almost visibly biting his tongue. Glancing around, he said, "So, we're the first ones here? Well, Hunt, Shawn, and Dave should be here shortly. We ran into them on our way out of the hotel, and they were going to stop and grab something to eat on their way here." **** Adam was a little disappointed that Chris wasn't going to take the carefully laid bait, but consoled himself with a lingering look at his lover's sweet smile. Then Chris of the Magic Tongue revealed that most powerful weapon as he licked the cake off the fork. He showed great skill in managing to retrieve the tasty treat without once being impeded by the pointy tines. Then the Magic Tongue disappeared as Chris slowly savored his spoils, except for a brief flash to capture a stray crumb or two. Adam cleared his throat as he shifted in his seat. Seemed that he had been caught in his own trap. As he looked into mischievous blue eyes framed by golden lashes, he realized that Chris had understood his intentions all along. "I would have thought more along the lines of soft and mushy...." Adam restrained a snort of laughter. After that he was too busy lingering in the warmth he felt at Chris' request. He had a hard enough time sitting through his own appearances sometimes without losing his mind, yet Chris was willing to suffer through one... without appearing even... just to spend more time with him. How cool was that? "I can't think of a single part of you that I'd describe as mushy, and only one or two that I'd describe as soft, sweetheart," Adam said with a smile, his eyes fixed on Chris' lips. "As far as I know my next appearance is in Columbus, unless you know something I don't?" Taking another bite of the cake, he felt a warmth blossom in him that Chris would actually want to tag along to his signing. "But you can come with me, whenever you want to. Tonight all I have is a few promos to cut with Mr. Roboto, then I'm free for the foreseeable future," Adam said with a grin. "Oh wait, I suppose I should find Glen and practice taking a few choke slams," he said with a snort. "I can't believe we're losing to La Resistance even through disqualification. I'm hoping Vince will be hit by inspiration and change the match. If not then maybe Glen will take pity on me and knock me out so I don't actually have to witness it." **** "I don't... I don't think I really want to put on a show for the guys. Not like that, anyway." Scott had kind of guessed that that might be Kevin's response. He didn't blame him in the least and understood exactly where Kevin was coming from. It didn't bother him that Kevin wasn't comfortable sharing that aspect of their relationship with the guys. As far as he was aware, Shawn was the only one that knew that Scott enjoyed that kind of interaction with Kevin and he only knew because he'd been involved in it during the time he'd been with them. Well except for Page and Scott hadn't had to see the man in years, though it wouldn't have mattered if he had. Page had helped him come to terms with certain aspects of the game and Scott was grateful to him for doing so. That didn't mean he was going to advertise that aspect of their relationship in front of the rest of the guys. During the car ride, Scott pulled the tube of cream from where he'd stashed it in his carry-on bag. At least he didn't have to worry about convincing Kevin to drop his pants since the windows were tinted. He spent as long as he dared massaging the cream into Kevin's tender skin. Too bad they were limited for time, because the noises Kevin made while he was applying the cream had Scott wishing they could do a little more than just the massage. He shouldn't have been all that surprised. Just seeing Kevin's bare ass was enough to make him want more. Luckily the driver gave them enough warning that they were approaching the airport for Kevin to slip back into his pants. Scott relished the way Kevin leaned into him until they reached their destination. Five minutes later and he laid a gentle hand on Kevin's shoulder as the limo drew to a stop. The gentle kiss against his temple had him grinning like an idiot. He was getting way too easy to please... but then again it was Kevin so the simple gesture was all it took. The check-in was relatively painless for a change and Scott was grateful for it. Smiling at Ric as they approached the blond man, Scott let his arm linger around Kevin's waist. If Kevin wasn't moving his arm then neither was Scott, to hell with any consequences. Still he noticed the momentary surprise on Ric's face and chose to ignore it. Looking around as Kevin spoke to Flair, Scott spotted another pair that belonged with their little group. Smiling at the way Sean was almost skipping down the aisle with Glen a short ways behind him, Scott lifted his free hand in a wave of hello. Should be a fun flight. It looked like Kid was already loaded with sugar this morning and he'd bet that Sean had some more tucked away in that bag that Glen was toting. "Ric, dude, this is so cool. Thanks for the invite man. You probably saved me a speeding ticket since it was my turn to drive today." Scott hid a smile by burying his face against Kevin's chest. Typical Sean. Turning back to the two newest arrivals, Scott smiled and nodded at Glen. How the big man put up with that much bounce all the time, Scott had no clue. He loved Sean to death, but sometimes all that energy was just a bit much to deal with. "Sean, Glen... you look like you had a very good night." Of course that was more than obvious by the huge bruise on Sean's neck. Makeup was going to love him tonight. Just then, Scott spotted the last of their group's arrival over Sean's shoulder. Hopefully they could get this flight under way soon. **** to be continued... |