"ITVR: Chapter 36"
Workouts.
By Jadedoll, Penumbren, & Raising Kane
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Hunter could feel Shawn's eyes on his ass, as they got into the elevator for the second time in twenty minutes. He shook his head minutely at his lover's antics. Looks like his 'issue' would last about five minutes with these two around; if he didn't know better he'd think they were conspiring against him, but he doubted that. It was a measure of the possibility they were forming, that two of them reacted to a problem with the third quickly and effectively. It'd been the same if Dave was hurting or Shawn was struggling with his past. They'd drop everything and come to the party of solving the problem and making their lover feel better. Thank god they were getting this balance fairly quickly, Hunt would just have to make sure they knew he was emotionally invested in this to the maximum, even if his physical responses might say otherwise. Noticing Dave kept a respectable distance between them in the lift, Hunter wondered for a moment if he'd changed tactics and decided to pull Hunter into those long, strong arms. It might work too, even after only a couple of hours, Hunter felt he'd be far more relaxed with wrapping his arms around both his companions than he would've been this morning. Good. His hated this 'no touchy' stuff as much as they did and would prefer it right now. But Dave and Shawn both kept to themselves for the remainder of the trip downstairs as well as the short walk to the car. The driver happily put their ring bags into the trunk while they got settled. "The arena sir?" Perfectly polite and a bit intimidated, Hunt wondered if he was a fan. "That's the trip, thanks." Hunter said in a friendly tone. Sure, he didn't care what the general public thought of him most days, still didn't mean he wanted to act like a 'bastard heel' in the real world as well as the fantasy that was the WWE. As he and Dave were traveling with Shawn, it would be fairly obvious to the casual observer they were all friends, despite Vince's attempts to maintain kayfabe beyond the arenas. The drive to the arena was over pretty quickly as their driver... Paul, wouldn't you know?... was local and knew the roads like the back of his hand. Waving Shawn and Dave into the arena, Hunt decided to ask Paul to be available for them tonight if he wasn't busy as dealing with a new driver each time could be a bit of a headache depending on the guy assigned them. Paul literally glowed at the request and Hunter smiled again. Yep, a fan. One who now gets to hang at the arena and can pass it off as an actual job. Finding his companions in the Evolution locker room---Ric insisted even though they weren't even on Smackdown---Hunter changed quickly into sweats before heading to the gym area. Dave was ready to follow, but Shawn wasn't so.... "See you at the gym Darling, when you've got your sexy ass ready that is." Kissing Shawn on the nose, Hunt headed towards the small weight room provided by my arenas, wondering if Dave would follow or enjoy the show about to be performed in that locker room. **** Cursing as he pulled into the parking lot, Mark found the first available parking space and parked, turning the car off with a sigh. It never failed, really. The more wound up he was over something, the worse the traffic was, and the stupider the people. If he'd had to slam on his brakes to avoid being broad-sided at a stoplight one more time, he would've Tombstoned somebody on the pavement. For real. Taking a deep breath, he climbed out of the car and grabbed his duffle bag, locking the rental behind him as he headed into the building. He wasn't looking forward to this at all, but at least he only had to deal with Heyman for tapings, not for house shows. As far as he knew, anyway. Mentally crossing his fingers, he stopped a vaguely familiar-looking crewman and asked him where they'd hidden his room this time. Nodding in thanks at the directions, Mark found it hidden down a side hall from the main locker room, which was a pleasant surprise. He didn't always get his own room, so it'd been an assumption... but with the mood he was in right now, he didn't need company. On the down side, Vince's office for the night was practically right next to the main locker room, so he had to pass it every time he left his room, but nothing was ever perfect. Changing quickly, he found the weight room not too far away and very nicely unoccupied. Just a short workout today; he didn't have any in-ring work to do besides his spot with Heyman, and his shoulder was bothering him a bit. He knew he needed to take some time off to let it heal up again, but it was just a strain... At least the weights would keep his mind off... no. Not going there. Better to wonder what the hell was up with Shawn and Batista than think about that. When he realised he was gritting his teeth as he lifted weights, he admitted to himself that it was past time to stop. He noticed Adam and Jericho come in as he was starting to finish up and nodded at them. Heading out the door, his shoulder aching, he passed other superstars as they trickled in, absently noting Hunter among them. A familiar laugh caught his attention and he looked to the side, to see Shawn smiling at Dave... and Hunter was standing back by the weight room, watching them. That was odd, he frowned to himself... but he was in no mood to talk to Shawn at the moment, let alone with others around to overhear the conversation. First, a stop back at his room to pop a couple of Tylenol, a quick shower and a change... and then maybe he'd try to track the man down. Maybe. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't realise how close he was to the main locker room until he heard raised voices from up ahead. Slowing a bit, he peered ahead, wondering... and stopped as he realised the noise wasn't coming from the locker room after all. It was coming from Vince's office. Since the door to said office was firmly shut, Mark raised an eyebrow for a moment, wondering just what the hell was going on in there. Then again, he probably didn't want to know. Every time he'd been involved in a shouting match with Vince, he'd come out on the losing end. Shrugging a bit, he started to move past the door... only to stop cold as it flew open, narrowly missing hitting him as it slammed into the wall with a dull thud. He opened his mouth to demand an apology from the idiot who'd just done that... only to find himself speechless as he found himself staring at an all-too-familiar and completely unexpected figure. **** He was seriously considering reaching up and smacking Ty in the back of the head for letting Jay drive. The only thing that stopped him was the set look on Ty's face. While he and Chris were hanging on for dear life in the backseat, Ty sat in stony silence ignoring the possibility of an accident. As soon as the car skidded to a halt in the parking lot, Adam was out the door like a shot. That was the last time Jay was driving when he was in such a foul mood... his driving was bad enough when he was actually happy. Next time, Adam would physically drag him out of the driver's seat before climbing docilely into the back of the car. Ty and Jay didn't immediately follow them towards the building and Adam almost considered going back to get them. Tension was rife and the last thing they needed was a shouting match in the parking lot for Vince to grumble over. Chris' question as they walked through the doorway distracted him for a moment. Like he was even going to consider letting Chris out of his sight unless he had to... especially if he was going to be anywhere near naked. "...That's a step I might be unable to complete." Grinning wickedly, Adam tossed an arm around Chris' shoulders and walked a few steps. "You won't hear me complaining... and I doubt Shelton would mind the view either. We could always give him something else to stare at, because I'll most likely not keep my hands to myself if you are anything close to naked. Maybe he'd walk into a wall this time." They teased quietly back and forth until they reached the locker room. Thankfully it was pretty much empty at this time and Adam had a blast keeping to his word. In between laughing and what were supposed to be covert gropes, they finally managed to change into their workout clothes. Adam winked at Shelton on their way out of the room on the way to the gym. Unfortunately he didn't walk into a wall, but he did turn around and run into his locker door. Almost as amusing, really. It gave them something to laugh at on the way to the gym at least. When they entered the room, Adam spotted Mark just finishing his workout. He returned Mark's nod and tamped down his concern. He had noticed the gritting of the teeth as they'd walked in. Mark had always used exercise to help clear his head, but maybe he'd overdone it just a bit this time. He forced himself not to shake his head at his former lover. The stubborn man just wouldn't take the time off he needed to heal and no one was going to convince him otherwise until he was forced to do so by a doctor. Turning back to his current lover, the man he was completely head over heels for, Adam smiled at him. "I wonder what Jay and Ty are up to. Hopefully it's making up. I would much rather spend the night cuddling up to you than listening to Jay rage. And speaking of cuddle interruptus... you never did give me a yes or no on our prospective roomie. Please tell me that you don't have to spend the night coddling our resident redneck." **** Thankfully Shawn had behaved himself en route to the arena or Dave probably wouldn't have been able to walk in when they had arrived. The cumulative effects of touching Hunter and Shawn off and on all day seemed to have him on hair-trigger status now at least as far as his initial reaction. He managed to make it through changing in the same room with Hunter and Shawn only through sheer force of will, though he thought he was doomed to failure when Hunter kissed Shawn on the nose and left. Having changed quickly into a pair of sweats when they'd first arrived in the room, he was ready to leave as well, but lingered for a moment, his eyes roaming over Shawn's form as he stripped off his clothes. He was about to turn away instinctively so that Shawn wouldn't catch him at his observation. That's when he remembered that he didn't have to do so. He no longer had to hide his interest in Shawn or Hunter beneath covert glances, though most times he'd resisted even that much to avoid getting caught. Hell, Shawn would probably think it stranger if he didn't look. He smiled as he noticed that Shawn was now ready to go and waved him out the door ahead of him. As they walked down the hall, he wondered exactly how much of a workout he was actually going to get accomplished today considering the fact that Shawn and Hunter would be there. He'd probably spend more time looking at the two of them than actually doing anything productive. He rolled his shoulders slightly as they continued towards the gym. It wouldn't actually hurt anything if he slacked off one day. He just wasn't in the mood to tire himself out with a workout when he wasn't sure what Hunter had planned for tonight. Speaking of which... "Should we be scared of what Hunter's got planned for later? I can just see him springing for a barbershop quartet to sing a serenade." The scary thing was, he actually could see it. Grinning unrepentantly at Shawn, he barely noticed who was present as they entered the weight room and walked towards Hunter. **** Chris was almost giggling at the teasing touches they'd been giving each other for the last ten minutes. Talk about a turn on, this kind of behaviour would send CJ through the roof pretty soon. His dick was telling him he'd rested enough, that it wanted to play with Adam and wanted to play now! "Yeah well, you're a slut," Chris chastised his hopeful member. He was at work now and while the groping was fun and hilarious CJ liked to keep anything more explicit till there was some privacy and lots of time. Please tell me that you don't have to spend the night coddling our resident redneck? "God no. Coddling Steve would involve too much beer and possibly the loss of an arm, he's fine." CJ's dismissive wave was premature he knew, but if Austin didn't work up the guts to corral Randy, he could sleep in the damn car. "He was just being a baby at reception. There's another hotel two blocks away that would drool to have a high profile wrestler stay there. If he doesn't end up in Randy's room anyway." Chris felt no shame in revealing Austin's plight to Adam. He trusted his new lover no question, Adam wouldn't say a word to the young idiot. More than likely he'd sit back with CJ and watch the drama unfold while drinking and offering commentary. Slowly stretching out every single muscle in his body, Chris felt the last of the tension in his back and calf melt away. The wicked irony of their lives was the need to be constantly in good shape, while doing just about every damn thing they could think of to wreck that shape. Long drives, irregular eating, strange beds, weird food and not enough sleep were just par for the course in his profession. Too bad Chris loved what he did so much or he'd have called it quits years ago, based on the shitty schedules alone. Tonight for instance, he had like one interview to do. A three-minute grab CJ could give with his eyes shut and his mouth taped, but he had to be there for four hours. Those were the rules and that was that. Deciding to work on his legs to teach that cramp a lesson, Chris overtly watched Adam warm up and begin his work out, with impressed blue eyes. It was a difficult task to watch his lover's perfect body go through the familiar motions, but hey, CJ would make the sacrifice. It was for a good cause after all. Letting his mind drift into that zone you got when focusing on exercise, Chris planned what they might do at Adam's place for the next few days. Well sure, they'd be fucking like bunnies. But after christening every room in Adam's house, they'd have to fill in their refractory periods with something. Lazing around and watching t.v. wasn't really in Chris' nature, but Adam might not go for zipping about like an insane bumble-bee like he usually did. They had what? Four nights... so two for Chris and two for Adam. He really, really wanted to take his lover out for fast food and juvenile behavior, but given the weather, a long sunset walk and hearing a jazz band would be awesome too. Falling into the repetitive nature of the work-out Chris almost missed the entrance of Hunter, Shawn and Dave Batista. Talk about a threesome that could invite trouble as well as lustful thoughts, and jeezuz! Were those hot, hot, hot looks being tossed around between the three of them for real? "I am psychic. I swear to you Babe I am. I've got that Medium chick beat hands down." Chris said in an undertone to Adam while gesturing rather comically with his chin towards the three men now doing their own warm up. It would have been a clearer gesture if he'd still had his King Tut beard, but thank god that bet was over and he was fairly happy being almost clean shaven for the time being. "Vince is going to freak out so bad, his toupee will hit Pat in the face. You just wait." Chris was gifted, it was obvious. **** Jeff Hardy barely managed to get the door open before stalking through it like an enraged cat. Oh yeah, his ears were back and his tail was fluffy right now, "You assholes!" he shot back under his breath, ignoring the looks on the faces of the three men still in the office as he'd made his magnificent exit. He'd almost cleaned someone up with the door, but Jeff didn't catch who is was, a white haze of rage had overtaken him. Causing the air about him to fairly vibrate with his fury and yeah... hurt. Blindly he headed down the nearest hallway, it was deserted and out of the way. Good. "It doesn't matter Hardy, it doesn't matter!" "Maybe we could discuss some conditions of you working for us again Jeffy." God Melrose was such a smarmy asshole. Jeff loathed that cutesy nickname and he was sure Melrose knew it. "Who gives a shit? I hated it here." "You know me Vince. There were reasons in the past, reasons that're gone now. I'm good." He'd been calm and earnest, keeping his filthy tongue in his mouth out of the need to prove himself. _"Your ability has never been the problem Jeff." Pat had shot a look at Melrose with the slight emphasis on his name. "It's your attitude we have trouble with." "Stupid, motherfucking...." Not long after that Melrose had offered the proverbial straw. "Maybe we'd believe in your commitment if you could manage to turn up to work on time." "Fuck you Melrose! Argh! Fuck them!" Lashing out Jeff kicked the wall... hard. His knee would let him know about it later, but right now there was no pain. Just the anger and despair. One of the lights above him was out and Jeff felt like merging into the shadow lining the wall. If he could just lose himself in that dark, comforting warmth, then maybe he could find some peace. Something he was missing. Curling in on himself, Jeff wrapped his arms across his middle in a self-hug and rested his forehead against the wall. The lime plaster was a cool contrast to the burning emotions that were gripping him, turning from the energetic, frenzied fire of rage to cold reality. Shutting his eyes, Jeff felt himself calm down. He didn't want it, didn't want to be rational or thinking, that would just make things worse. Not that they could be. "No fourth meeting for you, Fucktard." It was almost funny. "No contract either." Almost. **** Working out was... well, working out. Same old, same old. Except this time he could work out and watch Chris to his heart's content. That seemed to make the weights feel a little lighter and running the treadmill a whole hell of a lot more fun. He was so busy checking out his lover's assets that he barely noticed anyone else in the room. "I am psychic. I swear to you Babe I am. I've got that Medium chick beat hands down." Zeroing in on the three that Chris had indicated, Adam's brow nearly shot up into his hairline. He was obviously slipping. How the hell had he missed that? Of course he'd known something was up with Hunter, but he'd completely missed out on any hints that there was going to be a totally hot threesome forming. At least he'd been right about Dave and Shawn. Hopefully Mark heard about the change before seeing something he shouldn't or there could be one hell of an explosion. Was he evil for wanting to be a witness if it did happen? Probably. Laughing over Chris' mention of Vince's hairpiece, though the man swore he didn't have one, Adam dropped the weights he'd been lifting back onto the rack on the wall. He was completely done in for the moment and he should probably go see if he could find Benoit to cut their promo and make sure they were set for the match on Sunday. He hadn't seen Glen yet so he'd have to hunt him down as well. Not to mention that he still had yet to corner Jay and see what the hell was going on with him, though that could wait until after the taping started. Seeing that Chris was done with his own workout as well, Adam tossed a towel around his neck. "You ready to get out of here? I've got a lot to get done before the taping starts." Rolling his eyes over the necessity of actually being here tonight for any of this crap when they could have done it last night and had the night off, he grabbed Chris' hand at his affirmative reply and led him towards the door. "Did you want to do something tonight after the show or just head back to the hotel?" In all honesty, he'd rather hole up with Chris at the hotel even if the night was not crammed full of totally amazing sex, but he figured he should at least ask. If Chris wanted to go out first, then he'd gladly go anywhere that Chris wanted to. He was just crossing his fingers that they wouldn't have to take Dumb and Dumber with them, or suffer Austin's crap mood if he wasn't going to end up in Randy's room. Randy? Geez. He really hadn't seen that one coming either. His good mood was dampened minutely when he heard the snide comment from a few feet down the hallway. "Decided to fuck your way through the roster now instead of picking up rats, huh Adam?" Sighing silently in resignation, Adam kept the smile on his face and reacted exactly as he always did in these situations... by replying with his own version of Stone Cold's salute. Normally that was enough to shut the man up for awhile. The slurs didn't really bother him. Ever since Brock had dropped Terry, neatly coinciding with his NFL tryouts, Terry had been using every opportunity available to take a dig at him. Why he'd waited so long, Adam didn't know or care. That Terry was paying such close attention to his life outside of work... was a bit bizarre, not to mention irritating. Too bad Terry didn't stick to his normal response. "So you finally nailed the bitch. Was it worth all that whining and bitching you did when he left?" Terry was leaning against the wall, a smug look on his face like he'd just spilled a state secret. Well now... there was a question he actually felt like answering. Maybe it was the insult to Chris or maybe it was because he was feeling full of piss and vinegar today, but he'd finally had enough. "Excuse me just a moment would you, sweetheart?" A quick kiss to Chris' temple and he walked over to stand beside Terry, leaning on one hand against the wall, 'you are so fucked' smile in place. "Actually, if I'd known what I was missing I'd probably have whined and bitched ten times as much as I did, but you got a couple of things wrong there. First off, he's not a bitch and if I ever hear you refer to him as such again, I'll happily choke the life right out of you." His grin grew a bit wider as Terry edged a few steps away from him. "Second, he actually nailed me if you want to get technical and did a phenomenal job of it. You did get part of it right though, so maybe you aren't as stupid as all those people say you are." Adam flashed a grin at Chris who seemed amused as well, ignoring Terry's look of disbelief. "Bullshit. You don't bottom, Adam." He couldn't help it. He tossed his head back and laughed. "That's what you get for trying to think. I take it back. You actually are that stupid. See... I actually do for people that matter. With that pencil stub you call a dick, it would hardly have been worth it. Chris on the other hand has a huge cock," he said, evil grin firmly in place, "and he had me screaming like a fangirl." Chris' laughter rang through the halls and Adam decided that he'd had enough. Well... almost. "If you see Brock, tell him I said hello. Oh wait. He dumped your sorry ass for another football player wanna-be, didn't he? My bad." He took two steps back towards Chris before Terry responded, his voice barely audible to Adam. "You better hope I don't end up in the ring with him Adam. I'll make sure he doesn't walk out." A chill ran down his spine. How could he have ever seen anything at all in Terry? For the first time in his life he could honestly say he hated someone and mean it. Quick as a snake, he turned and had one hand at Terry's throat, his body pressing Terry's tightly against the wall. He saw a flash of fear in Terry's eyes, but didn't loosen his hold. "Shall we see how well your surgery is holding up? At least yours has healed you little prick." He almost laughed at the fervent shaking of the shaggy black mop of hair. "You'd better think twice before you open your mouth from now on. If something happens to him, I'll be back for you Terry." He let go before he really was tempted to choke the living shit out of the man and turned to join Chris. He hadn't made it half a dozen steps when he heard Chris shout his name. Adam turned back quickly but not quite quick enough. As soon as the breath whooshed from his lungs he knew what had happened. He could practically hear Heyman shouting "gore, gore, gore" in his head. He'd taken the move before, but not with this intent. As his back hit the far wall, he heard a sickening crunch and drew in a gasping breath just as his head ricocheted off the wall. Flashes of light burst before his eyes and then he was collapsing to the floor. Fucking hell that hurt. Chris's screaming had him trying to reach his feet. He'd managed to push himself to his knees, still gasping for breath when he felt a boot connect with the ribs opposite the ones that were already fractured or broken. He could still hear Chris yelling, but his head was spinning and there was no way he was getting up at the moment. Why the hell hadn't he just left the son of a bitch alone? Then he heard other random angry voices and hoped that whoever had joined in the shouting were friends of theirs and not Terry's. **** Shawn couldn't help but linger in front of his locker, openly staring at Hunter as he changed. All that bronzed flesh that he could look at now... all that temptation. Not that he was all that used to Hunter's body anymore; between Evolution's private dressing room and his long retirement, it'd been quite a while since he'd had occasion to watch his best friend undress. Resolutely pushing that temptation away and restraining himself to simple admiration, he didn't realise that Hunt had actually finished... Although he did see Dave just beyond him, and took just as much pleasure in watching him, something he'd never let himself do before. He let his eyes trail over Dave's body, imagining what it would be like to actually touch it... what it would be like to taste him, later. Only Hunter's voice made him realise that he'd been lost in the visions before him, and he smiled ruefully at the teasing note in that familiar voice. "...when you've got your sexy ass ready that is." For you, Hunter... anytime. He had to bite his tongue to keep from saying the words, knowing that Hunt still had a ways to go before he'd really be ready to take Shawn up on his offer. Unfortunately. The kiss to his nose made him laugh even as it reassured him that Hunter was trying to overcome the barriers he'd erected. He shrugged his shirt off as Hunter left, tossing it into the locker with a careless motion. As he sat to pull his shoes off, he realised that Dave was still in the room... watching him. A warm tingle filled him and his eyelids dropped a little as he cast a long look at the Animal. They didn't have time to do anything, and he knew that Dave was already fairly well wound up... but he just couldn't resist teasing him a little. After all, he was going to make it more than worth Dave's while to have been so patient. Just imagining going to his knees in front of the man was enough to get Shawn's heart rate up; he had to control himself better, or they'd never get anywhere. In the meantime, though... Standing up and stretching slowly, he could feel Dave's eyes on him almost like a physical touch. It was reassuring, in a way. If Dave hadn't been looking at him, he'd be worried that they were moving too fast or that Dave had reservations of his own that he hadn't shared. Knowing that the man was watching every move he made... well. He'd better make those moves worth watching, then, hadn't he? Letting his hands slide down his chest to the waistband of his jeans, he slowly unbuttoned the fly, glancing again at Dave as he lowered the zipper with a leisurely motion. He wiggled his hips slightly, letting the jeans slip low enough to tease before turning to face the locker again and bending over to slide the jeans off in a long smooth motion. The barely audible sound of an indrawn breath behind him made him smile, and he picked up his short sweats, sliding them on with the same gliding motion. An old cut-off tee of Hunter's was pulled over his head, allowing his midriff to show before he leaned over and put on his tennis shoes. A hair-tie to hold his locks out of his face and he stood again, facing Dave with a mostly innocent look. "I know it's not your favourite look," he said, flipping the ponytail with one hand as he approached Dave, "But it's the most practical for the workout we're going to have." Smiling a little as Dave waved him ahead, he made sure to exaggerate his steps, feeling those dark eyes following his ass until Dave caught up to him. "I can just see him springing for a barbershop quartet to sing a serenade." The image made Shawn laugh, but he was nodding even as he did. That was something he could see, too. He'd witnessed his friend's well-hidden but well-developed romantic streak many times in the past, although always second-hand before. In fact... "I think he's done that, Dave," Shawn grinned as they walked into the weight room. Immediately he saw Hunter waiting for them, the whiskey eyes never leaving them as they walked across the room, oblivious to the others around them. Shawn's eyebrow quirked a bit at the expression on the other blond's face, but he couldn't prevent his own face from showing probably far more than it should. Catching Dave's arm, he cast a look up at the big man, wondering suddenly just how bad this idea had been. The three of them, half-dressed, sweaty, in close quarters... A long shuddering breath, and he'd regained at least the semblance of control. One last look at the other two, and he headed for the bench off in the corner. Before he could even think to ask which of the two wanted to spot him, Dave was there, and as Shawn laid back, he had to almost physically force himself to look at the ceiling and the weights in his hands. This was not the place to get distracted by his lovers' presence... if he dropped the weight on his chest, he'd be spending a lot longer than just a few hours unable to touch them like he wanted to. The workout went quickly, since his mind was very much elsewhere, although he took his turn spotting Dave as well. Finally, he mopped his forehead with a towel as he watched Hunter on the machine he was using. Not really caring who was around, Shawn asked, "Hey, Hunt? You about done? We still have to get back and shower and change so we can shoot those interviews, and you've got a meeting." Wandering toward the doorway as he waited for the other two to finish up, he glanced out into the hall... only to have his attention firmly caught by raised voices... and the distinctive sound of a body hitting a wall. Jericho's voice was clearly audible, and the half-panicked, half-furious note as he screamed obscenities made it obvious that whatever was up it wasn't some minor brawl. Glancing behind him as he stepped out in the hall, he called back to Dave and Hunter. "Hunt... Dave? Something's going down back here and it's not friendly. I'm gonna go check it out." Heading down the hall at a half-jog, he hoped to God that it wasn't as bad as it was starting to sound. **** It couldn't be. Mark felt almost like he'd just been sucker-punched, staring at the wild blur of motion that was the man he'd been trying so hard not to think about for the last few months. Sure, they hadn't seen each other in person for almost two years, but Mark had been sure to keep up with him via the web and mutual friends. At least that title match had given him a convenient excuse for his lingering interest in the nonstop whirlwind that was Jeff Hardy. And a convenient way to ignore the real reason. Shaking his head at his own mental wanderings, he glanced inside the still-open office door, more than a little surprised at the people gathered inside. Was Hardy trying to negotiate a new contract? There was no other reason for Melrose to be there, the legal nitpicking slimeball that he was. Not showing any reaction to the sight, he continued walking, following the audible trail of angry, frustrated words. Turning a corner, he realised that he was nearly to his own locker room. If nothing else, the dark spot from the dead light bulb was a dead giveaway... and there he was. Standing in the shadowed spot, arms wrapped around himself, leaning against the wall... Jeff nearly oozed pain and anger. And... self-hatred? Hearing the last few words that the younger man muttered to himself, Mark almost nodded to himself in confirmation. He'd seen this before, hadn't he? From himself, years ago, and from Shawn later on. For some reason, Hardy reminded him of Shawn... maybe it was because of their similarities in the ring, although Mark doubted that. More likely it was their similarities outside the ring. They seemed to share the same sort of hidden insecurities and anger, although at least Jeff had found other outlets for his emotions. His music wasn't anything to Mark's taste, but he'd always wondered about the younger man's poetry. Sighing at himself, he steeled himself. This wasn't going to be easy or fun; obviously the meeting hadn't gone well, from the way Jeff had stormed out of the office, and just as obviously, it was hitting him a lot harder than he'd be likely to admit if he knew anyone else was there. Even though he knew he was likely to regret this, knowing how the man reacted if he thought others saw him as weak, knowing that he was going to leave himself wide open to whatever damage the man wanted to inflict... he couldn't walk away. Not from this. Taking another step, he stopped a few feet away, trying to leave Jeff a comfort zone, and cleared his throat. "Jeff." He stopped awkwardly, knowing that the man would probably throw any offer of comfort or help back in his face, possibly physically. That was a laugh, really; the Dead Man, afraid to talk to someone nearly two decades younger and half as light as him. What the hell was he supposed to say here? What had worked with Shawn? Well... he hadn't asked Shawn, though, had he? He doubted the same tack would work with the stubborn, hurting young man in front of him, but he just couldn't think of anything else to try. Trying to make his voice softer, understanding but not pitying, he put a hand on his hip and cocked his head, shrugging his hair out of his face as he looked at Jeff. "Tell me." **** "I'd almost pay to see his reaction to that little bombshell." Returning Scott's smile, Kevin nodded, treasuring the feeling of Scott's hand in his. They wouldn't be able to do that in the lobby, of course, but still... as much as he loved this business, there were times that he looked forward to retiring just so that he could show the whole world just how much he loved the man next to him. Entering the elevator, Kevin allowed his smile to widen a little. "I think I'd pay to see them together tonight. They make an awfully pretty picture." Reluctantly releasing Scott's hand as the doors slid open, Kev led the way out to their rental, realising that the lingering soreness from that morning's play was finally starting to fade for real. While he enjoyed the lingering effects, he was relieved as well, since it had been a completely new thing for him to deal with today. Letting Scott drive was almost a given, all things considered, and as he sat in the passenger seat, he let his eyes roam over his lover's form, imagining those lips on his, those hands touching him, the dark hair caressing him... A quiet nose escaped him and he could feel his body react a bit to the thoughts. At least he'd be able to deliver on the unspoken threat he'd given earlier; Scott definitely needed something in return for the cream puff comment. His lips curving again, he reached out and draped a casual hand on Scott's thigh, kneading the muscle lightly through the denim overlaying it. Smiling innocently as Scotty as his lover glanced suspiciously at him, he continued the light massage for a few more minutes... before sliding his hand a few inches further up Scott's thigh, still kneading. By the time they'd reached the arena, his fingers had been caressing the sensitive area at the top of Scott's thigh for some minutes, taking care to "accidentally" brush against the soft bulge just next to his hand every so often. As Scott parked the car and shut it off, Kev pulled his hand away with a long, deliberate stroke against that bulge, enjoying Scott's reaction to the touch. Opening his door and climbing out, he stretched, only partially acting as he sighed in relief. No matter how many times they specified a full-size, the rental places seemed to screw up at least every other time and give them a compact car. Being seven feet tall and having to fold himself up like an accordion just to sit in the car wasn't fun at the best of times; today, given the aches in his lower regions and his knees, it had been very far from entertaining. Casting a look at Scott across the roof of the car, Kevin gave him a lazy smile as he asked, "So... ready to go in and face the overwhelming excitement of absolutely nothing to do?" **** to be continued... |