He's smirking. I can't believe he actually thinks this is amusing! God, if you're listening, please don't let me have to go through this. It's not like it's really my fault. Damn Jericho... Why couldn't he just quit our team like most of us thought he would. Shit shit shit shit shit... Why, oh Lord, did I have to make this bet with Kane? Oh yeah... cause I thought it would be a sure thing. The Rock and Jerky were bumping heads inside the ring and out. The team could only handle one major ego trip... One of em had to go! And it turned out to be Kurt fucking Angle! ... When I get my hands on that dork... Oh, he will most definitely suffer my wrath! No one does this to me. Somebody up there must really hate me.

"This is SO humiliating," I whine. Well, not exactly whine... I'm the American Badass for shit's sake. I DO NOT whine... well, not usually. Who am I trying to kid? Faced with the same situation even Lucifer himself would whine!

"This is not humiliating. No one else knew about the bet. Your Badass reputation will remain intact."

"But this isn't fair." Fuck, I don't care if I'm starting to throw a tantrum. This is just friggin wrong! "Everyone thought Chris was gonna jump ship."

"Not everyone."

He's smiling at me... One of his big goofy smiles... Normally I love when he smiles at me... Usually makes me melt... or something like it. I mean, I've never actually turned into a puddle or anything. I just get this warm, fuzzy feeling inside... God, did I just think 'fuzzy'? Anyway... Bottom line: I like the goofy smiles. But under these circumstances, they are just increasing my homicidal rage!

"Besides," he continures, "you wouldn't have let me out of the bet if I'd lost."

"That's not true."

The fucker's smiling again. He knows I'm lying. Hell yeah I woulda made him go through with it. But the point is I wouldn't have made this dumbass bet if I thought I'd lose. He knows how much I hate to lose. But there's no point getting angry with him about it now. He's made up his mind... Stubborn bastard. Then again... so am I.

So here I lay... buck naked on my bed, staring at the ceiling with Kane kneeling between my legs. On a good day, this would lead to good things... very good things. But judging from the nearby tub of water, can of shaving cream, razor, and towel, I know he does not have good intentions. "If you cut me, I will kill you! This is not an idle threat.!"

"You won't kill me... You'll probably see the blood and faint. Or give yourself a heart attack."

Friggin smart ass... Hope he burns in hell for this........ Shit! He's spraying the cream onto his hand and spreading it on my crotch. I think I'd have popped an artery if it wasn't feeling so good. I prop myself up on my elbows to get a better view... not that I really wanna see him go through with this...... I wonder if I really would faint.... I've never really thought of myself as a fainting type. But I guess, under certain circumstances, anything is possible. Hmm... Maybe he won't cut me... Maybe my breathing will return to normal... Maybe the tingling in my arm will go away... Crap! I hope I'm not having a heart attack. That would REALLY ruin my day.

Shit! Razor!

I grab his hand before he can make the first pass. "It's not my reputation I'm worried about.... It's just the potential loss of my manhood that's got me skittery."

"I see." He stands and picks up the can of shaving cream. "You don't trust me." He turns and heads to the bathroom.

Awww..... Hell... It's the "trust" thing again... How cana guy that big be so damn fragile. It's not that I don't trust him... I mean, there are different degrees of trust. There's 'trust you to buy my groceries' kinda trust... And then there's 'trust you with my first born child' kinda trust. It's all a matter of degree... Well, I guess I have to show him I can handle the "I'm so in love with you, I'll let you shave my pubic hair off" kinda trust.

I slide off the bed and walk to the bathroom... which isn't an easy feat when your crotch is covered in shaving cream. I find him in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection. He's obviously upset. And since it's my fault he's in this funk, I guess it's up to me to patch things up.

I notice the razor sitting on the counter...... Can inanimate objects actually sit on things?... Not really caring either way, I pick it up and examine it. It's definitely not mine. "Where'd you get this?"

He doesn't look at me. "Bought it." His voice sounds so lifeless.

"No shit, Sherlock! I mean, when did you buy it?"

"After the show."

Still no damn eye contact. "You mean you bought it just for this occasion?"

"Yeah... I figured you wouldn't want me to use your razor. And I sure as hell wasn't about to use mine."

I just can't resist. It's one of those moments when ya gotta loaugh even though things are tense. Besides, there's something oddly amusing about him going to the store in the middle of the night just to buy this.... He certainly is one of a kind. I look at him and can see he's trying so hard not to laugh. That doesn't help my situation any and I have to lean on the counter for support. His restraint finally breaks and he just cracks up.

After getting a hold of ourselves a few minutes later, he turns to me. "Sorry I got so melodramtic."

I smile. "Sorry for making you get melodramtic."

"I guess we're both kinda new at this 'trust' stuff."

"Probably has to do with the fact this this is most likely the most stable relationship either one of us has ever had.

"You call this stable?!"

"Don't care what we call this.... Whatever it is, it's working."

"I think I can agree with that."

An actual agreement! This is definitely a big step in the right direction. I hand him the razor. "I think I'm ready for my haircut now."