There was something about winter that Sabu abhorred. Not that he liked the other seasons any better, but winter just made the man incredibly testy. The moment snow fell down, or people became giddy with the thought of Christmas, Sabu started arguments with Rob or randomly snapped at people.
Waiting for Sabu to finish, Rob stared outside. He�d asked about it, but Sabu hadn�t said a word. Rob hadn�t expected him to.
So he was left guessing. There was just something about winter that got to him. As he followed Sabu to the car, Rob desperately wished he knew what.
~
062.Spring.
�I need to take a piss,� came the sullen declaration from Sabu. �I need to take a piss right now, pull over.�
Rob shrugged, stopping near a picnic-table. There were even things for kids to play on, which made him uncomfortable. No doubt Sabu would somehow get arrested for indecent exposure.
Calling out to him, he hoped the man would hurry up. �Know I�m not springing you from jail should you get caught like that!�
Muttering obscenities, Sabu was back in the car soon enough, and they were back on the road. Luck was not something they should be testing.
~
063.Summer.
�What are you doing?� Sabu asked grumpily, swatting at Rob like he was an annoying fly. The temperature in the room was excruciatingly high, making Rob�s attempt to lie down on top of him especially stupid. Right now Sabu just wanted to lie still, do nothing, and wait for the cool of night.
�I figured, since we�re both hot and sweaty already, we might as well enjoy ourselves.�
Making a sound as lips descended on his, Sabu considered what Rob had just said.
�But it�s hot,� he murmured in-between kisses. Rob just smiled, skin glistening as he moved.
�I know.�
~
064.Fall.
Very few people would consider a career filled with broken necks and getting fired to be a success. Sabu, though, knew it couldn�t have gone any other way. Having spent time in the WWE, he realized how lucky he had been to not have to go there earlier in life.
He�d jumped through tables, yet felt safe. He�d broken his neck � twice! - and somehow survived. Hell, he�d shunned those he loved, and yet they�d remained. So many time he�d fallen from grace, but he didn�t mind.
He knew that, in the end, people were always there to catch him.
~
065.Passing.
Rob made Sabu feel needed. His partner spoke in adoration so often, that a whispered �love you� no longer surprised him. Sometimes, he had even felt the urge to respond, perhaps through an appreciative murmur, or a single word of kindness, but he knew that it would mean too much.
What Rob said in passing, Sabu could never say. It would change what they had and even though he wanted to desperately, the thought scared him.
So he listened to Rob�s words of affection, relished in the fact that they were for him alone, and hoped it would last forever.
~
066.Rain.
Both were soaked the moment they stepped out of the car. Sabu�s jacket looked too thin to be useful, and Rob worried his own wasn�t much better, but they�d deal. Five minutes to the next town, if only the car could have held on till then.
By the time they�d reached the nearest hotel, Rob was shivering, though Sabu was worse off. Seeing the man bite down to keep from shuddering, Rob wished Sabu�d accept his coat � even if it was soaked too.
Rob watched, wondering if Sabu would slug him if he suggested they share body-heat. He probably would.
~
067.Snow.
�The first motherfucker who throws something at me gets it!� Sabu warned testily as he slammed the car-door shut. Ankle deep in snow, Rob said nothing as they quickly crossed the parking lot and walked towards the building they were wrestling at that night.
Snow did nothing for Sabu, though as Rob watched some kids throw snowballs at each other � instead of waiting in line like they should � he wished that were different. These days, snow, and any sudden change of weather, set Sabu off.
Sighing, Rob followed quietly. If only his partner could enjoy the simple things in life.
~
068.Light(en)ing.
Sabu could well remember the first time they�d kissed. Both semi-drunk, and intending to make that wholly drunk before the night was over, they�d found themselves on a bed. For no reason other than that they could, they�d downed the entire content of the mini-bar.
Looking back, Sabu could vaguely remember turning off all the obnoxious lights, except for the one near Rob�s head. When he�d tried to turn that one off as well, he hadn�t been able to ignore the tempting sight beneath him.
Even now, Sabu held onto the image of Rob shining brightly; forever lighting his path.
~
069.Thunder.
Another crackling bang outside, with light streaming through the blinds at odd intervals. The noise was deafening at times, though Sabu was glad for it. It managed to drown out his thoughts.
Right next to him, Rob�s sleeping form shuddered at every clash, shoulder bumping into Sabu�s repeatedly. With his partner like this, Sabu would get very little sleep. There was the option of waking him, of course, but then he�d have to listen to Rob�s endless prattle. He was overly active during a thunderstorm, probably to ignore his ludicrous fears.
Hand on Rob�s shoulder at another twitch, Sabu sighed.
~
070.Storm.
With a storm raging outside, both sat quietly. They had no idea where they were, and for once Sabu wasn�t blaming it on Rob. Instead the storm, with its sudden intensity, had been bitched about. Now, though, they simply watched the rain pelt down on their rental.
�This is...nice,� Rob spoke up.
�This is fucked up.�
More silence and Rob looked over at Sabu. �I guess you�re not up for some backseat action?�
Sabu�s rebuttal, filled with insults and several reasons as to why he wasn�t a flexi-toy, left Rob chuckling. At least this time Sabu had nowhere to run.
~
071.Broken.
�It�s not fucking fair!�
Anger, hurt, hands roughly pulling at the brace on Rob�s leg. Sabu knew why.
�I should be wrestling at this PPV!�
He sighed, at a loss. �Well, you can�t. Don�t waste your career over one stupid show, even if it�s one you helped set up.�
Staring at the anguish on Rob�s face, Sabu wished he knew what else to say to make it right. Letting Rob lean into him ever so slightly, he realized that he simply couldn�t. Never before had Rob been the broken one, and right now Sabu didn�t know how to fix him.
~
072.Fixed.
�Fix me.�
Rob paused, hands no longer tugging at clothing, lips no longer devouring. It had happened before, Sabu mumbling weird things during sex - things they wouldn�t talk about afterwards - but this one was new.
�Please.�
There was pain in Sabu�s pleading eyes, making Rob wonder what had suddenly happened.
�But there�s nothing to fix,� Rob replied, utterly confused.
�I�m not what you want me to be. You...�
Rob was at a loss for words, instead quieting whatever else Sabu had wanted to say with a possessive kiss.
�I won�t allow you to be anything else,� he snarled.
~
073.Light.
�Sabu,� Rob whined, pleasure causing his breathing to come out haltingly. Holding onto dirty sheets, Rob tried drawing Sabu in further, the soft growls and biting teeth causing him to moan.
�God, you�re gorgeous,� Rob heard Sabu mutter, obviously surprising both. Pulling Sabu�s head down, distracting him, Rob kissed Sabu wantonly, sighing at the shudders that racked the other man�s body. He loved being able to do that to him.
Later, when Sabu was asleep, he�d ponder what his partner had said, and would find that things like that were what he held on for. A light in the darkness.
~
074.Dark.
The room was pitch-black. With the blinds shut and doors locked, no light was creeping in before they wanted it to. That was what Sabu preferred, and Rob had learned to manage.
Slipping out of the bed, Rob searched for the clothes that had been dumped there the night before. Bumping into a chair here, a table there, he hoped fervently that the dull thuds hadn�t woken his partner up. The rustling of sheets told him otherwise.
�You still suck at that,� Sabu commented, voice gravelly from sleep.
Rob didn�t dare comment when he heard Sabu�s head hit a lamppost.
~
075.Shade.
Sabu could feel the urgency with which Rob kissed him. There was a strange fire to him, murmurs dangerously loud and sighs somehow so much more important. Sabu didn�t know why.
The corner they were hiding in, dark and far away from everyone, seemed to fit them perfectly. It shielded them, made sure no one could see. The shadows kept their acts hidden.
�Calm down,� Sabu whispered, Rob�s unhappy whimpers causing his breath to catch.
�I shouldn�t have to!�
Pressing Rob against the wall, Sabu�s next question was harsh. He didn�t understand.
�Why not?�
�Because what we�re doing isn�t wrong!�
~
076.Who?.
�Damn, Sabu, you should keep an eye on your boy-toy.�
Turning to face Raven, Sabu couldn�t help but snarl.
�What the fuck are you talking about?�
�The fact that Van Dam finally stopped following you around and got himself some ass.�
Raven seemed amused by it all, something Sabu desperately wanted to fix with a well-aimed punch. He could feel anger building, but forced it down.
�Who was it?� he asked quietly, avoiding Scotty�s curious eyes.
�Jerry Lynn. I guess that�s what happens when you can�t make up your mind.�
Sabu watched him walk away, his body suddenly growing cold.
~
077.What?
Rob wasn�t sure why, but for some reason Sabu had been staring at him � eyes glittering and squinting dangerously � all day. It made him nervous, self-conscious, but he wasn�t going to ask. Asking would get him in trouble, even if his friend made it incredibly difficult.
Sitting there, waiting in the dressing-room, he could once again feel Sabu�s eyes on him. They burned, caused him to fumble with his hair. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, tense and annoyed. Finally, he snapped.
�What?!�
His only answer was a soft growl and lips seeking his in a frantic kiss. It was enough.
~
078.Where?
Entering the building, Sabu could feel that something was wrong. Somehow the carefree vibe was gone, replaced by tension. Then he saw Sandman.
�Hey, man, you should go help Van Dam. He�s gotten into another fight with Taz.�
Sabu dropped his bags. �Where?�
Hurrying off the minute Sandman answered, Sabu found his partner trying to escape the strong arms of Tommy Dreamer and both Dudleys. Taz was on the floor, clutching his face.
All eyes turned to him, Rob�s burning with rage, and somehow Sabu had the feeling he was the cause.
�What?� he asked grumpily, but no one answered.
~
079.When?
Sabu had figured this would be a lot easier. He�d left a company before, hell he�d left this company before, but now, with Rob�s sad eyes on him, he didn�t know what to do.
�When?� Rob asked.
Sabu shrugged. �In a couple of weeks. Probably at the PPV.�
His friend nodded, looking so dejected that Sabu almost wanted to talk to Paul E. and call it off. The moment he realized that, though, he admonished himself. Business decisions, especially profitable ones, should not be thrown away over friendship. Yet as looked at how upset Rob was, he wished he could.
~
080.Why?
�You�re such a bastard. I don�t know why I keep you around,� Rob joked, leaning back against the headboard.
�I don�t know, why do you?� Sabu asked, sitting uneasily at the far end of the bed. Whereas Rob was relaxed and smiling, he was tense.
�Because of your sparkling personality, of course.�
The silence that followed caused Rob�s easy smile to falter, and he too frowned. Eying Sabu, he quickly moved over to him, arms hooking around the man�s waist. Pressing a kiss to Sabu�s neck � something he received an annoyed murmur for � he sighed, whispering softly.
�You know why.�