"ITVR: Chapter 38"
Steps.
By Jadedoll, Penumbren, & Raising Kane
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He had to get up. Chris might need him. Not that Chris couldn't take care of himself when it came to Terry, he could... the point was that he shouldn't have to. Adam had instigated this whole incident with his taunting of the idiot. He should have just kept walking like he always had. No use dwelling on it now. He needed to get up, just in case. Adam managed to make it to his knees before the coughing set in. Fuck. He couldn't breathe. Each expansion of his ribs sent a fresh wave of pain racing through his chest, each retraction was accompanied by a forceful cough which brought its own wave of pain. The pain wasn't the issue really... pain he could deal with. It was the damn dizziness that he was experiencing that had him stuck on his knees. Of course the fact that he couldn't breathe properly just added to the dizzy sensations caused by the blow to the head. He was getting ready to force his hand to the wall to aid his balance; anything to help him make his way to his feet... for Chris. The voice in his ear distracted him and he lost his train of thought. He followed the directions seemingly on autopilot. He knew the voice but he couldn't have said who it belonged to if pressed. He sat against the wall as the disembodied voice commanded. A hand pushed the hair from his face and he registered blond hair, but that was all he could make out, his vision blurred. Blond hair. Chris. No, not Chris... voice was wrong. He knew the voice though. Hunter. Hunter was here and he could tell him where Chris was. His hand clutched at Hunter's shoulder, his mouth formed the word, barely audible between gasping shallow breaths. "Chris?" "CJ? He's fine ... I swear he's okay Adam, hear that?" Calm voice. Still Hunter. Reassuring. Only he wasn't reassured. If Chris was okay, where was he? He wasn't going to believe it until he saw him with his own two eyes... blurry vision or not. More hands, more voices... still no Chris. Hand against his ribs replied to with a sharp hiss of pain. Fingers probing at the back of his head... Fuck! Grabbing the shirt-covered shoulder closest to him, whose he didn't care. A single word yet again. "Chris?" No response, more probing hands. Fuck that. If he could just get up and find Chris, he'd be fine, but they wouldn't help him. He'd help himself. Tightening his grasp on the unknown shoulder, he pushed his other hand against the floor, struggling to get up. More hands holding him down, his name, more words that meant nothing. If he could have drawn a proper breath, he'd have screamed at them. 'Just let me the fuck up.' Suddenly there was a hand wrapped around his own. Chris' hand. He didn't have to look. He just knew. Another voice. "I'm here Babe, sit down Love. I'm right here, I'm fine." Chris' voice. Beside him. And Chris was fine. Chris wouldn't lie to him. He slumped back against the wall, no longer needing to get up right now because Chris was here. A squeeze to his hand and he looked up at Chris. Still not focused, but he could vaguely make out blond hair, eyes, nose, mouth. It could have been anyone with those same features, but it wasn't. It was Chris. "Now that's a good way to make sure we stay at home this week-end, Babe." He laughed and then wished he hadn't. Another round of painful coughs racked his body. Once he'd managed to still the coughs, he tried again to focus on Chris. A pained smile on his face, he managed to force out a few words. "Had better plan... for staying home... much better." "...Can you walk, or do you want me to get a stretcher?" Now they wanted him to get up? Wasn't that what he'd been trying to do when he had wanted to find Chris? Sadistic bastards. As long as his legs weren't broken, he was walking. Fuck the stretcher. He vaguely registered Vince's raised voice and knew he'd have to deal with the man sooner or later, but for now he wanted to concentrate on getting up and not falling on his face. "Walk," he ground out between his teeth. Turning his eyes to Chris pleadingly, he whispered, "Help me up?" He saw Chris' lips twitch into a frown. "Please?" Pulling his hand from Chris', he lifted it and draped it over Chris' shoulder. Chris' other arm slipped behind him and he could feel the warmth of Chris' hand at his waist. He felt other hands gripping his arm, yet he was oblivious as to whom they belonged. On three he was hefted to his feet, hissing loudly at the movement of his ribs. His head swimming from the movement as well, he stumbled, but Chris was still supporting his weight. His free arm wrapped tightly around his chest, he and Chris made their way slowly towards the med bay. **** Hunter was saved from Vince's condemning reply to his comment, by Sandburg the EMT who was checking Adam. Hunt briefly heard the words... broken ribs... maybe concussion... and saw his father-in-law's frown become even more pronounced. Hunter mentally reviewed tonight's card but from what he could remember it was Terry, not Adam, who was�working tonight, and judging by the dark man's winces when the trainer tested his fingers, he wouldn't be doing much work at all. Shawn's body so close to his own, brought Hunter's attention from Vince and tonight's roster and back to his lover. Shawn looked�concerned by the scene around them, but not overly worried. After all, Glen had positioned himself as Terry's guard and with seven foot of immovable object at your back, you weren't trying anything You'll take care of this, right? Hunt knew exactly whom Shawn was referring to, the moment he spoke. He needs to pay, Hunter. That thread of anger through his lover's voice was enough to start Hunt's own very pissed off reaction to the situation. Until now he'd been concerned with Adam, Chris and fielding the various techs and EMTs that were scurrying around the scene like rabbits. This was the kind of shit he'd been thinking about earlier, only he'd been determined to stop stiff matches in the ring rather than brawls back stage. But apparently all you needed was a temper like Terry's and an obvious couple like Adam and Chris, and wouldn't Hunt be thinking through that turn of events when he had more time,�for all hell to break loose. It was stupid, costly, dangerous and just stupid again, to have this kind of thing happen when so much of their lives revolved around safety and physicality. Copeland would be out for who knows how long,�all because Terry needed anger management. Dammit, Hunt wanted CJ to break the guys hand all over again just for causing him a headache that he knew wouldn't be soothed until Vince was happy again. As unofficial 'leader' of the locker room, with Stone Cold playing lazy butt and Mark refusing all involvement anymore, the talent saw 'him' as their representative with management. For all the good he could actually do. Hunt didn't book matches and despite rumours to the contrary, couldn't make or break anyone, that was still Vince's prerogative and no-one else's. What he could do was make an argument that would appeal to Vince and wait and see if it did. What the official come back to Terry would be was ultimately out of his hands, but unofficially Hunter could make his and the others' feelings known. It actually had more impact than they might expect. "Yeah Darling, he will," Hunt murmured in a low voice to Shawn, the hand he used to squeeze his lover's shoulder, hidden by the presence of Dave who was joining them near the wall, back determinedly towards Vince. and maybe stay out of the way for a while. Now wasn't that the suggestion of the moment. "Sounds like a plan to me," Hunter lifted his arm in an "after you" gesture, towards Evolution's locker room, intending to follow his lovers so that Hunt had his own back between them and his father-in-law. Just in case. They got three steps before Vince's voice caught up with him. "Hunter, my office in�thirty minutes," and because he was Hunt's father-in-law, "If you wouldn't mind?" He received a measure of courtesy. Hunter turned so he was looking back as he walked. "Sure Vince. I'll just shower and change, then I'll be right there." Hunt wouldn't... make that couldn't... refuse that courtesy no matter how much he wanted to hide in his dressing room with Dave and Shawn. Besides, he and Vince had to have a big conversation. Sooner rather than later it seemed. Watching Jericho support Adam's staggering form, Hunt paced them to the Med Bay just to be sure the tall blond's injuries weren't worse than they seemed then jogged to catch up to Dave and Shawn. Closing the door behind him with a sigh of relief, Hunter smiled at the hot, impatient look on Shawn's face. He had no doubt what Shawn had in mind as his best friend stared at Dave with hungry eyes. He didn't think Dave could sense it yet, being as the 'Animal' was too busy assessing the obviousness of his blackened eyes. "Well that was fun... not." **** "Maybe a little excitement after all, eh chico?" The normal little shiver that particular endearment caused was chased away by concern as Kevin took in the situation in front of them. Adam was crumpled against the wall, surrounded by EMTs, and Hunter and Shawn were standing next to each other, watching over him and talking quietly to each other. Dave was just letting go of Jericho, who was obviously enraged and scared to death as he stopped glaring at Terry, who was being held on the floor by Glen.�Jericho headed across the hall to Adam at what would've been a dead run in a larger area, but as it was, it was enough to make Kevin realise just what had happened. He'd caught on to some of the backlash from Adam and Terry's relationship ending last time he'd been backstage, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why Jericho had been intent on crippling the man-beast. Scott's stiffening next to him as his quiet laughter cut off got Kev's attention, and he swiveled his head to follow Scott's narrow-eyed gaze... right over to one Johnny Nitro, who was nearly gloating as he watched Vince storm right into the middle of things. Crap. The punk just loved to stir up trouble, didn't he? But if he did the wrong thing tonight, the entire Clique---and associates!---would make sure he never did anything again. If he tried to implicate anyone in this mess, besides the idiot moaning in pain underneath Glen... well. Kevin put a hand on Scott's arm, trying to draw his lover's attention back to him. When Scott finally looked at him, Kev met his gaze with a steady look. "He's not worth it, Scott. Whatever the hell happened here, it's a sure bet that he didn't cause it, even if he is trying to stir things up more. You wanted to talk to Vince later? That's the time to deal with the punk." He could feel Scott's tension, but the immediate�flare of anger seemed to fade a bit. That was good; if Scott could stay calm while he talked to Vince about Nitro, he could undoubtedly twist the man around his little finger. Moving closer to Scott, Kevin dropped the hand to Scott's waist, drawing his lover closer to him. Fuck Vince if he didn't like it; he'd signed them back on their terms, and he couldn't very well fire them for being physical backstage. If he followed through with those terms, he'd have to fire half the roster. Including, Kevin realised as he looked around again, his two biggest stars; Hunter and Shawn were standing off to the side, arms around each other, and even if it was fairly subtle and not too far out of character for them, it was obvious from their body language that there was more going on than just a friendly gesture. Ignoring Vince as the crowd started to break up, he saw Hunter, Shawn, and Dave head off to the locker room as the other two blonds were headed off to the med bay. Sighing a little, he glanced at Scott again. "Looks like the excitement's over for now, babe. We don't have to change or anything, so maybe we could go find a quiet corner to sit in, or we could look up Mark or something... I think you might want to wait to talk to Vince until after he talks to Hunter." He couldn't stop the little twitch of his lips at that; he'd dearly love to hear that conversation, but he'd settle for seeing the results. Cocking his head at Scott, he waited for a response, knowing that the Bad Guy had missed a lot of his friends while he was gone. **** "Well... how about the front row, then?" Chris rolled his eyes as he grabbed his duffle bag from the trunk before turning to his lover. Eddie's eyes were dancing with mischief as he leaned casually against the side of the car with his jacket draped over his shoulder, his lips quirked in a small smile.�Chris let himself appreciate the sight of Eddie in dark slacks and a button-up shirt. Vince had been trying to insist on business dress backstage for the last year, but Eddie usually blew him off. Since he'd been champion, though, he'd been enjoying doing so. Benoit suspected it was mainly to show up JBL, who just looked ridiculous no matter what creative did with him. "I'm not even going to be sitting in the front row, Eddie, let alone let you... do anything to me there." He hated that, hated his almost automatic blushes and his embarrassed stammering, but he just couldn't seem to get past it. Probably the interesting little encounter with Nash and Hall earlier that day hadn't helped, but it hadn't caused it, either. Shaking his head, Chris headed for the entrance, hearing Eddie behind him. He knew it drove Chris nuts, but Eddie loved his lover's little embarrassed reactions to his outrageous suggestions; he wasn't quite sure if Chris had ever figured out that he made them just to get those reactions, but figured that he probably hadn't. After all, Eddie was still capable of walking.
Spotting the distinctive white limo off to the side, Eddie rolled his own eyes. If he ever found out whose brilliant idea it had been to turn
Pushing that away, Eddie followed his lover into the arena and almost immediately ran into him. Chris had stopped just inside the main hallway, and as Eddie peered around him, he could see why.
Whatever had just happened, it had been fairly major. The techs were still straightening equipment and cables, and one of them seemed to be wiping... blood? off the wall. Eddie's eyes narrowed at the sight, and grabbed one of the people still standing around talking in quiet undertones.
"Rob? What happened, ese?"
"Eddie! Man, am I glad to see you and Benny!" Rob's tone didn't reassure Eddie, and looking at Chris, he could see that it hadn't done much for Benoit, either. Rob shook his head as he glanced around again. "You shoulda seen it, guys. It was just... wow. Terry just came unglued, I guess, but with what Adam was saying to him... of course, Terry started it anyway--"
Benoit dropped his duffle bag as he grabbed Rob's arm and shook the man, glaring. Of all people to ask, Eddie would've had to pick the pothead, wouldn't he?�"What the hell happened, Rob? Is my tag partner okay?"
"Oh, dude. I dunno. I mean, Terry gored him right into the wall after Adam said some pretty cool stuff about CJ... wonder if he's right about how big his dick is?" Seeing the dangerous glint in Eddie's eyes as they narrowed, Rob hurried on. "Anyway, they took him back to the med bay. Said something about his ribs..."
Anything else Rob might've said was lost to Benoit as he headed down the hallway in the direction Rob had indicated nearly at a sprint, leaving Eddie to pick up his bag. Eddie followed at a fast walk, chewing on his lower lip. He'd seen some of the nastiness between Terry and Adam after the breakup, but this? This was bad.
****
"Fuck you too Mark."
Mark barely kept from reacting, but his eyes undoubtedly reflected his reluctant surprise. He'd given far more thought than he'd ever admit to the idea of Jeff doing exactly that, and having those words tossed at him as a casual insult was almost dismaying. He'd obviously pushed a button somewhere without intending to, but with someone like the whirlwind in front of him, it was probably impossible not to.
He couldn't keep from drinking in the sight in front of him, no matter how much part of him was screaming at him for it. The young man with that dangerously broken edge to his voice even as he tried to sound casual had quite possibly even more power to hurt him than Shawn had ever had. That thought scared the hell out of him, and he pushed it down, burying it with the rest of the thoughts he'd grown so good at hiding about Jeff Hardy.
"I need to wait somewhere for Amy to arrive anyway."
He couldn't stop an eyebrow from raising, but Jeff had turned away from him anyway by then, staring casually into the mirror that he'd perched in front of. The quicksilver changes of mood were almost fascinating to watch, and Mark couldn't quite stop himself from comparing Jeff to a younger Shawn.
Whoever had originally come up with that comparison had been dead on... unfortunately so, Mark thought as he watched Jeff pointedly ignore him. By the time he'd been with Shawn, the Heartbreaker had already done some growing up, but his ego had hidden heart wrenchingly deep insecurities. Something about the very pose Jeff had adopted in front of him warned Mark that this man was going to be incredibly similar to the last one who'd affected him this deeply.
Remembering how that relationship had ended brought a familiar dull pang of pain to his heart, along with a new worry. He'd been responsible for that hurt, and had long ago accepted its inevitability, given how Shawn felt about Hunter. But this one... he must be crazy to even consider going to Vince. If he left himself open to Jeff, the man would probably tear his heart apart without even realising it. His fingers clenched briefly in his indecision, but as he watched the man, he saw those brilliant eyes flicker shut, an expression of soul-deep pain cross that amazingly expressive face... and he could feel something deep inside resonate with that emotion.
Damning himself for a fool, he turned on his heel and left the room, letting the door close too loudly behind him.
Striding down the hall, he saw Vince as the man was heading back to his office, anger practically suffusing the air around him. He stopped in front of the office door, waiting for him with a hopefully unreadable expression on his face.
"What the hell do you want, Mark? This isn't a good time," Vince snapped as he halted. Mark shrugged slightly, wondering what had just happened to provoke McMahon; Jeff's little temper tantrum wouldn't have done it.
"I want to talk to you, Vince." Pausing, he waited until he saw Vince start to reply, then interrupted him. "About Jeff."
The brief look of surprise that crossed the man's face nearly made him smile, but he knew better. Right now, he had a good chance of getting what he wanted because Vince was off guard.
Vince frowned and visibly paused, casting a look behind him before meeting Mark's eyes again.
"Fine. It'll have to be brief, though. I have other things to worry about right now than the Hardy brat." Vince motioned at him to follow him into the office, and Mark took a deep breath to keep back the retort that hovered on the tip of his tongue before following him in and closing the door behind him.
****
He was so locked into avoiding Vince's notice that Shawn's hand on his shoulder took him by surprise. He didn't show any outward reaction, but his heart skipped a beat as he felt the already recognizable touch. Risking a quick glance in Adam and Chris' direction, he watched as they helped Adam to his feet. He frowned as he saw the pain etched in Adam's face. Dave had meant exactly what he'd told Chris earlier. If he wanted help roughing Terry up, he'd be all over it. Terry had gone way over the line of a backstage brawl and straight to an out and out assault. That wasn't going to be looked on favorably by any of the roster. Fights happened more frequently than one would expect backstage and were tolerated to an extent, but going after someone with the intent of putting them on the shelf was another story.
He wouldn't go after Terry himself with that intention, but beating the man black and blue? That was another story altogether. Dave couldn't imagine how Chris was feeling. How would he feel if something like this had happened to Shawn or Hunter? He could damn well guarantee he wouldn't have limited himself to a few fingers.
"I think we should get back to the locker room to shower and change, and maybe stay out of the way for a while."
Dave nodded absently at Shawn's suggestion and when Shawn started moving down the hall, Dave kept pace with him. He stiffened slightly as Vince addressed Hunter, but forced his feet to keep moving. Apparently Hunter was going to be talking to Vince sooner rather than later. Dave was a little nervous about that... from the standpoint that Vince was Hunt's father-in-law more so than from the point that he was their boss. How was Vince going to react to their news? He had to know about Stephanie's lover... so he shouldn't really be surprised that Hunter might want one as well, but what would he say about _two_ of them?
As they walked through the doors of the locker room, Dave walked over to the mirror. He hadn't honestly looked at his face since this morning in the bathroom, not wanting to draw attention to his injuries, but with Vince wandering around he had to give it consideration. Groaning as he saw the darkened spot under both eyes now, he poked at them. Lovely... his glasses were going to be a permanent fixture until he left tonight at least. He didn't think he had any promos to attend to, even with Hunter, so as long as he kept a low profile he shouldn't really need the makeup tonight.
There were a few things he did need to get done tonight though and he should hurry up and get them done. He could do them while Hunter and Shawn were doing their promos. As soon as he got his goals accomplished, he'd be stuck to Shawn and Hunter like glue. For now though, he needed a shower. Glancing at Hunter and Shawn, he smiled, his eyes wandering briefly over both of them. Damn. Not the thing to be doing when he was about to be naked with no relief in sight. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to his locker and quickly stripped out of his workout gear, then wrapped a towel around his waist. Grabbing the bottle of soap he used for both his hair and washing the rest of himself, he didn't need two separate bottles when he had such short hair, he headed for the showers. Better to get this done with quickly since Hunter had to be off to see Vince soon and Dave at least wanted to make the offer to go with him. He doubted that Hunter would take him up on it, but the offer would still be made. Hanging up his towel, he turned on the water and ducked underneath the shower head.
****
Jeff stared at his own reflection for a few seconds before huffing slightly and raising a fog on the glass. Why the hell was he waiting here anyway? It would take less than a minute to find the divas' locker room, pull Amy aside and tell her to call his brother or he'd kick her ass, then leave. Except for maybe Jericho, Adam and�Jay, there was no-one else�here�who would�talk to him, and Jeff didn't know if the crazy blonds were even at the arena tonight. Maybe he should just make a run for it, grab a taxi, find a club where no-one knew anything about wrestling and dance till his feet hurt.�Jeff wanted to ignore the repercussions of the meeting for tonight, to pretend it didn't happen for a few hours and let himself believe he had something more than an empty hotel room and a non-existent social life to go back to.
"But you're a little bit too good at running from your problems aren't you Jeffy Boy?" His lilting voice was unpleasant with irony. "How about we suck it up, crawl back into that office and give Melrose a fucking blowjob if that's what it takes to get your contract back on the table?" He doubted the man would accept the offer though. Melrose looked at Jeff like he was something he'd found on the bottom of his shoe rather than with the slightest hint of desire. Then again, you didn't have to like someone to fuck them, as Jeff well knew from first hand experience. But despite general opinion, he'd never slept with anyone who had management power over him... or fucked them either. He'd never had to, as Matt had always bargained in the cleanest and smartest way for their money and schedules.
Matt would've hit the roof if anyone had tried it on with his baby brother.
So Jeff didn't tell him about it.
He'd managed, somehow, to protect Matt from any of the flack his relationships and behaviours had received. Most of his subtlety came from dating outside the profession and in his own time. It had worked like a charm too, Matt had been none the wiser about Jeff's interests until that night with Dom. The night all hell had broken loose and Jeff had destroyed Team Extreme�more thoroughly than creative ever could. He'd worked his ass off to repair things with Matt, his brother's incapacity leaving him a victim of his younger sibling's desire to make up. Given the presence of the rest of the Hardy clan watching over him, Matt had mellowed enough to try�and meet his brother half way.�But they needed time apart before they killed each other, so Jeff was job-hunting and in the process, giving his brother some much needed space.
Drawing a smiley face on the fog, Jeff stared at his�visage unblinkingly, feeling his eyes dry�up a bit as he let them go out of focus while he watched his nose. Blinking at the double vision of his own eyes, Jeff shook off his introspection and spun around on the bench.
"What the fuck is 'Taker doing anyway?" he asked the room. The room had nothing to say on the matter so Jeff gave the WWE, Vince, Undertaker and the room�the metaphorical finger and slid to his feet.
"Screw this 'sit and stay' shit. Amy, taxi, club, dancing, that's me tonight." Tucking his wayward hair behind his ears, Jeff turned the handle of the door and wrenched it open.
He actually got about five feet before he was caught.
****
Scott took notice of Kevin's hand on his arm immediately, though the glare he was directing at Johnny lessened not one bit. After another moment, he finally turned to acknowledge Kevin. He knew that Kevin wouldn't let him go after Nitro right now, but that didn't lessen his desire to do so.
"You wanted to talk to Vince later? That's the time to deal with the punk."
As much as he hated to admit it, Kevin was right. Nitro wasn't responsible for this, but it was obvious that he couldn't wait to drag Vince along in the hopes that Hunter or Shawn would cop part of the blame. That meant the little bastard was messing with his family. Since yesterday hadn't made a dent in that thick skull, he'd just have to make sure the next time he faced the man, he wouldn't forget it. That gave him a fabulous idea. Kevin was right, he would go to Vince and Vince would give him what he wanted. He'd just have to work the man, play to his vanity.
Huddling closer to Kevin as his hand dropped to his waist, Scott took another look around. Adam and Chris were slowly making their way down the hall. Shawn and Dave were a little ways ahead with Hunter shadowing the two blonds until they reached the trainers' room. Then Hunt took off after Shawn and Dave like his ass was on fire or like he was looking to be alone with the two of them. Scott could hardly blame him there.
Scott smiled up at Kevin as he suggested finding a quiet corner to sit in. Then there was Mark. As much as he'd love to go find the man and catch up, having to deal with Heyman was bound to have the big man growling like a bear. Thanks, but no thanks. Maybe they would grab a quick bite after the show if Mark didn't come up with other plans before then.
He, himself, would love to hear Vince's reaction to what Hunter had to tell him, but he knew it wouldn't be possible. He'd just browbeat Hunter for the details later. Although Vince being in a good mood after his talk with Hunt was a possibility, a possibility that Scott was actually hoping for, Scott knew Vince would still be growling over what had happened here in the hall. That would actually work to his advantage.
"I vote for the quiet corner, chico," Scott said, his eyes downcast so that Kevin couldn't read the mischief in them. He didn't want to give away his real purpose after all. "There are a few things that I need to get my hands on and I think you're just the person to help me with that. Revenge is rather sweet." Faking a glare in Nitro's direction, Scott led Kevin down the hall. Now was it his fault if Kevin assumed that the 'things' in question had to do with Nitro? Not at all. After all he kind of owed Kevin for all that delicious teasing he'd endured on the drive here and now was as good a time as any to pay him back.
Stopping in front of a door, Scott let out a sharp burst of laughter before reaching up and snagging the plaque off the door. Turning the knob, he walked in and threw the plaque bearing the initials JBL into the trash bin. Grinning at Kevin he pulled him over to the couch.
"I think this is as good a place as any, Bradshaw won't be needing it tonight with the spot he's doing, at least until later." As Kevin stretched out on the couch, Scott paced for a moment before looking back at Kevin. "And now, chico... the reason I brought you in here..."
He pounced mid-turn and settled himself astride Kevin's lap, his mouth crashing down on Kevin's. Hands tangling through dirty blond locks, he ground his ass against Kevin's groin. He pulled back when he was finally to the point of gasping for breath.
"Now about some of those 'things' I need to get my hands on," he said even as one hand slipped from Kevin's hair and down his chest.
****
Shawn drew in a slow, deep breath as he watched Dave, drinking in the simple sight of the man. He should probably feel bad for�being so preoccupied with his plans after what had just�happened, but he�rather thought that the blonds would understand.�He smiled a little at that�as he waited near the door for Hunt to get there.�Seeing Dave wince at his reflection in the mirror brought out that earlier desire to help, but he'd probably done more than enough when it came to that injury... at least for now. If Dave ended up having to do anything later, he'd go out and see if one of the girls couldn't come by and make it look a little better, at least.
Hunter walking through the door brought his attention back to the present and the smile on his friend's face when Shawn met his eyes told him that his thoughts were pretty transparent at the moment. Reaching behind the other blond, Shawn locked the door. He'd seen the look on Sean's face earlier and wasn't about to have someone walking into the room in the middle of things and interrupting them. So he should probably be patient and wait until later when they were at the hotel and guaranteed privacy... but he didn't want to. It had been a long time since he'd had so little control over himself, but he discovered he was enjoying it. Playing with his new lovers was something he doubted he'd ever get tired of... and just thinking that sent another spark of lust through him as he looked back at Dave.
Another glance at Hunt, hot blue eyes meeting warm whiskey, and Shawn took the few steps across the room to his locker, stripping off his own clothing with slow motions while he appreciated the sight of Dave's dusky skin. Managing not to stare openly, he didn't miss Dave's eyes wandering over his own body and stretched out his normal routine for the benefit of the other two in the room.
Smiling to himself as Dave headed into the showers, he waited until he heard the water start before turning to Hunter, his smile widening at the sight presented to him. His towel lay with his discarded clothing on the bench as he ignored them as unnecessary.
"Hunt..." he nearly breathed, taking the step necessary to be face-to-face with the man. Watching him carefully for any signs of tension, Shawn reached out slowly, his fingers touching Hunt's cheek before sliding down his neck, feeling the quickening pulse beat underneath his fingertips. A slow slide along the collarbone, and he paused, meeting those hazel eyes again before allowing himself to touch a small flat nipple, leaning forward to replace his fingers with his lips for�a brief taste. The spicy, sweaty flavour made him shiver, and he raised his head again, his hand dropping to tighten on Hunter's hip before he leaned up and kissed him, his lips non-demanding and gentle.
Pulling away with a soft sigh, Shawn smiled a little wickedly at his friend.
"Any time you want me to, Hunter, I'm more than ready to fulfill the request you made on the plane," he murmured, his voice husky. Stepping back, he knew that the humming want rising up in him was obvious on his body and he paused, allowing... no, wanting Hunter to look, to see just how much he'd been affected by the brief exploration he'd just indulged in. "Any time you're ready, Hunt... I'm yours."
A glance toward the showers, and his smirk widened. "But for now... I have a surprise to deliver. And you need to watch." The tone of voice left no room for argument, and he turned around, picking up his towel and other bottles and walked into the shower, trusting that Hunter would follow him. Seeing that Dave was oblivious to his presence, Shawn arranged the items he'd carried in at the next showerhead before turning away from it and letting himself drink in the sight in front of him. All that dusky skin, wet and clean... and his to touch. His fingers almost itched with the urge, and as his gaze wandered lower, his mouth started to water. The big man was obviously still feeling some of the effects from the long day of frustrated teasing. Well... more teasing was definitely in store, but the frustration was about to come to an end.
Waiting until Dave was done rinsing the soap off his body and had his head tilted back, his eyes closed as he rinsed his hair, Shawn moved forward, stopping inches away from him. Just the sight of his lover had his breath coming faster, and he let his impulses move him. He ignored the falling water, although he didn't mind the slipperiness it added as he settled one hand at Dave's hip and the other at his neck. Shawn grinned as the "Animal" jerked in surprise at his touch and stared down at him with wide eyes. Before Dave could find his voice, Shawn was kissing him, demanding entrance, and when he got it, he used his surprise advantage ruthlessly as he devoured his lover's mouth. Breaking apart with a harsh noise, he let the hand on Dave's hip slide down, his fingers wrapping around the hardening flesh of Dave's shaft even as he met surprised chocolate eyes.
"I thought it might be a good time to return that favour." As Dave was processing the husky words, Shawn dropped to his knees, licking his lips as he eyed the man in front of him. Grasping Dave's hip again with his other hand, he leaned in to slide his tongue gently across the rounded head, making a noise in the back of his throat as Dave's taste exploded across his tongue. Feeling Dave's cock swell under his touch, he paused, looking up to meet the dark eyes again with a lazy smile.
"You taste good, sweetheart," he said before glancing to the side, his smile widening as he saw Hunter watching them.
****
Letting the door close behind him, Mark finally allowed himself to smile. The discussion with Vince had been short but intense, and he'd gotten what he wanted. The possible price was a little high, but... shrugging a little, he knew he could deal with it. The knowing look on Vince's face had been a little hard to deal with, but better that the man think he knew what was going on than have him find out the truth. If McMahon wanted to think that Mark was willing to make that kind of deal for somebody he was fucking... well. Vince definitely had his biases, and if that's what he thought, all the better for Mark to get his way.
Hopefully it wouldn't come back to bite Jeff on the ass.
He'd worry about that later, though. Right now, he needed to get back to his locker room and talk to the man. Vince still needed a signature, among other things, although that could probably wait a little longer if need be, given the conditional nature of the agreement. Hopefully Jeff wouldn't look at this as interfering in his life... if he'd just made a deal with the devil only to have the kid walk away, things wouldn't go so well for him.
And on that note... Mark frowned, thinking about Adam. Vince had told him briefly what happened earlier, and to say that he was displeased with Terry would be an understatement. He and Adam hadn't been together for quite some time, but they'd remained friends. He'd have to see what he could do about Terry; it'd been a while since he'd pulled the strings available to him, but maybe it was about time he put himself back in the leadership position backstage. And he'd definitely have to stop by the med bay and see how Adam was doing. But first... he had a whirlwind to try to contain.
Rounding the corner, he was disappointed but not surprised to see Jeff leaving his room. He'd be willing to bet he was looking for the divas' room to talk to Amy... whatever was up with that, Mark probably didn't want to know. He'd really thought Jeff wasn't the type to run from things... although ordering him to stay put had probably been the wrong way to go about things. It had never worked well with Shawn, either.
Moving up quietly behind the young man, Mark dropped a heavy hand on Jeff's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. The disappointment he felt was obvious in his voice when he spoke, as was the irritation he couldn't help but feel, given what he'd just done for the man.
"Going somewhere?"
****
to be continued... |