"ITVR: Chapter 54"
Rushes.
By Jadedoll, Penumbren, & Raising Kane
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"Oh Dave, Big Man. These guys giving you some grief? Well you can take 'em, I know you can." Dave covered his mouth with his hand in a show of considering Ric's comments. What he was really doing was hiding his laughter. Good lord. He was sure Ric was actually discussing in-ring weaknesses and it was only in their lust-laden minds that everything seemed to carry sexual overtones. Considering what had happened in this locker room earlier, he really shouldn't be this hard up right now, literally. Then again, considering who they were discussing, he couldn't imagine a time he wouldn't be hard up. Trying not to get lost in mental images of 'keeping Hunter off his feet' and 'being on top of Shawn', Dave leaned against the wall. He was pretty sure his lovers were aware of exactly what he was thinking. Hunter tried to distract them with mention of Bradshaw, but Shawn quickly landed them right back in the sensual pool with his comments. "I think we should practice that, Dave. It's not quite as easy to get me to go down as Ric here is making it sound..." Dave simply raised one brow. Shawn had 'gone down' rather easily earlier and he'd been the one to instigate things on the plane, even if it had been a reaction to Dave's innocent offer to brush his hair. Now Heartbreaker was trying to play innocent himself? Yeah. Not in this lifetime. "...But he's always ended up as the dominant one." Dave barely managed to hide the shudder threatening to rack his large frame, but he was sure his thoughts were visible in the burning stare he leveled on the two of them. The thought of a dominant Hunter in bed was not the least displeasing. That thought mixed with the way Shawn's eyes caressed his body had him ready to grab both of them and bolt for the exit. He was seriously in trouble here. If he didn't get his mind on something else, he'd be politely escorting Ric out the door and jumping on Shawn and Hunter. While it wasn't a bad idea, he would much rather wait until they were somewhere with guaranteed privacy. "I just realized that Randy hasn't been in here at all tonight. Not that I've missed the obnoxious brat, but I can't see him voluntarily hanging out in the communal locker room. Is he even here tonight?" He turned the question on Ric being as the man usually knew where all his prot�g�s were at any given time. Randy seriously needed to get laid or something. Maybe if he were involved with someone it would improve his character. Of course changing the people he hung out with might be an improvement as well. Dave wondered briefly how Randy would react to the new dynamics in the Evolution locker room. If he said even one word that implied that Dave was using Hunter and Shawn to advance his career, something that Randy would probably see as a given with his attitude, Dave would squash him. **** Adam was moving, writhing in Chris' arms like a long-limbed animal, the silken skin of his back rubbing against CJ's nipples and pulling forth a deep throated moan that he couldn't hold back even if he'd wanted to. Adam felt so fantastically good, the tight sheath of his lover's body tightening around his cock until Chris lost all pretense of control and began fucking in earnest. A small voice kept yelling at him not to hurt the precious man so vulnerable beneath him, but Adam's own reactions put paid to that idea. Even with Chris' arms braced, his lover's movements kept bringing them into hard contact with each other and CJ could only reassure that concerned voice that it wouldn't be this energetic for much longer. Not much longer at all, with Adam's sudden cascade of words silencing Chris vocal mastery with ease. Chris didn't care, he was loving Adam, holding and fucking Adam and by Christ they were about to get there together and Chris couldn't stop, wouldn't stop because he was almost there and Adam was... Adam was... Feeling his lover tense suddenly below him, the muscled grip on his cock became almost painfully tight, ripping Chris' climax from him in�a shower of rippling pulses. Chris... I... oh god... love you. Lost in the white-hot shock of pleasure soaring through him, Chris could only groan his ecstatic response. The words hit him on some instinctive level and struck an identical cord in response. Love... yes... love... Adam. ---- A gentle sound brought Chris back to his senses, the feel of warm skin and the intoxicating smell of musk granting Chris a time-honoured luxury of basking in the afterglow. Seeing black when there had only been fireworks, CJ realised his eyes were closed and he was still holding onto Adam like he was afraid the other blond would disappear the moment his grip relaxed. Trusting that Adam wasn't a figment of his imagination, Chris loosened his hold and shifted so his weight wasn't smothering the man beneath him. He couldn't bear to leave Adam's body. Not just yet. Opening his eyes, CJ looked at�an extreme close-up of�honey hair. One rippling lock was arching past his nose, the strand caught on Adam's sweat-dewed shoulder. In that moment, the fine twist was truly fascinating to Chris, the intricate whorls holding his eyes while the words echoing in his ears bought his brain to a stuttering halt. He wanted to run screaming down the hall, he wanted to jump about like a fool or ring someone and say 'Guess what Adam said?". But most of all he just wanted to curl himself around the beautiful man in his arms and revel in the sound of their breathing. Chris didn't doubt his hearing for a second. Adam had said 'I love you' and, get this Junior,�had actually meant Chris when he was saying it. Now being that CJ'd discovered that he was�in love at 'first day after six months of unrequited desire then one night of brilliantly, fantastic sex'� just this afternoon, he wasn't going to cast aspersions on Adam's declaration, no way. Just... people said a lot of things when they were on the brink of an orgasm and maybe... maybe Adam just said it because he was caught up in�the wildfire that had taken them both by the balls and pulled out their hearts. But Chris had never told anyone he loved them when he didn't, not even in the heat of passion and deep down in his soul he knew Adam hadn't either. Of course Chris had never told anyone, ever, that he loved them. Which was just suddenly striking CJ as being extremely sad. The only problem facing Chris at this moment, while embracing his lover in post-coital bliss, was whether Adam was�alert enough to hear his reply.�If he wasn't,�CJ would just have to wake him�up and tell him. Giving into temptation, Chris licked at the small beads of perspiration on the point of Adam's shoulder blade. He was inclined to bite, to leave a mark of propriety so that anyone with eyes could see what they'd been up to. But so much more than that, he wanted to make his own vow before anything could interrupt him. Chris rested his chin on Adam's shoulder and gently blew the lock of hair from before his nose. "I hope you aren't just playing with my poor heart here Babe, because..." Chris leaned back, pulling his softening cock from Adam's body and pressing his lover�to lay on his back,�until he could tumble down into emerald depths, "...I love you so much my soul aches with it." Dropping his�tone to almost a whisper, Chris sought for something... anything... in those expressive green eyes that would grant him�the truth of that earlier, broken utterance. "I think I have for the last six months, but I only just 'caught the clue bus' today. Maybe it was you being hurt like that, maybe just that we finally stopped being scared of each other and took a risk. But if you mean what you said... god Babe... if you mean it..." His voice�cracked on that last words, "...then I do too. Even if you don't mean it... I still love you... I do..." And�Chris couldn't hold anymore, his�emotional fingers�slipped from the precipice of calm, sending him rocketing into feelings that were far more powerful and heart-breaking than orgasm. Involuntarily closing his eyes, Chris didn't even try to get a grip.�Or try and stop the physical response�his own words and the expression in Adam's eyes were creating. Didn't try to hide�the hint of�moisture in his eyes�or the trembling of his hands. "Adam..." He was broken and he really didn't care. **** "...I won't be surprised one bit if we don't see or hear anything of them from tonight until Sunday morning." Well, damn. That was no fun at all. Though he could understand their reluctance to share time with anyone else right now. They had just gotten together and hadn't really had time to themselves as of yet. He still chafed at having to share Kevin with anyone else since they'd gotten back together. They had a lot of lost time to make up for and Scott wasn't sure when he'd be in sharing mode again... maybe after they had their time alone this weekend. Besides, he wanted Kevin to himself tonight as well. While he had appreciated Mark's offer earlier to do something, Scott had his plan to implement later. He would convince Kev that he was beautiful or die trying. Speaking of which, he was still debating on which part of Kevin to laud next, though he had a few definite ideas. "...But I think you're absolutely right about Dave's reaction. Not good. Definitely not good." Scott grimaced. He could almost picture Dave with his hands around Vince's neck, Vince's eyes bulging out. While it made for an almost comical picture in his mind, the reality would be anything but funny. Threatening to hurt Vince and actually doing it were two different things. Dave would be out the door before he could blink and that would certainly not be good. Routing the information through Shawn or Hunter seemed to make sense. He wasn't sure they should wait because he couldn't see Vince actually taking the time to talk to the guys, but he'd take Kevin's advice in this instance anyway. "Taping's over in less than an hour. Let's not worry about anyone else tonight, Scott." Scott swallowed harshly at the look in Kevin's eyes. He might not be allowed any more teasing tonight if the way Kev was looking at him, like he were a particularly tasty delight on the dessert cart, was any indication. "... going back to the hotel, and taking advantage of having a lock on that door?" His smile particularly wicked, he tugged lightly on the strands of hair still twined in his fingers. "I'd say... what are we waiting for, Chico." With a quick lick over Kevin's lips, Scott slipped from Kevin's lap and off the crate, offering a hand to his lover. They must have looked like a couple of high school kids trying to skip out for the day as they raced down the hall towards the parking garage, with occasional furtive looks over their shoulders to make sure they wouldn't get caught. They would have plenty of time before Sunday to get in some ring practice. Maybe if the boys were feeling more sociable by then, they could talk Shawn, Dave, or Hunter into going through a few paces. None of that mattered to Scott right now, his only desire to be alone with his lover. They did have the drive back to the hotel to get through though, and Scott knew he wouldn't be able to handle Kev's wandering hands and manage to keep the car on the road as well. As they fastened seat belts and Scott pulled the car out into traffic he asked the question that had been lingering since Kevin had told him about the whole Mark/Hunter/Dave debacle. "So how 'bout a few more details on what Hunter and Dave had to say? I just can't imagine Dave going off on Mark. He always seems so controlled. That had to be interesting as hell." **** He felt absolutely no pain at the moment, his body still twitching with the strength of his release. He purred quietly, content with the weight of Chris' body against him, the feeling of Chris still lodged inside him. His breath hitched in his throat as he recalled blurting out the words he'd not intended to say just yet. Had he really said them or had he only thought them so loudly in his mind that it had seemed as if he'd uttered them? Either way, Chris hadn't as yet acknowledged them. Not surprising really though since he wasn't sure if he could speak at all himself. He felt Chris shift yet his lover didn't immediately withdraw from his body. Despite the worry over what he'd said, he smiled, happy with the physical connection between them, wanting it for just a bit longer. He could hear the uneven breathing of the man behind him, feel the wisps of air blowing against his shoulder as Chris tried to recover. Adam would be completely content to stay right here in Chris' arms forever, warm body wrapped around him and quiet breaths puffing against him. Then again... he shivered as the warmth of Chris' tongue brushed against his shoulder blade. The slight scratching of stubble along his shoulder drew a similar response. "I hope you aren't just playing with my poor heart here Babe, because..." Oh god. He had said it out loud. Chris had heard it. He stuffed down the momentary flare of panic and readied himself to object vociferously to the hint that he would ever toy with Chris' emotions, only he didn't get the chance. He felt Chris withdraw from him and turn him to his back, but it was almost surreal. His eyes locked with those beautiful pools of blue that he'd dreamt about for so long. His breath caught at the emotion there even as the words tumbled from Chris' lips. "...I love you so much my soul aches with it." Even seeing it shining in Chris' eyes, he hadn't expected it. Chris loved him. He'd fallen asleep and was dreaming. It was an aftereffect of his concussion. Chris might just have to take him to the hospital because he was having hallucinations. He knew it wasn't any of those things, but he was almost scared to death to believe that this was real. "...Then I do too. Even if you don't mean it... I still love you... I do..." But it was real. He'd said it not once, but twice. He'd said it and Adam could tell just by looking at him that he meant it... really meant it. Chris loved him. He wanted to run out on the balcony and shout it for the whole damn city to hear and if he wasn't sore and hadn't promised to keep his ass in bed, he just might have. Chris loved him. He wanted to call all their friends and tell them that he'd finally found 'the one', but he supposed that he should probably tell Chris first. Especially since the man seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown while waiting for his reply. Did he mean it? Hell fucking yes, he'd meant it. "Adam..." Whoops. It would actually help if he said it out loud. Not that he was going to put it that way, no sir. "Shhh..." He lifted his hand, running his fingers over the curve of Chris' cheek. "I meant it. God, yes, I meant it." He blinked back the moisture in his own eyes. "I wasn't going to say anything yet because I didn't want to scare you off, but I do love you Chris. I have for so long. I didn't think..." He swallowed down all the old fears. He needed to say this and Chris needed to hear it. "I didn't think you could ever feel that way about me. It was another excuse I used to keep my distance. I knew if I tried being with you and it didn't work out, it would kill me." He smiled almost shyly even as his thumb traced Chris' lower lip. "I remember the day that I knew for sure. It was while I was sitting at home. I was feeling pretty damn sorry for myself with everything that had happened and I was missing everyone. You stopped by to see me while you were home and I was in pretty bad shape that day. I'd overdone my rehab and could barely move and you yelled at me for it. I think you spent an hour giving me hell in-between trips to the kitchen to get ice for me and the only thing I could think about was how blue your eyes are and how much I'd missed looking at them." Adam just couldn't resist it anymore. He lifted his head enough to press a sweet gentle kiss against Chris' mouth. "I fell asleep while you were still yelling at me and when I woke up, you were still there. You did that sexy little growl thing that you do and started yelling all over again. I was half-awake and I remember making a comment about how cute you are when you are angry. Then you yelled at me for not paying attention to you when you were yelling at me." He couldn't help the quiet laugh the memory evoked. "Right then... right exactly then, I thought that I could listen to you yell at me forever and I would be quite happy doing it. Except that I'd already decided I wasn't going to get involved with anyone from the Fed again. And there was the fact that I didn't want to risk losing you as a friend when you couldn't possibly feel the same way about me. At least as your friend, I could have some small part of you." "I said it last night even if I couldn't say it out loud. I accidentally blurted it out to Benoit earlier and almost gave the poor guy a heart attack. I was going to wait until this weekend to actually tell you so that you'd have time to get used to all my quirks and you'd have the chance to run if they scared you. Tonight... making love with you... I just couldn't hold it back anymore. I most definitely mean it. I love you, Chris." **** God, what was he doing? Even for himself, Mark didn't have an answer. The brief glimpse of overwhelmed green eyes before they'd shut again, Jeff's hands on his shoulders, the weight of Jeff's body against his... it was too much. Too much temptation, too much unspoken emotion. The problem was, he didn't have any idea what emotion he was feeling---protective, hell yes. Possessive. Definitely lust for the younger man plastered against him. But he cared, cared that Jeff had been hurt, apparently in more ways than just physically, by this Richard guy and by the "Dom" that he'd mentioned in passing. How much did he care? He really wasn't ready to examine that question too closely. Instead, he focused on Jeff. The tiny tremours had stopped. That was good. His own anger was mostly gone, replaced by that weird, almost frightening mix of emotions. The prolonged silence was starting to worry him, though. Had he revealed too much with his unintentional statement? Or had he just confused the hell out of Hardy? Or maybe Jeff was interpreting it in a way he hadn't meant. Of course, he didn't know how he'd meant it. It had slipped out of him before he realised it. His own eyes drifted shut for a minute as he imprinted this moment in his memory. Just the two of them, alone and momentarily relaxed, Jeff in his arms... As he allowed himself to focus on that, Jeff moved. The soft rub of Jeff's face against his was so unexpected. Mark's eyes snapped open again as he stared at the man in his arms who was rubbing against him almost like�a cat. He was close enough to smell Jeff's hair, the odd mixture of shampoo and natural scent and something else that Mark couldn't quite identify sending a small shiver through his own body. The puff of breath against his jaw made him release a quiet sigh in return.�The teasing almost-touch of lips against his ear added to the shiver he was feeling running down his spine and his arms tightened around Jeff as the softly breathed words threaded their way through the emotional maze he was caught in. "You're mad, you have to be." Mad? Definitely. He had to be insane to be contemplating the things he was about the man in his arms; beside the huge age difference, this was the first time that Jeff had ever shown anything besides indifference and an odd reluctance to be too close to him. And it was so out of character for him to be contemplating these sorts of things! He didn't do one-night stands or flings, and even if he did, Jeff had obviously been hurt by somebody in the fairly recent past; he couldn't be the one to add to that. But he couldn't seem to stop himself from thinking... "Don't cause yourself even more trouble over me Mark." Was that Jeff's way of telling him to back off, that Jeff wasn't interested in him as anything but�a mentor? But... the position they were in was so much closer than that of a trainer and trainee... Mark sucked in a breath as the realisation of the almost soundless syllable of his own name penetrated. That was the third time Jeff had said his name tonight. The first had been angry, defiant; the second, regretful. But this one... Before he realised what he was doing, he'd raised one hand from the relative safety of Jeff's waist to run his fingers through the brightly-coloured hair, almost surprised at the softness of the dyed locks as he met those eyes again, almost wanting to lose himself in their depths. His voice was still deep as he spoke, not even knowing what he was going to say. "Jeff..." And he never would know, he reflected seconds later. "Mark? Where the hell are you?" The nauseating voice carried down the hall, and Mark's head snapped up to see Heyman bending over at the end of the hall, picking up his discarded coat with a curious look. Dammit! With a regretful look at Jeff and one last caress to that oddly fascinating hair, he allowed the younger man to pull away, not any more eager than Jeff to have Heyman see them in that particular pose and draw all the wrong conclusions about them. Not that he gave a damn about Heyman's opinion, but the entire locker room would know within minutes, and Mark wanted to spare Jeff as much trouble as he could. Stopping Jeff before he could get too far away, Mark locked eyes with him one more time. "I'm sorry." For the attack, for the hurt Jeff had suffered, for his own confusing actions, for the interruption... Biting his tongue against those words, he said instead, "I have to go do my spot. Will you... wait for me?" He found himself almost holding his breath as he waited for the reply. **** Benoit couldn't keep the grin off his face as he watched the monitors. Eddie hadn't been fond of the idea for this segment to start with, and watching the havoc he was wreaking by not following his instructions at all was one of the more entertaining things Chris had seen lately. Groaning as Eddie barely missed a couple of crew members when he came tearing through the back, crashing into a few more things on his way to the ring, Chris had to bite his lip when JBL was revealed in all his salad-covered glory on the ramp. This almost made up for his having to be at the Smackdown taping in the first place... almost. Of course, if he hadn't been here, God only knows what Adam would've tried to get away with. He definitely would've skipped out on those X-rays at the very least... and Benoit would've been beside himself with worry once he found out what happened. So maybe it was better that he was here, even as boring as it was while he waited for his lover to make his reappearance and for the taping to end so that they could get the hell out of here. They had two entire days off together coming; precious time together that had been very rare lately to say the least, and they'd had to promise Vince some extra appearances in the upcoming weeks to get that much time off at the same time. Benoit was looking forward to getting Eddie home alone, and not just for the sex. Just being able to be together, at home,�would be a wonderfully luxurious experience and he intended to enjoy every single minute of it. There were times that he couldn't wait until later in the summer when he'd be dropping the title, even as bitter as the thought was, considering the uphill battle he'd had to fight to get it in the first place. But without it, he'd have so much more time to himself... and more time to spend with Eddie, who'd be in the same situation by then. Catching Orlando glaring at him from the sidelines as he waited by the monitors next to the gorilla position almost did make him laugh, but he caught himself in time and returned the glare with an amused gaze. His smile widened as Orlando dropped his gaze and hurried away. The kid had potential, but putting him into this long-term angle with Bradshaw was giving him a horrendous personality. "Mi corazon!" The exuberant greeting and arm wrapping around his waist from behind caught him by surprise and he jumped, glaring at Eddie in a self-conscious response. The grin on his lover's face wiped his embarrassed annoyance away, though. Eddie rarely called him that in public, and he was obviously in a great mood; Chris wasn't about to let his own self-consciousness interfere with that. That grin had been too rare in the past few months for him to make Eddie feel bad about it now. Forcing himself to ignore the semi-curious eyes of the other guys in the hall, he turned and awkwardly put his arm around Eddie's waist in return. The surprised look his lover gave him only served to make him feel bad; if that simple gesture was that out of character, he obviously needed to work on his issues with PDAs. Everyone backstage knew about them, after all; there was nothing to hide. Smiling crookedly at Eddie, Chris let himself lean into the other man's heat. "Had fun, huh?" The loud laugh in response made him chuckle, and Eddie nodded. "Hell yeah. That stupid pendejo had more than that coming to him, but at least I shook him up. I don't care about dropping the belt, but to him?" The disgust in his voice was evident, and Chris tightened his arm in sympathy. Eddie's fight to get that title had been even worse than his, and although Chris knew that Eddie cared about dropping the belt as little as he did, knowing that it would be to Bradshaw made it hard to swallow. Edging them away from the center of the hallway, Chris cocked his head at Eddie and asked, "Well... let's not think about him tonight. What do you say to the thought of a private dinner, just the two of us?" Eddie raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down with a salacious leer, waggling his eyebrows as he replied, "Sounds good, ese... if I get to choose my dessert afterward. I think I'm in the mood for something from a little farther north tonight. Canadian, actually. What do you say?" His body responding to the tease even after long years of familiarity with Eddie's bad jokes, Chris shook his head, smiling a little. "Sounds good... as long as my dessert involves something from south of the border." "Works for me. What say we go get a head start on our... plans... and get out of here early? I'll even pay the fine this time." Their shared quiet laughter trailed after them as they headed down the hall, Chris for once not caring who saw them. **** Chris felt the trembling in his hands suddenly get a hell of a lot worse as he waited for Adam's reply. He was probably gob-smacked that CJ had just gone off an emotional edge all over him... pun most definitely intended. Chris wasn't really worried, the man he loved hadn't just shoved him off the bed or anything so he was guessing that Adam still liked the idea of being naked in bed together. Just whether he really had meant those sexily gasped words from earlier was the real question, one-sided relationships could work... they just didn't often work very well, that's all. About to open his mouth to continue babbling into the 'about to become painful' silence, Chris was stopped by the gentle touch of Adam's fingers on his cheekbone. Shhh... I meant it. God, yes, I meant it. With a deep sigh of relief�he felt rise up from his very soul, Chris nuzzled his face into the warm, strong hands caressing him. Adam's sweet confession of doubt and denial he put mentally aside to be examined later,�for�just a�moment he wanted to wallow in three simple words... he meant it. Chris hadn't realised that he'd feel so dependent on Adam for his affection. Most of the time he was completely isolated from other people opinions and feelings about him, he took the adoration with the loathing as just part of life, it didn't matter because they didn't matter. Maybe that was the reason he'd taken so long to try something... anything... with the man beside him. Right from the start he'd been unable to ignore Adam's opinion of him, Adam's reaction. The tall, blond had got into CJ's heart without him even noticing, till last night's confessions in a hot alley and this evening's massive understatement of 'oh yeah... I love him'. He should have seen it coming, all along Chris had known that to become close to Mr. A. Copeland could be damaging... it could hurt. Because Adam did matter to Chris. He always had. He guessed he was just damn lucky that he seemed to matter to Adam right back. an hour giving me hell in-between trips to the kitchen to get ice for me Oh yeah, Chris remembered that little visit with not so fond memories. His little freak-out had started when Adam hadn't answered the door, even though his manager had said he'd be home all weekend. Chris had practically had to break into the place to find his friend in bed, pale and glaze-eyed, unable to move from the pain in his back and limbs. He'd been so scared that Adam had ruined his recovery that, of course, he been an angry little bastard for about nine hours. Chris didn't manage fear well. Adam's gentle kiss mollified his remembered upset somewhat, so Chris shifted their positions slightly, while Adam explained what CJ had figured was some bizarre drug-induced mania, when his platonic friend of the time had told him he was cute. So Adam really had thought he was 'cute', most people thought he was psychotic when he was angry and they tended to step back several feet. Typical of the man called Edge that he'd think Chris spitting fire and insults was 'cute'. I most definitely mean it. I love you Chris. Thank God, thank God, thank God. Chris kissed Adam's fingers as they stroked his lower lip, then leaned in for another taste of his lover's sweet-hot mouth. Stroking his tongue over the ridge of Adam's teeth, Chris plunged in further, trying to grab every sensation of this moment, from the flavour of Adam's own exploring tongue, to the feel of their sweat and come streaked bodies sliding against each other. This was raw and hot and real and Chris was so gone in love with Adam, he knew he'd never want to get out. Pulling back after long, languid minutes, Chris sat up slightly and began to tidy the minor wreck they'd made of the bed. It wasn't as bad as this morning's effort, Adam was injured after all, but CJ knew they had a long night ahead of them and wanted his lover to be as comfortable as possible. Putting the caps back on the bottles of lube and oil respectively, Chris nudged them onto the floor, used a small, damp towel to clean off the residue of their lovemaking and tugged the sheets into a semblance of order. Dimming the bed-side light, Chris slid back into bed, pulled a pillow onto his lap and gentle maneuvered Adam's head onto the pillow. Letting his lover get as comfortable as possible with his bruising, CJ set the alarm on his mobile phone�and began to comb his fingers through Adam's long, streaked hair. He kept his voice deep and soothing. "Yeah Babe, I remember some total nit-wit deciding to add another two weeks to his down time by doing three wasn't it? extra hours of rehab." Chris curled forward and dropped gentle kisses on Adam's closed eyelids. "Stupid, stupid fucker with less brains than a ring post, was my favorite expression that night, I think." Fingers caught a small knot, so Chris began to gently loosen the snarl. "Or maybe it was 'dumb sonofabitch who doesn't deserve to have people getting you ice unless you'd like me to stick it up your ass as a reminder how stupid you really are'." He finished with the tangle and�returned to his�gentle combing. "Although I grant you, I may have been channeling Steve at that point. He does grumpy bastard way better than me and that's saying something." Chris sent his fingers into a light massage of Adam's scalp. "But I was so worried that you'd really hurt yourself Babe. When you fell asleep, I almost called your doctor to come over and check up on you, you were so wrecked." If Adam hadn't been almost asleep, Chris would have flicked a finger into his ear to remind him how stupid he'd been. "I was so worried because seeing you hurt like that shook me down to my bones Adam. Made me want to shake you for being an idiot but also wrap you in cotton�wool and tie you to the bed till you got better. I should have known right then that I loved you Adam. I never want to protect other people from their own idiocy, they can suffer for being stupid as far as I'm concerned. I must have been falling for you... I didn't want you to suffer my Love." Chris sat back and continued stroking Adam's brow, watching as his lover's breathing evened out. "Even if you were a fucking idiot." **** It's not quite as easy to get me to go down as... Hunter didn't even try to stop his disbelieving snort at that statement. Not that he'd had any personal experience of trying to persuade his new lover into any sexual act... yet. But Shawn had a sufficient reputation that if even one tenth of it was true, he and Dave would be treated to an incredibly willing and fearless lover in the Heartbreaker. Hunt doubted he'd have to push Shawn into anything, from today's experiences it would seem to be the other way around. Hunt never thought he'd be the shy one in a relationship. God help him. I've never had the experience of getting him down under me for too long. God knows I've tried, but he's always ended up as the dominant one. His chortling stopped in surprise at the words tumbling so confidently from Shawn's lips. Oh really? Since when had Shawn been trying to get on top of Hunter? Had he missed it? Most of their 'battles' of recent years did usually result in Hunter as victor, but that was because of creative, not any actual skill on Hunter's part. The few times they'd 'tussled' in a play fight had come out a draw. Normally with both of them too paralyzed with laughter to move, despite the encouragement they got from the sidelines. It was almost an urban myth back stage, the question that was on every rookie's lips when they looked at Shawn and Hunter goofing around, "Who's better?" Ask Hunt and he'd say 'Shawn' without hesitation. The thing was, he was pretty sure the reverse would be�true if you asked HBK. One day they'd have to get Benoit and Kurt to act as�judges and just go to town during a practice session. Unfortunately Hunter would probably have to tie his dick down to survive an extended rumble with his lover without revealing the nature of their relationship in a very obvious way. Sports cups could only manage so much after all. The concept of being 'the dominant one' with Shawn sure as hell held a lot of appeal to Hunt right now though. Even if it was only because his lover let him do it, Hunter could certainly get into the role of Big Bad with the poor helpless�Sexy Boy at his mercy. Hunt would find out if Shawn really did have those handcuffs he'd been teasing him about earlier and maybe he'd dig up a pair of those vinyl pants CJ had bought him as a joke.�Hunter could do it... really. If he could�just control his tendency to�giggle-fits, he'd do just fine.� Giggling was the last thing on Hunter's mind though, when Shawn shot him 'HBK Seduction Look No. 4' and squirmed around till he lounged back against Hunter like the bigger man was a comfortable arm chair. The hand on his thigh was a burning hot weight against his skin and Shawn's rump pushing into his groin as the man got settled was giving Hunter more ideas than just handcuffs and uncomfortable pants. Blowing away a stray lock of honey hair that�was attempting to�become one with his eyelashes, Hunter squirmed a bit himself, pushing his hips against Shawn in a small thrust as he curled a arm around his lover's slim waist and pulled him closer. Wandering fingers found the hem of Shawn's t-shirt and delved under to stroke at the warm skin across Shawn's hip bone. He may not be as skilled at flirtation as his closest friend but Hunter wasn't a shy virgin either. Despite what his earlier 'issue' might have led them to believe. Waiting for Shawn's next move, Hunter looked up at the third member of their trio and stifled a small growl at the hot, chocolate eyes trained on him. Did Dave also want to find out if Hunter could be kept down? Or was he picturing him as being as much a managing bully between the sheets as Hunt was in most other aspects of his life. He wasn't going to deny the definite thrill he felt at the idea of having Dave doing exactly as Hunter ordered. To have the power, beauty and nobility of the 'Animal' at his beck and call would be anyone's favorite sexual fantasy, let alone an actual possibility if Hunt played his cards right. God, he seriously needed to have a conversation with Kevin if he was reading the situation right. Shawn and Dave... all his, to do with as he wanted. Damn. Now it wasn't just Shawn's ass getting attention from Hunter's groin, if his brain was going to keep acting as cheerleader then that hour couldn't pass soon enough. Not that I've missed the obnoxious brat, Words in defense of Randy quickly sprang to Hunter's lips, but he didn't let them fall. Really, Dave's opinion was pretty spot on when it came to the behaviour of their young fourth. His arrogance and condescending attitude had created more than one headache for Hunter over the past year, but Hunt just knew in his gut there was more to the dumb punk than the guy let on. Randy had managed to get half the locker room off side and treated the rest like his personal servants. That some of the other young bucks though Randy was King of the 'It' crowd only served to lower most other opinions of the boy even further. He really wanted to smack Randy around the head a few times or lock him in a room with someone who he'd actually listen to for an hour. Pity was, the only one who could get him to act like a grown up was Ric, he was too intimidated by Dave to listen to the sense his lover spoke and far too in awe and obligated to Hunter to get near enough for a well-meaning lecture. Maybe he could ask Shawn to talk to him... nahh. Shawn wouldn't have the patience to put up with Randy when he was being his usual arrogant prick self. And honestly... Hunter didn't like to inflict Randy on anybody, certainly not someone he loved. He doubted any man had the ability to get past Randy's ten-foot thick shields and see if there was anyone worth knowing underneath.�The man would have to have a hide like a Rhinoceros to even get a genuine smile from the kid. Is he even here tonight? Burying his nose in Shawn's hair, Hunter nuzzled his lover's warm skin. "He's here." Shawn smelled all sweet and sleepy. "I saw him while doing my promo, he's hanging with Maven and acting like the devil himself was after him.�Randy doesn't know many Smackdown guys so I'm guessing he pissed someone off and is playing least in sight. You know what?" Hunter looked back up and Dave and saw the same frustration the three of them must be feeling looking right back at him. "That's a fantastic idea, screw Vince, let's go." Lifting Shawn easily up from the couch, Hunter playfully bit his lover's jeans clad ass as it passed his nose. Not hard of course. Just a little nip between friends. Ignoring the smaller blond's reaction, Hunter slid from the couch and went into packing mode. In about four minutes he had them ready to leave the arena. "Greg'll have a car waiting and I have a surprise for us to get to." Handing Ric a small pile of paper's Hunter ran through anything that might come up that he'd be expected to handle. "Thanks Ric. If Vince asks, tell him I said I needed some time to think over his proposition. He'll know what I mean." And wouldn't he just wonder if Hunter was still as mad as he'd been in the office earlier. "Tell Steph she can�reach me on the cell and we'll catch up tomorrow." Looking to his lovers for confirmation they wouldn't mind another visit with Stephanie, Hunt shouldered his gear bag and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Shall we?" **** Glen growled and nodded at the technician that was giving him a look of sympathy. He and Sean had spent an hour or so in the guise of 'working out', though neither one of them had accomplished much of anything. Glen wasn't sure how he was supposed to bench press weights with Sean sitting on his stomach laughing at him. He'd retaliated by bench pressing Sean instead, his hands in very interesting positions. After their time in the gym, they'd once again stopped by the Evolution locker room at Sean's insistence only to find the door unlocked and the room empty. Sean had been pouting ever since. And now... Vince wanted to see him. As they headed down the hallway from the monitor, where they'd been watching the segment with Eddie and 'Shaw, Glen noticed the concerned way that Sean was looking at him. Forcing a smile, though that was the last thing he felt like doing when he was heading to see Vince, Glen cuffed Sean lightly on the arm. "Don't worry Sean. I'm sure it's something to do with the match Sunday. Maybe Adam can't work it and they're going to have to change the whole thing." Sean grimaced and punched Glen back. "Terry is such a fuckup. I wonder if Vince canned his ass yet." They walked the rest of the way without a word, each of them lost in thoughts of the incident in the afternoon. It had been surprising. It just wasn't something that happened in their business. Despite frequent brawls resulting in bruises and the occasional broken nose, there were few incidents where serious injuries occurred. Everyone was too mindful that another wrestler would be waiting to replace them if they caused problems backstage. Someone was always waiting to take a step up and injuring a co-worker was one of the quickest ways to get sent down. Pay per views were too important to risk losing a match because someone had a temper tantrum. Terry had either lost his mind or there was a much more serious issue between Adam and Terry than a few insults. Glen knocked on Vince's door and heard a bellow in response. Poking his head around the door, he waited until Vince acknowledged him with a short nod. He walked in, Sean trailing slowly behind him. "You wanted to see me, Vince?" Vince hung up the phone he'd had pressed to his ear and turned, a scowl on his face when he realized that Glen wasn't alone. "Great! Just what I needed tonight... another Clique member to deal with. What do you want Sean? Hunter and Shawn already threatened to quit tonight, Kevin and Scott were in here poking their noses in my business, and now you're here. So what is it? You want a title shot at the pay-per-view? You want to re-write the entire show? Maybe you'd just like me to hand my job over to you because you think you can do it better. Tell me Sean. I'd really like to know what I can do for you." Sean stood for a moment with his mouth hanging open. What the hell was up Vince's ass tonight? Though he could see where Vince might be in a bad mood, considering what he'd just spilled. If Glen hadn't started growling just then, Sean might have burst into laughter. "Dude, the only thing you can do for me is chill out. Here... to make that tough job easier, you deserve M&M candy." Sean grinned shamelessly as he tossed a bag of M&M's on Vince's desk. Glen was looking at him like he was insane and Vince looked fit to burst. Sean had never seen him quite that shade of red before. Before Vince could start screaming, Glen's look of astonishment changed to a glare. "I thought you put those back." Sean ducked his head and pouted. "Are you both insane?" Vince yelled. He really wasn't looking a very healthy color at that moment. "What the hell do you two want?" Glen turned to Vince and cocked his head to the side. "I don't want anything. You wanted to see me, at least that's what your lackey said. Sean just came along to keep me company." As if someone had flipped a switch, Vince sank down in his seat and let out a loud sigh. "I'm sorry. Tonight's been... difficult." Vince rubbed his hands over his eyes. "I did want to see you about the match on Sunday. Adam has fractured ribs and a concussion, but he's insisting he can do the match. You're a safe worker Glen. What I need to know is... can you choke slam him and not aggravate his injuries or do I need to pull him from the match? I've already shortened the time he'll be in the ring. You'll come out earlier than planned for the interference and then Kevin and Scott will be introduced into the match as another team. He has the tag matches with Jericho coming up and then he's got the program with the IC title coming up. I can't afford to have him out long-term." "I don't see a problem with the concussion. He can take the impact on his back, but depending on where the fractures are, it's probably going to hurt like hell. I'll do my best to plant him like a feather, Vince." Glen shrugged. He thought Adam was nuts for wanting to do the spot with fractured ribs, but he couldn't really blame him either... he'd do the same thing. "Okay. We'll have the new sheets for you guys early Sunday then. You can go back to doing whatever it was that you two were doing," Vince said in dismissal, already turning to the papers on his desk. "Hey, Vince?" Vince's head snapped up at Sean's words. "Are you going to..." Vince scowled when he noticed Sean pointing at the bag of candy on his desk, but Sean was interrupted by Glen grabbing his collar and dragging him towards the door. Once the door closed, Vince reached for the yellow bag on the edge of the desk. "Yes, Sean. Yes I am," he said with a smile as he ripped open the bag. Popping a green candy into his mouth, Vince wondered what else could possibly happen yet tonight. **** His name on Mark's lips, the deep smoky voice sending a delicious sizzle down to Jeff's toes, had him leaning even closer. To catch the words...to catch just the faintest touch.... Mark? Where the hell are you? "Oh fuck!" Jeff breathed into Mark's shoulder. But he wasn't sure if there wasn't equal portions relief and anger in his tone. He couldn't see Paul.E�beyond 'Taker's massive shoulder, but�Jeff was certain he couldn't let the horrible ToadMan see him all over Mark like this. That would be granting him too much ammunition against a man that Jeff was making it his personal mission in life to protect from Paul.E's lecherous advances. And how exactly will you protect him from your own�advances Jeffy Boy? Ruthlessly ignoring his conscience for the moment, Jeff stepped back and away from Mark's comforting embrace. He couldn't allow himself to get too used to that touch, it would make him far more vulnerable than he was willing to admit. Tugging habitually at his cuffs and raking his fingers through his hair pulled�Jeff back into a semblance of normality. Wiping away the smear of blood from his mouth and trying not to poke his tongue at his bruised lip probably didn't help much, but he was halfway there if Paul.E's nervous look was anything to go by. I'm sorry. Jeff shrugged like it didn't matter. So Undertaker was turning him down, it was only the second time tonight for crying out loud. Although Jeff had to admit that offering himself up like some kind of job perk hadn't exactly been his natural mode of come-on. Normally he just checked to see if his 'possibility' was eyeing him up, then Jeff would climb into their lap and say 'where and when'. If he tried that with Mark he'd probably get his slutty little ass shoved across the room, but he was almost, almost�tempted. Just having those few brief moments in Mark's arms had given Jeff ideas he really shouldn't be contemplating... not if he wanted to earn the man's respect rather than his disdain. But with 'Taker's apologetic words, Jeff figured that goose was certainly cooked and he better keep his nuzzling and groping to himself in the future. Mark had been more than polite both times Jeff had responded to him like a bitch in heat, but that might change. Might not, of course. Mark was still polite to Paul.E and that man was about as subtle as a train wreck. Jeff swore he'd kill himself before he ever drove 'Taker that far. I have to go do my spot. Will you... wait for me? Yet still the man offered his hand to Jeff like he was someone worth saving! Oh no way was this Man Hardy going to be letting one Mark Calloway down any time soon. He'd smack his own mouth again before he let that happen. Catlike, Jeff narrowed his eyes at the pudgy man hovering impatiently about ten feet from them. Their proximity to each other wasn't anything someone could raise an eyebrow over, but Paul.E had a sewer for a mind and Jeff didn't trust him an inch. Keeping his gaze on Heyman, as it seemed to freak him out just a little, Jeff replied to Mark with the cool air of someone who was readying for battle. "Not just wait for you 'Taker," No way was Paul.E gonna hear Jeff's use Mark's name. He couldn't say it without it having too much�meaning�for Jeff, witnesses just made�him more vulnerable. "I'll be your bodyguard, because you really, really need one Big Man." Shooting Mark a quick look to show his understanding of Mark's actions and his question, Jeff left the warmth of the tall man's presence and stomped over to Heyman. He'd watched Stone Cold over the years,�Jeff knew how to say 'Fuck You' with a walk. "Hey Paul.E. You better be careful you don't get fingerprints on that," Jeff pulled Mark's coat from Heyman's hands with a fake, saccharine smile. "Undertaker's coat can't be all smudged now can it?" Without looking over his shoulder, Jeff handed the heavy black leather to Mark, knowing where the big man was by internal radar. "You're on tonight aren't you Paul.E? That'll be good to see, you bring something to TV that's just never been there before. Don't you think so 'Taker?" All the way to the black-out curtain Jeff kept up a stream of too-friendly comments and obscure insults that seemed to throw Paul.E right off his game. Good. The more rattled he was, the less likely he'd be to make any propositions to Mark while Jeff was there. Reaching the curtain Jeff could hear the roar of the crowd in the arena. They knew Mark was about to show and were becoming more and more excited at the prospect. Jeff could sympathise. When Mark came into�a room, he shared the fans'�tendency to want to jump up and roar like an idiot. But it wasn't Mark that caused Jeff's sudden stop and the faint tinge of red to climb his sharp cheekbones. That roar. The deafening noise of thousands of people yelling and screaming for the performers�in the ring. It would be weeks, if not months, before Vince would allow him to step past the heavy black curtain in front of him, but that still didn't stop his reaction. Jeff hadn't realised how much he'd forgotten�it...the feeling of being in the ring, the adrenalin rush that he'd get when he put his foot on the lower rung of a ladder and heard his name called by a thousand voices. God, he missed it. **** to be continued... |