"ITVR: Chapter 75"
Offers.

By Jadedoll, Penumbren, & Raising Kane

Hunter hadn't actually expected Shawn to chase him behind Dave. The smaller blond had been shrugging off Hunt's teasing for a decade without resorting to violence; even the worst of his verbal idiocy normally received rolled eyes and a 'why me?' expression. One day, Hunter knew, he would get Shawn on just the wrong side of irritated and be made to regret every teasing word he'd ever said. Looked like today wasn't going to be that day though. But well... ... Hunt still lived in hope. Even if he couldn't get a rise, oh hardy har har, out of his lover, Hunt had still maneuvered himself�to�the rear of an almost-dressed Dave and that had to be�plus in anyone's books. Taking a moment to admire the broad�shoulders and long spine clad in crisp cotton, Hunter automatically negated a move to run his hands up�Dave's long, smooth back. Clenching his hand into a fist, Hunter stared at the fine short hair at the base of his lover's skull while he mentally cursed his instincts. It had been�natural desire, to want to stroke and touch something so beautiful. But,�like always, Hunter had caught his hand before it betrayed him. Damn, damn,�damn. He'd been�around this emotional roundabout ad nauseum and was utterly sick of it. His beautiful David had stated, quite categorically, that he liked Hunter touching him, with like being a fairly massive understatement. Caressing Dave would be great, watching Dave smile would make Hunt smile... unfortunately Dave touching him back could risk Hunter freaking. Since last night, Hunter hadn't felt that breathless panic. That urge to run, to deny himself their presence because it wasn't allowed. But it was gone. There had been no hint of it in the shower and maybe... just maybe... he was cured. But if he started relaxing, started acting like�Hunt could just grab and play whenever he wanted,�he�could get bitten on the ass... and not in a good way. Looking over Dave's shoulder at Shawn's sweet, crooked smile, Hunter grinned back although he knew it was a fraction forced. Pushing aside the tooth-ache like niggle of frustration with himself, Hunt saw a promise of retribution in two stunning dusky-blue eyes and stuffed his doubts into a back corner of his brain, along with Vince's words and the heartbreaking image of Shawn's devastated face. Today was the first day of Dave&Shawn&Hunter and he wasn't about to ruin it. Looking convincingly scared while hiding behind your lover wasn't as easy as it might sound, especially when the man you were hiding from said, If you'd like to come home with me, I'd like to have you. With a smile that was both calm and honestly adoring, Hunter's gaze roved over Shawn's form to come to rest on his lover's twinkling eyes. He said nothing, but deep inside Hunt answered, 'you've always had me.' Should I be worried?... chained to the wall so he can use and abuse us? "I wish," Hunter joked, his eyes still locked with Shawn's. No, the other blond had remarkably good taste and, in complete contrast to Hunter, spent his money wisely and carefully on only a few truly expensive pieces. Although Hunter was so going to buy him a moose-head now just because he could. With Dave's permission to make their decisions, Hunter watched Shawn thoughtfully from across the room as he finished dressing. His friend didn't seem inclined one way or the other on the 'my place, your place' thing and Hunter had some serious paperwork building up at home that if he didn't get to, Greg had threatened to staple to his forehead. "My place for dinner with Steph and Thursday night, then 'The Ranch' Friday and Saturday?" Hunter offered, feeling he was being pretty polite by tacking a question mark on the end of that sentence. He knew he'd spoiled it by flipping open his phone a milli-second after Shawn's nod and calling Greg, but at least he was trying. In no short order, Hunter, pointedly ignoring the 'Mr Coordinated' comment, had them booked, car'd, paid, acknowledged and expected by the time they were ready to get some breakfast. Nodding distractedly at Dave's words, Hunter let them pull him from the room and into the elevator while trying to make out Megan's and Steph's timetable on a very bad line from... where?... Phoenix? "And you are in Arizona because?" Looking up, Hunter realised they were standing in the doorway of the restaurant with what was probably every single eye in the room�turned to�them. Fortunately, they were all WWE employees. Unfortunately, they were all WWE employees. "...Steph wanted... it's someone... ing with a horse!" Huh? **** CJ noted the careful way that Jay sat in his seat and the regular assessing looks sent his friend's way by his tattooed lover. Last night Ty had been angry at Jay for pushing himself and his injury too hard, and it looked like the big man was right on the money. Chris was grateful he'd picked Bunnykins as his side of the equation as Adam had far more chance of getting through to Jay in this situation than CJ ever would. No matter how much he had tried to sympathise, Jay's moan of 'you don't understand' had a nasty ring of truth to it. Much as Chris wished he hadn't had to, Adam did understand a long-term injury and could get in Jason's head way better than Chris could. Maybe his lover would have better luck finding out why the slim man was so desperate to stay at Tyson's side, even risking his own career to do so. It was almost like Jay thought... Blinking, CJ watched as Tyson deftly snared the sugar bowl from Jay's reach, nodded his agreement to 'eat tonight at that place with the guy with the�eye and the thing' and gently stroked his fingers through his boyfriend's short cropped, silky hair. Jay hadn't gelled it this morning and Bunnykin's fingers were obviously enamoured of the locks in their natural state. The big man's actions were cute, sweet and downright adoring. And Jay was worried someone would get in Ty's pants while he wasn't looking. Of course the state of Jay's�common sense�was the object of some conjecture. Now he just had to figure out a way to let Bunnykins in on the other reason for Jay's�mulish behaviour without getting flattened or being subjected to Tyson's own�'stubborn chin' expression. Because with that beard, wow, chin took on a whole new dimension. As Chris would know. can't race bumble bees, Christopher. Chris smiled slowly at the mildly put-out look in his lover's not-really glazed green eyes. The bumble-bee comment was perfectly normal�given his lover's apparent condition and just because Chris knew better, didn't mean he couldn't play too. Putting on his best 'what me?' expression, CJ batted his eyelashes at Adam under the cover of Jay's prattle and was ready to lean in closer when he felt the unmistakable sensation of a foot caressing the back of his ankle. They'd win. 'We'd�kick their asses.' Chris murmured warmly while the exploratory foot moved further north. Of course Adam, being Adam and semi-high, got up and left Chris and his ankle completely bereft. Following his lover's extremely sexy cotton clad ass walk back to the buffet table, CJ bit his lip at the almost dirty look the lime jell-o was being subjected to. Throwing up a prayer to the gods of all desserts that Adam wasn't picking them based on colour, Chris finished his own lunch and toyed with a cup of coffee. Sitting back, he lifted his foot to rest on the edge of Adam's chair and rested his wrist on his up-raised knee. Rubbing the tips of his finger together in thought, Chris caught the amused ice-blue eyes of the man across from him, the smirk hiding nothing of the bald man's thoughts. His own sapphire eyes narrowing, CJ returned the look with a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk of his own. Austin stared. Chris stared. Jay talked. In the silences created by Jason's need to breathe and ingest food, the Grand-Daddy of all stare-downs had begun. **** Relieved when Dave joined in the teasing, the tension that had been hovering just out of view apparently gone for now, Shawn was caught by a flash of... something... in Hunter's eyes. Apparently they didn't know each other quite as well as everyone---including themselves---had thought, because he had no idea what that brief emotion had been. Nothing bad, judging from the look Hunter was giving him, but it was certainly something to think about. "I wish..." Later. Because now that little comment was going to haunt him. Shawn couldn't count the number of times he'd fantasized about tying Hunter up and having his wicked way with him. Whether that way involved paddles, riding crops, feathers, or just his own two hands depended greatly on his mood, which was suddenly leaning right back toward that little image, especially now that he had some knowledge of what it looked like in real life. Not, he reminded himself as he finished buckling his belt while smiling at the "Mr. Coordinated" comment from Dave, that last night or this morning gave any real indication that Hunter's interest actually lay in that direction... or more importantly, whether he was ready for something like that even if it did. Relegating his thoughts back to the realm of fantasy, he nodded at Hunter's question as he sat down to pull on his socks and shoes. "My place for dinner with Steph and Thursday night, then 'The Ranch' Friday and Saturday?" "Your place would be fine, Hunt... for the whole break, if you want. If Steph doesn't scare Dave off, anyway." A smile at their lover to show the joke, and Shawn stood up, stopping next to Dave to put a hand on his shoulder, reveling briefly in the sheer fact that he could. Good thing he'd always been known for being "hands-on" with people, because that tendency was only going to get worse around these two, and he wasn't about to try to fight it. They'd told Vince they'd tone it down around people---at least, Hunter had... and hadn't he mentioned something about a leash, too... ? Pulling his thoughts away from that tantalizing subject, Shawn shrugged mentally. He wasn't planning on performing any tonsillectomies on either of them in public, and if someone got a picture of them with arms around each other or something, it could pretty much be ignored as "just normal" for them. Waiting for Hunter to finish arranging things, he looked at Dave, one eyebrow raised. "The Inquisition?" he questioned. He was glad for the smile that had accompanied the comment, or he'd be worried about taking Dave to lunch with everyone else who would be there. Not that he was sure who would be there; with Kevin making the invitations, God only knew who might show up. Rolling his eyes again as Hunter dialed the phone nearly the instant he'd finally finished the first call, Shawn decided that he'd have to make sure that the damned thing went missing for a couple of days. "C'mon... we're going to have drag him out." A quick caress to the shoulder he'd been grasping, and then he was grabbing Hunter's arm and pulling, leading the three of them out of the room and into the elevator. Not that Hunter was paying attention. Even when Shawn leaned against Dave rather than the side of the car, enjoying the weight of the arm around his shoulder, Hunt was too caught up in apparently trying to decipher whatever it was that Megan was telling him to notice. Sighing, Shawn followed Dave out of the elevator, pushing Hunter ahead of him, only to run straight into him when Hunter stopped. Right in the middle of the doorway. "And you are in Arizona because?" So much for being discreet, Shawn thought with some amusement as he saw practically every person in the restaurant turn to look at them. Not that he and Hunter were in any sort of surprising position---for the two of them, anyway---but with Dave half-turned to tug Hunter forward, their body language had to be interesting. And Hunter was still on that damned phone. Reaching up, Shawn snagged the phone from Hunter's fingers, said, "He'll call you back," loudly and distinctly into it, and turned it off before dropping it into his pocket. Smirking at his lover's shocked expression, Shawn said in a low voice, "Next time you get too caught up in that thing, I won't hide it, Hunt... I'll break it. Now move. I'm starving." With a shove to the broad back in front of him---and a quick grope of the nice backside---he got the three of them actually into the restaurant rather than blocking the doorway. As they entered, Shawn could hear conversations around them resuming, and had to hide another smirk at the thought of what they were probably discussing. A glance across the room and he spotted Kevin and Scott next to Sean and Glen. And there were Eddie and Benoit in front of them... and Eddie was waving a greeting at Scott. Hmm. That could be entertaining... he'd have to remember not to mention Bret, or Chris would probably glare a hole in his head. Heading for the quickly growing group, knowing that Dave and Hunter were following, Shawn was able to sneak up behind Scott for a surprise hug, grinning when the larger man jumped. Taking in the sweats and a certain familiar look in the dark eyes, Shawn's eyes twinkled as he asked in an undertone, "Did you get any sleep last night?" **** "Did you actually promise to be decent?" Chris couldn't keep the bemusement out of his voice at that thought as he looked at Eddie after pushing the elevator button. The warm brown eyes that met his gaze practically glowed with laughter as Eddie shook his head. "No... I knew better than that." Waggling his eyebrows, Eddie leaned back against the side of the car. "Besides, we wouldn't want to act all decent and not fit in." Rolling his eyes, Chris finally smiled slightly at his exuberant lover, not quite able to restrain himself from reaching out and running his fingers through Eddie's hair. He'd always loved the feel of�it, and with his new resolution to touch Eddie more outside of their private�times, it seemed like a good idea.�Shrugging in mild embarrassment at the raised eyebrow his gesture provoked, he said awkwardly, "I still haven't gotten used to it like this. After all those years with it long..." His voice trailed off, and Eddie smiled at him. "You don't have to explain, Chris. I'm not going to complain because you touched me, after all." Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to Chris's lips, pulling away just as the elevator doors opened. "But you might tempt me into doing something... naughty." Grinning at the look on Benoit's face, a mixture of amusement, surprise, and just a hint of interest, Eddie strode out of the elevator, pausing just long enough at the restaurant door to spot Scott and Kevin and to give Chris a chance to catch up to him. As they approached the tables, Chris nodded at Sean and Glen, but his attention was taken by a sudden motion at the doorway. His eyebrows shot up when he saw Hunter standing in the doorway with Shawn right behind him... which wouldn't have been so unusual, except for the fact that Dave was right in front of both of them and was just turning to bestow a look on the other two that was... more than just friendly. What the hell was going on there? Surely not what came to mind... then again, with these people, maybe it was. "Hey, ese!"�Eddie called as they approached, waving at them. Some of their other friends�were already there, he saw, but greeted Scott first, since he'd made the invitation. Out of the corner of�his eye, he saw Shawn�walking up, apparently trying to surprise Scott, so he clapped Scott on the shoulder to keep his attention on him. The reaction was well worth it, and he couldn't help but smile as he turned to say hello to Kevin before getting a good look at the strange expression on his lover's face. "You okay?" he asked Chris quietly. Chris nodded, then gestured to the side. Eddie turned to follow his gaze, and his own eyebrows went up briefly as he watched Dave and Hunter cross the restaurant together... very very close together. And they seemed to be following Shawn... now wasn't that a pretty picture, if he was reading it correctly. "They look good together, don't you think?" he murmured to Benoit. The elbow to his ribs surprised him, as did the narrow-eyed look on his lover's face. "You can stop imagining them together right now, Eddie." The jealous tone underlying the quiet words brought a surprised laugh to Eddie's lips and he moved before thinking about where they were. Putting an arm around Chris's shoulders, he leaned in close and said, just as quietly, "Don't worry, mango... you're the only one I need to think about." Only the fact that their sheer closeness in such a public place had Chris obviously uncomfortable prevented him from kissing his lover. Instead, he contented himself with a short squeeze of his arm and a leer that only Chris could see before pulling away and returning Sean's enthusiastic hello. Watching his lover settle easily into the group made Chris a little wistful, but he was too busy cursing himself to really care. All of his resolve and determination... and the instant Eddie touched him in public, even in a way that was as friendly as anything else, and he froze up. Yeah, way to go on that whole "relaxing in public" goal, there, Chris. The odd touch of jealousy had been unexpected, too; maybe that was throwing him off. Sighing, he picked up a plate and gestured to Eddie that he was going to get something to eat. Maybe with some food in his stomach, he could figure out just what the problem was. **** Kevin was just nodding at Glen when he heard Sean. "You should find someone to take care of that for ya Scotty... I've heard that Mark's single, maybe he'd be up for a little..." "I don't think Scott needs anyone to 'take care of' anything for him... unless he wants them to," Kev said with a smile, casting an appraising look over his lover. Apparently his little response to Scott's tease earlier had had... lingering effects. Too bad there really wasn't going to be either time or opportunity to do anything about it until they got home that afternoon. Until then... he'd have to make sure that Scott continued to feel those lingering effects. It was only fair, after all. Raising an eyebrow at Sean's oddly subdued actions, Kevin gave Glen an inquiring glance. "Everything okay between you guys?" he asked quietly. Glen nodded, although his "Everything's just fine," response obviously wasn't telling everything. Well, they were adults and they could take care of themselves... and if he tried to interfere in whatever the problem was, Scott would probably kill him. Not that his lover had any room to talk when it came to interfering in other people's love lives... And on that note, the sudden quiet at the front of the restaurant caught his attention. There were Eddie and Chris, waving at them as they approached... and there was the trio. He couldn't help but glance at his watch. Kevin really hadn't expected them until at least a half hour later, if they showed up at all, but there they were... and Shawn seemed to be a little put out with Hunter. Of course, the cell phone that seemed to be glued to Hunt's ear these days might be the reason, as it had apparently been the cause of their little jam in the doorway, too. Watching curiously, it looked as though whatever problems they'd had the day before had been ironed out, with the much more relaxed body language that they all had around each other. And whatever had gone down with Vince, it looked like they just weren't going to be all that good at keeping their hands off each other, Kevin thought with a smile. Shawn was heading straight for Scott, leaving the other two behind, but Dave just couldn't quite keep from touching Hunter as they walked at a more sedate pace toward the growing crowd. That was a good sign; much better than the awkward, almost afraid to touch atmosphere that he and Scott had been surprise witnesses to. "Hey, guys! I wasn't expecting you to make it so quickly," he smirked as they reached the tables. Dave still didn't look entirely comfortable around the group of them, but they did take a while to get used to. Hunt looked a lot more relaxed than he had the day before, too... and Shawn was obviously feeling good, considering the grin on his face at the reaction he'd just provoked from Scott. About to say something to his lover, Kevin felt a slight tickle on the back of his neck. Reaching up to rub at it, he jumped slightly as he realised that someone was playing with his hair... and the person provoking that little tingle was not Scotty. **** "Your place would be fine, Hunt... If Steph doesn't scare Dave off, anyway." Dave chuckled quietly wondering about the truth of that threat, but didn't comment on it since he was occupied in basking in Shawn's gentle touch. At one point, he'd been sure that these simple gestures were all that he'd ever be allowed of Shawn's attention and he'd hoarded them and hidden them away for future reference. After last night and the plethora of touches that he'd received from the man, he no longer had to do that, though he most likely would for awhile to come. Each touch, each move, each sound from last night was stored away so that he could remember, just in case... Snapping himself out of his momentary mood of impending doom, Dave realized that Hunter had already arranged their future travel plans with efficiency. Delegating was a nice luxury, one that Dave as of yet wasn't able to afford, but Dave didn't begrudge Hunter that. It was pleasant to be taken care of... at least when it was something that he'd agreed to have taken care of. He didn't want to fool himself though, this could be a real issue for them in the future. Hunter would have to realize that it had limits. He was not going to find himself at a picnic in the middle of the rain forest, as nice as it might be, just because it was something that Hunter could have arranged. "The Inquisition?" Dave didn't drop his smile, but fixed it on his face. If Shawn thought there wouldn't be questions forthcoming during this gathering, he was nuts. Dave was ready to face them, though, as long as they didn't wander into details of what had happened in this room last night. He was in no way ashamed of anything that had happened, he was just in the habit of keeping his bedroom habits to himself. While he had no problem sharing his past with Shawn and Hunter in that area, he was not going to open it to provide fantasy material for the rest of their co-workers, friends or not. At least not yet. Shawn and Hunter might be comfortable enough with Kevin, Scott, or others to share, but Dave didn't know any of them nearly well enough to offer up his own tidbits. "C'mon... we're going to have drag him out." Shaking his head, he followed Shawn, who was leading Hunter, out into the hall and into the elevator. He knew well the amount of time Hunter spent gabbing into his cell, but at least he wasn't the gossiping type. That'd be just too much. When Shawn leaned up against him, he comfortably draped his arm across his lover's shoulders, giving him a squeeze of commiseration. From the look Shawn was giving the small device attached to Hunter's ear, it was going to disappear before long in any case. Dave was not taking either side of that argument unless Hunter ended up bringing the thing to bed with them; he was most definitely drawing the line there. The doors opened and Dave walked out, casting a look behind him every so often to make sure he hadn't lost the other two. He made it three steps into the restaurant before he realized that Hunter was no longer directly behind him, but stopped in the doorway. "And you are in Arizona because?" Leave it to Hunter to announce their presence in that manner. Dave smiled and turned to grab Hunter's wrist hoping to move him into the room. He smothered a laugh as Shawn commandeered the phone and informed Megan that Hunter would call her back. The shock on Hunter's face was just... priceless. Oh to have a camera at the moment. That thought brought back Shawn's earlier tease about pictures and Dave struggled to fight off another blush. He had to stop doing that. "Next time you get too caught up in that thing, I won't hide it, Hunt... I'll break it..." Laughing quietly at the look on Hunter's face both from the comment and Shawn's subtle grope of his person, Dave slid his hand from Hunter's wrist, up his arm, to rest against his lower back as Shawn brushed by them and headed across the room. Winking at Hunter, Dave steered him towards the group across the room, noting those present as he went. Shawn was sneaking up behind Scott, Kevin was close by, Sean and Glen were settling themselves at the table, and Benoit and Eddie were saying their hellos. Across the room sat Jay and Ty with Jericho, Austin... and Copeland was inspecting the luncheon bar with a rather odd expression on his face. Austin... Considering the last place they'd seen the man, it begged the question of what had happened between the bald man and Randy after the three of them had left him last night. Dave winced as he recalled his behavior with the other man last night. He'd been unsettled with everything that had happened, that was true enough, but it was not an excuse for being rude, which he most assuredly had been. From the behavior of Austin and Randy, Dave had been kind of expecting to see the two of them together, but Randy was nowhere to be seen. Latching onto the excuse that he'd been planning to call Randy to set up a time to go over their match anyway, Dave decided to make the call now before he forgot entirely. With Hunter and Shawn around to distract him, it was almost guaranteed that he would. Knowing that he was going to get at the least a dirty look from Shawn, Dave slipped closer to him and whispered in his ear, "save me a seat, love. I need to call Randy before I turn off my phone for the rest of the week." Hoping the concession would mollify Shawn long enough for him to make the call, Dave gently squeezed Hunter's arm and made a break for the exit to the restaurant. He'd just set up things with Randy and make sure the guy was all right... no big deal. He'd be back in five minutes. **** The lime Jell-O turned out to be singularly uninspiring. In fact, it looked a little slimy if truth be told. Settling on the Waldorff salad instead, he put some on his plate and then decided that he should actually eat something good for him. Adam was in the middle of considering the benefits of soup versus the entrees when he heard a voice that he recognized. "And you are in Arizona because?" Turning slightly, he spotted the three men standing in the doorway and smiled. He hadn't given the three men a thought since seeing them in the gym yesterday. That was understandable considering the direction that his night had gone in, but now that he had a moment to consider it better... he wondered just how their evening had gone. Had to be smoking considering the men involved. Maybe he'd catch more with the video camera than Chris' streaking next week. Letting his gaze wander over the rest of the room, he spotted more of their co-workers gathering at a table. Sean and Glen were sitting at the table and Sean seemed rather more subdued than normal. Benny and Eddie were at the table, he'd have to swing by and say hi to his tag team partner. Maybe he'd mention his discussion with Vince from last night. In fact, he could let Glen and Dave know that the matches he was scheduled for were still going ahead as planned. And since Kevin and Scott were here, he could get the scoop on their involvement in the tag match on Sunday. With Vince including the Outsiders, there had to be a twist. Speaking of Kevin... he recalled his obsession with wanting to shave someone's head. Hadn't Chris and Kevin had a hair versus hair match just before Kevin left the Fed the last time? Hmmm... Leaving his plate on the side of the luncheon bar, Adam walked up behind the tall man, his fingers itching. Unable to stop himself, he gently touched a few of the soft blond locks. When Kevin jumped, Adam let loose of the strands and graced the man with his most endearing smile, hoping that Kevin wouldn't kill him. Still he couldn't help himself... "I'm so in the mood to shave someone bald. Hair vs. hair match, Kev? Eddie's impartial," he said with a smirk, "he can referee. What do ya say?" He didn't get an immediate reply and when he caught sight of Shawn and Hunter, minus Dave at the moment, he got another idea. "Actually, we could make it a tag team match. Me and Benoit," he said using CJ's pronunciation, "against you and Hunter. Not that Benny has much hair to lose, but it'd still be interesting." Cause you know, he suddenly had a deep desire to see HHH without his golden locks. Wonder what Vince would think of that... **** "I don't think Scott needs anyone to 'take care of' anything for him... unless he wants them to." Scott sent a quick smirk in his lover's direction when he answered Sean's taunt. Yet another reason to make their announcement to their friends... it'd keep Kev from killing Sean for trying to set him up with people. He took note that Kevin's eyes were now looking in the same direction Sean's had earlier, though Kevin's look provoked a certain innate response, where Sean's hadn't. "Hey, ese!" "Eddie... Que pasa?" Nodding in Benoit's direction, he greeted Eddie with a big smile, despite his mild discomfort. He was about to turn and answer Sean himself, when Eddie slapped him on the shoulder and Scott focused his attention back on him. Just as Shawn snuck up and grabbed him from behind. Not that he knew it was Shawn in the first few seconds... he almost jumped out of his pants. And wouldn't that have raised a few brows? Belatedly recognizing the gentle touch, he smiled over his shoulder at the one person that knew him almost as well as Kevin did... almost. "Did you get any sleep last night?" Grinning broadly, Scott tossed his arm over Shawn's shoulder in a hug. "Yep. I had a very big pillow and slept like a baby... besides, I know I got more than you did." Scott wiggled his brows at the blond and was just about to ask if Shawn had actually had any at all when he saw someone else approaching out of the corner of his eye. Looked as if Copeland was mobile today, though he did look a little glassy eyed... and what in the heck was he doing? Scott tilted his head to the side, watching as Adam walked up behind Kevin and started playing with his hair. It was almost funny when Kevin jumped, realizing that it was not his lover that was doing the playing... until he heard what Adam had to say. "I'm so in the mood to shave someone bald. Hair vs. hair match, Kev?" Not in this lifetime. Scott was stunned silent by the suggestion. Kev wasn't answering and Scott was trying to remind himself that Adam couldn't possibly understand Scotty's attachment to Kevin's hair. His eyes narrowed to a glare when Kevin still hadn't said anything, though Kevin looked as surprised as he felt. "Actually, we could make it a tag team match. Me and Benoit against you and Hunter..." If they were discussing anyone else but Kevin being in the match, it sounded like a blast, especially if Hunter were to lose. He wondered how Steph would react to that before he got hold of himself. Enough! There was no chance in hell that Kevin was going to be shaved bald and if Kevin wouldn't object, then Scott would. He'd hate to have to use 'the pout' on his lover, but he would if it was necessary. Before he went that far though, he'd try reason... "As nice a guy as you are Copeland, I have to ask... what kind of drugs are you on? If you even think of cutting one hair on his head, I'll give you a personal introduction to the Edge... and I'm not talking about your alter-ego," he said with a slight scowl. A little aggravated that Kevin hadn't objected yet himself when he knew how upset Scott had been the last time he'd lost his hair that way. He decided that Kevin deserved 'the pout' after all and promptly gave it to him **** Hunter could name every person in the room, from CJ and Austin in the corner to Marchella and Diane sipping coffee over a production schedule not three feet away. They were his friends, co-workers and the occasional enemy. Every single one of them had eyes almost flooded with speculation as they looked over the threesome in the doorway. Shawn and Hunter plastered together from hip to shoulder, the concept of personal space always being alien to them, but adding big Dave Batista, half-hugging, half-dragging them and they were probably a hell of a sight. If he hadn�t lost the ability years ago, Hunt would almost have blushed as conclusions came to several faces along with smirks of understanding. Yeah�and Hunt wasn�t the only one with the word �threesome� in the forefront of his mind right then. He�ll call you back. Hunter blinked as his phone was stolen from his fingers and placed firmly in Shawn�s pocket. Feeling a momentary flash of envy for the piece of technology, doomed to spend the day nuzzled next to his lover�s groin, Hunter looked a surprised question into Shawn�s impatient gaze. He�d been in the middle of a conversation and the little, little� Shawn had just arbitrarily ended it, without so much as a by-your-leave. Okay maybe conversation was too kind an expression for the �can you hear me now?� pantomime he�d been going through with Meg, but it was the principle of the thing. He may be in a civil war with his voicemail because it hated him, but that phone was brand new and he had calls to make. Next time you get too caught up in that thing, I won't hide it, Hunt... I'll break it. Now move. I'm starving. Shooting a resigned look at Shawn�s pocket, Hunter was nodding sadly when those same phone-thieving hands became butt-groping, Hunter-pushing hands instead. HBK might have been several inches shorter and a lot of pounds lighter but when he shoved with intent, the shovee got no choice but to move. Ignoring the sweet tingle in his ass from that firm caress and catching himself from the push hastily, Hunter scrambled around for his normal cool composure. His surprise at being such a focus of attention had caused the resultant bottle-neck in the door and he didn�t resist as Dave inclined him in the direction of their friends. Shawn might be all impatient but his dark-eyed lover wasn�t helping matters, or Hunt�s composure, by winking and guiding him across the room with a proprietary hand on his lower back. Well, if their little domino impersonation in the doorway hadn�t given everyone a clue to the change in their relationship, his lover�s free hands on his body certainly would. Squelching a happy little voice that wanted to rejoice at the loving public touches, Hunter strolled slowly across the room towards the area his friends had commandeered. Watching Shawn ahead of them, Hunter felt his lips twitch at the look of self-satisfied �I got laid last night and it�s gonna happen again, and again, and again� expression on that beautiful face. Not that Hunter wasn�t feeling �positive� about his sex life at the minute, but did Shawn have to swagger quite so sexily? The thing was, of course, that Shawn was incapable of doing anything without looking sexy. Hell, the man could be clipping his toenails and Hunter would get an itch to jump his bones. The lip-twitch became a genuine smile as Shawn crept up behind Scotty and then threw his arms around the man in a sudden hug. Did you get any sleep last night? Chuckling at Shawn�s brash question, Hunter nodded his acceptance of Dave�s indicative touch and settled into one of the vacant seats. He�d been inclined to sit near Sean, his radar going off at the mollified expression on his younger friend�s normally animated face, but Glen seemed unconcerned so Hunt took the space next to Big Sexy. It normally took something major to just get their Kid to be quiet for more than five minutes, Sean looked like someone had hidden his favorite pet and Hunter really, really wanted to fix it�whatever it was. Even safely in the powerful social embrace of the Kliq, Hunter kept his �Game� face on for the benefit of every one else in the room, enemy or not. He had too much pull these days, too many years of playing politics to act like the goof in such a public place. Hey, guys! I wasn't expecting you to make it so quickly, With a dead straight face, Hunt looked up into Kevin�s amused gaze. �Why not?� he asked with huge, innocent eyes. Mentally sending a �thank-you� to Scotty for intervening yesterday and helping he and Kevin get over their tension, Hunter realized he�d left the coffee Dave had bought him in their room. Mourning the loss of all that precious black gold and the gesture Dave was unlikely to repeat, he examined the queue at the buffet table and planned his attack. If he took the opportunity to grab a cup while his lover was on the phone�and why Dave got to keep his phone when Hunter was robbed he didn�t know�then he could sneak in a second later with the bigger man none the wiser. When Copeland came up behind them and proposed his Hair vs Hair match, fondling included, Hunter slid his chair closer to the empty ones he�d left for his lovers and hoped he�d stay out of impact radius. Kevin�s hair was a terrible vulnerability for the �in-control� Big Sexy and Hunt doubted he�d appreciate someone getting more than personal with it in public. against you and Hunter. Why me? Despite his apparent vanity, Hunter wasn�t that horrified as the idea of having a haircut. Being bald might be a bit much, but long hair could be a real pain in the ass sometimes and he wouldn�t automatically say no. Kevin had had his infamous �cut� for his movie role and Hunter had joined the chorus that had said �grow it back, grow it back� as soon as the film wrapped, but Kevin looked gorgeous with long hair. Cutting it again would be a huge shame. Turning in his seat, Hunt rested an elbow in the table and looked up in surprise at the green-eyed man standing over them. �Since when did you become a barber Adam?� he asked. nice a guy as you are Copeland� what kind of drugs are you on? Scott had stolen the rest of Hunt�s sentence from his lips and by the look in Copeland�s slightly glassy green eyes he was pretty close to the truth. If the other blond�s injuries had resulted in some serious medication, then why was he wandering around the restaurant like an unsupervised child? Ahhh�well that answered that question. �Babe? Somehow I doubt anyone feels like letting you cut their hair at the minute. Maybe later?� Jericho had his hand on the base of Copeland�s spine, fist bunched in the t-shirt as he tried to tug the taller man out of Kevin�s personal space. Both blond bombshells looked worse for wear after what had to have been a much less fun night than everyone else at the table had experienced. Hunter�s eyes rested for a moment on the cast encompassing CJ�s long fingers and made a metal note to deal with the ugly situation. Hunter hated that kind of shit going down in the locker-room and he was going to make sure anyone who gave thought to getting nasty back-stage would be well and truly spooked. �Hey Brat.� CJ looked at Hunter from around Adam�s shoulder. �Please tell me you�re not on the same pills or I�m going to call security.� As soon as he got his phone back that is. **** Balanced on a knife edge between the faint possibility of happiness and the surety of despair, Jeff kept his skin against the cool perfection of Mark's and waited for the wicked lips to pronounce his judgment. A big hand curved around his side, fingers holding his body�steady as Jeff hoped the man's passion could balance his own. The slow touch of forehead against his own, caused a small hitch in Jeff's breathing that couldn't and wouldn't be concealed. Mark was giving him another chance... Mark was going to take the... I hope you're right... because this is the biggest risk I've taken in years. Jeff swallowed hard at receipt of that confidence, not doubting for a moment its�blatant honesty,�but feeling a dark churn of fear�at its importance. He'd begged Mark to take a chance on Jeff being worth his heart and he'd got that, although part of him suspected that not all of the man lying naked before him was in agreement with the decision.�He may not have meant it in that way, but Jeff couldn't help but hear a clear warning in the words, a reminder that it was Mark here taking a risk on Jeff and not the other way around. Considering Jeff's brainless behaviour from earlier, the younger man could hardly blame him but 'Jesus, no pressure or anything.' Knowing that he'd brought it�on himself, Jeff didn't say a word, instead letting Mark pull him closer�for a sweet, warm kiss that strangely bought tears�to his eyes. Quickly blinking them�away,�Jeff�started telling his body to move, to make a decision one way or the other. He could fall back into Mark's lap and probably do something really stupid considering the bludgeoned�nature of their hearts or he could sit back and suggest they get something to eat. Almost tipping over, Jeff�nearly swayed against the solid, desirable form, a�needy whimper rising unbidden from his throat. I don't know what your plans are, Jeff, but... If you'd like to... stay with me, I'd like that. Very much. If Mark's voice got anymore like roughened honey then climbing into Mark's lap would be the least he would do. But buried deep, Jeff did have a core of steel and he could stick to one of his many resolutions if he put his mind to it. Mark had confided in him that he liked romance, liked being wined and dined, treated like a�prince. Well Jeff could do that, Jeff could prove, over and over if he had to,�that Mark's risk wasn't�that much of a�risk at all. Because Jeff�would be insane to let�one like this get away from him.�So... Leaning up, Jeff pressed a soft kiss onto Mark's high cheekbone and then sat back, letting the space between them fill was something other than uneasy tension. "Stay with you Mark? You'll be aching to get rid of me by the end of the week I promise." A naughty curl to his lips to indicate the joke in�Jeff's words, but also the honesty of the warning. 'Handful' was the nice way of putting it, hell, even his family didn't want to live with him. "But, I'll have to take a rain check for a night." Quickly moving to clarify his words as he spotted a hardening of warm jade, Jeff continued. "I haven't got anything else to wear but what's in that bag," a casual gesture at the floor. "Even I can't�work�in a suit, so I'll have to go home and get some stuff. Matt'll kill me for not calling last night as it is, so...." Slipping off the bed and snagging his bag, Jeff rummaged for the clean clothes he'd stashed in the hope of having a reason to stay in the state. Uncaring of his nudity, Jeff tossed the shirt and pants over his shoulder and moved a couple of steps towards the bathroom. "If you want to come with me," don't sound like such a wuss Hardy, just ask him for god's sake! "..I'd like that and then we could go... wherever you want. Um... I'm gonna steal the first shower and you can think about it." He really wasn't running to the bathroom. It was more like a brisk walk. **** to be continued...

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