"ITVR: Chapter 77"
Catalysts.

By Jadedoll, Penumbren, & Raising Kane

If he hadn't been so determined to have a serious talk with Austin, the sight of Trish trying to convince the bald man of the merit of a pair of pink suede boots would have had him smiling. Considering what he wanted to talk about though, he just couldn't summon up a tiny hint of a smile. He stood behind the pair until Trish put the boots back into a bag with a sigh of resignation. That's okay... they weren't Austin's color anyway. Moving to the man's side, he finally caught Austin's eye. When the man looked at him, Dave studied him for just a second as he thought of how best to handle the situation. Terse, but polite. Somehow he doubted that straight out threats would work, but if it came down to it, Dave was fully prepared to make a few. "Can we talk?" He'd phrased it politely, but with the underlying tension there was no doubt that it was a question that required a reply of yes. Ignoring the surprised reactions of the others at the table, Dave gestured to the side and waited for Austin to leave his seat before following behind the man. When they were away from the presence of eavesdropping ears, Dave faced Austin fixing the man with a slight glare, arms folded across his chest. "When I first saw you with Randy last night, I thought it might be a good thing for him. I've since revised that opinion. I don't know what happened between the two of you, but the kid is a huge mess right now and it has everything to do with you. I would like to politely suggest that unless you can fix it, you leave him be." "I'll say this once 'Animal' and only 'cos yer the punk's friend. I ain't the one that's done the messin' up..." Dave didn't reply, but he did raise a single brow. So Austin was denying any responsibility for what had happened? He hadn't necessarily expected Steve to take all of the blame, but there had to have been something that caused Randy to term the idea of him and Steve as a joke. Austin was sparing a glare for the rest of the room. Dave wondered if he was looking for Randy... too bad he wasn't going to find him here. "As fer fixin' it? I would if I could 'Animal' but I can't, so quit yer huffin' and puffin'. This is me..." A quick gesture at the floor was, Dave guessed, supposed to signify the lack of Randy's presence in his vicinity. Huffing and puffing? Austin hadn't seen Dave's version yet, but he was going to. "...lettin' it go." "That's all well and good Austin, when Randy's on his way home right now. Unless you planned to chase him all the way to his family's house? I'm more concerned with when you end up in the same building on Sunday. You'd be smart to keep that attitude." Austin hadn't liked that reply at all... it was evident in the man's stance, but Dave didn't care and he wasn't quite finished with his warning either. He couldn't escape the feeling that there had to be more to this than what he knew. And he let the irritation at Austin's tossing around 'Animal' like it was a curse get the better of him... something he wouldn't have normally let phase him. Taking a step forward into the man's personal space, he raised a hand to dust off one of the shoulders of Austin's T-shirt. "Randy wouldn't spill any details. All I know is the kid wants whatever happened with you to become history and fast. I will tell you one thing though... if I ever find out that you hurt him beyond what a therapist is capable of fixing, I'll be back to talk to you. Then you'll find out why I earned that nickname you like tossing around so much." **** Lunch was turning out to be an interesting spectacle and most of them hadn't even made it to the buffet yet. The trio showing up had confirmed that they were in fact a happy little threesome now. Thank god. Hunter and Shawn had been holding out on each other for years. Apparently it had taken a nudge or two from another interested party to get them both to admit their feelings for each other. He was still terribly curious how it had all come about, but he wasn't going to ask the trillion questions he'd been planning to introduce yesterday. He was still stinging a bit from his failed attempt at helping Mark and Jeff to see their true feelings. And despite the apology from Glen and having explained his purpose, Sean was determined not to give Glen something else to worry about... at least for awhile. He'd try to be on his best behavior. He'd noticed the speculative looks from Kevin and Hunter both, but answered them both with a smile. He wasn't about to explain what had happened that had him acting this way. As long as he didn't go overboard with the subdued act, then they wouldn't ask, at least not right now. They had other things on their minds. Hunter and Shawn had each other to bask in as well as their third. Sean looked around but didn't see Dave. Where the heck had he gone? Despite his curiosity, he was not going to go look. He wasn't. And Kevin and Scotty, they had each other to worry about. Sean still wasn't sure that they were back together, but maybe they'd let it be known what was going on with them at some point during lunch. He really hoped they'd managed to work things out. Kev and Scotty just belonged together, like marshmallow cream and hot fudge. Breaking from his thoughts for a moment, he greeted Eddie and Benoit with a bit of enthusiasm. Had to keep up appearances after all. When Sean turned back to the pair he'd been contemplating, he was in for one hell of a shock. Apparently Copeland was into hair molesting. Kevin looked shocked to his toes and Scott, well, Scott looked like he wanted to kill someone... that someone specifically being Adam. Sean hid a grin as he watched the spectacle play out. This was better than going to the movies. He'd be one of the first to jump in if it came to blows though. Scotty did not need to be called into Vince's office again so soon after his visit there due to Nitro. Luckily Kevin was able to smooth things over and an apology from Copeland finished the scene. He could feel Glen's eyes on him and he knew Glen was wondering at his apparent calm during the whole scene. His lover was probably questioning his abject silence as well. Normally Sean would have been the first to open his mouth... most like with a comment about a hot foursome between Kev, Scotty, and the blonds. Sean was still absorbing that Kevin and Scott were most definitely back together. It was apparent in every way except for an announcement. Maybe they'd get one later. Then just when it looked like things were starting to settle down, Dave reappeared. Only he hadn't headed to their table to rejoin Shawn and Hunter. Instead he had approached Austin with the look of a man on a mission. Sean didn't miss Scott clueing Shawn in on the situation, but apparently Hunter hadn't noticed yet since he was motioning to the buffet. Sean just couldn't resist. "Hey Hunt? You might want to hold off on that trip for coffee until you go cage your Animal. I think he's about to try and take a chunk out of Austin." Dave had in fact just moved unquestionably into Austin's personal space and the look on Dave's face was anything but pleasant. Note to self... do not ever make that man mad at you. ---- Glen wasn't sure how to interpret Sean's actions since they'd left their room. He was most definitely not his normal bouncy self. This thing with Mark must really be bothering him, despite his having brushed off the topic earlier. Kevin had noticed Sean's behavior as well, though when Kevin asked about it, Glen hadn't tried to explain. He'd give Sean a bit of time to work this out on his own, then if he needed to Glen would talk to Kevin about it. The man just had a way of getting through to Sean that no one else did. And if that didn't work, then he'd go to Mark and try to smooth things over. Other than that, he was at a loss for Sean's subdued behavior. And to be honest, he missed Sean's bouncy optimistic nature. Glen sat quietly through the ruckus with Adam, Scott, and Kevin, but that was his usual nature. Though he did wonder at Adam's true purpose... the man just wasn't terribly social by nature. There had to be a reason for his foray into the group. What was surprising was that Sean hadn't said anything. No quips about Adam getting Kevin all hot and bothered, no smart-alec comments about Scotty's possessiveness and what it meant for the Outsider's relationship. It was just so un-Sean-like that it made Glen a little wary. Even the comment that Sean made to Hunter wasn't as provoking as what Sean normally would have come up with. He was starting to get a little bit worried... make that a lot worried. **** The soft kiss to his cheek as Jeff leaned into him almost undid Mark, but the space that his lover---the word sent an odd little shiver of emotion through him---almost immediately put between them again kept his control intact. Notwithstanding the incredible emotional highs and lows they'd just been through, his body was insisting on reminding him that they hadn't finished what they'd started earlier. And they weren't going to be, he knew... at least, not for a long while. Last night had been wonderful, but obviously too much too fast, given the fallout this morning. Not least of which, Mark discovered, was the tension he was trying to suppress while he waited for Jeff's answer to his latest risk. His whirlwind seemed able to tempt him straight into one risk after another, regardless of what his mind had to say about it. His heart was ruling his decisions for the first time in a long time, and even as frightening as it was, Mark was beginning to realise that he was enjoying it. "You'll be aching to get rid of me by the end of the week I promise." As much as Mark would love to debate that, the knowing smile on Jeff's lips told him better. This strange relationship that he'd found himself falling into was already pulling him in different directions, and Jeff had never been an easy person to get along with, even in passing. "High maintenance" might just be an understatement, but Jeff would probably be willing to do most of the work himself, the one aspect of his personality that redeemed the demandingly high-energy attitude. The thought of having Jeff at his home... being alone with the man, in privacy... that was enthralling. Enticing. Unbelievable, the voice in the back of his mind added with more than a hint of snark. "But, I'll have to take a raincheck for a night." What? But... they'd just talked... Mark kept the instinctive frown off his face, but he could feel his walls starting to return as all of his doubts, so easily pushed aside just moments ago by his impetuous heart, began to return in full force. They had to work together, so they had to spend time together, even if they didn't try to make this work, but they'd just decided to... hadn't they? "...so I'll have to go home and get some stuff. Matt'll kill me for not calling last night as it is, so...." Oh. That made sense. And it was exactly the sort of thing that he should have thought of himself, dammit, he thought as he relaxed again. Usually he was much more with it than this, but this whole situation had him knocked for a loop. Even the fact that Jeff's brother would want to know how things had turned out was something that he hadn't thought of. Not that he had much family to speak of, let alone any that would be interested in his job, but he knew Matt. At least his momentary panic hadn't been too obvious. The very fact that he had panicked bespoke to him a need to do some serious thinking about things later, but this wasn't the time for that. "If you want to come with me... I'd like that and then we could go... wherever you want." Before he could even begin to formulate an answer, the bathroom door was closing behind Jeff's surprisingly curvaceous behind. Not, thought Mark with resigned amusement, that he should be looking at Jeff's ass. Not right now, when they wouldn't be able to do anything about it, anyway. Firmly ignoring his body's whines of need, he leaned back against the headboard, thinking. As incredibly tempting as Jeff's offer was to that part of him that was demanding he not let the younger man out of his sight for... well, for the foreseeable future, it wasn't going to be practical for him to accompany Jeff home. He'd been away from his own house for nearly two months, with only the occasional overnight stay to break that length of time, and that wasn't nearly enough to take care of the things that needed to be done. Bills to pay, housekeeper (weekends only, thank you) to check on, that damned leaky sink in the downstairs bathroom to fix... and if he was going to have company, laundry and food shopping were at the top of his list of things to do. Reluctantly, Mark decided that he'd have to fly home alone and hope that Jeff really did show up in the next day or two. As he contemplated spending time alone in his house, he was caught unprepared by the wave of loneliness that swept over him. He'd spent too much time alone for too long. Maybe Sean and Glen... no. Sean apparently thought that Mark hated him, something that he really had to try to fix, and if Jeff was going to be staying with him, he was too selfish to want other people around at the same time. As he sat up again, listening to the shower in the other room and picturing Jeff underneath the falling water, the blinking light on the phone caught his eye. Almost thankful for something to distract him from his apparent obsession with images of naked wet Jeff, he picked up the receiver and played back the message. "Hey, Mark, it's Kevin. Wasn't sure what your plans were today, but we thought you might like to join us for lunch downstairs. We're inviting a bunch of people, since it's been awhile since we've really seen any of you, so feel free to wander by. See you later!" Replacing the receiver thoughtfully, Mark looked up as the bathroom door opened, revealing Jeff with a towel wrapped low around his hips, drying his hair with another one. Maybe lunch wouldn't be such a bad idea. Getting other people used to the sight of them together would certainly help cut down on the comments backstage, and maybe give Mark some clue of how Jeff wanted to handle the locker room situation. But first, they needed to talk about their plans for the next few days. "Hey... have a seat." Patting the bed next to him, Mark waited until Jeff was sitting, trying not to think about how beautiful he looked, wet blue-green hair falling into wide green eyes as Jeff looked at him curiously. "I thought about your invitation, and I appreciate it. I'd like to get to know your family better if we're going to try to make this work." Pausing, he saw the growing darkness in those emerald eyes and put a hand on Jeff's shoulder, the damp heat making him wish that they had more time this morning. "But I have to go home and take care of things there. I haven't had time to pay the bills, or check things over, or anything, really, for the last couple of months, and especially if you're going to be coming to stay with me, it'd probably be a good thing if you showed up to a house with working electricity and real food in the fridge." Hopefully the touch of humour had conveyed his sincerity, because if Jeff decided not to show up on his doorstep, Mark wasn't entirely sure what he would do, but he knew that it wouldn't be good. Rushing on a little, he added, "If you're hungry, Kevin and Scott invited us down to join their group for lunch, too." Well, Kev had only invited him, but he was pretty sure they wouldn't mind him bringing Jeff along. It was only lunch, after all... even if it was bound to provoke some raised eyebrows. ****� Dammit, CJ's grin had provoked one in return, no matter how hard Shawn tried to contain it. Apparently they were a little more obvious than he'd realised... of course, with Hunter obviously groping him, the change in their status was probably hard to miss. The pressure from Hunt's hand as he slid it oh-so-teasingly up his thigh was heavenly... too bad they were in public and there was no way he could respond to that sort of teasing at the moment. However, teasing of a different nature he most certainly could deal with, and he moderated his grin into a smirk as he returned Hunter's wicked little smile. "I could always ask to borrow someone's phone Darling. There are plenty of people in this room just dying to lend me their technology." "'Dying' is the key word there, my love," Shawn felt obligated to point out, his lips twitching at the look of aggravation on his lover's face when Hunter found his pocket empty. Good thing that he hadn't realised Shawn had dropped it into his other pocket... but he wasn't about to point that out. Not until later, anyway. Much later. Like, that night when he was removing said pants... or maybe even after they were in bed. That sounded like a plan. He�couldn't help but chuckle at the expression on Hunt's face, but he did manage to refrain from sticking his tongue out at him as he stood up. "Fine." Oooh... someone was all huffy now. "I'm getting coffee and protein, you want some.... Darling?" Yep, definitely huffy. Apparently Hunter was even more attached to his phone than Shawn had realised. Of course, with Hunter's control issues, that shouldn't surprise him. He'd always known that Hunt and his cell phone were seldom parted... he'd just never realised how damned irritating that fact was until it had interfered with Hunter's attention toward him and Dave. No, he definitely wasn't giving the phone back now... not when its lack�could provoke such wonderful reactions, anyway. Leaning back in the chair, Shawn let his eyes travel lazily up along Hunter's arm before dropping down his body, finally returning to those enticing eyes. God, he was gorgeous... and Shawn had every right to look, to touch, to taste... A shudder ran through his body. Allowing his lips to curve upward into a sinfully inviting smile, he asked in a low drawl, "So am I in trouble now, Hunt? You going to spank me?" As he rose to his feet, still smirking at Hunter's response, Scott caught his eye. Following his friend's gaze, Shawn turned to see Dave and Austin, and it didn't look like things were too friendly. Dammit, what now? At least this would be a good time to see just how comfortable Hunter was now with showing concern and/or affection to Dave. **** That was nice, Kev thought with a smile as he felt Scott melt against him, the purr audible, and the other reaction... definitely noticeable. At least, it was with the position they were in. Probably it wouldn't be too noticeable to anyone else. Probably. Payback for The Pout could be a bitch. The soft bite to his chest made him jump, and he narrowed his eyes at his lover as Scott pulled back... ever so slightly. His arms tightened around Scotty's body in an instinctive reaction before he relaxed again, his smile softening as his lover met his eyes, the sparks visible in the dark depths even with the smile now gracing those lips. "It's good to see that you two are back together though... thank our lucky stars to find the kind of relationship you two have." Apparently they hadn't been very subtle at all... but then, they hadn't really been trying, and subtlety was never something they were good at. Kevin was pleasantly surprised by the words, especially coming from that source. Five minutes ago, he would've sworn that Copeland was the blindest idiot he'd ever seen. Guess not. If that was an example of�his normal turn of phrase, no wonder Jericho had fallen for him. CJ was way too much like Hunter sometimes, but just like The Game, he could be a sucker for sweet talk. Suppressing a laugh at the thought, he appreciated the sentiment that was being expressed. His and Scott's "togetherness" had been in severe doubt for so long that he'd begun to doubt it could ever be recaptured; the last week or so had almost been like a dream, complete with moments that he'd been afraid to blink, in case he woke up and lost the wonderful vision that he was in. Kevin shifted his grasp on Scott so that he could slide one hand up to the back of his neck, his thumb rubbing gently at the almost-always sore spot at the base of the neck. "I hope Vince is smart enough to give you the win." That was a surprise, although nice. It even made Kevin feel a little better about gaining the titles due to Adam's being injured... not that the injury changed the outcome for Adam and Benny, but still. Sensing a sudden tenseness in the man in his arms, Kevin looked down at him in concern before following the direction of his gaze. Dear lord... now what? "You might want to hold off on that trip for coffee until you go cage your Animal. I think he's about to try and take a chunk out of Austin." "Calm down, Scott," he said softly as he watched Shawn glance in the same direction before pushing Hunter toward the brewing situation. "Whatever's up, I think they've got it in hand." He sure hoped, anyway. **** Furiously scrubbing shampoo into his varicoloured hair, Jeff wondered if he'd just made another colossal mistake, but not the obvious one. He'd just blurted out the invitation to Mark to come with him and now that he had a moment to think about it, having Matt, their parents and Mark in the same building was the definition of trouble. Matt, who had the genetic inability to keep his opinions to himself, would probably shower Mark with all of Jeff's nasty skeletons, while his father would make obscene jokes about his sons' sex lives. No... it was a really, really bad idea. Not to mention the awkward concept of bringing a guy home to his family after less than�ten hours of�a not-really relationship.�God! Jeff rubbed the soap across his chest furiously, what the hell had he been thinking? It took nearly five minutes for Jeff to stop berating himself and finish in the bathroom. Wiping away the steam on the mirror, Jeff stared at his drowned rat�reflection and worked on a plan. After his previous verbal mishap, Jeff wasn't about to take back his invitation, but maybe he could change the venue? Instead of staying at the Hardy house, they could use Matt's place not far from there, uninhabited since his brother's knee surgery. Their mother had begged and pleaded for Matt to come home while he recovered and the elder Hardy couldn't resist their mother's stunning, limpid green eyes any more than their father could. So. Pulling a second towel from the neat pile by the sink, Jeff took a deep breath, opened the door and tried to look as casual as possible while drying his hair and ignoring Mark's still naked, sheet entwined body. "Hey... have a seat." Mark's calm, friendly demeanour threw Jeff for a moment before he realised that Mark also had those ten minutes to settle his nerves after their emotional wrangling. Complying immediately with the request to sit, Jeff kept his eyes locked on the warm jade, now blessing him with the smallest of smiles. "about your invitation... I'd like to get to know your family..." Jeff kept his expression completely neutral, as he saw Mark was going to continue. He was equally divided between bubbling joy at Mark's flattering enthusiasm and absolute terror at the effect his family would have on their budding romance. The warm hand Mark reached out to cup Jeff's shoulder with was comforting and if Jeff was reading the look in Mark's eyes, filled with understanding. "But I have to go home and take care of things..." Oh thank god! "...if you showed up to a house with working electricity and real food in the fridge." The flood of relief following hard on the heels of a hot shower, almost made Jeff's head spin. Mark wasn't just gorgeous, tall, able to empathize and a totally fantastic lover... he was damn smart too. Whether he'd sensed Jeff's nerves or just seen the practicalities of the situation way before Jeff did, it didn't matter. The dark man had given them both the time to get their heads together and think about what was occurring between them. As long as Mark didn't change his mind about him, Jeff was cool with that. The�longer he could keep his lover and Matt apart the better. "...Kevin and Scott invited us down to join their group for lunch, too." Jeff felt a smile growing as he considered the concept of a mass lunch with the Clique and all their sundry attachments. He'd seen the group together on occasion, when they'd all been working together, but had never been a part of what had often degenerated into a riot of teasing and misbehaviour. Plucking Mark's hand from his shoulder, Jeff brought the palm to his lips to drop a soft kiss into it. They may have to put sex on hold�until their brains were�on the same page, but Jeff wasn't about to lose all physical contact with Mark. He was beginning to crave touching that pale skin like a drug and denying himself was not something Jeff wanted to do. A second quick kiss and Jeff rose to his feet. "Sounds like�a plan." Catching up his clothes from the end of the bed, Jeff watched Mark walk into the bathroom to take his turn at the hot water. "As long as you promise to keep Glen from glaring at me," he called to that broad, smooth back. "It's my fault they had that huge argument last night and I don't wanna be on that man's bad side." Jeff didn't catch Mark's reply to his not-quite joking tone, as the water drowned any further conversation. In minutes they were both clean and dressed, okay people might raise a brow at Jeff's fashion sense but he really didn't give a fuck, and ready to beard the lions in the restaurant. It was almost full of WWE crew and talent as it looked like just about everyone had decided to sleep in and hang around for lunch till they all went their separate ways for the 'weekend.' Catching sight of the group of tables currently occupied by the Clique, Jeff saw that there were indeed several empty chairs. Two of which were right beside Sean Waltman and his lover. Steeling himself for whatever comments would come his way, Jeff moved a little behind Mark's shoulder and whispered, "Glen won't be that pissed, will he?" **** "I'm going to wear them for the party on Sunday, after work. They are so sexy with a tiny skirt." Trish stroked one pretty hand down�her new�pink boots and smiled up at Steve winningly. As far as Steve was concerned Trish could wear anything and most men in the vicinity would think of sex, even the ones like himself who preferred a bit more muscle on their toys. But that was Trish Stratus, the thinking man's blond bimbo. She didn't just have sex appeal because of her tits and hair, although there was plenty of that to go around, no, the beautiful young woman had a personality like a magnet. One smile and people felt an inexorable pull... normally through their dicks. Shaking his head, Steve looked over the proffered boots and shrugged his shoulders. He honestly didn't know what Trish wanted him to say. "Trish, I got a dick," he complained. "I ain't got no frickin' idea if they'll look good on you. They're 'Come Fuck Me' boots Doll, and they're pink. What else can I say?" Trish rolled her big hazel eyes at him and packed the boots away. Hoping against hope that she wasn't about to show him some panties and ask him if they looked nice, Steve was mercifully distracted by the large form of Dave Batista standing at his shoulder. Looking up, he could see that the big man wasn't in a very good mood, if the scowl and intense tone to his voice was any indication. "Can we talk?" With a nod, Austin rose to his feet to follow Batista a few feet away from the boys and girls at the table, towards an area of relative quiet near the empty stage. He could feel the�gazes of Trish and Tomko on them and let his usual scowl settle into place, but his eyes held questions. He'd barely bumped shoulders with the man as they hadn't worked together in the months since Batista's return from injury. Steve's own on-again ,off-again relationship with the Fed had meant he'd missed huge chunks of action while traveling around the country-side. Batista was a talented guy, Hunt's favour towards him indicated that, but personally Austin didn't know him from Adam. Why the bigger man would want to talk to Steve with a bug up his butt was anyone's guess. "When I first saw you with Randy last night... politely suggest that unless you can fix it, you leave him be." Last night really must have shaken him, because Steve had originally thought the other man was gonna talk to him about Helmsley or Michaels�or somethin'. But this? This was way out of left field and Austin was not going to put up with some big lug getting all intimidating with him... polite or no polite. Feeling some of the rage he'd tried to suppress since he'd turned away from beautiful chocolate eyes,�return in full force, Austin looked up into the dark, angry eyes of Batista and locked his Ring Face firmly into place. Stepping forward and returning the look with an equal glare of his own, Steve just stopped himself from shaking his head like pit pull. Slowing his voice down into its 'please try and fuck with me' tone, Steve could almost hear the�fans screaming�"What?" as he spoke. "I'll say this once 'Animal'.... and only 'cos yer the punk's friend... I ain't the one that's done the messin' up... I'm thinkin' someone else can get the credit�for that."�Austin shot a vicious glare around the room, looking for the bastards, and one day he'd find them,�who'd fucked so much with Randy's head that the kid thought he and Steve would be some kind of joke. Oh hell no. He hadn't got past�that little line at all. "As fer fixin' it?... I would if I could 'Animal'... but I can't... so quit yer huffin' and puffin'..." It was only the fact that Batista was obviously angry on Randy's behalf that Steve hadn't already given him the finger and kicked his body-buildin' ass. "This is me..."�A�finger towards the ground to show that he was right here, having some food, with no plans�to go�scouring the countryside for the little bastard.�"...lettin' it go." "That's all well and good Austin... end up in the same building on Sunday. You'd be smart to keep that attitude." Austin felt he deserved a medal for not picking up the nearest chair and belting it over the big man's head. Firming his boots' position on the carpeted floor, Steve tensed his shoulder and prepared to go�the way of the 'finger' after all. "Randy wouldn't spill... the kid wants whatever happened with you to become history and fast." Dammit to all fuckin' hell! Steve ground his teeth together in fury as he felt his gut go hollow at the damning words. The Punk had made himself pretty damn clear last night and�there wasn't anything�wrong with his fuckin' hearin'.�Austin really didn't need some big messenger boy droppin' by just to rub his face in it. "...find out that you hurt him... I'll be back to talk to you...." Then Batista got right in his face. Steve was beyond being pissed at this point. He was an injured rattlesnake and rather than being allowed to curl up in his lair and wait out the pain, he was being raked over the coals for doing god knows what and the shit of it was, he didn't even do it. With incredible slowness, Austin looked down at the shoulder that Dave had just flicked an invisible thread off and then turned eyes gone feral with rage back towards his aggressor. "I know he doesn't want me ASSHOLE. The little bastard made it perfectly fuckin' clear with his fist last night when I made�the invitation. But ya just reminded me of why I'm pissed at the world right now 'Animal', so let's get to it." The only chance to stop this occurred when Steve hesitated for just a moment, a fraction of an instant while he considered that Dave was acting out of protective affection towards the gorgeous young man who'd stolen Steve's heart and then stomped all over it. He found in that split-second that he could sympathise with Batista's motives. Of course, Austin wasn't one to indulge sympathy. His hand was fisted for a blow to the guts and a boot to the knee, gotta take out the height advantage, when his clenched fingers were caught in an almost equally strong grip and a�tight arm across his shoulders pulled him against another larger body. "Let go Hunt." Austin threatened through gritted teeth, without even looking at the man restraining him.�"Yer new bed-mate's due to get his spleen handed to him." **** As Hunter waited for Shawn's answer, he realised he was the subject of a slow, lazy blue-eyed perusal that contained enough heat to keep him warm for a year. Hunt knew he was a compelling man, he'd been told often enough that he was attractive to both women and men.�Although he'd never been granted the 'pretty' description to which he was perennially grateful. But he'd never, in his career of running about almost naked in front of thousands of people, been checked out quite so thoroughly and sexily by a lover.�It was an indication of the change in their relationship that�the beautiful�man seated next to him�felt comfortable enough to look at him so explicitly in public. It was a look that screamed sex and Hunter felt himself harden slightly at the promise in those eyes. "So am I in trouble now, Hunt? You going to spank me?" With a pronounced swallow, Hunter sent a stern message to his groin and leaned his body forward so that he could grip the arms of Shawn's chair while he went nose to nose with the blond. In that kind of contest, Hunter would always be the winner. "You are in so much trouble, my darling thief, that spanking isn't quite going to cover it." Hunt refrained from actually kissing Shawn, even though he really, really wanted to, because if his father-in-law found out, it might push him into a coronary. Straightening back up, Hunter was ready to turn back to the buffet casually when Sean's words from across the table caught his attention. "Hey Hunt? You might want to hold off on that trip for coffee until you go cage your Animal. I think he's about to try and take a chunk out of Austin." Hunter was ten long strides�across the room before the smaller man had even finished his sentence. The situation was obvious at a glance. Two men, one bald, scowling and about to throw a punch, the other an intimidating giant of a man, dark eyes full of barely restrained temper. Hunter didn't even consider why they were in each other's personal space, he just acted to help Dave... even if it was against Austin. The Texan's clenched fist was the obvious weapon, so Hunter sent one hand to control its threat, while he wrapped his arm around Steve's shoulders and pulled the man bodily against him. He had the feeling he'd caught him just in time. "Let go Hunt." "No way Steve, not until you calm down and back off." But if anything, the figure he was holding so tightly became even more tense, knees bending and shoulders bunching in preparation of throwing Hunter off. Damn... and Steve was good enough to do it too. Hunter didn't even want to contemplate what would happen if Austin turned his rage towards him, he could defend himself, but he feared what Dave might do if he were under attack from the bald pit-bull. "Yer new bed-mate's due to get his spleen handed to him." Hunter nearly let him go at that, nearly let the crazy psycho try one on�his 'bed-mate'�and have his ass handed to him with all the lethal power that Dave kept in his gorgeous body. But he knew what the outcome would be. No matter who was at fault, the shit would fall on Dave. Even if Steve admitted his part, and Hunt knew the man well enough that the Texan wouldn't hide from his responsibilities, there was no way in hell Vince would punish Stone Cold for this. His father-in-law was blind in more ways than one. "Or you might be the one with your guts on the floor Steve," Hunter reminded the man tightly. "C'mon Steve... back off." He didn't used that tone of voice often, it was his 'I'm the top dog and you know' it voice and should have the power to end anything that wasn't done with Hunt's permission. The only problem was, he was talking to a previous top dog, a very dangerous man, who might just decide to motivate his ass and take the mantle back. Two deep, angry breaths and Steve took a step backwards out of Hunter's grasp. It was a minor concession, but he wasn't about to squander its result. The Rattlesnake dismissed from his focus, Hunter turned and placed himself bodily between the Austin and his lover. His very angry, very strong lover. "What the hell were you thinking?" Hunter asked, his voice now containing a soothing blend of curiosity and amusement. He went up on tip toes and tried to catch those dark, exotic eyes, to take�their attention away from the crazy man behind him. It was almost as if Dave didn't even realise he was there, that frightening intensity still aimed at Austin. "C'mon Baldy!" Dave invited over Hunt's shoulder. Hunter felt that might have just about been the worst possible thing to say to the aggravated Texan, but he wasn't willing to take bets. Fortunately Hunter had help, as in a flash of blond Jericho snared Austin and saved Hunter from becoming sandwiched between them... and not in a good way. Knowing he had to do his part or Dave might just taunt Steve into throwing off Chris and coming right back, Hunt put his hands on his lover's neck and physically pulled the dark eyes towards him. "David." Finally Austin was no longer forefront in his lover's mind and Hunt could see realisation dawn at the proximity he had taken to the bigger man. Relaxing, Hunter stroked his hands down Dave's neck to rest on his shoulders and couldn't resist his body's need to caress the delicious muscles rolling and bunching under his hands. It became suddenly and embarrassingly apparent that Hunter was more than 'interested' in the proceedings. What had started with Shawn's eyes was now well on its way to hard at the vibrating emotions coming off his dark lover and Hunt wondered at his own level of weirdness if seeing Dave get all growly with someone got him hot. Firmly telling himself it was not the time for such thoughts, Hunter looked deep into Dave's eyes and smiled crookedly�into the handsome face. "Picking fights with Rattlesnakes David? Why on earth would you want to do that?" He didn't stop the slow�movement of his hands... or the stern lecture he was giving his dick. **** By the nasty little gleam in Austin's eyes, he'd just pushed the man's buttons beyond what he was willing to take. Did he care at the moment? Nope. He wasn't sure why he was pushing this so hard. In most cases he would be considered non-confrontational. He'd much rather take a verbal tack than a physical one... so why was he goading Austin? Maybe he was due after the roller coaster ride his emotions had gone through for the past two days. Maybe he had been spoiling for a confrontation since the incident with Vince yesterday. "I know he doesn't want me ASSHOLE." Despite the insult or maybe because of it, Dave smiled... just to piss the guy off even more. His smile didn't falter even when he was informed that Randy had hit Austin during their little talk last night. Internally he was thinking... what the fuck? Definitely not what he'd been expecting to hear. Maybe Steve had deserved it, then again, maybe not. Randy had always been one to act first and think later, but until he talked to Randy, he wouldn't know if Steve had provoked the punch or not. "But ya just reminded me of why I'm pissed at the world right now 'Animal', so let's get to it." He'd been aching for it since the first words to Austin had passed his lips. Why not? Dave tensed in anticipation of Austin's first move. If Austin wanted to take a go, he wasn't going to back down. The appearance of Hunter grabbing Steve's fist and wrapping an arm around the man didn't cause an immediate release of the tension. If anything, Dave tensed even further at the thought of Hunter getting involved in this. He decided at that moment that if Austin backed down, he'd walk away as well. He'd feel unbelievably guilty if Hunter got injured because of something that he'd most definitely started. "Let go Hunt." Dave knew there was no way Hunter was going to let Austin go, but that didn't mean Austin wasn't going to get out of the hold. They were wrestlers, trained to get out of just such situations, and he had to admit that Austin was big enough to give Hunt trouble if he wanted to. "No way Steve, not until you calm down and back off." Uh huh. Wishful thinking there Hunt. Dave could read the increasing tension in Austin's frame across the short distance separating them. He was ready for anything. For Austin's sake though, he'd better not even think about taking that rage out on Hunter. In that case, Dave wouldn't wait until later to go all feral on the bald bastard. "Yer new bed-mate's due to get his spleen handed to him." He'd just changed his mind. All bets were now off. He might have to put up with Vince giving them his two-cents in regards to their new relationship, the man had a vested interest of sorts after all, he was protecting his daughter. But he did not have to put up with Austin reducing their brand new relationship to the status of Dave being Hunt's current sexual playtoy. The only thing he was waiting for was Hunt to get out of the way. "Or you might be the one with your guts on the floor Steve. C'mon Steve... back off." If Hunter had asked, Dave would have guaranteed it. Dave was almost disappointed when it looked like Steve actually was going to back off. He wasn't about to take his eyes off the man however, especially not with Hunter now in-between the two of them. He was well aware of Hunter's presence in front of him, despite appearances. "What the hell were you thinking?" He heard the question. Most likely he would have answered it too... except just at that moment he caught the look on Austin's face. The derisive look on Austin's face came through loud and clear. It was apparent that Steve thought Hunter could tug the leash of his new fucktoy and make him heel. Steve hadn't actually backed down, he was simply altering the field to non-verbal taunts. Sorry, Hunt, I love ya, but I'm so not putting up with this shit. "C'mon Baldy." He was well prepared to push Hunt out of the way when Steve made his move. He wouldn't have issued the taunt if he hadn't been. In the end it wasn't necessary. Jericho snagged Austin and led him off in another direction, Dave's eyes locked on the man until someone else caught his attention. Strong warm hands cradled his neck and forced his eyes away from Austin. Hunter. "David." A very close touchy-feely Hunter. If they had been anywhere at all with any sort of privacy, he'd have had Hunt pressed against the wall, and been kissing the man breathless. Unfortunately, they were in a room full of people and if he had his guess, even without looking, they were the focus of quite a few pair of inquiring eyes. The hands sliding along his shoulders eased the tension rippling through him due to the almost-fight, but stirred up tension of another sort. The light glinting in Hunter's eyes didn't help his resolve at all. All that adrenaline and no way for him to expend it. He'd have given almost anything to be back in their room at that moment. "Picking fights with Rattlesnakes David? Why on earth would you want to do that?" Then again, maybe not. How was he going to explain this? Dave groaned quietly, his eyes closing for just a moment. Hunt was going to want details... details that he didn't have. And how was he supposed to explain the way that he'd handled it? He could have, and should have, issued his warning and walked away. Shawn wasn't going to be thrilled with what he'd done either. He gave Hunter the simplest answer he could... "Randy. It all started because of Randy," he said quietly. **** "This is fun I agree, but if you're going to fondle anyone but me give me some warning okay?" That is what he'd done, although that hadn't been his intent when he headed over there. Honestly. Oh he'd been going to ask the question, no doubt about it. The hair molesting had been an impulse and he really couldn't explain it. So how was he supposed to give advance warning if he didn't know he was going to do it. In fact, he was kind of regretting the thought that had led him over there in the first place. It had been fun, granted, but he'd ticked off a few people that he hadn't wanted to get on the bad side of. Hopefully he had managed to smooth it over. "To have your back, I need to know where it is so I can kick someone in the shins if they make a swing at you." That made him feel a little bit better, but he still owed Chris an apology. He wasn't purposefully groping people. The only one he wanted to grope was Chris... at least with any kind of intent behind it. The last thing he wanted was for Chris to think that he actually meant anything by his displays. Although he had gleaned a pretty interesting tidbit about Nash's hair and another bit about Shawn's past and present relationships. Damn. Lucky guy. But... He was pretty damn lucky too and he didn't want to mess that up. "Oh and if you sit in Austin's lap again... I'll have to pour cold water on the both of you." As if... that experience had been traumatic enough to his psyche the first time around, thank you very much. Next time he'd leave the cheering up to Chris. He was just about to inform his lover that that was not going to happen again, no way, no how, when Chris rolled his eyes. Okay... now what had he done? Except Chris seemed to be focused on something happening just behind him. Adam turned slightly and groaned. Oh great. Austin and Batista, toe to toe, and neither one of them looked like they were enjoying it. As they edged closer, Adam was waiting for the fur to start flying and seriously considered pulling Chris in the other direction. The last thing either of them needed was to be involved in another fight in their conditions. But he knew that Chris wasn't going to go anywhere until he knew what was going to happen. "Randy wouldn't spill any details... wants whatever happened with you to become history and fast... ever find out that you hurt him... Then you'll find out why I earned that nickname you like tossing around so much." Holy shit. Batista sticking up for Orton? He hadn't thought Randy had any real friends, except maybe Maven. Too bad Randy hadn't shared the whole story with Dave or this might have been avoided. It was apparent by the look in Dave's eyes that he hadn't known Randy punched Steve, at least until Steve informed him of that little tidbit. He could see confusion in those dark eyes, but things had gone too far, too much had been said for either man to back down... maybe. Hunter's appearance on the scene had him breathing a sigh of relief... for all of about a minute. Chris had been standing beside him, tensed to react if need be, but when Hunter showed up, he seemed a bit less on edge. That lasted all of a minute as well. "Yer new bed-mate's due to get his spleen handed to him." Adam winced at that pronouncement. Dave was not going to take kindly to that. Adam knew it just from the interaction that he'd seen between the two men today. Bed-mate was hardly the word to describe what was happening with those two. Or with those two and Shawn for that matter. Austin had just treaded on very shaky ground. Despite Austin's verbal faux pas, it looked like things might settle down after all. Austin had backed away but the look on his face was capable of inciting further reactions from a very angry Batista. "C'mon Baldy!" For the love of... Chris moved faster than even Adam had given him credit for, corralling Steve before the man could reach Dave with fists flying. Adam shook his head as Chris insistently led Austin away from the other two men. He should turn and walk away. Leave Hunter to settle Dave and mind his own business. He really should... but he suspected that things wouldn't have gotten so far out of hand if Dave had the real story behind what had happened with Steve and Randy. Chris had filled him in on 'the night' and he had it from Austin's own mouth what had happened last night. He so shouldn't do this... Chris was going to kill him if he ended up getting punched for his efforts, but if it could keep Dave and Austin from going at each other on sight again... "Dave?" Please, please don't let him hit me. He had both Dave and Hunter's attention now... it was now or never. "I know this isn't really any of my business, but I just... Steve would never hurt Randy. Not the way you were thinking." Adam bit his lip as he considered what he was about to say. Steve was going to kill him if he ever found out about this. He caught sight of Shawn, now standing just behind Dave and forced himself to continue with his explanation despite the growing audience. "He's got it pretty bad for the kid and Randy walking out while he was still asleep the other night hit him kind of hard. He went looking for him last night to find out why he left and to find out if there was any chance the two of them could... well, end up with more than just one night. He asked, Randy decked him, and he left. They haven't talked since." Adam took a half step back at the fierce growl preceding Batista's reply to what he'd had to say. "God damn it. I'm going to end up owing apologies to the whole damn company at this rate." Dave didn't sound at all happy about that fact, but Adam felt better about having said what he had. Now he was going to get his butt out of Dodge while the getting was good. But first... "I'm going to leave you three alone now, but before I go... I just wanted to say congratulations on the three of you..." becoming a threesome? Yeah, like he was going to say that. Nuh uh. "...figuring out that you're all crazy about each other. Good luck." With that, he turned and beat a hasty retreat, running right into Benoit. "Oh, hey. Benny... um... about earlier..." Adam figured any explanation he tried to make would just make things worse, so he gave up. "Forget that. How are you and Eddie enjoying being in the same place at the same time for a change." He took a glance back in the direction he'd just came from to see the totally hot threesome now talking quietly amongst themselves. When he turned back to give his full attention to Benoit's reply, he moved too quickly and was swamped with a feeling of dizziness. "Fucking codeine," he groaned quietly as he sank into the nearest chair. Great, just great. If Benny didn't lecture him, Chris sure as hell would if he found out about this. **** to be continued...

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