Story Title: Maybe
Story Type: Slash
Characters: Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley
Pairings: MMG
Rating: PG-13/NC-17
Series: None
Disclaimer: Not mine. Despite my best efforts, they still belong to TNA/themselves. But I do like looking at them.
Warnings: Slash, language
A/N: So, I wanted to write an MMG story, but, strangely enough, I didn't have any bunnies for one. Weird, ainna? Well, the awesome candy_belle gave me this prompt: some fluffy Guns dealing with Shelley's speech from last Thurs., with Sabin smacking some sense into Shelley when he starts having doubts about his own ability. I tried to write that, but as per usual when I write the Guns, they took the basic idea and ran away with it. Hope everyone enjoys, anyways.
A/N2: Um, I started writing this last week before Destination X, and by the time I saw the spoilers for it, it was too far along for me to toss and start over. Just keep that in mind while reading, please. Thanks.
"Come on, Chris," Alex said, trying to grab the remote off of his partner without hitting his injured knee in the process. "Do we have to watch this crap? I was just there on Monday and it wasn't good enough that I want to revisit it. Trust me."
"Shut up, 'Lex," Chris told him absently, concentrating on the TV. "You know I like to watch when you're on; especially when I'm not there."
"Fine," Alex snapped, getting up and going to the kitchen. "I'm not watching substandard entertainment, though."
After almost twenty minutes of pacing the kitchen, Alex opened the fridge and grabbed a can of soda. He popped the tab and leaned back against the counter as he took a long drink. Sighing, he rested the can against his forehead.
He knew he was being ridiculous; just like he knew when he had made his little speech last week, word of it would eventually get back to Chris. Alex couldn't understand why he was feeling so off about Chris finding out what he said -just like he couldn't come up with a reason for giving that speech in the first place. It was true, there was no question of that, but he didn't usually go around singing anyone's praises, no matter how much he loved them.
Alex winced and hurriedly took another drink. There was the core of the whole problem; that little speech he had made came too close to his real feelings about his tag team partner. The fact that the words were true didn't really matter, just the same way that Chris knew how he felt didn't matter, either. Being true didn't make it any easier for him to go around talking about it -and on national television, no less. He had no idea what the fuck he had been thinking.
Except that Alex was at least partially conscious of the reason he had done it or at least one of the reasons. Hell, if he was being honest with himself -which he absolutely fucken hated, he'd much rather lie to himself until there was no alternative left- Alex was very much aware of the reasons he had done it.
He had missed Chris. More then that, Alex had found himself yearning for him. It wasn't something he liked to admit to anyone, including himself. The idea that he had some how turned into a teenage girl without knowing it deeply offended him -or it would if he ever got offended by anything.
Before Chris, he had always been content with his own company. Even when he had a boyfriend -which didn't happen very often; he was always happy to get to know someone but once it became more serious then 'see you tomorrow night' he had inevitably bailed- Alex had never had a problem being by himself or even being dumped. 'Live and learn' was always his motto. Actually, 'on to the next' was probably closer to the mark.
Either way, he had never cared for more then himself, his career and when his next good time was going to happen. Jimmy had told him, more then once, that he was a great friend but a really shitty boyfriend and Alex had always been inclined to agree with him.
And then he had met Chris. From the beginning, they had been drawn to each other and their close friendship had just seemed to evolve naturally. Almost before he realized what was happening, Alex had found himself in a relationship and, perhaps even worse, he hadn't panicked about it. At all. The only thing that worried him about the whole thing was that one day Chris was going to wake up and realize he could do a hell of a lot better then Alex and dump his ass.
That had been years ago; and, slowly but surely, Alex had grown used to the idea that even if he himself didn't think it was a fair trade, Chris loved him and was happy exactly where he was. Where as before he had been happy by himself, now whenever he was on the road and Chris was at home with his leg propped up, Alex felt alone, no matter who he happened to be traveling with.
They hadn't always traveled together, of course; wrestling was more demanding then either one of them could ever be and sometimes -a lot of times- they were separated. But ever since Chris had been injured, it was worse then it had been before. And the fact that it had come on the heels of his own injury didn't help anything either.
Last week, they had sent him out into the Impact Zone and told him to cut a promo. Alex had stood there and all of a sudden he had missed having Chris next to him; missed him badly enough that if he had been alone, he might've started crying. As much as he hated even thinking about it, Alex couldn't deny that Chris was more important to him then anyone or anything; and he wished he could do something normal like freak out about it, but his mind seemed bent on disappointing him these past few weeks and the best it could come up with was this feeling of contentment that had been in place since he'd gotten back to Detroit.
After another few minutes hiding in the kitchen, Alex finished his drink and went back into the living room.
Chris was staring at the commercials playing on the screen but he spoke as soon as Alex was back in the room.
"Did you mean it?" Chris asked, his voice quiet.
"Of course, I did," Alex answered. He might have wanted to lie, but he never lied to Chris and he wasn't about to start now. "I meant every word of it."
"I didn't teach you anything, 'Lex," Chris told him, reaching over and pulling Alex down on the couch next to him. "You're a outstanding wrestler, better then anyone I know and that includes me and anyone else that might be flitting through that brain of yours."
"You helped me," Alex disagreed, letting himself lean against his boyfriend for a minute. "If it wasn't for you and Kevin, I doubt anyone over there would have taken me seriously. I'd have ended up in one stupid fucken gimmick after another, more of a joke then Eric is."
Chris sighed and pressed a quick kiss on Alex's hair. "I doubt that; you're too impatient to try and wait out management the way Eric does," Chris said fondly. "Never mind the fact that ROH would murder Bischoff, Dixie and Uncle Jeff for just the chance of getting their hands on you again."
"I still think that might be the way to go," Alex said. "We'll see what's going on after the pay per view, but it's not like we could get under used any more then we already are."
When he felt Chris tense up, Alex pulled away and looked at him curiously, his eyebrow raised. "What?"
"Nothing," Chris answered defensively. "I just don't like the idea of us being apart like that. Being stuck here is bad enough, but at least I know once I'm on my feet again, we'll still be in the same promotion."
Alex stared at the other man in disbelief. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Has your knee fucked up your brain, too?
"I didn't mean just me, fucktard. I want you there with me, I like wrestling and traveling with you. I mean, I'm not going to shoot myself in the foot but I know ROH would want to sign both of us; we are the best tag team in the world. Their tag division is the best in the states and I heard they want to beef it up some more.
"As good as TNA's been to us, I think it's time to look around. They're calling in all these great wrestlers and not bothering to use the ones they already have. And I still can't believe they shit canned Jay. Hell, if they tossed him, who knows who else they'll throw under the bus? If they decide to toss us, I don't want to be caught with our pants around our ankles."
"Please, I know how much you love having your pants down," Chris smirked. He squeezed Alex's thigh in a silent thank you and leaned his head against his boyfriend's. "I never thought TNA would turn out like this." Chris added softly, regret in his voice.
Alex knew how he felt; he might not have been there for as long as Chris had been, but he had helped build that company from the moment he had wrestled his first match there. For more years then he could count on one hand, the X-Division had carried TNA. And it had torn Chris apart to watch them turn their backs on the X-Division guys and it had bothered Alex almost as much.
Neither one of them were pissed at AJ or Joe or even Frankie; they had gotten their chance and they had taken it; he would have done the same. It wasn't even the fact that they had started calling in guys like Austin or Jack -hell, he had run with both of them for years, and he still considered them friends- it was that they were ignoring the guys they already had on the roster; the guys that, with the single exception of the old man who, Alex had to admit, it was cool to see around the place again, they seemed hell bent on ignoring.
"Well, no matter what happens Sunday, I'm going to be there," Chris told Alex, pulling him out of his thoughts. "And if you win, I'm going to walk down that fucken ramp and congratulate you or I'm gonna beat the shit out of somebody."
"Wait, you can't," Alex protested, trying to ignore the surge of pleasure he felt at his partner's words. "Your leg, it -"
"I'm not a complete cripple, 'Lex," Chris assured him, smiling a little. "I can do that much and god help the person that tries to stop me."
Alex leaned over and gave him a quick kiss, unable to put into words what it would mean to him to have Chris there if he won the title again.
Either way, Sunday was going to be one interesting night.