Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author Note: Title is a modified lyric from the song 'Perfect Ten' by The Beautiful South.

THE PENNY DON'T FIT THE SLOT

It didn't happen right away but a couple of months in Seth realized that he wasn't the only one with Authority-related regrets. He knew that he regretted the expressions so often on Dean and Roman's faces and the pain it still caused him to see them like that. He knew that every day he missed traveling with them, he missed Dean swiping yet another condiment bottle from another crummy diner for no logical reason at all, a bottle that Dean would then use triumphantly the following day, squirting cheap mustard over his sandwiches and smirking so pleased with himself. He had quite the collection. Seth missed watching Roman work out, that single-minded intensity to hone the skills and size that Roman knew were his premiere assets as far as being a WWE talent was concerned. Seth missed the little moments that had been crammed into every crevice of the lives they'd lived together, in every sense.

He didn't miss being the peacemaker, trying to prevent them from knocking the shit out of each other, trying to staunch the arguments that had exploded more and more frequently each day. He didn't miss Dean getting increasingly paranoid, stopping everyone from sleeping, and Roman's temper fraying dangerously at every caustic word out of Dean's mouth. He didn't miss sleeping in separate beds.

Seth held the Money in the Bank briefcase, he wasn't ever going to regret that. Taking over the business, that was what the Shield had always aimed to do. Look who was a man of his word.

Still, being part of the Authority also meant spending time with people that Seth never would have opted to share space with otherwise. Randy Orton was a gigantic pain in the ass, smirking and smug when he had very little to be smirking or smug about. He demanded the best of everything, no doubt used to getting it, and hated not being the sole rising star of the Authority anymore. He clearly saw Seth as competition, as he should, and loathed the fact that Seth had the Money in the Bank briefcase. He whined and grated and was so obviously plotting to get his hands on either the briefcase or the belt, that it was almost comical. He liked to rub Seth's face in his myriad accomplishments, Seth was looking forward to the first opportunity he got to slam Randy's face into the briefcase.

They had to be cordial for now though, Triple H wanted his house to stay in order. Seth had assumed he'd left all of that shit behind him but no, it was actually worse here, with the Authority.

Triple H and Stephanie were all right, though they definitely felt like they had to keep Seth on a leash. He liked having dinner with them and picking their brains about the business. He could learn a lot from them, the people who went far in this industry were the ones who kept on learning. And Triple H and Stephanie liked to advise him so it wasn't all bad, no way. But Seth caught the way that they sometimes looked at him, like an animal who'd done a particularly impressive trick. Right. He was there to serve their purpose and that was really all they were interested in – him toeing the line and keeping the Authority strong.

They'd shown him something supremely important though, something that only highlighted what he'd left behind – Triple H and Stephanie betrayed and used everybody in order to stay on top but they didn't betray each other, not anymore. It was like they'd been through that phase and had come out stronger, more determined, and only truly caring about each other.

Seth's chest throbbed. He wanted that, fuck, did he want that. He'd always planned on conquering the world with Dean and Roman. But plans and priorities changed, thanks to pain and frustration. Now, God...

What he had with the Authority was all business. Business that was proving to be successful for him, sure, but he'd realized that that wasn't actually enough, not for him. He loved winning, he loved being so close to grasping that World Championship, but he missed his friends. Friendship, that was what he didn't have with the Authority, friendship and everything else he'd frequently enjoyed with Roman and Dean. 'Boyfriends' had never been the right definition for them, all Seth had known was that it'd felt good, good enough to paper over the cracks and make him forget about the plans that he'd always had for his career.

What he knew now was that he was in love with them.

It wasn't long after that moment of realization that his gaze met Kane's and he realized something further – that he wasn't alone.

Seth didn't know Kane, Seth was pretty sure that knowing Kane was actually impossible. The guy had been an important part of the WWE for decades now, he was an institution. Every time someone thought that they'd snuffed him out for good, he returned in one form or another. That was the secret of his success – staying power. He'd always learned too and had always found a new way to be vital to either the fans or the McMahons.

He was willing to do the Authority's bidding now, in a suit or wearing his mask. Stephanie and Triple H were pleased enough with him and always glad to use his physical prowess. Kane was able to make himself useful, no, indispensable. Seth could admire that, even if he wasn't sure which of Kane's personae was actually the mask.

He knew for a fact that despite Kane's genial smiles the former demon was actually close to very few people – his brother, sometimes, and the late Paul Bearer. He'd been close to Daniel Bryan for a while, they'd won the tag belts together. Seth thought about how good it'd felt to hold those belts with Roman and swallowed a large mouthful of wine.

Randy Orton was talking again and Stephanie and Triple H were actually listening to him, like he mattered, like he was a meaningful part of the Authority and like he still would be in the future too. Fuck, they couldn't be serious. Seth rolled his eyes and noticed that Kane was wearing a very similar look on his face. Huh.

Kane noticed Seth's gaze and when Seth raised his glass towards Kane, Kane echoed him, and that was that, an alliance was forged. Or at least, an opinion was shared. The alliance came later.

A few days after that, Seth bumped into Kane backstage. Kane was just finishing up a phone call and was shaking his head at something when he collided with Seth. He immediately reached out a massive hand and steadied Seth, which Seth appreciated since the gesture actually seemed genuine.

"There a problem?" he asked, nodding towards Kane's cellphone.

Kane rolled his eyes, "Randy is demanding the match of his choice tonight, which doesn't fit into the Authority's plans."

Of course it didn't. Seth laughed and shook his head. "Who cares when it's all about Randy, right?"

Kane chuckled and nodded towards the office. "I've got an excellent vintage in this week."

Sounded good and it wasn't like there was anywhere else that Seth had to be. So he sat in Kane's office and enjoyed a couple of glasses of really excellent wine. Kane was happy to talk about the great plans that the Authority had for Seth and just how frustrating he found Randy Orton. Seth enjoyed talking about that too and started to seek Kane out more often after that, for wine, planning and venting about Randy because he was always doing something unbelievably bone-headed. How had he won so many World Championships? By sticking close to Triple H of course and by aping all of Hunter's best tricks.

Kane laughed and agreed. He poured Seth more wine and loosened his impeccably-chosen tie. Some nights were heavier than others, involving more alcohol, and on those nights, Seth noticed Kane's expression listing subtly towards the nearest flatscreen, usually whenever Daniel Bryan was shown. Seth watched closely, did Kane actually have a tell? A tell that revealed itself once Kane was loosened up thanks to wine and company he could actually relax in?

Kane had been a demon and a monster, but he'd been human too. Maybe the wine brought that closer to the surface. Seth didn't think he was being played, what would be the point? Kane was never going to make himself appear vulnerable on purpose, not even for the Authority. What would be the point? So Seth watched and noticed how Kane watched Daniel Bryan. It wasn't obvious, Kane knew how to keep secrets but Seth knew what he was looking for now and saw how Kane's fingers tapped when Daniel was around, how Kane smirked in a certain way when talking to Daniel. It suited him.

Seth kept it all to himself, why would he tell the Authority? It wasn't like Kane treated Daniel favorably, Kane did his job and always kept the Authority on top. That was what mattered.

Seth realized that his own face was giving away similar information about Dean and Roman when Kane caught his eye, looked from Dean and Roman on screen to Seth, and raised a glass subtly, an acknowledgment that made Seth's throat constrict but when no threats appeared he raised his glass in return. Why would Kane break the news to Stephanie and Hunter that Seth liked watching his old business associates? So what if he felt something for them, if he missed them so much that it hurt? He was still giving everything in the ring against them, he was still determined to win. There was no going back, not when he was so close to World Championship glory, no matter how he felt, no matter if his choice had been wrong.

Kane got that. Something unkinked in Seth's chest. Somebody else got that, someone else was living his nightmare. They didn't talk about it – that would have been unfathomably stupid because words could always be used as weapons later. Instead, they kept hanging out, watching the Network, making sure that the Authority's rule was absolute, drinking wine and wishing that some things were still within reach. Seth was grateful, it turned out that whatever persona Kane was wearing, he was good company. He had a great analytical mind which Seth appreciated and a mire-dark sense of humor which was awesome. He was now actually a friend, Seth hadn't realized how much he'd needed that until it'd become present again in his life.

More than once, Seth drank too much and woke up lying on the couch with a blanket draped over him. Kane never seemed to get drunk, it'd probably take a brewery to knock him down, and he never seemed to care that Seth sometimes drank so much that he passed out. Afterward he usually offered Seth coffee and waved away any apologies. He was a really solid guy.

"As long as you can still work," was all he said.

Yeah, that was the point. Kane's words were a subtle warning – if Seth stopped being useful, he'd end up with nothing. He might not have Dean and Roman anymore but at least he had his briefcase, his title shot, the Authority on his side. Dean and Roman were never going to trust him again, that door had closed now. He couldn't lose anything else.

He could take out those frustrations in the ring though, proving to the Authority just how vital he was to their long-term plans to keep on reigning supreme. He could drink with and talk to Kane about everything else and know that it didn't matter if Kane saw the chinks in his armor, because Kane had the same cracks running through him. Seth knew that those chinks could be pushed past every day and conquered, because they had to be. It gave him and Kane an edge over Randy – they both had one hell of a reason to keep winning.

Seth liked that he shared that with Kane. He liked Kane.

One morning, after another night spent drinking with Kane, Seth woke up very differently. He could remember how good the wine had tasted, how much he'd enjoyed sharing a lot of it with Kane, how they'd swapped stories, how strong and good he'd felt with Kane there beside him and how as the light had changed he'd been interested in Kane's different smiles, he remembered suddenly, vividly, wanting to taste every one of them...

That explained why he was now lying in a large bed and why he felt sated and sore. Seth recalled a little more and smiled.

Somebody moved behind him and a large hand touched his hip. Seth turned over, he and Kane stared at each other, both asking silent questions. Any regrets? No, Seth could remember the night being extremely heated and enjoyable. Kane was hardly going to gossip about it, was he? What difference would it make to anyone?

He'd missed this feeling. From Kane's expression, Seth wasn't the only one.

It was something else that they didn't talk about. What would be the point? They both had too many regrets already, too much pain. Why shouldn't they grab some personal pleasure when they actually found it?

Why fucking not?

Seth reached for Kane and rolled decisively on top of him. They had a very good morning and won their tag match that night. After that, their evenings often took on a new rough and smooth dimension.

Seth worked himself open with Kane watching and then slid down onto Kane's cock, to ride him until they were both groaning. Kane manhandled Seth onto his hands and knees and sank teeth into Seth's neck. Seth pressed one finger, then two, into Kane, he heard Kane grunt and hiss out breath and push down for more. Kane cradled Seth and stroked hot fingers down his face, through his beard. It didn't happen every night, they still drank together, still regularly made plans for the Authority's future, still mocked Randy to his face and behind his back.

It still hurt, every time Seth thought about Dean and Roman, every time he spat venomous words at them, every time he threw a punch their way. He still did it though, of course he did. He'd hang by his mistakes, he'd rise up and conquer. He'd ache forever, wounded and regretful and yearning, but he wasn't going to be made up solely of loss.

A lot of the time, Seth and Kane slept beside each other. Sometimes, when they fucked, they shouted very different names. But their aches were always similar.

-the end