Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Implied Infidelity (but not really...), General Asshole-ish Behavior, Spoilers for RAW 5-16-16, etc.
Jealousy was for lemons. Adam knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he didn't have to worry about Tyler's faithfulness. While he might have the cocky, stand-offish ring persona down to a tee, behind closed doors, he looked at Adam like he hung the moon and strung along the stars...
If there was such a thing as true love, Adam knew it was reflected in Tyler's gaze every time the younger man looked at him.
The fact remained, however, that there were still several obstacles within their relationship - things that simply couldn't be overcome by adoring glances and Tyler's growing obsession with cuddling. For instance, there were a decent eight years between them. Adam was reaching the point in his life where he wanted to settle down into a serious relationship, but maybe that was asking too much of a man still in his twenties.
Adam was overjoyed at the prospect of spending the rest of his life with Tyler. Not a lot of people knew how much of a free-spirit Tyler was, that he could hang with the most devout of the Rosebuds given the opportunity. He loved to laugh and had the most beautiful smile that Adam had ever seen. But there were moments of perfect, peaceful serenity as well... Tyler had the amazing ability to know what he needed and when.
The simple fact was that Tyler was amazing. And Adam was starting to realize that perhaps he wasn't the only one who had noticed all of his boyfriend's redeeming qualities. Some of them didn't seem to understand the phrase 'look, don't touch'.
Adam scowled as Curt threw an arm over Tyler's glistening shoulders, the smaller blond all but throwing himself into the tight congratulatory embrace. They'd just won their debut match against The Golden Truth and it seemed their favored form of celebration was attempting to crawl underneath the other's skin. Curt squeezed him tight and hoisted him into the air, and Tyler let out a surprised, yet delighted squeak.
He could feel his blood boiling. But he absolutely wasn't jealous. There was no reason to be jealous.
Except for the fact that Tyler should only smile like that at him. It just felt... wrong... to see him smile like that for anyone else.
When Tyler came back, still positively beaming in the afterglow of his victory, Adam found it hard to match his grin. He hoped that he was hiding whatever nasty emotion was brewing in his belly, but unfortunately, Tyler noticed his sour mood almost immediately. "What's up, Ads?"
"Nothing. Everything's fine." He gritted his teeth behind a painfully forced smile, feeling an ache in his jaw from the strain of keeping up the facade.
The Rosebuds had stopped dancing around him. Even they had noticed the change in the air, and it set them on edge. "Yeah... right." But he knew not to push, "You know what we should do? Head back to the hotel room and celebrate my first win in months." He wagged his eyebrows suggestively.
Momentarily tempted by the suggestion, he was granted a moment of bliss in which he forgot about the scene he had just witnessed. It all came crashing back, however, when Curt decided to make his presence known, clapping Tyler on the shoulder and saying, "That was great out there, Ty. I think this is the start of a great partnership."
Adam's mood visibly darkened when that offending hand began to massage Tyler's shoulder. "Me too. But you were the real star of that match -,"
They clung to each other like Tyler once clung to him, their bodies so close that it was difficult to tell where one began and the other ended. He knew that it was a completely platonic gesture - hell, the other Rosebuds didn't see anything wrong with it, and they would've been the first to jump to Adam's defense if they sensed anything was off. Tyler was a physically affectionate person. To want to hug and touch and feel was one-hundred percent normal for him.
But sitting by and watching it happen did absolutely nothing to reaffirm the fact that it was platonic. He found himself reading into every little gesture, that nasty churning in his gut overruling the rational part of his brain that told him there wasn't anything to worry about.
Once Curt finally wandered off, Adam brought them back to their earlier conversation. "Actually, I'm not really in the mood for sex." Tyler's eyes widened - there was a first time for everything, apparently. "I kinda just want to go to sleep. Let's just head back to the hotel room, okay?"
Tyler frowned, causing Adam's heart to sink in his chest. Tyler should never frown. "Are you sure that you're feeling alright? You never turn down sex."
Adam heard the undercurrent of insecurity in Tyler's voice, the unspoken question of 'is it me - do you just not want to have sex with me? - and it made his heart clench. He reached out and took Tyler's hand, squeezing reassuringly. "I'm feeling fine. How about we head back and cuddle while he watch one of your cheesy rom-coms?"
Tyler immediately brightened at the peace-offering, "Can we watch How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days?"
Adam raised an eyebrow, "Didn't we watch that last week?"
"Matthew McConaughey is bae!" Tyler said, and Adam realized that Tyler's fixation on the actor didn't do the same thing to him as his newfound friendship with Curt. "And admit it, you have a thing for Kate Hudson."
"I'll watch the movie twice if you never repeat that information to anyone." Adam promised, causing Tyler's grin to grow wider.
"Deal!"
Tyler lay sprawled over Adam's chest, a loose pair of sweatpants clinging to his pale hips and one of Adam's t-shirts clinging to his torso. Tyler wasn't small by any stretch of the imagination - he was broad where Adam was lean, so while they were more or less the same size, clothing fit them very differently. Normally, Adam liked to see his boyfriend in his clothes, seeing it as a way of marking the boy as his. It wasn't having the desired effect tonight, however.
They were halfway through the movie and Adam wasn't keeping up his end of the promise, already falling asleep. Tyler didn't seem to mind, however. His mind was elsewhere.
As close as they were, he could feel every hard, sculpted muscle that lined his lover's body. He could feel the hardened flesh of his erection pressing against his thigh, could see how hard Adam had fought not to act on it all throughout the night. Once again, he was forced to wonder if it was perhaps something that he had done that had turned Adam off of the idea of sex. He'd thought that their sex life was fairly healthy, but he'd been known to be wrong before.
"Ads..." Tyler whispered softly, stroking Adam's stubble gently. Adam's eyes fluttered, but never fully opened. "I love you, Ads..."
"Love you too, Tyler." Even in his half-asleep daze, he was still able to comprehend the words and respond almost immediately. One of the many promises that he'd made Tyler when they started their relationship was that he'd never go to bed feeling unloved. That was one promise he intended to keep.
He gently dragged his fingers over the bulge in Adam's pajama bottoms. "You want some help with that, love? It seems awfully painful."
"Mhmm..." So apparently he wasn't completely turned off by the idea of having sex with Tyler, then. As good a sign as any, he supposed.
Slowly, he toyed with the waistline of Adam's pants, before slipping them under the thick, woolly cloth and wrapping them around his love's achingly hard cock. He drew his fist up and down the length of his cock with the careful precision of a surgeon in the operating theatre, watching as Adam's body gave an involuntary shiver and his hips bucked up into his touch. Their bodies brushed against each other, the movement awakening his own erection. But he wouldn't worry about that now.
"That feel good, babe?" Adam moaned, low and sweet. Tyler gently moved his hand in slow, steady circles, effectively reducing the man beneath him to a puddle of goo. The movie continued to play in the background, all but forgotten. "You like when I take care of you like this, babe?"
Hazel eyes slowly fluttered open as Adam sucked in a deep breath, releasing it in a high-pitched whine as he came. "Holy shit, Ty..."
"Still trying to say that you weren't in the mood for sex?" Tyler brought his hand to his mouth, licking the seed off his hand. Adam's cock began to show interest again, but Tyler knew that they probably wouldn't go any further tonight. He wouldn't push it.
"Moment of weakness." Adam said, but the small smirk he wore contradicted what he was saying.
"You know that I love you, right?" Tyler asked, dragging his fingers through Adam's hair and nuzzling his bare cheek into his stubble. He sounded too insecure or his liking, and from the way Adam subconsciously pulled him a little closer, he definitely took notice.
"I believe that we've went over this just a little while ago." Adam slurred lowly, already falling asleep once again. He kissed the top of Tyler's head comfortingly, rubbing soothing circles onto his back. "But I'll tell you as many times as you need to hear it - I love you, too."
In that perfect moment, he'd forgotten all about the mess from earlier. Tyler felt so perfect in his arms, finally managing to fall asleep on his shoulder. He stroked his back until consciousness finally left him, breathing in his lover's scent. The scent of Old Spice and clean sweat washed over him in waves, reminding him that Tyler was in his arms and safe... and he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Tuesday Night
How did he get here? He couldn't even remember.
He clutched the bunny suit in his tight, trembling fists, the man inside the suit completely unconscious and limp in his arms. He'd beaten the shit out of him after watching Fandango and Tyler's latest match. Normally, Tyler would come to the back and immediately seek out Adam following a grueling match, and they'd both unwind in the locker room. As Tyler had been in the midst of a nasty losing streak for the past few months, most of those nights had been spent gently massaging Tyler's battered body.
Tonight, however, seemed to be a different story. Tyler had barely had enough time to announce that Curt was whisking him off to dinner before he vanished into the locker room to get changed, completely ignoring the fact that Adam still had a match later that night.
And the bunny had practically become his scapegoat for whenever his anger managed to get the best of him.
A dinner between friends... that was completely normal, wasn't it? There was no reason to be jealous. Except that now, it was becoming clear that there was every reason to be jealous. Adam was booked to lose. Hell, he was booked to have his ass handed to him out there. And normally, Tyler would be there to help him pick up the pieces. But apparently dinner with Curt was much more important than being with his lover. Glad to know where his priorities lie.
The Rosebuds were looking on him with terror, unsure of what they should do next. They looked like they wanted to come to the bunny's rescue, but realized that that would be a death wish. So they were smarter than they looked, then. Adam smirked.
Tyler hated when he would abuse the bunny, said there was no reason to take his anger out on another person when he could just go to the gym and beat the shit out of a punching bag or, you know, talk it out like a civilized human being. But Tyler wasn't there right now - he was too busy taking off his pants for someone other than Adam - and when Tyler wasn't there, well... he didn't exactly think rationally.
When did it become that they were having sex instead of simply going out to dinner? Probably when he remembered the way that Tyler had fallen asleep against him the night before, his aching erection pressed against his side, completely ignored. Adam had wanted so badly to reach over and slowly stretch his baby out, before fucking him into the mattress and solving both of their problems. Tyler should never have to suffer because Adam can't get his act together.
And now, after only one night, Tyler was seeking pleasure from someone else. And that tore at Adam's gut in a way that he couldn't explain, made him hurt more than words could express, and instead of dealing with it like a rational human being, he sought to hurt someone else to try and make them feel the same way.
He didn't even realize that he'd dropped the bunny to the ground, hands frozen in place, chest growing increasingly tight as his eyes grew wider until -
"Adam... Adam, you need to sit down, I think you're having a panic attack..." the Katy Perry wannabe stepped forward, and damn if he wasn't shaking like a wet leaf in the wind. It was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe, and if she hadn't forced him down he probably wouldn't have moved.
Adam curled in on himself, looking so small on the leather couch. The Rosebuds seemed to form a circle of protection around him - even though the party seemed to have ended the minute he put his hands on the bunny, didn't mean that they wanted everyone to see their fearless leader in this amount of distress. They still loved him and followed him faithfully, even if sometimes he could be downright terrifying.
Because in moments like this, he realized that he needed them as much, or even more, than they needed him. And that made all that they endured together, the good, the bad, and the ugly, all worthwhile.
"Breathe with me, okay?" The Katy Perry wannabe started to breathe deeply, so deep that it was almost comical, actually, and mimicked for Adam to follow her. It took him a few seconds, but he eventually got with the program. "See? Good, that's very good."
"I. Hate. Everyone." He enunciated between gasps, and the young girl frowned. Talking wouldn't be helping his breathing control.
"That's not true - you don't hate Tyler." The Ninja Turtle supplied helpfully.
Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. If looks could kill, the Ninja Turtle would be on the floor right next to the still-unconscious bunny. Really, someone should really call the trainer for the bunny... but Adam wasn't in a position to hurt anyone, which they were all grateful for.
"Shut up." The blue-haired girl narrowed her eyes at the Ninja Turtle, and he didn't have to be told twice. Adam could've kissed her... and somehow that, too, increased in intensity of the panic attack. She sighed, "Again. Breathe with me. You're gonna be okay. Nobody is gonna hurt you. We promise we will protect you."
He clutched a fist to his chest, "It... hurts..." but he was breathing a little easier, and that was as good a sign as any.
"We know it does, honey. We know." He kept mimicking her breathing, easing the tightness in her chest. "It'll be better soon. We promise."
Tyler was confused. The show had been over for an hour, maybe more, and Adam was nowhere to be found. Instead, the Katy Perry wannabe was there waiting for him, fixing him with one of the nastiest glares he'd ever seen. He racked his brain for something he could've done to offend her, but couldn't remember the last time they'd actually had contact outside of one of Adam's insane parties. And there wasn't a lot of time for talking in those situations.
He wondered if her sudden appearance had anything to do with Adam's disappearance, but when she rose from her seat on the bed and started to make her way over to him, he figured that his questions would be answered fairly soon. He didn't expect her to slap him, but damn did that girl hit hard. His head swerved to the left, cheek throbbing as stars danced before his eyes. When he finally came around, even more confused than before, he fixed her with a nasty glare.
"Do you know where Adam is right now?" Tyler frowned - clearly he didn't, otherwise he would be with him. "He's on his tour bus, sleeping. Because he is exhausted from a massive panic attack he had tonight that you caused."
Tyler look like she'd struck him again, "What do you mean, I caused his panic attack?"
The blue-haired girl frowned, "He thinks that he's not good enough for you, idiot. That you're going to turn him in for a newer model at the first given opportunity. Apparently, he feels like that opportunity came tonight."
"He thinks that I was cheating on him tonight?" Tyler asked, tone colored with disbelief. "Doesn't he realize that Curt is only two years younger than him? Besides, I honestly don't care about his age. Didn't even know how old he was till we'd been dating for four months, and it didn't change anything."
She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Clearly, she was getting exasperated with the fact that he wasn't understanding. "The important part is that he thinks he deserves better, you dolt. And he thinks Curt is the better man, so he's trying to bow out gracefully."
"He had a panic attack at the thought of losing me..." Tyler said, feeling his heart clench painfully at the thought.
Finally, he was beginning to understand. "He was going to propose, you idiot. Now, he thinks that you want someone else and it is destroying him."
What could he have done to make Adam think that he could possibly want anyone other than him? He didn't think he'd been behaving any different than normal, aside from spending more time with Curt. But he'd talked it over with Adam as soon as he'd found out about the new tag team assignment and Adam had been over the moon about it. Tyler had been having trouble making friends on the main roster and he thought that this would be good for him.
He hadn't really thought that anything would come of their relationship, but they'd clicked in the ring and had performed together in a few dark matches before making their debut on Monday Night RAW. They were getting really close, really fast and Tyler hadn't thought anything of it. He liked having friends.
But maybe, to the outside viewer, Tyler and Curt's relationship looked like something more? And then... Did Curt think that there was something more to their relationship?
"Wait... he was going to propose? As in, past tense?" Tyler asked worriedly. This was certainly not what he expected to hear after coming back from a less than stellar dinner.
"I don't think it's in the past tense. He still adores you, kisses the ground that you walk on. You have time to fix this, so long as you understand what it is that you're walking into." The Katy Perry wannabe explained. "Now go and get him, alright. We're all rooting for you, you dumbass."
The tour bus wasn't hard to find, and he was thankful that he'd kept the key that Adam had given him after they'd dated for a few months. He entered as quietly as possible, closing and locking the door behind him. He found Adam in the back, curled up in a ball on the bed, fast asleep. As quickly as he could, he crossed the distance between them and slipped into bed beside him. Tyler wrapped an arm around his love and drew him close, burying his face in the other man's neck.
"How did you find me?" Adam whispered, not bothering to open his eyes. Only one person would be able to find him out here in the middle of nowhere.
"A little blue-haired birdy knocked me over the head with it. I still have the bruising to prove it." He pointed to his swollen, smarting cheek. Adam's eyes slowly fluttered open, before widening significantly as they focused on his battered boyfriend.
"I'll have to have a word with that birdy, then." He sighed, "I didn't think that they would tell you about what happened. I'm sorry that you had to find out that way."
Tyler shook his head, "I'm sorry that I gave you something to worry about. I want you to know that there isn't anything to worry about with me and Curt." Tyler leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Adam's lips, "I only have eyes for you. Now and forever."
Adam sighed, "I know. It's my own foolish insecurity. I didn't plan to make it your problem too."
"It's not a problem, Ads." Tyler assured gently. "And I'd rather know about it so that we can deal with it together, than worry that you're suffering all by yourself."
"I know that I should've talked to you about this, but I just... if you were going to be happier with Curt, than I didn't deserve to stand in between you and your happiness." Adam said. "I just wanted you to be happy. Is that wrong?"
Tyler shook his head, before poking his love on the forehead affectionately. "You make me happy, you big lug. Being with you and being loved by you are all I need. I don't care that you've been married before, that you have two kids, or that you're eight years older than me. I love you for you - you're all that I need."
Adam smiled, pleased by Tyler's confession. While he never doubted Tyler's feelings for him, it never failed to brighten his mood to hear him say it out loud. He pulled him a little closer and allowed the comfort of his presence to wash away all the anxiety that had plagued him over the last few days. Tyler was running his fingers through his hair, whispering soothing words against his skin.
"I'll make sure you never have a reason to doubt me again, my love." Tyler assured, before grazing his teeth over his collarbone and kissing the aggravated skin gently.
"I haven't had a reason yet." Adam slurred sleepily. He was long overdue for a decent night's rest, and now that Tyler was there with him, he knew that he would rest easily that night. "And by the way... you're kind of stuck with me." He teased, the presence of the ring box beneath his pillow reminded him of just how 'stuck' he wanted to be.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." He smiled sweetly, sealing the promise with a kiss.
A/N: Kindly dedicated to the scumbag at the supermarket that felt the need to point out that my boyfriend is ten years older than me and I could do so much better...