Rockstar Spud has been having a very hard time of it lately. Ethan Carter the Third has to admit this, even though it's hard to face because most of it is because of him, his family. The act they have to continue to portray because of his aunt's lingering anger after being put through a table. These thoughts on his mind as soon as he opens his eyes, Ethan is further discomforted when he realizes that Spud isn't in bed next to him.
Checking the clock, he grimaces and pulls himself out of bed, trudging down the hall to the kitchen where he pauses. Spud is sprawled out over some papers covering the table, fast asleep, and Ethan sighs. "Why are you sleeping out here?" he grouses, shaking his head fondly at the man. "Whatever you're doing can wait, it's not even noon-thirty yet."
He scoops Spud up in his arms and carries him back to the bed, eyes softening when the shorter man curls up and hugs a pillow to his chest, lips parting in a faint sigh. Ethan wraps an arm around him, holding him close, and immediately falls back asleep himself.
When Spud wakes up, he's confused despite being content and comfortable. Even as he nuzzles into the snug warmth more, he can't help but consider how, last he had remembered, he was at the kitchen table, working on his portion of Valentine's Day surprises. Releasing a breath, he rolls over and looks up at Ethan, some things making sense. He panics, wondering if Ethan had read the papers but as he squirms, Ethan's arms tighten around him again and he swallows, pressing a kiss to his parted lips. Dark eyes open and peer down into Spud's. "Morning, sir," the British man offers, stroking Ethan's arms lightly until he eases up, Spud relieved when he can breathe in normally once more.
"What were you doing asleep at the kitchen table?" Ethan murmurs, ducking his head and pressing his lips to Spud's, smirking when his eyes flutter and he sighs into Ethan's mouth.
"Just working on something, sir," Spud stammers, relieved when the third generation Carter leaves it at that, despite raising his eyebrows at him. He doesn't have time to fret over it, however, when Ethan gets to his feet and lightly tugs the sheets away, Spud shivering as the tank top and shorts aren't much defense against the loss of warmth. "Sir!"
"Get ready to go out, Spudsy, we have things to do," he says simply, leaving the sheets at the bottom of the bed before walking off to do just that for himself apparently.
Spud watches him go, jaw dropped in shock. "Things to do?" he repeats. "Sir?" He had expected another quiet, lazy Valentine's day spent around the house, but apparently that's not on the agenda this year. Sighing, he closes his eyes as he gets out of bed, toes curling unhappily when he steps on the cool floor panels. "Bloody hell," he grumbles.
A warm shower helps. Socks and shoes help more and by the time Ethan peeks back in, Spud's ready to go out- not in one of his hyper suits, no... when running errands with Ethan, they both go for as lowkey as possible, not wanting word to get back to Dixie, which would effectively put everything they'd been trying to protect the last few months at risk. So he's wearing jeans and a simple blue shirt, turning to smile at Ethan's equally casual black jeans and red shirt. "You look good, sir."
"So do you, Spud. Come on." He holds a hand out and Spud's eyes light up as he curls his fingers around Ethan's, getting tugged over to be held against the taller man's side as they walk out of the house to start their day.
He has no idea where they're going and his confusion only grows when they drive past the typical places Ethan goes on a Saturday- the place he gets his hair cut, manicures, and sometimes pedicures. The smoothie shop he enjoys, the natural food store that Spud regularly has to make trips to to keep the fridge stocked with all of Ethan's favorites, even the matinee where he goes to watch Leonardo DiCapiro films sometimes, none of it attracts Ethan's attention and Spud grows really uncertain then, looking around for some hint as to what Ethan may have planned... when they stop at a little building Spud's never seen before, no sign of what kind of establishment is inside.
Even so, he quietly follows Ethan inside, trusting the man that it won't be anything too horrible. And he's glad for this when he realizes: It's a massage parlor, soft, relaxing music playing over the intercom. Ethan talks to the receptionist for a moment and she nods, voice barely audible as she discusses something with Ethan. "Yes, sir, we can do all of that," she agrees, voice raising a litte as she peers over at Spud with a smile. "If you both will follow me..." She leads them down a hall to a quiet room, directing them to lay down on the two cots waiting. "Your masseuses will be in shortly," she tells them before leaving the room with another smile.
Spud blinks, watching her go, before turning to Ethan. "Uh, sir," he says hesitantly.
Ethan looks up from where he's pulling his shirt off and raises an eyebrow. "Is there a problem, Spud? It's just a massage... I know you're still in pain from the cage match last week, not to mention everything else, so I thought this would be nice." He frowns, approaching him. "If you don't want to do it, we can find something else-"
"No, no, sir, it's... it's fantastic, thank you." Spud's fingers trace down Ethan's wrists, soothing him. "It's just..." He grimaces and sighs, not sure how to explain. Ethan catches his eyes and smiles encouragingly, Spud releasing a breath. "Never mind. It's fine, sir. Thank you."
Ethan stares at him for a few moments longer before nodding, stepping back as Spud pulls his own shirt off and gets settled on the cot. He swallows and closes his eyes, not wanting to stare at the light bruising along Spud's lower back, which had been much worse just after the cage match, when he'd dived off of the top and splashed Tyrus, landing so hard on his back that just crawling a few feet had been agonizing. Thus the massage. He leans over and kisses Spud's shoulder before returning to his side of the room, settling down with a sigh. When he opens his eyes and looks over, he locks eyes with Spud and they exchange a smile before the massueses enter and begin work on their taxed, sore bodies.
-x
Heath grunts, a loud barking sound waking him up abruptly. He hisses and flaps a hand over the side of the bed. "Boodah boy, hush," he mumbles into his pillow. The dog doesn't respond verbally or by licking his fingers, so he squints an eye open, peering around. "Boodah?" Starting to wonder if perhaps he had hallucinated the noise, he sits up and runs a hand through his hair, hesitating for a moment. He's still growing used to his new hairstyle, orange strands running towards his neck and the sides shaved close, so the extra flesh he feels every morning now gives him pause when he first wakes up. Wade hadn't liked it much at all, and Boodah had seemed confused at first, but he thinks they're coming around after a few weeks now.
Either way, he has better things to dwell on now, making it to his feet and slowly walking out of the bedroom. "Boodah? Brit? Where are ya?" But the apartment is quiet, no signs of life, and he yawns, rubbing an eye as he continues on into the living room. He's woke up quickly when he steps on something hard, a highpitched yelp slipping out of his lips that he's glad Wade wasn't here to overhear. Peering down, he finds a small bag of candy- cinnamon imperials- on the floor, a note tied to it. He groans and rubs a hand down his face before focusing on the thin handwriting. Follow the path. "Aw, dammit, Brit," he sighs, looking down at himself. No shoes, plaid pajama pants, and one of Wade's shirts that always seems to dwarf him. "Whatever."
The bags of candies lead him outside, down the parking lot, and towards the beach just visible from their apartment complex. He has to smile, hard to remain grumpy as the pile of cinnamon candies in his hands grow, the sand warm under his bare feet and wind whipping through his hair. By the time Boodah races up to him, hyper and licking every inch of him that he can reach- which is pretty much all of Heath since he's a big dog- he has a pocket full of the candy along with what's still in his hands. Wade joins them after a minute and tugs Boodah back by his collar, giving Heath a moment to catch his breath before leaning in to kiss him. "Coulda just woke me up and dragged me out here on your own, y'know," he murmurs.
"Wouldn't have been as much fun," Wade dismisses this easily. "And besides, how else would you've gotten your candy then?"
Heath rolls his eyes but any possible response he might've had is lost when Wade muffles it with another kiss, Heath's hands dropping the wrapped up candy into the sand as he grips Wade's back, grumbling when he breaks the kiss and pulls back, pressing their foreheads together. "So? What's the plan, Brit?"
Wade hums and drags him over to the towels, pushing him to sit down as he joins him and drapes an arm around his shoulders. "Well, I know that neither of us have had much of a chance to just... be. Between my rehab and returning to touring, and your legal issues..." Heath releases a breath, Wade pausing long enough to rub his back soothingly. "So I thought since we have a quiet day ahead, we could spend it all here on the beach with Boodah. Tanning, eating, listening to some of that ridiculous music you enjoy for some reason... How does that sound?"
The look on Heath's face alone tells Wade all he needs to know, his dark eyes gleaming with happiness and love as he leans in and kisses Wade hard. "Thanks, Brit. It sounds perfect." He grins and settles into the protective embrace of Wade's arms, closing his eyes as he takes in the warm sun overhead.
Wade smiles, pressing a kiss to the top of Heath's head before aimlessly tossing a ball at the antsy dog so he won't jump in and risk the quiet moment Heath's granting himself after so many stressful, tense weeks. "Happy Valentine's Day, Ginger."
-x
"Ricardo!" Sofia gasps, swatting at his hand as his fingers sneak towards bright pink icing once more. "No, no, that's not for you!" She shakes her head in exasperated fondness, Ricardo pouting playfully at her as he retreats and presses his hands together.
"Por favor, Sofia, just a little," he pleads, leaning towards the heart shaped cupcakes once more. When she narrows her eyes at him, he sighs and grimaces, pulling away. "Fine, fine. It looks really good though."
She smiles after him as he trudges out of the kitchen, shoulders slumped in an overly dramatic fashion. Alberto is training in the basement gym, preparing for his upcoming matches, so she's not surprised to hear Ricardo's steps heading down the stairs as she resumes work on her baking.
He leans against the punching bag, watching as Alberto jabs and kicks at thin air, movements quick and agile, dangerous and sharp. It always takes his breath away, the intensity electrifying the very air around them, all of himself that Alberto puts in his training, not to mention his actual matches. The best thing that had ever happened to Ricardo was being paired with this man... His eyes are warm, a smile on his face, when Alberto finally notices him and slips out of the ring, peeling off his wrist tape as he approaches Ricardo and cups his face, beaming down at him before he kisses him, slowly and intently. "Hola, El Patron," he breathes against his lips.
"Hola, mi valiente. How are you?"
"I'm fine." He leans closer to Alberto. "Sofia is being stubborn with not giving out samples of cupcakes she's baking though..."
Alberto hums a moment and strokes Ricardo's shoulders, tilting his head. "Isn't she making those for her family? Nieces and nephews she'll be seeing on her day off?"
Eyes clearing, Ricardo stares up at Alberto in embarrassment. "Ay, I forgot. Ugh. I should've remembered... Remind me to apologize to her when she's not so busy, si?"
Alberto laughs and kisses Ricardo again, his eyes sparkling as he shakes his head fondly. "I doubt she was offended, mi valiente. But if it eases your mind, si, I will. For now, what do you say we train a little?"
Ricardo agrees easily and they fall into the usual rhythm, pacing around the ring, exchanging blows and kicks to warm up before moving on to more strenuous things, finally concluding when Ricardo hits Alberto with an unexpected moonsault from the second rope and Alberto laughs, conceding the match breathlessly by tapping Ricardo on the arm once. They find their way to their feet together and Alberto lightly rubs Ricardo's neck as they make their way upstairs.
Ricardo is enjoying the warmth of his hand too much to notice Sofia sitting quietly at the table, watching them, until Alberto stops in front of her and leans over to snag a picnic basket from next to her, winking at the housekeeper. "Gracias, Sofia. What would we do without you, hm?"
She beams up at him before laughing softly at the confounded look on Ricardo's face. "Enjoy yourself this afternoon, mi hijo," she tells him.
"All of the baking you did this morning..." he says slowly, realization dawning on him.
"Si, some was for you both." She smiles at him. "Lo siento for slapping your hand away from the icing, I merely wanted to make sure I had enough."
"Oh, oh, it's fine," he says lamely. "I thought I deserved it since it was for... for your family."
Shaking his head at himself, he smiles at her. "Gracias for putting all of this together, Sofia."
"You are both my family as well," she tells him, reaching out for him as he freezes, a wave of emotions crossing his face. "De nada, mi hijo. Enjoy it all." He hugs her quickly then allows Alberto to lead him outside into the warm, Florida sun, where they sit by the pond and take in all of the beauty surrounding them.
Alberto finds Ricardo's hand in the grass and squeezes it, smiling over at him. "I believe Sofia packed swimwear for us both, so what do you say? Would you like to go for a swim, wash off the training session from earlier? Then we can eat, if you wish."
Ricardo grins. "That sounds perfect, El Patron."
-x
Zack is playing around on his phone, looking pretty bored, as Dolph drives their rental, humming Britney Spears under his breath. Finally growing sick of the same few bars being repeated over and over again, Zack looks up. "Bro, no offense but I'm not sure why we had to come out here. I was given the all clear to finish up rehab in Long Island and you don't need the performance center, so..."
Dolph can't help but smirk as he glances over at Zack. "Patience, kid. We'll see soon." Zack looks unimpressed and Dolph has to truly fight not to laugh... He drives a little faster, not wanting Zack to get even more bored and start digging harder for details.
Parking the car a few minutes later and getting out is a relief to both of them, Zack trailing after Dolph as they enter the performance center. He's lagging so far behind that finally Dolph wraps an arm around Zack's shoulders and pulls him closer, the two of them walking side by side into the main training room where the rings are waiting to be used.
Zack's staring at his phone, probably tweeting something, and doesn't notice anything in front of him until Dolph reaches over and snags the phone, raising an eyebrow at him when he begins to complain. He frowns and looks around, realizing that the room looks different than the last time he'd been here, to get cleared to compete in the Rumble. "Bro," he breathes.
It's not the same, because of course there's a roof, but it's as close to a representation of Wrestlemania XXVIII as possible in the performance center. There's even plastic palm trees here and there and Zack shakes his head, turning to look at Dolph in confusion.
There's a small smile on his face as he pushes Zack towards the locker room. "We never got our Wrestlemania match, and I know there wasn't much either of us could really do about it, but I was able to convince some people to help me... and here we are. We can have our match, right here, right now. I know it won't be the same, but... I think it'll be pretty good, kid. What do you say?"
Zack gapes around at everything, his eyes growing suspiciously wet as Dolph waits for an answer. "Bro," he mumbles. "You... you set all of this up for me?"
"Of course I did, kid. Come on... you up for it?" Zack laughs and swats his shoulder, but they barely make contact when he sobs, Dolph immediately stepping forward and hugging him hard. "It's ok," he mumbles. "It's ok, kid." Zack had been through a lot the last few months, getting destroyed by Rusev, having his rotator cuff torn apart, taking the chance on the stem cell treatment, just for it to work well enough for him to avoid the serious surgery that would've kept him out of action for six months more, but it still hadn't been enogh. Outside of competing in the rumble, he's still not being booked regularly and it's clear that it's eating at him, so Dolph stands still, says nothing but strokes his soft hair while waiting out this flood of emotions.
"Sorry," Zack breathes after a minute, pulling away and wiping at his face, flushing in embarrassment. "I don't know-"
"Don't apologize, kid," Dolph tells him, reaching up and brushing his cheeks off with careful fingers. "You're fine. Come on, change into your gear, and let's show these developmental punks how it's done."
Zack laughs weakly and nods, going to do just that. He peeks at Dolph as he digs through his own bag, eyes softening. I should've known he would've had a really good reason for both of us to come here...
Once they meet in the ring, a few of the NXT crew and competitors are wandering around, curious to see the long expected rematch, and Zack breathes it all in, peering at Dolph. "You're not just gonna let me win, are you, bro?" he calls out, adjusting his armbands.
"Hell no, kid. You're gonna win this on your own... if you win at all." Dolph smirks as Zack immediately lunges forward and they tie up, eyes locked.
The match itself goes back and forth, punches and kicks, dropkicks followed up by forearms and leg drops, Zack all but tackling Dolph into the turnbuckle after a few minutes of struggling back and forth for the advantage. He's winded and drops to the mat, allowing Zack to fall into his comfort zone. "Woo woo woo," he chants, fist pumping before rushing forward and scraping his boot against Dolph's face, dragging the Show Off out of the corner and going for the Rough Ryder. Zack is just leaping up to perform the move when Dolph shifts and reverses it into the Fameasser, Zack's face getting slammed into the mat instead and he grunts, dizzy and uncertain how that happened.
Dolph drags him to his feet, setting up for the ZigZag, when Zack, determined not to lose, wraps his arms around the ropes, trying to shake himself back into awareness. Dolph loses his grip on him and stumbles into the middle of the ring while Zack collapses into the turnbuckle, rolling his eyes and heading over to tug Zack out of the corner, when Zack, bracing himself on the top turnbuckle, lunges up and strikes Dolph in the face with both knees, startling him and sending him back a few steps. This gives Zack the advantage he needs as he rushes forward and hits a perfect Rough Ryder, crashing all of his weight down on Dolph and immediately rolling him up into a pin. There are no refs but the developmental stars circling the ring all count to three, Zack laughing into Dolph's ear as he releases his hold on him, rolling away. They're laying a few feet away from each other, staring up at the lights overhead while they cool down, when Dolph rolls onto his side and stares at Zack.
He turns his head and smiles sheepishly back at him, coughing into his fist when Dolph narrows his eyes at him. "Sorry, bro?" When Dolph sits up and crawls over to him, the expression on his face not changing, Zack pales. "Bro, really- we'll redo, alright- c'mon! Dolph, it's Valentine's Day!"
"Damn straight it is," Dolph grouses, his hand resting on Zack's abs as he leans over and kisses him. When Zack melts back into the mat, Dolph smirks, slapping his free hand lightly against the mat next to Zack's head. "One... two... three," he counts out between kisses, tugging at Zack's lip before pulling away and sitting up. "There's your redo, kid." He takes in the dazed look on Zack's face and smirks. "Now I guess we're both happy."
-x
It's hard to think normally after the massage, Spud's eyes fluttering shut every few moments as Ethan drives them home, but when they are opened, they're focused on the black numbers on the car radio's clock, trying to make sense of the 7:35 PM flashing there, and why a spasm of terror rockets up his body every time he sees it. It's not until they're inside and he sees the papers still sprawled out on the table that it registers, his body suddenly jerking wide awake. "Bloody hell!" he exclaims, pulling away from Ethan. "Sir, I'm sorry, I can't explain, but you need to change into proper clothes now." He's starting to push Ethan down the hall, the differences in their height near meaningless in the face of Spud's determination. "Please, sir!"
"Spud- fine, Spud, stop pushing me!" he exclaims, finally planting his shoes and stopping all forward motion. When he turns around, he sees the terror in Spud's eyes and succumbs to his need to ease the man's tension. "Alright, alright, I'm going." With one worried glance back at him, he enters the bedroom and begins to do as Spud had requested, not sure what he means by proper clothes but guessing he means a few steps above the jeans and shirt they both had been wearing. Coming out to find Spud's wearing one of his slightly calmer suits- a deep green one with a matching tie- proving that he's right, he smooths his own dark navy suit jacket down, examining the dusty purple color against the white fabric of his slacks. "Is this ok?" he wonders, relieved when Spud relaxes even more, smiling at him.
"You look amazing as always, sir." Spud blinks, growing a little flustered as Ethan steps up to him and plays around with his tie a little, running his hand down his dress shirt. "Sir..."
"You know, this really is my favorite color," he muses, smirking down at Spud as he blushes. "Now is there some reason we dressed up, or are we just going to stand here and stare at each other all night?"
"Oh bloody hell, right," Spud groans, grabbing the papers off of the table and racing off. Realizing that Ethan's not followed him, he ducks back inside. "Sir, please, come on!"
Ethan gapes after him a moment before following him, shaking his head incredulously, not having seen Spud like this since he was working for Dixie, and so desperate to please her. The relative calm that had settled over them since he'd been fired as Chief of Staff apparently was short lived, and Ethan thinks he knows why. So, once they're in the car, he reaches over and smoothly grips Spud's hand, squeezing it. Their old signal to remind the other just to breathe, which Spud does finally, glancing over at him with a vague smile.
No matter how stressed or short on time he is, Spud is a careful driver, especially when someone else is in the car with him so Ethan doesn't worry as they drive into the city, the papers that Spud had fallen asleep sitting between them. He doesn't bother to look at them, though, more curious in seeing where they're going first hand.
They're surrounded by fancy looking establishments that even Ethan is impressed by, gazing around when Spud pulls up to the valet. After handing over the car, they walk side by side to the building and Spud murmurs a quick thank you to the host that holds the door open for them as they walk inside.
They're spotted immediately, Zack calling out, "Hey, bro, where've you been?"
Spud flushes harder when a few people at nearby tables look up and around, curious. He quickly walks over to the group, relieved to find that all of them had dressed nicely enough for it. He had figured they would, but he couldn't help the doubt until he'd actually seen them with his own two eyes. "I'm so bloody sorry," he sighs. "I was planning on being here first, but Ethan surprised me with a massage and I... was so comfortable that I fell asleep..."
Understanding dawning, Zack grins at him. "A massage, huh, bro? Sounds nice."
"It was," Spud nods, turning to the host. "Hello, we have a reservation for eight... under Curtin?"
"Right, let's see," the man says, skimming a sheet of resevations for the night. "I have you here. Follow me, your table is this way."
The group of them follow the host and sit down at the table, relieved to finally be here. "So this is what you fell asleep at the table working on this morning," Ethan tells Spud, smiling over at him.
"Yes. Thank you for not peeking at the papers. I really wanted this to be a nice surprise for you."
"Well, you succeeded there," Ethan murmurs. Turning his attention away from Spud for a moment, he looks around at the table, watching Ricardo and Alberto discuss the menu in Spanish. Zack and Dolph are examining the bread basket that a waiter had placed on the table while waiting for them to finish deciding on what they want to order. Or, considering they're all still talking amongst themselves, to begin. "So while we wait for all of you to get your crap together," he says after a few boring minutes, staring at Heath for the first time since they'd all met up, "what exactly did you do to your hair?"
Heath glares across at him. "What's it to you? I like it."
Wade makes a face but wisely keeps his mouth shut, relieved when the waiter comes back right then with the wine menu and gives them all something else to focus on.
Alberto and Ethan both pick their choice of wine quickly, Spud and Ricardo following suit a moment later. The four of them sit back and watch as the rest consider the options, finally choosing with some help from the waiter. "This is going to take forever when we actually get around to ordering food," Ricardo sighs, leaning against Alberto and smiling as he wraps an arm around him and kisses the back of his head.
"Had to figure with this group," Alberto murmurs. "It's fine, just means I get to spend more time with you while we wait." He raises his voice a bit and Ricardo laughs when Heath and Zack look up at him sheepishly.
Bread put down and wine finally selected, soon they're onto choosing food Despite how they'd argued over the bread, Zack and Dolph agree easily to split the beef and lobster meals, which leaves the rest flustered as they'd planned on having more time to select their own meals. Even so it all goes smoothly enough, Alberto choosing shrimp while Ricardo goes with pork. Heath and Wade select gouda macaroni and cheese and squab to share. Once Spud and Ethan decide to share oysters and steak, and the menus are back with the waiter, Spud sits back and leans against Ethan, aware that they'll have to go through all of this again for dessert, but relieved that for now, the table's peaceful- or as peaceful as it can with the eight of them surrounding it.
"You alright?" Ethan murmurs against his ear, holding him close as he stares at their friends.
"Yes sir, I'm fine," Spud smiles. "I'm just glad this all worked out, we've been working on it for so long. I thought for sure I had ruined everything when I was so out of it after the massage."
"You could never ruin anything," Ethan tells him lowly, hand steady and warm against his midsection. "This was pretty much the best damn Valentine's Day surprise I've ever had. Thank you, Spud. And Happy Valentine's Day." He cups Spud's face and tilts it upwards, leaning down to kiss him softly. "I love you."
"I love you too, sir," Spud murmurs back, hand tugging lightly at Ethan's collar.