Adam watched the monitor carefully, blocking any other noise around him.
He'd been away from the ring for months now and it was killing him not to
be there. He missed the action. He missed the drama. He missed the
backstage antics. He missed . . . HIM. He was on the screen right now. And
he was losing, unfortunately.
He wasn't sure when it first took hold of him, but it was getting stronger as time went on. Maybe it was because he wasn't there right now. Absence making the heart grow fonder and all of that. Whatever it was, a waning flicker of interest had turned into a full-blown obsession for the tall, blond Canadian. He couldn't stop thinking about the guy. It hadn't even been this bad when he'd been trying to hide his feelings all those years ago.
Jay. Adam felt the twinge of guilt about what was going on. Jay was his best friend and former lover. His first lover, too, male or female. They started dating each other towards the end of their senior year in high school, but kept it quiet. Jay was open about his own sexuality but Adam wasn't comfortable telling anyone else. He was scared of what his parents and other friends would say. Jay had said that it didn't bother him to hide their feelings for one another, but Adam knew that the inability to openly show his affection for his lover hurt him. It had started the small rift in their relationship that over a few years developed into a chasm too wide to sustain. They were still friends, but now things were awkward between them and Adam couldn't figure out how to fix it.
Adam shook himself out of his thoughts and winced when he saw the wrestler on the screen take a bump to the back of the head. That wasn't planned, he thought grimly. The opponent could have done that better, but what can you expect from a rookie? Adam didn't agree with the company's new approach of bringing younger, less experienced guys in before making them go through a rigid developmental program. Yeah, they passed through OVW, but not for long anymore. It made for unpredictable falls and more injuries.
He knew the company's storylines called for the wrestler on the screen to take a lot of losses, like now. And like last week. We can't have the belt changing hands, now, can we? No, he wouldn't be able to wear that particular gold belt for a long time. It and tonight's losses were meant to hype up the gimmick he was involved in and to push the wrestler's teammate. Adam liked the tag partner he teamed with. They'd been friends for years, in fact. But he hated that he had to keep losing and to some very inferior opponents just to boost the other guy's program.
He watched as again the wrestler took a bump that looked avoidable. His blood started to boil. Considering his own injuries, he would have expected the company to take a stronger stance on training the rookies to deal blows better so that they didn't hurt anyone if they could help it. He watched uncertainly as the man lifted his head and blinked his eyes.
"At least he's moving," Adam grumbled, taking a long sip of his beer.
Once, when Jay was fighting RVD, Adam could have sworn that that the unorthodox former ECW champ had given his former lover a concussion with what looked like a DDT, but was actually so poorly executed it was hard to tell. Adam intended to have a chat with Rob the next time he saw him. But he would have to do it without Jay finding out. There was nothing that pissed the smaller Canadian off more than being coddled.
One of the wrestlers on the screen got up and leaned against the turnbuckle. His opponent stalked him from the other corner. Adam leaned forward in his chair unconsciously biting his fingernail. Just as the guy launched his attack, the other man jumped out of the way. Before the guy could get up, the man leaped on him and went for a pin. He was kicked off, of course, but Adam smiled at his tenacity.
He thought back to the days he first started wrestling completely solo. He and Jay had been so distant before the team's break up that they'd hardly spoken at all. They'd already been broken up, romantically speaking, for nearly half a year, but Adam didn't think they hated each other. When Jay was sent out to deliver the "conchairto" though, his eyes even looked alien. Like he and Adam were strangers. After that break, they'd used the storyline as an excuse to get away from each other. But no matter what happened, Adam still counted Jay as his best friend.
His own matches became phenomenal. He'd been given the biggest push ever, with opponents like Chris Jericho and championship matches. But when he won the tag title with Hogan and then again with Mysterio, he knew Jay was watching somewhere sadly. Just as he watched sadly as Jay went on to Raw and won the tag title with Lance Storm and then Chris Jericho. It was as if the management was reminding them both that they were no longer a team and likely would never be again. That they should get used to different partners.
He'd had a lot of time to think about things while he convalesced from his operation. There were a lot of things he hoped to make right when he got back. He would find a way to get himself back on track with Jay.
After another couple of near pinfalls, the guy on the screen finally jobbed to the rookie. Adam shook his head and watched as he lay in the middle of the ring with a dazed look on his face, his opponent dancing up the ramp in celebration.
In two weeks, Adam would be visiting his old Smackdown friends when he went on a promotional tour with them. Coincidentally, also in two weeks, one of Adam's good friends would be leaving Smackdown for Raw. While Adam was sorry he wouldn't be working with him again, at least for a while, he wasn't devastated. Because that meant that in two weeks Adam would have HIM all to himself.
"I'm coming back soon, Shannon," he whispered to the figure on the screen hobbling out of the ring. "I just hope I can catch your interest when I get there."
***********************************
NOTE: I hope that opener went right. I wanted you to think of Jay until the end. Adam still has unresolved issues, as you can see, but he knows what he wants. This isn't a sequel to "Through the Years" and Shannon and Jeff aren't in love with each other in this one. There will be other couples here, too. Probably lots of them! Or at least several choice combinations. Do you like it so far?
He wasn't sure when it first took hold of him, but it was getting stronger as time went on. Maybe it was because he wasn't there right now. Absence making the heart grow fonder and all of that. Whatever it was, a waning flicker of interest had turned into a full-blown obsession for the tall, blond Canadian. He couldn't stop thinking about the guy. It hadn't even been this bad when he'd been trying to hide his feelings all those years ago.
Jay. Adam felt the twinge of guilt about what was going on. Jay was his best friend and former lover. His first lover, too, male or female. They started dating each other towards the end of their senior year in high school, but kept it quiet. Jay was open about his own sexuality but Adam wasn't comfortable telling anyone else. He was scared of what his parents and other friends would say. Jay had said that it didn't bother him to hide their feelings for one another, but Adam knew that the inability to openly show his affection for his lover hurt him. It had started the small rift in their relationship that over a few years developed into a chasm too wide to sustain. They were still friends, but now things were awkward between them and Adam couldn't figure out how to fix it.
Adam shook himself out of his thoughts and winced when he saw the wrestler on the screen take a bump to the back of the head. That wasn't planned, he thought grimly. The opponent could have done that better, but what can you expect from a rookie? Adam didn't agree with the company's new approach of bringing younger, less experienced guys in before making them go through a rigid developmental program. Yeah, they passed through OVW, but not for long anymore. It made for unpredictable falls and more injuries.
He knew the company's storylines called for the wrestler on the screen to take a lot of losses, like now. And like last week. We can't have the belt changing hands, now, can we? No, he wouldn't be able to wear that particular gold belt for a long time. It and tonight's losses were meant to hype up the gimmick he was involved in and to push the wrestler's teammate. Adam liked the tag partner he teamed with. They'd been friends for years, in fact. But he hated that he had to keep losing and to some very inferior opponents just to boost the other guy's program.
He watched as again the wrestler took a bump that looked avoidable. His blood started to boil. Considering his own injuries, he would have expected the company to take a stronger stance on training the rookies to deal blows better so that they didn't hurt anyone if they could help it. He watched uncertainly as the man lifted his head and blinked his eyes.
"At least he's moving," Adam grumbled, taking a long sip of his beer.
Once, when Jay was fighting RVD, Adam could have sworn that that the unorthodox former ECW champ had given his former lover a concussion with what looked like a DDT, but was actually so poorly executed it was hard to tell. Adam intended to have a chat with Rob the next time he saw him. But he would have to do it without Jay finding out. There was nothing that pissed the smaller Canadian off more than being coddled.
One of the wrestlers on the screen got up and leaned against the turnbuckle. His opponent stalked him from the other corner. Adam leaned forward in his chair unconsciously biting his fingernail. Just as the guy launched his attack, the other man jumped out of the way. Before the guy could get up, the man leaped on him and went for a pin. He was kicked off, of course, but Adam smiled at his tenacity.
He thought back to the days he first started wrestling completely solo. He and Jay had been so distant before the team's break up that they'd hardly spoken at all. They'd already been broken up, romantically speaking, for nearly half a year, but Adam didn't think they hated each other. When Jay was sent out to deliver the "conchairto" though, his eyes even looked alien. Like he and Adam were strangers. After that break, they'd used the storyline as an excuse to get away from each other. But no matter what happened, Adam still counted Jay as his best friend.
His own matches became phenomenal. He'd been given the biggest push ever, with opponents like Chris Jericho and championship matches. But when he won the tag title with Hogan and then again with Mysterio, he knew Jay was watching somewhere sadly. Just as he watched sadly as Jay went on to Raw and won the tag title with Lance Storm and then Chris Jericho. It was as if the management was reminding them both that they were no longer a team and likely would never be again. That they should get used to different partners.
He'd had a lot of time to think about things while he convalesced from his operation. There were a lot of things he hoped to make right when he got back. He would find a way to get himself back on track with Jay.
After another couple of near pinfalls, the guy on the screen finally jobbed to the rookie. Adam shook his head and watched as he lay in the middle of the ring with a dazed look on his face, his opponent dancing up the ramp in celebration.
In two weeks, Adam would be visiting his old Smackdown friends when he went on a promotional tour with them. Coincidentally, also in two weeks, one of Adam's good friends would be leaving Smackdown for Raw. While Adam was sorry he wouldn't be working with him again, at least for a while, he wasn't devastated. Because that meant that in two weeks Adam would have HIM all to himself.
"I'm coming back soon, Shannon," he whispered to the figure on the screen hobbling out of the ring. "I just hope I can catch your interest when I get there."
***********************************
NOTE: I hope that opener went right. I wanted you to think of Jay until the end. Adam still has unresolved issues, as you can see, but he knows what he wants. This isn't a sequel to "Through the Years" and Shannon and Jeff aren't in love with each other in this one. There will be other couples here, too. Probably lots of them! Or at least several choice combinations. Do you like it so far?