Title: Breathing

Pairing: Bryan Danielson/CM Punk/Colby Lopez

Rating: M

Summary: Colby loves staying in this apartment that the three of them share, adores getting to see Bryan and Phil when they have time. It's the leaving that bothers him, when they pack up and go back to the world of Professional wrestling and leave him here with this whole, big apartment all to himself. (Part of the ROH Love 'verse)

Disclaimer: I don't own shit.

Author's Note: So I have a whole, whole lot of bits plotted out for this particular 'verse, but since I'm focusing all my efforts as of late on the newest universe I've been sucked into, I feel like I'm not going to finish this huge chunk of a story to complete this one. The more I read back over the bits that I have finished for it, though, the more I feel like some of them don't really need terribly much backstory. Most of this 'verse doesn't necessarily, to be honest. So, I've decided to start posting pieces on their own, as they get finished up, to kind of tide over the time between updates to my other stories, ha. So, I very proudly present, my ROH Love universe. Hope you enjoy. =)

Warnings: None.

Timeline: Shortly after Bryan gets called up to WWE, leaving Colby alone in Ring of Honor.

~I only miss you when I'm breathing~

Colby wakes up right as he hears the alarm being turned off. He groans, rolling over to face his bedmate, who is already sitting up and running his hands over his face. His eyes flicker to the window, no light even filtering through the blinds yet, and he blinks back to Phil, huffing out a sigh.

"What time is it?" Colby questions, voice still gravelly with sleep, and Phil turns to him with a sad smile.

"Too fucking early," Phil replies as he stretches, rolling onto his stomach so that he can reach out, run a careful hand down the younger's cheek. "4:30. In the morning."

Colby lets another groan slip out, louder this time, dropping an arm across his eyes.

"But the sun's not even up yet!" he objects.

"Christ, tell me about it. The downside of being a WWE Superstar, kid." Phil says, ruffling Colby's hair before dropping a quick kiss to his lips. When Colby tries to chase after him, the older pushes himself off the bed with a smirk. Coldy shoots him a glare.

"M'not a kid." he mutters, propping himself up on an elbow to watch Phil peel his shirt off. He turns and meets Colby's eyes, walking backward to the bathroom.

"You're eight years younger than me, Colbs. You'll always be a kid to me." Phil fires back with a wink.

Then, he's gone, the bathroom door closing between them, and Colby drops back onto his pillow with a huff. He loves staying in this apartment that the three of them share, adores getting to see Bryan and Phil when they have time. It's the leaving that bothers him, when they pack up and go back to the world of Professional wrestling and leave him here with this whole, big apartment all to himself. He knows there's nothing they can really do about it, contracts to uphold and all that, but it doesn't make him miss them any less. He draws in a shaky breath thinking about how wonderful the last few days with Phil have been, and how much he's going to miss that. Before he can even stop himself, he pushes his body from the bed, walking naked to the bathroom with a purpose. The shower's already running, Phil standing with his eyes closed beneath the hot spray, when Colby barges in, catching him off guard.

"Colby! What are you-" Phil squawks, but Colby simply pulls back the curtain, stepping into the shower as well and cutting the older off with a kiss.

It's messy, all teeth and tongue, and Phil can't help but be intrigued, threading his fingers into Colby's hair and pulling him closer with every passing second. When the younger breaks off, he turns nervous eyes on his lover.

"I know you're going to be gone for a while," Colby says, barely louder than the shower. Phil moves in closer just in time to hear, "So this time, I want to feel you for days."

It takes everything in Phil to tell the younger, "I'm sorry, babe. I don't have time."

The strength that Colby uses when he grabs him by the shoulders suprises Phil, but he refuses to show it, instead focusing on the boy's heated stare. He swallows thickly.

"Make time." the younger half growls, and it's all Phil can stand.

Colby almost chokes as Phil spins him around, shoves his chest against the shower wall. Tattooed body draping over the slightly shorter tanned one, Phil whispers right into his ear, "Oh, yea?"

"Please?" Colby replies. When he feels Phil shiver against his back, he knows he's won, smirking against the wall so the older doesn't see.

"Goddammit, Colbs." Phil presses the words into the skin of his shoulder, fingers tangling into his hair, and it sends a shiver up Colby's spine, too.

"Come on, Phil. Please." the younger eggs him on further, pressing back against his now very prominent erection, and Phil loses it.

He barely prepares Colby for once, ignoring the boy's hiss of pain when he enters him. Something about the way Colby pushes back against him, a whimper of his name on the younger's lips, tells him he's doing the right thing, though, and he pulls back out, slamming in slightly harder than before. If Colby wants to feel him for days, he will.

By the time they're both done, Colby is a quivering mess on the shower floor, Phil almost as shaky as he kneels down, helping the boy clean himself off. He can't help but lean in, press a kiss to the younger's trembling lips, holding Colby's face in an effort to calm both of them down a bit. Colby lets out the slightest of whimpers as Phil pulls away, so the older drops to his knees, only backing off far enough to seperate their lips, keeping their foreheads pressed together.

"What's up, babe?" Phil asks, staring as deep into Colby's eyes as he can manage.

"Gonna miss you." the younger mutters after a long pause, and Phil can't help but look away, hurt.

Phil lets out a soft sigh, "Let's get dried off."

Colby just nods, letting the older help him to his feet. After they're both out of the shower and wrapped in towels, they make their way back to the bedroom, where Colby flops down on his stomach on the bed to watch Phil pack. His stomach ties into slightly tighter knots with every item the Superstar puts into his suitcase, and eventually, he hears himself let out another sigh before he can even stop it. Despite hoping the older hadn't heard it, Phil freezes immediately, turning to him with a look of complete concern. He crosses the room to sit down on the bed as well, close enough to reach out and touch Colby, rest a hand on his shoulder. The younger relaxes the slightest bit.

"Is it that bad?" Phil questions, and Colby's gaze darts away.

It takes a long moment before Colby finally manages a nod.

"It's just lonely, yknow?" he says, voice low.

"But Bryan will be here in a couple of days. He's got a longer break this time and everything." Phil replies, voice hopeful. "You won't be completely alone, see?"

The light sigh Phil hears slip from his younger lover's lips fills him with more defeat than any match could.

"It's different, Phil. I miss you, too. We both do." Colby finally reponds, and Phil thinks, oh.

This whole thing is so new, so confusing to Phil. He hadn't even considered the fact that it's not just about he and Colby, or he and Bryan anymore. It's about all three of them. And they need to figure out a way to make it work that way. He nods, the most serious of expressions crossing over his face. After several long, tense moments, he reaches out, threading his fingers into Colby's hair and pulling him up into a long, deep kiss. He nips at the boy's lips, waiting until Colby sighs into it before dipping his tongue in, claiming what's been partially his all along. Colby's hands cling to his on the side of the younger's face as if Phil will disappear if he lets go, and it makes Phil kiss him that much deeper. Colby appears in a trance when he finally pulls back, focused completely on the older's face as it hovers above his own. Phil drops his head down to rest forehead to forehead with his young lover, eyes locked on Colby's as he speaks.

"I miss both of you, terribly. I promise, I will be better about finding time for you. For both of you. Okay?" Phil whispers, barely a breath away from Colby.

The younger nods, still clinging, and Phil shivers at the feeling of Colby's hair brushing his forehead.

"Okay." Colby says, voice low. Then, even lower, almost as if he doesn't necessrily want to be heard. "We love you, Phil."

Phil can't help but snatch him up into another kiss, this one softer but still full of passion, his tongue tangling with the younger's like a perfect match. When he pulls away this time, Colby lets out a contented sigh, and it brings a smile to Phil's lips. He whispers a soft, "I love you, too." Then, he has no other choice, releasing the boy and pushing off the bed to finish packing. Colby's still in shock, watching the older move around the room to prepare for yet another trip to God knows where. Phil is more rushed than normal, but he doesn't mind. He knew when he agreed to welcome Colby into he and Bryan's life that it would come with some changes. At least, he thinks, looking at the boy who has collapsed back onto the bed, pulling the covers back over himself, they're mostly pleasant ones.