A/N: These are just little snidbits of random short stories. I hope you all like them. I own nothing, so don't sue me. Oh, and this has slash in it, so if you don't like then don't read. If you do like, then awesome. R&R. Enjoy!
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes.
How do you measure, measure a year?
Seasons of Love, Rent
In Daylights
Randy watched John, carefully studying him with his pale blue eyes. His best friend had been dumped by his boyfriend of three years about two months ago and it was still hard for him. Very hard. John Cena wasn't a man known to have many weaknesses, but Phil had always been one. And now, he was gone. For the best, in Randy's opinion. Phil was a great wrestler and an okay guy, but he wasn't the easiest person to please and satisfy, which made his relationship with John all the more difficult.
Sipping his coffee, he watched as John,s sad, forlorn eyes scanned the crowd at the coffee shop. When one of them needed some 'man time', they'd go hang out somewhere and talk. At first, Randy compared them to teenagers girls, but as he grew older, he realized that he needed this time just as much as John did, so the teasing stopped. But there had been very little talking going on and the Viper knew why. It was because John was still plagued, haunted, by Phil and he was in a dark place right now. Having some experience with this kind of thing, Randy knew that there wasn't much he could do but be there for John. Breaks, no matter how long one had been with their partner, were never easy, but time healed the wounds.
That being said, Randy could tell that John's wounds weren't healing. Not one bit. He couldn't say he blamed John for being a stubborn ass, though; his relationship with Phil had been the worst and best of his life. John had actually tried to make it work with Phil, whereas with others he really didn't give two shits if it failed or succeeded. Not because John didn't care, but because that was just who he had been at the time. Phil changed that though, and if there was one thing Randy could thank him for, it was for maturing John, which was something he needed. But not like this. Randy desperately wished that it hadn't been like this.
Ever since the break up, John's been drifting. Drifting between two platforms: one of numbness and the other of depression. It frightened Randy, if he were being honest with himself. John was a bright, happy person. His light was as bright as the setting sun's and he inspired a lot of people. That light had faded into darkness ever since the break up and John hadn't been himself. To Randy, it was like the movie Invasion of the Pod People, but not nearly as funny.
"You know, I never understood it, Randy." Randy turned his head to the side and gave John a confused look.
"Never understood what, John-John?" John turned to him and Randy saw the same sadness and despair that had been plaguing John ever since Phil left.
"Why people seek out companions. No matter how hard you try to make a relationship work, it's not a garauntee. Even if it does work, death will eventually tear you apart." Randy thought for a moment then shrugged, sipped his coffee, and answered.
"You must have failed Group Dynamics, John." Randy chuckled and John gave him a faint smile. It wasn't the real deal of course, but it's the first smile Randy's seen on his best friend's face since Phil up and left.
"No, but I did sleep through a few lectures. Nothing too major, though." Randy nodded.
"People need people. Family, friends, lovers; we need some sort of companionship. If we don't have that, then we can't really function I guess." John sighed and turned back to look at the coffee shop. The rush hour customer traffic had dwindled and now only a few patrons were left.
"D'you think…d'you think there could be something wrong with me?" John looked back at Randy and the Viper sighed. Straightening up, he gazed at John and studied him for a moment.
"There's something wrong with everyone. No one's perfect and we all know that. There are too many different personalities for everyone to get along with. Too many diverse characteristics and shit like that. Makes it easy for there to be a lot wrong with people nowadays." John chuckled and Randy gave him a smile. He was happy to see that John was cheering up.
"You know..Phil was always so…" Randy watched as John tried to find a word to describe his ex.
"Demanding? Full of high standards? Bitchy?" John gave him a sad smile and nodded.
"All of the above. But I kind of loved that about him, y'know? It felt normal to me." Randy nodded, knowing exactly where John was coming from.
"Normalcy isn't something we get a lot of in this business. Let me ask you something John." Randy placed his coffee on the table.
"Sure, Randy. Ask me anything." Sometimes, Randy couldn't help but wonder if John was a bit too trusting of him. The last time the Cenation leader had told him that, they were drunk off their asses and Randy asked him if he prefered purple or pink panties. John's answer was pink. Figures.
"Looking back on your relationship with Phil, do you think it was all worth it? I mean, you guys had some pretty good times, but you had more bad times. The daylight in your relationship wasn't something that we all got to see. It was more like darkness." John stayed quiet for a few minutes before he shrugged and looked out the window of the coffee shop.
"You're right, Randy. Phil and I..we had a lot of bad days. Too many when compared to the good days. But whenever I think back on everything, I think it was worth it." John straightened up and turned back to Randy as he continued.
"I loved Phil, Randy. I still do. And I realize that we both had issues and still have issues. It's just going to take me some time to get through this. I mean, I was with the man for three years, Randy. That's my longest relationship to date." Randy gave John a soft smile.
"I know was, Johnny. Just like I also know that you'll find someone who will make you happy for a long time. If you give them the chance, that is."
Just then, Mike, Kofi, and Evan walked into the coffee shop, carrying bags and laughing. John turned and looked at them and Randy watched him. Kofi and Evan had always been John's friends and so had Mike, but as Randy watched John watch Mike, he could tell that there might have been more going on than just friendship. Grinning, he leaned back and folded his arms over his chest. When John looked back at him, he blushed with embarrassment and forced his body to face Randy.
"Sorry." Randy shook his head, still grinning.
"No need to be sorry, big boy. Just be sure to use a good pick up line."
John and Randy both laughed. Mike, Evan and Kofi made their way to their table, drinks in hand. As they pulled up chairs and started talking, Randy couldn't help but notice how most of John's attention seemed to be focused on Mike. Perhaps this was the start of something so much more than just friendship. Randy didn't know, but he was glad to see some of John's light returning to him. Lord knows that he needed it.
