Nightingale
Summary: Mark Calaway (The Undertaker) was almost a professional at hiding his emotions. Being alone had become the status quo, and Mark was just fine with that, but when a certain rainbow-haired warrior falls into his life, can Mark learn to let it all go, or will he push him away, just like everyone else? (UndertakerXJeffHardy, MattHardyXEvanBourne)
Chapter 1: A Long Flight
Mark sat by himself on the cramped plane seat. He watched as the people filed on the plane. He crossed his arms and looked out the window. It was early in the morning and the sun was shining brightly onto the pavement of the runway. It looked so warm, but Mark knew better. It was early November and pretty cold.
He listened and caught bits and pieces of small conversation from the other passengers, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. He had never been much of a people person, and something like flying, even if it was first class, was just a chore. He sighed and leaned back when he remembered he had almost a 4 hour flight ahead of him.
"Just fucking great."
"What is?"
He nearly jumped when the voice came from beside him. He looked up to see Jeff Hardy standing over him. Jeff let out a nervous smile, and flashed his ticket, that had the seat beside Mark written in bold letters. Mark rolled his eyes again, and motioned for him to sit. Jeff threw his bag in the overhead bin, and sat down.
To his surprise, Mark found himself feeling relieved. Of all the people in the world, Jeff Hardy wasn't the worst person to end up beside. Even though, they had barely ever talked, he knew Jeff was quiet and polite. He, like Mark, wasn't much for small talk, and he predicted a quiet flight ahead. He watched from the corner of his eye as Jeff buckled the small lap belt, and settled in. Jeff didn't say anything, and for once, Mark found himself thinking of small talk. He knew that Jeff lived in North Carolina, so what was he doing on a flight to San Diego? It was probably rude to ask. None of his business, anyway. Mark shook it off and went back to staring out the window.
"Oh, man!" The random voice made Mark look up. A younger man, dressed nicely, with glasses, sat excitedly in the aisle seat across from Jeff. "Jeff Hardy?"
Jeff smiled politely, and nodded. The guy was smiling ear to ear. "Oh wow. I'm a huge fan! Are you going to San Diego for a match?"
"Vacation, actually."
"Oh, cool. Gonna get a lot of training done on your time off?"
Jeff laughed. Half polite, half exasperated. "None, if I can help it."
Mark took a deep breath. Great... now he got to sit and listen to Mr. Superfan bug the shit out of Jeff for 4 hours. He knew Jeff was far too polite to tell the guy to fuck off, and he was already considering it himself. Of course, if the guy knew Jeff, he would know him, and he really didn't want to send the guy reeling.
As the plane got ready to take off, the guy just kept on. Apparently, it was just unfathomable that Jeff would actually not think about, or do anything that involved his job for 2 weeks. Jeff answered all of his questions the best he could, but Mark could tell he really wasn't in the mood for an interview. He couldn't help but respect him for his patience. His was certainly running out.
"God, does this asshole ever shut up?"
When Jeff let out a laugh, Mark realized he hadn't said it as quiet as he'd hoped.
"He's just excited."
"He's just rude."
"Maybe a bit."
"Oh, Jeff!" As if to prove how rude he was, the man interrupted them, "Do you appear at birthday parties? My nephew is about to turn..."
"Sorry, I don't."
The guy was even happy about rejection. "Of course not. You're a wrestler, not a clown or something right?" The man laughed at his own joke, and Mark couldn't help but scoff. Jeff looked over at him, and gave him a sympathetic look.
"I'm sorry, I know this is a bit annoying."
"A bit?" He turned to look at Jeff, but his eyes met Mr. Superfan's, and he immediately regretted turning around.
"Undertaker?!"
"Good Lord..." Mark rubbed his eyes with one hand.
"Oh wow! I was dreading this business trip, and I end up sitting next to Jeff Hardy, and Undertaker going on vacation together? Score!"
"Oh we're not going together." Jeff corrected him. "We just happened to end up on the plane together."
"Well, what luck for me, right?" The guy laughed again.
As the engines revved for take off, the man's voice was drowned out, and Mark, and Jeff, were grateful. Mark dreaded the whole thing. He knew it wasn't Jeff's fault, but he found himself annoyed with him for simply bringing this upon him. He knew that wasn't fair, but he could really care less at this point. He knew before the end of this, he was going to have to be rude, and he was going to be the asshole for not listening to this idiot's continuous babble for 4 hours. He turned to see the guy looking back and forth from him and Jeff, just waiting for the noise to die down to talk again.
He leaned down so that Jeff could hear him: "If you don't shut this guy up, I'm going to."
"He's just excited. He's a fan."
"Well, we're not working."
"I know, but..."
"What would you do if I wasn't here? Just sit and listen to him?"
Jeff laughed: "Probably."
Mark rolled his eyes, and sighed. "Then you talk to him. I'm not."
As the engines died down, he noticed Jeff becoming anxious. He knew he didn't want to be rude... To him, or the fan, and Mark started to feel bad about making it out to be his fault. As soon as the cabin was quiet again, the man took a breath, but Mark beat him, and Jeff to the punch.
"Hey, listen... not to be an asshole or anything, but would it be too difficult for you to lay off? We're not working, and we'd like to just relax and make it through this flight like everybody else."
The guy blinked, and Jeff did his best to hide his smile. The guy simply nodded, and opened the magazine he'd brought with him. Jeff looked over at Mark with a small smile.
"Thank you." He said.
Mark nodded at him, and actually had to fight returning a smile. He turned his gaze out the window, and after a bit, found himself giving into sleep.
...
When Mark woke up, the plane was still in the air. Everything was pretty quiet. He lifted his head, rubbing the area that had been resting on the window. He looked over. Mr. Superfan was typing away on his computer, obviously keeping his distance from the superstars. Jeff was slumped down in the seat, with large red headphones over his ears. Mark could tell by his breathing that he was asleep.
He found himself staring at him for a bit. Jeff Hardy had always been someone that Mark liked. He didn't know him very well, but he was one of the few people that Mark had always had pleasant encounters with, and that was rare. Jeff always seemed to just know how to talk to him. He took a deep breath and looked at his watch. He was relieved to see that there was only an hour left on the flight.
He stretched as well as he could in the confined space. He ran through his schedule in his mind. Like Jeff, he was in vacation, but the only reason he'd chose to come to San Diego was because of a meeting with GM about the next Pay-per-view. He supposed California was a decent enough vacation spot, anyway. Regardless, he planned on spending most of his time at the hotel.
Lately, he'd become the utmost of introvert. He'd become more impatient over the years, and it was just mounting nowadays. Maybe he just really needed this vacation. His gaze was drawn as Jeff stirred in his seat. Mr. Superfan stared at him like a starving wolf at a helpless fox, and Mark couldn't help but find it creepy and a little agitating. Jeff didn't wake up, and Mark was glad for it.
The rest of the ride was uneventful, and Jeff slept almost all of it. In fact, his eyes didn't open until the plane hit the runway. He yawned and stretched. He looked over at Mark, and smiled at him. Mark returned it for about half a second, then looked over at Mr. Superfan, still staring at Jeff.
It took a good half hour for the plane to come to a stop and the people to start pouring off the plane. Jeff stood and slipped his backpack on when it came his turn to go. "Well, Mark." he said. Mark couldn't but find the sound of his name in that voice pretty odd. "It was good riding with you. Maybe I'll see you around San Diego."
"Yeah, maybe."
Jeff smiled again, and headed off the plane. Mark couldn't help but notice that Mr. Superfan had somehow gotten in between him and Jeff and was following him a bit close for comfort.
Once they got off the plane, Mark stood by the baggage claim, waiting impatiently. He could no longer see Jeff, but for some reason he found himself wondering about him, and he couldn't get the fan's gaze out of his head. Finally his bag made it's lazy way down the track. He grabbed it, and started heading out toward the car rental center. The sun was going down on the California coast, and Mark was more than ready to make it to his hotel, and take a hot shower.
He turned in his reservation, and the desk, and quickly got the keys to a very nice red mustang. Being a WWE Superstar did have its perks. He walked outside, and the California air felt wonderful. He stood outside his new car for a moment, basking in the warm air, and fading sunshine. The parking lot was almost deserted. Mark assumed the day's operations must be coming to an end. Hell, it was going on 7 O'clock.
He opened the door to his car, but stopped just before climbing in. He thought he heard something. He listened, but the sound, whatever it was, had faded. He shrugged it off and sat in the car. He reached into his pocket a pulled out a cigarette pack, and lighter. Before shutting the door, he lit one and took a long, satisfying drag. As he released it, he heard something again, but this time, louder, and more pronounced. He could tell now that it was a voice. No. Voices.
He reaches out to close the door. He'd had enough of people for one day. Then, the voice returned, but this time it caught his attention. It was Jeff. He looked across the parking lot to where two black cars were parked. He couldn't very well, but there was movement. He shut the door, and started the car. He pulled the car closer to the others, looking around for any sign of what he'd heard.
He pulled around the cars, but he saw nothing. Just as he was about to pull out of the parking lot, and be on his way, he saw the movement again from the corner of his eye. He pressed the brake and put the mustang in park. He watched the car. There was movement, from the backseat. He stared for a bit, wondering if he'd let his tired mind get the best of him, and was now peeping on some kids who were too horny to wait for home. Then he watched as the man on top sat up, and his eyes widened as he recognized him: Mr. Superfan.
He watched as the man fumbled with his belt. He was rushed, his hair was a mess and his business demeanor was long gone. Then another hand shot up, and tried to push the man away. He grabbed it and pulled his lover (or victim) up, and Mark gasped when Jeff rose from the seat. Mr. Superfan placed a hungry kiss on his lips, and it took no time at all for Mark to notice what was going on. Jeff was doing everything he could to back away, but his position was confining. He shoved Jeff back down and fell on top of him.
Mark heard Jeff yell, and that was all he needed.
He jumped out of the car and rushed over. He flung the door open, and grabbed the man by the back of his shirt. He threw him out, making sure he slammed into the car beside them. He reached in and yanked Jeff out. He helped him to the car, and quickly sat him in the passenger seat. As he ran back over, he took his chance, and laid one solid, forceful punch to the man's face, knocking him out cold.
He jumped in the car, and sped away. Jeff was out of breath. Mark glanced over, but quickly looked back at the road as he noticed his shirt was ripped up, and there were hickeys all over his neck and chest. Dry tear trails were on his cheeks.
"Mark?" Jeff finally said.
Mark said nothing. Jeff knew he could hear him.
"H-How did you..?"
"I heard you. I was leaving, and I heard your voice, so I went over and..." Mark trailed off. He didn't need to bring it back up. They were both well aware of what just happened.
There was a thick silence. Mark finally broke it with a much more apathetic tone than he had meant to give: "Where do you need to go?"
Jeff looked over at him, and Mark pretended not to see his expression, which was a mixture of hurt, and confusion. HE snapped out of it, and immediately started fixing himself up. He wiped his face, and started to pull his hair up into some kind of lazy bun. He stuttered. "I-I don't know. I was supposed to meet Matt at the airport. He..." He paused to take a deep breath, trying not to talk too fast. "He set everything up for the trip."
"Can you get in touch with him?"
"I don't know where my phone is. Well, actually yeah, I do. It's in my bag, which is in ... his car."
The way Jeff said that made Mark's heart ache. Which was absolutely shocking. He reached into his pocket and handed Jeff his cell phone. He took it slowly, and looked up at Mark, still in complete shock. He just held it in his lap, and stared down at it for a bit. Mark couldn't think of anything to say. What are you supposed to say? He just watched the road, feeling like the biggest asshole.
He knew exactly where his hotel was. He'd been there plenty of times. He had a favorite room, in fact. One of the suites. So, that's where he started heading. Out of habit, more than anything.
"Mark..." When Jeff spoke he sounded a bit more composed, but his voice was shaky. "I don't know exactly what just happened to me. He just walked up on me, and before I knew it I was in a back seat... and..." He took that deep breath again, "All I know for sure is that ... if it wasn't for you... it would have been way worse. You have no idea how-"
"Anyone in my situation would have done what I did." Mark found himself feeling a bit awkward. He spoke without thought, trying to turn the attention away from him. He could really go without the 'you're my hero' speech, even if that was really what happened. Jeff sat there for a bit before speaking again: "I know you're not a people person, Mark, and I know you're not one for sappy bullshit, but really..." He looked at him intently, "Thank you..."
Mark took a breath, and gave him a short glance. "You're welcome."
Jeff smiled but only for a second, before turning on Mark's phone and dialing a number.
"Matt..? It's Jeff. No, I ... um, lost my phone at the airport... This is Mark's phone... Mark Calaway... It's... It's a long story, Matt. I just need you to come get me, and we'll talk about it,ok?"
As Jeff was talking, Mark pulled up at his hotel, and parked outside the office.
"I'm at..." He leaned down to see the sign from the window, "The Caesar Hotel... just GPS it, trust me..." He was still looking around, "It's huge."
"Suite 3." Mark informed him, quietly, and then motioned to the office, and sliding out of the car to go check in. He tried not to think of what was going on, and in his opinion, he did fairly well with making the check in seem normal, even though he felt far from it. He didn't regret what he did. Absolutely not, but now, he could never look at Jeff without thinking about it. What kind of business relationship, or hell, any kind of relationship could they have now?
Honestly, Mark knew he would feel better when Jeff was safely with his brother, and away. Of course, there was another part of him that had concern for Jeff. He wanted to make sure he was alright, and this had certainly not made him think less of him. He still liked Jeff just as much as before, and now they had another connection that Mark just couldn't understand right now.
When he made it back to the car, Jeff was off the phone. He was looking around nervously, and when Mark opened the door, he jumped so high, he nearly hit his head on the roof.
"Are you ok?" Mark asked, almost without thinking.
"I-I don't know."
Mark was doing everything he could to be sympathetic. He just wasn't a sympathetic person. He drove to the reserved parking spot outside the elevator to his room. He took a deep breath and looked over at Jeff. He spoke as kindly as he could: "Come inside. We'll get you another shirt, and you can clean up."
Jeff nodded, and followed Mark into the elevator. The ride seemed to take an eternity. Mark found his eyes wondering to the open areas of Jeff's destroyed shirt. He shook his head as still as he could and looked up at the ceiling. When the elevator, opened, he pointed the door out and handed Jeff the key. He took his bags in both hands as Jeff opened the door.
Jeff almost gasped when the door opened. The room was absolutely gorgeous. The walls were a deep red, with bright gold trim at the ceiling and floor. The curtains matched the trim, and the floor lamps looked as if they belonged in a mansion. He walked around, marveling at the place. Mark couldn't help but smile at him.
"Do you like it?"
"It's amazing."
Mark smiled. He laid his suitcase down, opened it, and pulled out a black shirt that he knew was too big for Jeff, but it was the smallest shirt he owned. He handed it to him, and lead him to the bathroom. "You can change in here." He said, "Take your time." Jeff smiled at him, and slowly closed the door.
Mark grabbed his suitcase, and put it in the bedroom. He took a deep breath and sat down on the huge, black leather couch. He was exhausted, and emotionally drained. So much for his hot shower, and nap. A part of him was ready for Jeff to go, and the situation to be over, but there was another part of him that would feel much better if Jeff didn't leave. He knew that Jeff was holding himself together well, but eventually everything would catch up with him, and God forbid, Mr. Superfan catch up with him.
Mark shook his head, and laughed a bit. He leaned down, and hung his head. "Look at yourself..." he said quietly. Jeff's protection was not his responsibility. They even barely knew each other. Of course, he had kind of dived into this situation, but what was he supposed to do? Nobody would have walked away from that, but now... what did it mean? At what point did he release himself, and start moving on from it?
As if an answer to his question, there was a knock at the door. He walked over, and opened it, and there stood Matt Hardy. Mark immediately felt awkward. Matt didn't know anything that had happened, and now he was here, in his room, picking up his little brother, who was about to walk out of the bathroom wearing Mark's shirt.
Mark nodded at him, and invited him in.
"Jeff's in the bathroom. He'll be out in a second."
"So..." Mark could tell he was trying to be polite, but a big brother is a big brother, "How did my brother end up here?"
"I think you should let Jeff tell you that."
He motioned for Matt to sit down, as Jeff walked out of the bathroom. Matt immediately noticed his wardrobe, and the polite tone fell away quickly. "Jeff? What the hell is going on?" He gave Mark an accusing look, and Jeff was instantly flustered with him.
"Matt, don't be that way."
"Well, forgive me for being a little confused."
Jeff took a breath and sat beside Matt. Mark stood awkwardly, wondering if he should give them a moment. He turned to do just that, but Jeff spoke up: "Mark, wait. I want you to be here."
Mark was a bit taken aback. He turned back around, nodded, and sat in thee matching recliner at the corner of the couch. He sighed, not sure how to react to Jeff's emotion, and Matt's looks.
"When I got on the plane, I just happened to end up sitting next to Mark. There was..." That breath was starting to break Mark's heart. "This guy beside us. He knew us. He was... a fan. When we got off the plane, I was walking outside, smoking a cigarette... and he... walked up to me, and asked me for an autograph. I felt bad..." He was starting to talk faster, "Because we had to tell him to leave us alone, and I just wanted to be polite. So I walked to his car, and... before I knew he pushed me in his back seat..."
Matt snapped his gaze to his brother. "Jeff..?"
"Matt..." Jeff decided to spare the details. Mark was looking at the floor. "If it weren't for Mark... it would have been... much worse."
Matt looked from Mark to Jeff, and simply couldn't speak. He placed his hands on his legs, and just stared at his brother. Finally he spoke: "You lost all of your stuff?"
Jeff nodded.
Matt sighed again. He wrapped his arm around his brother, and hugged him for a moment, before standing and holding his hand out to Mark. Mark shook his hand, and Matt smiled. "Thank you. I know you don't do this kind of thing, so thanks."
Mark gave him a professional smile, and nodded.
Matt looked to Jeff. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah... yeah. I'll be down in a second."
Matt gave his brother a confused look, but took the hint. He nodded to Mark, and walked out, but being the ever protective big brother, left the door open. Jeff couldn't help but smile, and shake his head. He took a deep breath, and walked over to Mark. Without saying a word, he wrapped his arms around his neck in a tight hug.
Mark froze, but managed to wrap one arm around Jeff's waist. Jeff held him for a moment before backing up. He looked up at him with a smile. "Thank you, again."
"You're welcome, Jeff."
Then, with another quick smile, Jeff Hardy left Mark alone in his golden lit room.