Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, and am not making any profit from these. All ideas represented are mine, as are any spelling or grammar mistakes. This is placed after the May 24th, 2016 Impact. Complete needless fluff.
"I'm heading out now Spud," pausing by the door Tyrus frowned when there was no response, his sometimes tag partner was slumped on the couch, still dressed in his wrestling gear he hadn't moved or spoken since they'd returned to the locker room. Frankly he was beginning to worry, Spud hadn't exactly been stable these past few months and losing their association with Matt Hardy seemed to have sent him into a further tailspin. Shrugging, knowing there was nothing he could do, not with the mood Spud was in he left quietly. Plus it was not like the other man ever listened to him anyway, which considering their history he couldn't blame him.
Making his way to the exit Tyrus caught sight of Ethan Carter chatting up one of the newest Knockouts, hesitating as a potential solution to Spud's miserable state popped into his head. There could be no one more capable of breaking Spud out of the funk he'd fallen into then the man he professed to hate so often he doubted there was any truth in the statement and having been involved in the breakup of the two men's previous relationship from the other side he damn well knew for sure Ethan had never been as indifferent to Spud as he claimed.
Walking over Tyrus smirked when Ethan immediately scowled upon catching sight of him, it gave him great joy to cause any sort of inconvenience to his former boss. "EC," he greeted calmly, smirk increasing as the Knockout, a blonde bombshell with a hell of a figure, even if she was way too short for his tastes, smiled vaguely at him before quickly excusing herself.
Annoyed at the interruption and the loss of a potential date Ethan glared, "what do you want Tyrus?"
Shrugging off the other man's irritation Tyrus crossed his arms, "your little British Rockstar isn't doing so well," the flash of concern that crossed Ethan's face gave him the satisfaction of being right.
"Why would you think I care?" shoving his hands in his pockets Ethan half turned away to hide his expression, annoyed by Tyrus's knowing look. He hated that his ex-enforcer was one of the only people to know he still cared about Spud.
Rolling his eyes Tyrus waved his hand impatiently, already sick of dealing with Ethan's little games. If he hadn't reluctantly come to admire Spud's crazy British ass he wouldn't even have bothered, frankly neither Matt Hardy or Ethan Carter deserved Spud's loyalty. It was just too bad he'd never be able to convince the smaller man of that. "Don't bother kidding yourself E, you may have everyone else fooled, including Spud but I know you care about him. He's still in our locker room, go help him or don't, I've done my part."
Watching Tyrus walk away Ethan cursed the instinct that urged him to check on Spud, it had been difficult enough to resist that impulse when he'd first caught sight of how shattered Spud looked on losing his match. After everything the smaller man had done lately, including trying to jam a belt buckle into his eye it was frustrating that he just couldn't shake his worry for him, even though he half suspected that Spud's recent change in behavior could all be laid to blame at Matt and Reby Hardy's feet.
It might be conceited of him, but he knew Spud, knew the smaller man and all his personality quirks, knew in fact that Spud still cared for him under all the anger and pain. Maybe it was time to put aside his ego and pride and finally admit he'd been wrong to throw Spud aside the way he had and actually apologize. For so long he'd been recklessly determined to maintain ties to his rich, so-called friends, uncaring of the cost to his personal or professional life. It was only when he'd caught onto the disrespect and disdain they'd had for him and his chosen career that he realized how toxic they were, and how much his entitled, self-serving actions had cost him. Now he was completely alone, with no friends and no one on his side. It was a sobering realization that this is how Spud must have felt when he'd fired him and then pretended he'd never cared.
Determination burned through him, it was long past time to take responsibility for his actions and finally find the courage to fix what he'd broken. Making a pit stop at catering Ethan took a precious few minutes to gather the most important secret weapon when it came to soothing an upset Brit. Nudging the dressing room door open he knew that if anything Tyrus had undersold how distressed Spud was, he'd never seen the other man looking quite so lost and defeated, not even after that awful night he'd betrayed him and shaved his hair off. Cursing Matt Hardy and himself for the damage they'd both knowingly caused he carefully sat next to Spud, patiently waiting for the smaller man to acknowledge his presence.
"I'm not in the mood to fight," dully Spud only looked up when a warm mug was thrust into his hands, glancing away from Ethan's faint smile down to the cup of his favourite tea, made just the way he preferred. Under the raging sense of loss from yet another foundation in his life being ripped away he was aware of being impressed that Ethan remembered something as trivial as how he liked to take his tea.
"That's good since I'm not here to fight with you," sipping on his own cup of coffee Ethan hid a fond smile as Spud instinctively clutched the mug closer, inhaling the fragrant aroma of freshly steeped tea.
Silence settled around them once again, the atmosphere growing slightly more comfortable as Spud slowly drank his tea, the hot beverage a soothingly familiar point of comfort. The only sounds came from the faint noise of the arena crew cleaning up.
Slow drowsy minutes passed before Ethan became aware of the shivers shaking Spud's slim frame, the other man staring into space and seemingly unaware of the chill in the room. Shaking his head with a sigh he stripped off his suit jacket and settled it around Spud's shoulders, taking the now empty mug and putting it aside he was relieved to see the dazed look in Spud's eyes fade as he huddled into the jacket. Satisfied he sat back and stretched his arm along the back of the couch, being careful to show he was there but not infringing upon Spud's space, well aware it wouldn't yet be welcome.
As the warmth both from Ethan's jacket and body gradually seeped into his bones Spud found himself relaxing, the daze from losing yet another valued friend slowly easing. Becoming more aware of his surroundings he abruptly realized how exhausted he was, the match with Jeff had been short but brutal, jaw still aching painfully from the impact with the ladder. Ethan's expensive cologne was a familiar scent, one he hadn't forgotten in all those long, lonely months spent without friends or family. Inhaling deeply he didn't fight the impulse to lean into the bigger man, resting his head on Ethan's shoulder he was dimly amazed the other man was willingly letting him so close.
Moving deliberately so as not to startle the smaller man Ethan slid his arm around Spud's waist and pulled him closer, considering it a minor victory when the other man's only reaction was to curl further into him. It was both gratifying and humbling to know Spud could trust him this much but then the smaller man had always had more heart than anyone he'd ever known. Nuzzling against Spud's hair he closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the peace, it felt like forever since he'd been able to simply relax with another person like this.
"I still hate you," knowing his words lacked conviction when spoken against Ethan's skin Spud found he no longer cared about maintaining appearances, his planned revenge against Ethan hadn't been nearly as fulfilling as he'd anticipated. Most days it was only Reby's nagging that kept him from seeking out the other man and apologizing for what he'd done. Now with that connection lost he saw no need to maintain the constant hostility, frankly at this point he was only hurting himself.
"Are you sure about that?" Stroking lightly along Spud's now warmed skin Ethan didn't hide the smile in his voice, the lack of conviction, almost affectionate tone Spud had used gave him the hope their relationship wasn't quite beyond repair yet.
"I'm sure I wanted to hate you," squirming slightly as heat flushed along his skin Spud couldn't bring himself to pull away from Ethan's continued caresses, even if it was horribly distracting and brought back all the old desires he used to harbor towards the other man. It also woke him up to reality just a little more and he abruptly wondered why Ethan was being so … friendly. The last time they'd been in the ring together things had gotten pretty violent.
"Well I do like the sound of the past tense," shifting so he could meet Spud's eyes Ethan dropped the guard he kept over his emotions, allowing his sincerity and regret to shine, "I'm sorry Spud … sorry for hurting you." Swallowing heavily guilt hit him hard at the stunned disbelief in Spud's eyes, "I'm sorry for a lot of things." Heart in his throat he tugged on a silky lock of blond hair and forced himself to continue, "do you think you could ever forgive me?"
Caught by the intensity in Ethan's gaze Spud wanted nothing more to throw himself in the other man's arms and agree … agree for the days when he ached to once again be close to Ethan, longed to be able to comfort the other man and seek comfort after a difficult day or a hard match. Studying Ethan's well known, ridiculously handsome features, hope rose sharply at his obvious regret, the other man had never apologized for anything before and he desperately wanted to believe. Maybe it really was okay to let the past go, god knows in the realm of awful things done to each other they had to be even.
Giving in Spud raised trembling fingers to brush a curl off of Ethan's forehead, smiling as the other man leaned into his touch, it felt wonderful to just touch Ethan without hiding behind the excuse of violence. After the last few grim months and now being tossed aside once more he was done being careful, time to lay all his cards on the table, "you broke my heart Ethan." Laying a finger across Ethan's lips when the other man opened his mouth to speak he shook his head, if he didn't say this now he'd never get it out. "I loved you … no," painfully correcting himself he dropped his hand and looked away from Ethan's regretful expression, "… I was in love with you."
"I was an idiot Spud, I know that now," tugging on Spud's arm Ethan held the smaller man's hand over his heart, rubbing calming circles over his knuckles. Now that he knew how the other man felt nothing was going to stop him winning Spud back to his side, "I never appreciated what I had until it was too late …" Raising Spud's hand he pressed a warm kiss on the smaller man's wrist, courage growing at the pulse racing under his lips. "All I want is a chance Spud, a chance to prove to you I have changed, that we can make things work between us."
"Bloody hell Ethan, you aren't making this easy on me," shivering under the intimate touch Spud struggled to hide its effect on him, nothing had prepared him for the fact that Ethan could actually be attracted to him in return. It opened up a whole new world of possibilities and he had to bite back a whimper when Ethan laughed lowly and spread his hand across his back in a gesture so clearly possessive it stole his breath.
"Then just say yes," cupping Spud's jaw, being careful of the bruise already developing Ethan greedily stroking a thumb over his full lower lip. It took every ounce of his will power to not just kiss the smaller man at his soft gasp, knowing once he started they wouldn't be stopping anytime soon. Spud needed to make the decision to forgive him without their hormones making the choice for him.
Shuddering Spud closed his eyes and curled his fingers in Ethan's shirt, desperately fighting to think under the onslaught of flickering lust pooling through his body. "Okay Ethan," opening his eyes to Ethan's hopeful smile he committed himself, "you have your chance." It might be a risk he'd come to regret but with Ethan looking at him with such tenderness it was one he wanted to take.
Breath escaping Ethan grinned wildly and dragged Spud into a hug, "thank you Spud, you won't regret it." Giddy with relief he squeezed until the smaller man squirmed away with a laugh and a thump to his shoulder. "Now," eyes warm with happiness and desire he let his gaze travel down Spud's body, "as much as I truly do appreciate your new wrestling gear …" smirking as Spud blushed bright red he reluctantly let go and sat back, "why don't you change and we'll find somewhere to go celebrate."
Skin burning with heat Spud stood and stretched his sore muscles, shaking his head at Ethan's teasing, "give me ten minutes to shower and dress." Snagging his duffle bag he quickly headed to the shower, fighting back embarrassment at the open regard in Ethan's eyes, no one had ever looked at him like that before.
"Let me know if you need any help scrubbing your back," calling out after the retreating man Ethan laughed at the rude gesture he got in return. Leaning back against the couch he closed his eyes and listened to the shower start, happier than he'd been in what felt like years. He'd have to remember to thank Tyrus for the needed push to get off his ass and finally fix what he'd so thoughtlessly broken.