The knock on Chris' front door had been quiet, knuckles rapping softly on the wood. The large metal knocker hadn't been touched, and the doorbell hadn't been rung, almost as though whoever stood on the other side of the door didn't really want Chris to know they were there.

It was probably that damn woman from three doors along, Chris decided, with another imaginary disaster only a big strong man could fix. The only other people who ever knocked on his door at this time of night were Alex and Petey, but he and Alex had only got back from Orlando the previous day, and Petey was in the doghouse with his wife for being a dipstick, so he'd be too busy crawling to come over for a while. Chris wasn't bothered that his neighbour had a thing for him, but her poor attempts at manipulation annoyed him to no end. He'd had enough of the delusional bitch, and she was starting to catch on to that, thank God.

Poised to tell her exactly how much of a fuck he didn't give about her supposedly faulty plumbing, Chris opened the door and was surprised to find Alex there instead. It was raining hard and he was soaked through; if he'd had longer hair Chris would have thought he looked bedraggled. As it was, he just looked wet. He had his favourite exaggerated grin on his face, all his teeth showing and his eyes squinting, but Chris knew him well enough to know something wasn't quite right.

"Are you going to let me in or what?" Alex demanded. "It's fucking wet out here."

Chris stepped aside to let him pass. Alex's sneakers squelched on the hallway tiles, and water dripped from his drenched cloth jacket.

"What were you thinking, walking over here in this weather?" Chris asked as he closed the door. "You have a car, moron."

Alex shrugged, and the action made him drip even more. "I just felt like a walk."

Chris rolled his eyes. "Go on, go upstairs and get some dry clothes. And take your shoes off first, I'm sick of my mother whining about the state of my carpets every time she comes over."

Smiling, Alex complied, shooting a sarcastic, "Jeez, who died and made you Petey?" at Chris before he started up the stairs.

Chris shook his head at Alex's half-assed jibe. He went through his living room, pausing to put a bookmark into the book he'd laid upside down when his reading had been interrupted, and continued on to the kitchen. He poured two glasses of Diet Coke; he preferred regular, but Alex was always spewing some shit about unnecessary sugars, so Chris had started buying Diet to shut him up. He was so obsessive about diet and working out, he drove Chris crazy, but Chris had to admit it paid off for him.

Chris smiled as he remembered how Alex's abs had felt against the top of his ass and his lower back two days previously. They'd both been wound incredibly tight after their match, but they'd restrained themselves until they'd got back to the hotel. They were sharing a suite with Lethal and Creed, and they'd both been going half out of their minds trying to behave. Thankfully, Creed had decided he was going to the hotel bar; Jay had accepted his invitation, while the Guns had declined. Creed and Jay had left, and Chris and Alex had fucked energetically up against the bathroom wall.

Glancing down, Chris decided he'd better stop thinking about it. His cock was beginning to push against his jeans, and he didn't honestly know how Alex would react to that. Alex seemed to be pretty comfortable these days with the fact that he and Chris were screwing after some of their matches to blow off steam, but nothing had ever happened between them in any other context and Alex had given Chris no reason to think he wanted it to. In fact, Alex still had yet to bottom to him. Chris understood some of the reasons Alex was reticent, although he was sure there was more to it, but he wasn't about to make a big deal about it. During the seven or eight hook-ups they'd had so far, Chris had subtly insinuated himself into the receiving position when he sensed Alex becoming unresponsive about his impending penetration, avoiding any need to discuss it. Alex would do it in his own time, when he was okay with it. And when the opportunity arrived, Chris was going to really enjoy getting his hands on Alex's ass. Sometimes when he watched Alex change, he practically had to sit on them to stop himself reaching out for it.

Chris made a conscious effort to get his train of thought heading away from sex with Alex. It was meant to be just a post-match thing anyway, thinking about it outside of that testosterone and adrenaline charged atmosphere wasn't supposed to turn him on. Chris doubted Alex would be pleased if he knew Chris was starting to become aroused by him in other circumstances.

Chris took the two glasses back into to the living room, setting them on the coffee table and settling back into the couch to wait for Alex. He grabbed the remote for his media centre, and a moment later the opening strains of Pink Floyd's 'Us and Them' flooded the room.

Laying his head back on the couch and closing his eyes, Chris let himself float along with the music. He was wondering idly what was taking Alex so long when he heard the stairs creaking with Alex's descent. He sat forward and turned the music down a bit.

"Man, you take longer getting changed than a girl," he said as Alex entered the room barefoot, wearing a pair of Chris' jeans and one of his favourite T-shirts, with his own wet clothes in his arms.

Alex sniffed disdainfully. "That's why I always look glorious. Anyway, I had to find something to adequately showcase my fantastic ass."

Chris was glad his expressions generally took a couple of seconds to make it from his brain to his face; it gave him the opportunity to cut them off at the pass.

"I'm just going to shove these in the dryer." Alex left the room and Chris surreptitiously checked out his ass as he went, surmising that it did indeed look fantastic in the jeans he'd picked out, regardless of whether or not Alex was being facetious when he said it. Chris knew the thought of it would be on his mind every time he wore those jeans.

By the time Alex returned, Chris had successfully managed to get his mind onto a more appropriate subject. "So why'd you come over anyway?"

Alex hopped onto the couch beside him, tucking his legs underneath him. "Gee, I feel so welcome."

Chris shoved him. "Oh shut up, you know what I meant. I wasn't expecting you to show up here for a couple of days yet."

Alex shrugged. "Just bored. I figured I'd come and bug you instead of sitting at home, twiddling my thumbs. Is that for me?" He gestured at one of the drinks on the table.

Chris knew Alex was lying, especially since if he'd walked the entire distance, he'd have been walking for a few hours, but he wasn't going to press the issue. He nodded, and watched as Alex downed half the glass.

Alex replaced his drink on the table and immediately started talking again. "Course, if you want a bit of solitude and downtime, I can go."

Chris waved a dismissive hand. "Don't be silly, you're always welcome. I just wanted to be sure you're okay."

"Of course I'm okay." Alex smiled disarmingly. "How about you?"

Chris looked suspiciously at Alex. If Alex was trying to look innocent, there was definitely something going on. "Uh, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, just, you know..." Alex shrugged again. "I wondered if the other night was a bit... intense."

Chris was surprised. Alex had never brought up their sexual encounters before, not unless they'd just finished fucking within the last ten minutes. "Why on earth would you wonder about that?"

Another shrug; it was beginning to look like a nervous habit. "I don't exactly have the best control of myself when I'm all riled up from wrestling like that. It must have been nerve-wracking, that first time, not knowing what to expect from me..."

Comprehension dawned on Chris. "Maybe a little," he admitted. "But it's not like we haven't both fucked enough girls in the ass to know how to make it easier, and once you'd started, everything else went straight out of my head anyway."

"A lot of women have said that about me too," Alex said smugly, puffing out his chest. Chris rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I just wanted to check you were good."

Chris accommodated Alex, taking the hint to change the subject. "So... Halo?"

Alex nodded vigorously as Chris switched off the music and rose to set up the console. "I'm game. I figured out why you beat me those last five times, and it's definitely time for some sweet, sweet revenge."

"Oh please, I'm going to wipe the floor with you again, and we both know it."

As they settled into comfortable bickering, Chris found himself stealing glances at Alex. He was antsy, but there didn't seem to be anything negative about it. As predicted, Chris completely thrashed him several times over. Finally, though, Alex did manage to win.

"HA." Alex congratulated himself with some victory arms. "In your face, motherfucker. Suck my dick."

Chris tried very hard to restrain his smirk and keep his suggestive comments to himself. "You were bound to win eventually. Law of averages."

"Hey, whatever you have to believe to help you sleep at night." Alex seemed inclined to keep going in this vein, so Chris tuned him out for the next ten minutes until he started winding down.

"Do you feel better now?" Chris asked patronisingly.

"Oh God yes, not being able to beat you was driving me crazy." Alex stretched and cracked his back.

Chris shook his head with a smile. Alex was a slave to his competitive nature. "Look, man, I'm getting really tired. I'm going to go to bed. You're welcome to spend the night if you like, and I'll give you a ride home tomorrow or whatever."

"Okay, thanks." Alex jumped to his feet and disappeared upstairs without another word.

Chris took his time. He took their glasses out to the kitchen and stood at the sink in the dark, staring out at the moonlight, wondering if he had the right idea about what was happening. Alex seemed more relaxed now that he knew Chris understood, but there was still tension in the air between them. Standing in the kitchen alone, away from Alex, Chris began to wonder if maybe he hadn't imagined it.

He went through the kitchen and living room, switching everything off, and then he deadlocked his door before heading upstairs. He made straight for his bathroom to take care of his night time ablutions. His wet toothbrush suggested Alex had already done the same, and Chris thought for the millionth time that he really ought to get toothbrushes for both Alex and Petey. They were both there more than often enough to justify it.

Chris turned the bathroom light off and made for his bedroom. He swung the door open wide and paused in the doorway; Alex was sitting on his bed. Although it was mostly what he'd expected, on some level he was still surprised. Part of him had been convinced he'd misread the situation, and that Alex would be in his spare room.

Alex didn't speak, only watched Chris as he closed the bedroom door. He'd already turned the bedside lamp on and switched off the main light, and Chris was grateful for that; asking Alex how he wanted the lights would have felt clumsy and awkward.

As Chris approached the bed, Alex rose to meet him, his hands reaching out to settle on the sides of Chris' face. His mouth bore down on Chris quickly, as though he didn't want to give Chris time to argue about it. If only he knew, Chris thought.

Chris sighed contentedly, losing himself in the soft familiarity of Alex's mouth. It was different this time though; there was none of the rage and ferocity that normally marked their encounters, none of the naked aggression. Instead, Alex's kiss fluctuated wildly, his tongue swiping beneath Chris' own at speed one moment, and then slowing to wrestle gently with it the next, savouring every second of the experience.

Under the circumstances, Chris decided it would be okay to express his own desire, so he let his hands settle on Alex's hips, tugging Alex close while he angled his head to deepen the kiss.

Alex pulled back, and Chris couldn't help but smile at the surprise on his face. He supposed Alex had assumed he was only going along with this to appease Alex's niggling misgivings.

"Come to bed," Chris said softly, and the heat in his voice filled the invitation with promise and suggestion. Alex nodded, and as they divested themselves of their clothes, Chris admired the body he was coming to know so well. The muscles in Alex's shoulders shifted as he moved, and Chris felt his cock stir at the memory of having that strength used against him. He was so engrossed in watching Alex undress that he almost fell over while he was trying to take his pants off, and he had to make himself stop staring and pay attention to what he was doing. It said a lot for Alex's mood that he didn't bother to mock him for it.

Finally naked, Chris drew back his comforter and slid into bed. He waited while Alex climbed in the other side, and then he pulled it up over Alex's shoulders, acutely aware of his hand brushing against Alex's skin. He didn't for a second think they were going to be cold, but he liked the illusion that they were in their own little cocoon together. For tonight, at least, the rest of the world wasn't there.

Alex didn't hesitate in moulding himself to Chris, his body warm and welcoming, and Chris briefly closed his eyes while he mirrored the gesture. His lips sought Alex's again, and his arm wound around Alex's back while Alex's leg gently snaked its way between his own. He could feel Alex's cock prodding against his abdomen, and he was pleased by how aroused Alex apparently was. He reached between their bodies, wrapping his fingers lightly around Alex's erection.

Alex moaned low in his throat, thrusting forward into Chris' hand. He let Chris' fingers draw along his length twice before he broke their kiss and muttered, "Don't tease me, Chris."

Chris grinned, tightening his fingers to the level of pressure he himself liked and jacking Alex faster.

"Fuck... yeah, like that." Alex pulled his leg back from between Chris' and draped it over his hip instead. With his hips tilted forward, every time he thrust into Chris' hand, the underside of his balls and part of his ass grazed against Chris' shaft, and Chris leaned in to kiss him hard. The alternative was telling Alex he was going to fuck him raw, and Chris didn't really think that would help.

Alex didn't seem to be feeling particularly patient. Chris figured he probably didn't want to give himself too much time to think about what he was doing, so when he pulled Chris' hand away from his cock and round to his ass instead, Chris was happy to comply with his wishes. He grabbed a generous handful of Alex's ass, elated to finally get hold of it, and he kneaded firmly at the muscle, his fingers curling around to rest in the crack between Alex's buttocks. Alex appeared perfectly comfortable within his grip, so Chris shifted himself down the bed a little, manoeuvring his body so that the tip of his cock rested against Alex's ass. Alex tensed ever so slightly, but Chris ignored it, pushing his hips forward to make the head of his cock skid over Alex's asshole.

Alex barely missed a beat, and if Chris hadn't known him so well he never would have caught his disquiet. He inched back and repeated the movement, his cock sliding against Alex's body a little more smoothly now since his first pass had smeared the cum leaking from his erection into Alex's crevice. Alex began to respond to him far sooner than he expected, using the leverage of his leg wrapped around Chris' body to push back against Chris' forward strokes, and it took every bit of restraint Chris possessed to keep from driving into Alex. To relieve his need, he moved his hand so that he was squeezing the cheeks of Alex's ass together around his cock as he thrust along the length of his crack, and the sensation of Alex's skin against so much of his shaft was wonderful.

Aware that he wouldn't be able to resist temptation for long, Chris moved back up the bed, letting his cock drag against Alex's groin as he went. He released his grip on Alex's ass and ran his middle finger over his entrance. Alex's barely perceptible tension returned, so Chris leaned in near his ear and whispered hotly, "You're gonna fucking love this," before dropping his head to lick and bite at Alex's throat. Alex jerked forward reflexively, and Chris took the opportunity to work the tip of his finger into Alex's ass, the entry aided by his semen.

Although Alex's body was hot and so smooth around his finger, Chris decided to forego concentrating on that and pulled back to watch Alex's face. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open, his hand clutching instinctively at Chris' arm, and Chris thought it was the first time he'd ever seen Alex actually looking like he wasn't a hundred percent in control of himself.

Chris didn't wait for Alex to respond to him. He pressed forward, withdrawing his finger a little when he got to the second knuckle to spread the makeshift lubrication around a bit and keep the entry easy. Alex stared hungrily at Chris while he drove the remainder of his finger into Alex's body.

"Told you you'd like it," Chris said with a smirk, and he rolled his finger in a circle. Alex was tight but there seemed to be relatively little resistance, so he didn't waste any time; he started finger fucking Alex relentlessly, fast enough to keep him reeling from the sensation but just barely slow enough not to hurt him. He wasn't gentle, but he didn't think Alex would want him to be. He knew he'd judged right when Alex's hand balled into a fist in his hair, yanking him in for a brief, rough kiss before breaking away and resting his forehead against Chris'. His breath was hot on Chris' face as he started pushing back to meet Chris' hand, and Chris forgot Alex had ever had even the slightest concern about doing this.

Chris pulled his hand back, working a second finger into Alex's body. Alex didn't even wait to adjust, immediately pushing back against the intrusion, panting heavily with his fingers still wound tightly into Chris' hair. The thought occurred to Chris of Alex responding so passionately with his cock inside him instead of his fingers, and he redoubled his efforts, finger fucking Alex hard and fast so he could watch Alex losing command of himself. He loved the way Alex was clinging to him with his leg, and he knew that would only become more erotic as Alex became more needy.

"I've got to fuck you or I'm gonna go fucking crazy," he grunted, pulling his fingers from Alex's ass. He moved to position his cock at Alex's entrance, but Alex pushed him away, rolling him onto his back. Before Chris had chance to complain about being denied, Alex swung a leg over his body, throwing the comforter back, and Chris decided he didn't want to complain after all.

Alex settled his weight on his knees, bending low to assault Chris' mouth demandingly. Chris' hands found the back of his head, returning the hungry kiss with fervour while Alex's ass lowered to rest against his cock, the muscles along the backs of Alex's thighs feeling hard and uncompromising against Chris' hips. When they'd first started fucking, Chris had thought that Alex's masculinity, so different from what he was accustomed to in his sexual partners, might be a distraction he'd need to overcome; after the third time, he'd realised it was exactly what made the experience so potent for him.

Breaking the kiss, Alex sat back, and Chris' breath caught for a second as Alex's harsh, lustful gaze bore right through him. He let one hand fall onto Alex's thigh, and reached behind and beneath Alex with the other, taking hold of his erection to hold it steady. Alex's abs bunched and flexed as he moved himself into position, and Chris bit at his lip when Alex started pushing himself back. The entry wasn't easy, and Chris found himself wishing they'd taken the time to sort out some proper lubrication, but Alex didn't seem to care. He sat back onto Chris' cock until the head breached the muscle at his entrance, and when it finally happened he put a hand on Chris' ribs to steady himself.

"Fuck, Chris..." he breathed, and the arousal in his voice made Chris forget all about the uncomfortable friction the lack of lubrication was causing on his cock. Chris let Alex sink back a little further, and then he moved his hands to Alex's hips, encouraging him to take it in faster. Alex didn't really need to be encouraged, he was accepting Chris' cock with a confidence and greed that belied his lack of experience of the act, and Chris decided it was the hottest thing he'd ever seen. He changed his mind a moment later when Alex ran his free hand down the length of his own cock - that was the hottest thing he'd ever seen.

Alex got himself fully seated, with Chris insistently tugging him back as he went. He looked like he was planning to pause for a moment to adjust, but Chris couldn't wait; he thrust up into Alex, his grip on his hips tightening, and Alex hurriedly moved his hand from his cock to join his other on Chris' chest in an effort to keep his balance. He shot a wicked grin down at Chris, and Chris responded with an infectious smile.

Alex's ass was every bit as heavenly as Chris had expected. He was tight and hot and smooth, and Chris couldn't keep still inside him. He drove himself up into Alex's body, becoming all the more turned on by Alex pushing back to meet him, and the grin faded from Alex's face as their motion intensified.

Chris knew it would be shortlived, as all their sessions were; all the more so because he'd been fighting to keep his composure since the instant Alex's body began to accept his cock. Determined that Alex should get as much out of this as possible, he reached up to take Alex's right hand and drew it back down to his cock. He kept his hand wrapped around Alex's, watching intently as the head of Alex's cock emerged from their intertwined fingers, thrusting up harder when a low moan escaped Alex's lips.

"I'm not going to last long inside you," he managed to croak out, ending on a gasp as Alex rolled his hips.

"Me either," Alex panted, and he gently batted Chris' hand away before resuming his masturbation at a pace that suited him better, his wrist rotating very slightly on the downstroke. It was so erotic Chris could hardly bear to watch it, and he felt the tension in his groin building to a peak as Alex's muscles clenched irregularly around his cock.

Chris resumed his former grip on Alex's hips, driving into him in time with Alex's increasingly frenetic strokes on his own cock. He heard Alex's quiet, desperate, "Fuck me..." and all his control dissolved. Despite his attempt to stave it off, his orgasm hit him in a wave of violent pleasure, and Alex had difficulty meeting his harsh thrusts as Chris fucked through his climax.

"Jesus Christ," Chris whispered, his vocal chords not responding to his attempt to speak. Alex was still grinding on him, his hand working avidly on his cock, and Chris watched enthralled while he brought himself off, the familiar snarl twisting his face while strings of cum hit Chris' chest. He looked amazing, but Chris knew he couldn't tell him that.

Smiling, Alex eased himself up off Chris' cock and fell back on the bed next to him, and it hit Chris suddenly what a major line they'd crossed tonight. He reached down over the side of the bed to pick up the T-shirt he'd discarded, and he wiped it lazily across his chest to clear up the majority of Alex's cum before throwing it back on the floor. He needed a shower really, but there was no way he could be bothered to go get one right now.

"So, does this..." Alex began, but Chris interrupted him.

"Do you always have to question absolutely everything?"

Alex laughed softly, and Chris could hear how tired and spent he was. "Alright, alright. But don't be surprised if you wake up with one or more of my protuberances inside you."

Chris smiled. Alex sounded quite content and comfortable, so maybe whatever he'd been about to say wouldn't have been as complicated and uneasy as Chris had expected. "Fine, but that goes for you too."

"Is this some kind of race?"

"Christ, no, I'm not stupid enough to wake up your competitive instincts at a time like this."

"Oh." Alex sounded disappointed, and Chris was struck by the urge to kiss him. He was grateful that he was too tired to bother, or else he'd have had to figure out whether it would be appropriate or not, and whether he'd be changing anything else by doing it. His last thought before sleep claimed him was that after their next match, Alex and he could well end up in their first real fight for dominance. Despite the fact that in many areas his sense of competition was just as finely honed as Alex's, in that instance Chris would be equally happy whether he won or lost. Either way, the rematch would be stunning.