Stephen, Drew and John Hennigan were drinking coffee in a reception room at Titan Towers. They were being given a chance to wind down after the high emotion of the meeting which had just taken place. They talked at first about non-committal things, such as John's workout program and common friends he'd recently worked with on the independent circuit. Eventually the elephant in the room became too much to ignore, and Drew breached the subject.

"John, please tell me if you don't want to talk about it, but did Vince really... do that to you, too? What he did to me?"

John lowered his eyes and played with his mug. "Yeah. For about a year. I'm ashamed to admit it but I was kind of glad when you showed up, because when he took a shine to you he started to leave me alone."

Stephen stiffened. "Well tha's a fine thing te feckin' say. Throw Drew to the wolves without a feckin' word o' warnin'…"

Drew raised a hand towards his lover. "No. No, Stephen, it's okay. I understand. If I had been in his shoes I would have felt the same thing. Anything is preferable to having to go through that, even if it means someone else has to suffer."

John looked up at Drew with tears in his eyes. "You don't know what it means to me to hear you say that. I would have understood if you hated my fucking guts, you have the right to."

Drew shook his head. "Vince is the one I hate. He's the one who did this to us. He's the one I want to die slowly and burn in hell. Not you." John's lower lip curled upwards and Drew leaned over to take him in an embrace. The two held each other for a good couple of minutes, finding comfort and solidarity. Stephen watched with a mixture of warmth and pain, glad that Drew had someone who could share his experience and sad that there was more than one victim of Vince's predatory appetite.

When the two men separated Stephen found a box of tissues and John blew his nose. Drew rested a hand on his shoulder and wiped away a tear of his own. John let out a sardonic laugh. "Vince kept going on about me being a pothead. Fact is that I used to smoke more in order to deal with the pain of what he was doing to me. Little did I know I was handing him the reason he would eventually fire me for." He shook his head and looked at Drew. "He used to taunt me about you. Purposely made me drop the Intercontinental title to you as a way of letting me know that you were his new favourite. He wanted me to work harder to gain his affection in order to reclaim my spot. When I didn't, he fired me. I still don't know whether I should hate you or thank you."

Drew sighed and nodded. "I can understand that. You lost your job with the WWE but got away from that monster. It's a debate I've been having with myself for the longest time on which would be the lesser evil." He looked at Stephen. "It's only been my friends that have kept me here. That have kept me from going insane." The Irishman put his hand on his lover's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

John asked "Did you ever tell anyone? I threatened to but Vince would always tell me he'd make it out that I was a fag and trying to blackmail him. I felt like a coward but couldn't figure a way out of it. It would have been my word against his."

Drew's face dropped. "Yes, I told one person. The one person I should have been able to tell everything to: my wife."

Stephen looked at Drew in shock. "Ah never knew tha'. Taryn knew?"

Drew nodded. "Oh yes. She knew. It's what started the fight. She told me she didn't want to be married to a 'gayboy faggot', I wasn't a man and that I disgusted her."

John and Stephen made sounds of disbelief and revulsion. How Taryn could have reacted in such a cold and self-centred way was surprising, even though Stephen was no fan of the woman. He shook his head and gave Drew's shoulder a squeeze, even more determined to show him what real love was. John said "Man, that's rough. You deserve better. I hope you find that, someday."

Drew looked at Stephen, who looked back at his lover. The Irishman looked John square in the eye and said: "Ah hope to be."

John looked confused for a minute, then his eyes widened and he looked from one Celt to the other in quick succession. "Whoa! Oh, wow. I had no idea. Well, um. Congrats!"

Drew and Stephen grinned and the Scotsman said: "Sorry for just dropping it on ya like that; but yeah, Stephen and I are more than just friends. We could use it staying between us, though, ya know what I mean?"

John nodded. "Oh, fuck yeah. This whole thing needs to stay inside these walls, don't cha think?" The two Celts nodded and at that moment Paul and Shane entered the room.

"How are you guys doing?" asked the COO.

Drew answered. "We've actually had a pretty good chat. Turns out we have quite a bit in common."

Paul nodded. "Well you guys are free to go whenever you want. If you don't want to fly back tonight get a hotel. Either way put in your receipts as business expenses. Vince will be tending in his resignation officially tomorrow morning, so it'll be a new regime from then on. We'll need you guys to keep your lips sealed for legal reasons, though." The three nodded in agreement and stood to shake hands with Paul and Shane before saying their goodbyes and heading out.

Drew and Stephen decided to take up the offer of a hotel and fly back to Florida the next day as it had been a long couple of days already. When they arrived at their room Drew flopped on the bed while Stephen, again on his insistence, carried their bags. The Irishman observed his lover for a moment until Drew looked up at him. "What are you staring at, hmm?"

Stephen smiled. "Ah happen to be looking at a gorgeous fella, who ah love very much."

The corner of Drew's mouth turned up in a grin. "Well, you'd better come here and do something about it, then." Stephen laughed softly, then walked over to the bed and leaned over and planted his fists on the bed, holding himself over his lover as Drew sat up for a kiss. They explored each other's mouths, one tongue chasing the other and their lips locking. Stephen reached up to run his fingers through Drew's hair, but stopped himself, remembering what had happened the night before. He looked in his lover's eyes, who looked back, concerned.

"What's wrong?"

The Irishman thought a moment, then stood up, holding his hands out. "Come 'ere. Stand up." Drew took his lover's hands and allowed himself to be lifted off the bed. He stood in front of him, confused and still looking apprehensive. Stephen kissed him again, which helped Drew relax. They then stripped each other, taking the chance to place kisses and licks on any exposed flesh within reach. When they were both fully naked and stood before each other Stephen took Drew's hands again, then proceeded to manoeuvre him back onto the bed, but with himself underneath.

Drew smiled. "What's all this, then?"

Stephen looked into his lover's face. "Ah want yeh te feel safe, so ah want yeh te be in charge. Yer callin' the shots tonight."

Drew took a breath, then cupped a hand on his lover's cheek. He leaned in and gave him a deep, passionate kiss, and began gyrating his hips against Stephen's groin. The Irishman groaned and reached up to grasp Drew's ass, but the Scot reached down, took hold of his wrists, and brought them up forcefully above his head, pinning them to the bed. Stephen grinned, knowing that his lover was taking advantage of the situation and getting some payback, which was fair enough. He'd let him have his fun, he deserved it; and he himself was enjoying it so far anyway. Drew used the leverage he had on Stephen's wrists to grind himself into his pelvis even more, and the Irishman closed his eyes and sucked in his breath at the sensation.

Drew smiled at the effect he was obviously having on his lover, and decided to up the ante. He leaned down and said, in a forceful tone: "Do not move" before releasing Stephen's wrists just long enough to pull a pillowcase off and use it to tie them together. When the Irishman was bound to his satisfaction he stood up and said "Come here." Stephen sat up and stood in front of Drew, his bound wrists in front of him. Drew pointed to the floor and Stephen, chuckling, dropped to his knees. The Scot stepped in close and Stephen ran his tongue over his smooth cock, licking up and down the shaft and flicking the tip along the ridge of his head. He massaged Drew's balls with his bound hands and watched as his lover closed his eyes and threw his head back in ecstasy. Stephen then took the rigid member into his mouth and sucked on it vigorously. A moan erupted from Drew's throat as the Irishman slurped at his cock, shadowing his mouth with a fist, encompassing the Scot's full length. Soon Drew reached down and said "Stop, enough. I don't want to come just yet."

He helped Stephen back to his feet and laid him back on the bed. It was then Drew's turn to make Stephen squirm. He took the Irishman's cock in his mouth and proceeded to work his magic. He opened his throat and took the full length of him in, bobbing his head at a heady pace, making it difficult for Stephen to maintain control. He stopped himself from reaching for Drew's hair by placing his bindings behind his own head, which helped him watch what his lover was doing. He concentrated on keeping his own breath as steady as possible and gritted his teeth to stop from coming, and mercifully Drew pulled away before Stephen lost the battle. The Scot looked up at him, stroking his cock languidly, and said "Are you willing to give me everything tonight?"

Stephen took a breath, looked deep into his lover's eyes, and nodded. Drew gave him a kiss on the thigh, then shuffled down and spread his thighs. Stephen laid his head down and closed his eyes. Drew spread the Irishman's muscular cheeks and ran the tip of his tongue along the puckered ring nestled between them. Stephen sucked in his breath at the touch and fought the urge to lift his hips. Drew worked his tongue along the rim and eventually nudged the tip inside. Stephen flexed his fingers and moaned at the strange sensations that were overwhelming him. Drew spat onto the puckered ring and gently worked a finger into the tight channel. Stephen squeezed his eyes shut and cursed in Gaelic, but under Drew's deft touch he slowly began to relax and curse in a much softer tone.

Drew spat again and entered a second finger into Stephen. The Irishman turned the air blue but it didn't take as long this time for him to relax again and begin to moan in pleasure. Drew worked his fingers to stretch out the virgin passage and added more saliva to ease the manipulations. When Stephen appeared relaxed and ready Drew crawled up to his knees. He lined himself up at Stephen's entrance, then very slowly began to penetrate. The Irishman squeezed his eyes shut and Drew could feel his whole body tense. "Relax, babe. I won't hurt you." Stephen opened his eyes to look at Drew, nodded and slowed his breathing. The Scot could feel him slowly start to loosen up and resumed gently entering him, taking his time and allowing his lover to acclimatise.

Gradually Drew was able to sheathe himself fully, and he rotated his hips to maximise the sensation for both of them. Stephen had his eyes closed and his mouth open, lost in the new experience. Drew then pulled out slightly before plunging back in, drawing a groan from his lover's lips. He repeated the motion, withdrawing more and pushing in deeper this time, and Stephen brought his bound hands up to clasp at Drew's chest. He then started a regular, rhythmic pumping, sending Stephen into a tailspin. The Irishman cursed and called out Drew's name as he fucked the pale, muscular arse. The Scot grabbed Stephen's hips and lifted him up, stepping one leg over and driving in even more deeply. The Irishman was reduced to a gibbering mess and begged Drew for more.

"Get on your knees." Drew turned his lover over and got him onto his hands and elbows. He carefully entered him again from behind, then hooked one leg over and drove in from a high angle. Stephen started to fall apart as his prostate was directly impacted with every stroke and Drew could feel his lover near his peak. He reached around and took Stephen's cock in his hand, stroking the head as he continued to thrust. The Irishman let out a final, loud curse as he came in several waves all over the bed. Drew pumped furiously and the constrictions of Stephen's body were enough to push him over the edge, and he let out a cry as he, too, met his release.

The two collapsed, exhausted, on the bed, still entwined. They lay there a minute, panting, until Drew finally kissed Stephen's shoulder and withdrew. Stephen let out a moan and turned over to look at his lover. "Feckin' hell, love. Yeh didn' tell me it was good as all tha'!" The two laughed and wrapped each other in loving arms.