Out of breath, their eyes just would not leave each other. Ocean blues and icy greys were captivated by one another, peering right through the other, holding on to each other as if their gaze was their saving support, their own kind of anchor. They were still too enchanted to be hit with a dose of reality. They were too mesmerized to sense their surroundings. Their feet had yet to touch the ground. All that remained was them, Cody and Randy. And their breathtaking kiss.

A kiss is a meeting of two lips. An intimate caress that knows a start and ending. It beholds feelings and sensations solely relying on the people sharing it. The power of a kiss can be underestimated…

The weight of words is often discussed and rolled over. Words. That's all people talk about. That's all they cling to. They can hurt just as they can comfort. They can sadden just as they can please. Words divulge thoughts…but can't reveal their entirety.

And yet, a kiss…a simple touch of mouths, can express what words cannot. The outpour of emotion can be so great, so deep, that nothing will be left to the spoken.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a good kiss needs none. Cody and Randy's case was exactly that.

That kiss was the outflow of every fiber having rattled their beings for weeks on end. All the pent-up frustration was let out. All the stifled anger and torment were left with an opening. All the repressed lust and desire had found their escape. All the passion that they had truly felt for one another was mustered and conveyed. The intuition involved was boundless… any reserve, any self-consciousness, any second thoughts had perished into smoke.

The truth was all that persisted. Everything had been out in the clear. Up in the air.

Cody's hand hadn't left Randy's chest, as it laid there palm-first, while Randy's still cradled the back of the younger man's neck. Suddenly, their main link was disrupted, as their gaze faded away. The need to close their lids was all too imposing. The overwhelming nature of the situation was starting to take its toll.

However, they weren't backing down from each other. No distance was being established. Instead, they inched closer and took comfort in the other man's presence. They just rested their foreheads together for a while, relishing in the silence and peace of mind together encountered in that very moment. Tranquility was gladly welcomed back after a hefty absence.

The silence was wearing thin. At least for one of them…

"Cody, I…I…"

Whatever Randy wanted to say couldn't find its voice. All the attempts at articulating himself were blocked. An internal battle between his mouth and brain had ensued, leaving Randy at a loss for words.

"You don't…you don't have to say anything." Cody quietly stated.

"But I…"

"No. Don't…don't say anything. We don't have to talk… Just let me have this moment, alright? I…I know…I know it can't happen again. I know. So…let me have this moment, okay?"

Randy couldn't help but oblige to his demand, as they fluttered their eyes open and stared at each other once more…even more deeply than before, if that was possible.

The truth of the matter was Cody didn't want to cope with anything at that point. That kiss, the buildup to it had taken so much out of him, and not in the worst of ways. That moment…that moment had taken him aback with the elation elicited from it. It was one of these memories he never wanted to let go of. He needed to consolidate it, cement it in the recesses of his mind.

Words would have ruined that moment, especially considering Randy's undeniably bewildered cloud of thoughts. Any off beam, misplaced comment would have brought more hurt to the already bittersweet moment. Because, the kiss was just that…it was bittersweet. The bliss it brought was definite, unmatched, incomparable. Both men could have confirmed that. But would it happen again? In their minds, it wouldn't. It couldn't. It was wrong…even though it felt so right.

Therefore, Cody knew words weren't needed. They would strike the false chord, no matter what they were, whether it was what he wanted to hear or not. Factually, Cody wanted Randy to replicate his confession, to tell him that he was all he thought about, to tell him he wanted him just as badly as he did. And yet, what if he had uttered just that? What if his emotions were reciprocated? Would have it helped matters? Would have it soothed Cody? Not in the slightest…in fact, it would have made things that much more difficult. To know that Randy felt the exact same way and not be able to pursue anything with him would have torn him apart.

On the other hand…what if Randy wasn't in the same place as he was? What if that kiss had been a flash of absurdity brought on by the spur of the moment? He wasn't sure he could have handled that.

Silence was everything. Silence was rightly golden. He might as well have cherished the moment while it lasted.

In between muttered goodbyes and tentative glances, Randy returned to his room and wallowed in the upshots of his cowardice. He was angry with himself, angry that he choked on what, he felt, was needed to be said.

Cody's invigorated outburst had lit him up. A burning veil was in his sight, a sight that, was, enigmatically, more unblemished than ever before. It pushed him to the limits of his desires, pushed him to do the only thing conceivable at that precise moment. And that was to kiss Cody.

Everything was clear to him in that second. Why? Because, everything Cody had come clean with matched his own state of mind. Every bit of craving, anger, fear was reflected in him. In the process, Cody had implicitly dressed the perfect portrait of Randy's inner mayhem. And that comforted him. It somehow made him feel safe.

That kiss was Randy's way of sharing the sense of security he'd gained. Did it work, though? Was it enough?

No. At his incapability of declaring his reciprocation of those emotions, Randy saw the flicker of uncertainty in Cody's eyes. They were telling the whole story for him. Fragility was dancing around in those beautiful blue pools he easily got lost in.

It was as though his tongue censured his thoughts. He knew what he wanted to say, he really did. And yet, despite that, nothing came out. Nothing. He figured that the remaining shreds of common sense had been behind that, the very last scraps of his resolve. However, his resolve was bound to crumble. It already was. Randy wasn't even sure he had the power to stop it from wearing out. And he wasn't sure he wanted to, either…

It was scary. Intimidating, like Cody had said. But those were the facts. This was the conflicting reality he was living.

…

The next morning, the crew was en route to Bakersfield, California for the tapings of Friday Night Smackdown. The roster couldn't wait for the show to come and go. In between travelling to East Asia and all over the United States for successive weeks with barely any breaks, they had been exhausted. They were given the opportunity to travel back home for a couple of days before hitting the road once more on Saturday. It was a negligible amount of time; but they'd take it. It beat having no days off. However, Cody and Randy didn't seem to bother or care. No matter where they were, it'd all be the same. Their minds would still run rampant and tire the hell out of them. The distance wouldn't change that fact. In actuality, it'd amplify it.

They were thankful that the drive to Bakersfield had been with a group of other people. It was quite the uncomfortable situation. For guys who weighed over 200 pounds and stood over six feet tall, they were like sardines in the back of the car. It was just another day and another woe of the gig life, they guessed.

The ride was overall thoroughly quiet. Even though the sitting was tight, some were listening to music and trying to relax, others had found just enough space to fall into a profound slumber, while Cody and Randy shut their eyes trying to mimic the latters. Futilely, of course. Sleeplessness had been a new found companion of theirs.

As a result, fleeting stares between the two men were stolen left and right. It was as if they had been each other's magnet. They were incessantly luring in one another. Both Cody and Randy felt the weight of eyes on them, watching them, poring over them ever so cautiously. They knew who those eyes belonged to. It may have felt a burden, but it was a burden they wanted. A burden they needed. Whether they wholly realized it or not, they wanted each other's attention.

Cody unconsciously kicked it up a notch. As Randy threw a sideway glance his way for what felt like the hundredth time, he lifted his head and caught him halfway. He wouldn't drop his gawk. And neither would Randy. They didn't withdraw until Ted, who was behind the steering wheel, repeatedly called for them asking if they wanted some food from the gas station. Luckily for them, every other passenger was in a world of their own as they barely paid notice.

Throughout the rest of the day, it seemed that gravity had a peculiar plan for Cody and Randy. It had been pulling on them. Regardless of their efforts of avoiding each other at the arena, karma wouldn't have it. They kept bumping into each other at every turn, each one bearing slow and admittedly prolonged touches. Whether it was a meeting of arms in the catering room or a lingering brush of bodies at the doorway, neither man failed to miss the goosebumps emitting from the contact, catalyzing even more emotion, notably attraction. The attraction that was there was inevitable, leaning on inescapable. Progressively more, Cody and Randy seemed to take in the other's appearance…and enjoy it. Attraction lead to fantasy… and an accentuated amount of voices inside their heads screaming for more.

The concerning factor was, the voices pointing out the wrong in the situation were slowly getting muted and more importantly, forgotten… were they worth remembering, though? Was morality supposed to, or expected to take a stand?

The two superstars tried to put aside their rain of perplexity, if only momentarily, to focus on the job at hand…wrestle and entertain the thousands in attendance at the show.

Cody was pleasantly astounded when he was told he was not being used for Superstars, but for Smackdown. It came as a surprise given his heated square-off with the road agent. By then, he thought he'd bought a one-way ticket to the almighty doghouse. Instead, it appeared as though Vince McMahon, who was informed of that confrontation, was impressed with the way the youngest of the Rhodes family stayed true to his conviction in his craft. Consequently, he'd ordered the creative team to book Cody as well as his feud with Sin Cara allowed them. The pitched idea consisted of sending Cody out to ringside for commentary during the masked superstar's match, cost him the victory and attack him afterwards. The plan was validated by Vince and was all set.

It was by far and away, the best news Cody had received all day.

His first instinct was to find Randy and inform him of that development. As a matter of fact, that reaction was so automatic that he'd reflexively started searching for the Missourian. That was, until his mind reminded him of where they stood and stopped him dead in his track. Fixated in the same spot, Cody glanced at the ground and lividly shook his head. This was not the right time to have this mentality.

He was finally getting an opportunity to recommence the buildup of his character and garner himself a good amount of heat like he knew how to. He fully intended to maximize on the minutes he was given to do the best job possible and hopefully, impress the higher ups. In order to do so, he needed to shake off any distraction, which in essence meant any thoughts of Randy. Those had to be abandoned at the curtain call.

Contrarily to the previous week where he'd been in another sphere, Cody tapped into his consummate professionalism and succeeded to do so.

When Cody got his cue, Randy was in the locker room oblivious to anything having to do with the Georgia-native. He was rummaging through his bag, on the hunt for his wrist tape. He'd just been involved in the opening promo where he demanded a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. He'd gotten out of that segment with a number one contender's match with Alberto Del Rio. Unfortunately for the Viper, he'd been scheduled to lose this bout, as management estimated that it was just too soon to insert him back in the world title picture. Randy was fine by that, since not only was Del Rio a talented individual in his book, but he also somewhat agreed with that point. All in due time, he believed.

Per habit, he had his back to the entire personnel inside the locker room. Luckily for him, it was quite void of people, as a majority was located in catering.

He finished with his stretching ritual when he set about taping his wrists. As he was carefully wrapping them, something got a grasp of his attention straight away. It was the one voice he'd been longing to hear the most, the one who'd often soothed away his pains…Cody's.

His head immediately snapped back as he spotted the nearby monitor. He quickly understood that Cody had been on commentary for Sin Cara vs. Heath Slater. Randy promptly dropped any task at hand and took a seat on the bench in order to watch. His first impression was positive. Rustiness wasn't an issue as Cody's poise and talent on the microphone shone through. However, his critical approach to his viewing was dusted away the moment the camera got a shot of Cody. He didn't know what it was; Cody was modestly wearing his 'Rhodes to the Future' shirt. But for some reason, he couldn't tear his eyes off of him. Perhaps, it was the fact that he looked amazing. Perhaps, it was the fact that he could liberally stare at him and face no repercussion…

He watched as Cody humorously cost Sin Cara his match by turning his mask around then decimated him. The beat down was downright vicious, as Cody was hell-bent on ridding the high flyer of his mask. It was done just right, evident by the major boos directed at the second-generation star.

Randy's instincts were to meet Cody on his way back from the ring. After all, it had been his best night in quite some time. He felt it necessary to just be there for him. It was the right thing to do…not to mention it was what he wanted, as well.

Cody made his way towards the back, extremely happy with himself. His angle with Sin Cara was executed to perfection and furthered the storyline as expected. Above all, despite his noticeable absence from television, loud "Cody sucks" chants were ringing throughout the arena in response to his actions. He inwardly smiled to himself – he sure had missed getting booed out of arenas.

Beaming, he confidently strolled backstage, being greeted by the last man he had expected there. And, judging by the lack of people around, he was only there for him. Why did his stomach have to flip a couple of times as a result?

"Randy…" Cody hesitantly said.

"Cody." Randy replied with a warm smile. "You did really well out there."

"Oh yeah? You think so?"

"Yeah, you really did." Randy nodded. "You got the crowd pretty riled up, huh?"

"I think so. Bakersfield loves me."

They both chuckled, both loving a bit too much the smile on the other's face, leaving them again with a shortage of words. Awkwardness threatened to reappear. Randy refused to let that happen. He'd had enough of that for a lifetime. "I'm gonna go warm up for my match now…so I'll catch you later, yeah?"

"Um, sure."

"Again, great job." And with that, accompanied by a pat on the back, Randy strode by Cody who couldn't help being dumbfounded by the absurdity of everything.

…

Following the conclusion of the show, a couple of colleagues suggested that a group of them should spend the rest of the night at a bar to cap off what had been a grueling week. The men included in those plans were Wade Barrett, Ted DiBiase and Kofi Kingston, men who Cody and Randy had come to coexist with. And, since neither man had anything better to do than lounging around in their rooms with booze, they accepted the offer. Maybe, just maybe, staying out would appease them a little bit.

As it turned out, that wasn't the case. At all.

The wrestlers all settled at the bar and ordered their respective drinks. They had all commonly decided to tone it down with the consumption as none of them were ready to deal with a hangover the next day when traveling home. On the top of that list were Cody and Randy, who both had flashbacks of their embarrassing drunken stupor at the Cincinnati bar. An encore was out of the question.

Laid-back conversation filled the air as all five men were enjoying this easy-going night. It certainly helped that, unlike most situations backstage, nobody had beef with the other.

The real headline of the night though, was Cody's unquestionable success with the ladies. Woman after woman came up to him, trying to cozy up with the WWE superstar with pretty expected and corny flirting. He was drawing them in like an ice cream man on a hot summer day.

"Cody, my man, you are on a roll tonight!" Kofi exclaimed.

"What can I say, man? Chicks dig the lisp." Cody joked.

However, with all the politeness in the world, he rejected each and every one of them. Truth be told, he was not interested in playing Casanova and being the ladies' man that night. It simply didn't interest him.

That fact didn't go unnoticed by any of the guys in his company…especially Randy who was eyeing the entire ordeal with a frown. He caught up on Cody's demure smile, one that didn't reach his eyes, every time he turned down a girl. He knew Cody was not into hooking up with ring rats. He never had been. However his total and categorical reluctance was certainly eyebrow-raising material. He wondered if he had anything to do with it…in fact, he hoped he did…

While Cody's continuous refusals satisfied Randy, it appalled the other men at the bar. By the time the sixth girl had come and gone, Wade wouldn't take it anymore.

"You have got to be kidding! This is the sixth lass you've said no to!" Wade stated with a slam of his glass.

Cody laughed. "Dude, I don't want a ring rat!"

"We're not saying you should bang all of them, just give one of these girls a chance!" Ted intervened.

"That's it. You're talking to the next chick that comes along." Wade asserted.

"But…"

"No buts, Cody! You are talking to her and that's the end of it."

"Fine, fine!"

Randy's frown turned into a scowl, as the other men's encouragements were getting on his last nerve. Why were they pushing this? He was hoping they'd leave Cody alone about this…and not for selfless reasons. Moreover, he no longer wanted women slutting it up to Cody. But, judging by the night's events, he knew that was a far cry. His fears had been indeed funded. Before he knew it, another girl approached the younger man. He so desperately wanted her to have a turn at being pushed away by Cody. But, being a man of his word, Cody didn't. He actually gave her a shot.

Unbeknownst to him, Cody was being the subject of Randy's scrutiny. The older man was directing daggers at him. He looked over to the young lady ahead. Admittedly, she was cute, which made it that much harder for Randy to watch. The worst part was, the discussion dragged on…and Cody seemed to enjoy it.

Much like at the pre-SummerSlam party, anger and hindrance filled Randy. He couldn't stand witnessing the scene. It had been hard enough to observe Cody attracting an obscene amount of women all evening long. It left him feeling fragile.

Cody could have any woman in the world, at any given time. They were basically falling at his feet, lusting after his every move. He was aware Cody was caught up on him…he knew that for a fact. However, moving on from him would have been a walk in the park. He just had to say the word…

The truth was, Randy didn't want Cody to move on from him. He just didn't.

Feeling extreme discomfort, Randy rapidly excused himself and headed for the bathroom. Time alone was compulsory. From far aback, he looked back to see Cody still engrossed in the conversation with her. Seemingly, he didn't even notice Randy had dismissed himself…until Cody glared right back at him. Cody had basically ignored the girl at the drop of a dime and left her hanging.

Feeling like an outsider for a few moments, Randy continued his trajectory to the men's room. The dejection on his face had moved Cody. Randy looked…hurt. And he hated seeing that. Absolutely hated it.

That sadness only pushed him to do the inevitable. Turn his back on the woman.

Getting all this attention from a large amount of women was nice. Under normal circumstances, Cody would've even enjoyed it. But how was it possible when the real object of his desire was less than ten feet away from him? How could he, when the only person he wanted was looking as depleted as he'd ever seen him? Cody couldn't overcome those feelings, and he'd accepted that. And until he was able to, distracting himself with other ladies was pointless.

…

After a few hours squandered at the bar, all five men made their way back to the hotel. During the whole ride back, Cody was still getting shit from his coworkers about his countless wasted chances with good-looking women. Wade kept insisting that Cody's attitude was complete "bullocks".

One by one, each superstar was dropped off at his respective floor. Each one bid his goodbyes and headed for his own room.

"Goodnight guys." Kofi stated, leaving Cody and Randy alone. In the elevator.

As fate would have it, Cody and Randy stayed on the same floor, in the higher ones of the hotel.

So much was waiting to be said. So much haunted the air like a dark cloud. Randy wanted to pour everything out of his soul. Cody desperately wanted to inquire about Randy's clear sorrow at the bar. They could've sworn they were on the verge of speaking. However, no look was shared. Not even the slightest glance was thrown around. They just kept staring ahead at the wooden door of the elevator, until they reached their destination.

Ultimately, the doors opened and both men walked out. They stood still for a while, neither knowing how to go about this.

"See you, Randy."

Cody turned his back to Randy, trudging disappointedly towards his room, feeling an entire weight fall down on his shoulder. He fondled around in his pocket to fish out his key card.

Randy watched him go. All he wanted was to spin him around, apologize, and stop him from leaving. His body betrayed him, though, as it didn't cooperate, didn't move, not even an inch.

This is what it was for Randy…a self-betrayal. A betrayal of his body against him, a betrayal of his mouth, a betrayal of his reasonableness against him…

He was beyond frustrated. Beyond furious. As soon as he got a taste of what it felt to be on the figurative cloud nine, he'd backed down. Or worse…as soon as he knew what he truly wanted, he couldn't act upon his desires. He couldn't. The thorns of the situation fled him and he couldn't get a hold of them, or himself. What if he'd missed out on getting what he coveted?

Surrendering to his weakness, Randy finally managed to get his feet on the move. Shoulders slumped, he turned on his heel to return to the confines of his room. He traversed the hallway, and walked by Cody's door…only to find it slightly creaked open. He stopped in contemplation.

Suddenly, a new-found adrenaline rush ran through his veins. His ire spiked once more, reaching new highs. His desire coursed through him. Here laid a window of opportunity…perhaps his last one.

Before he realized what he'd been doing, he stormed through the door. Cody, in absolute tremor, shot up from his seat on the edge of the bed. Like a man possessed, Randy shut the door fiercely and headed for his prey.

Still caught off-balance, Cody's brain wasn't registering what had been transpiring.

"Randy, wha-"

Cody did not get to finish his sentence as Randy backed him to the wall by the door and pinned him to the spot.

Alarmed, Cody sought after Randy's eyes, trying to decipher any giving sign. He could've sworn they were a little darker than usual…

"Randy-"

"I'm tired of fighting this."

Without any preambles, Randy dashed forward and claimed Cody's lips in a hard, rough, heated kiss. It took Cody all of three seconds to comprehend what had been happening before responding back. He applied the same pressure as Randy in what threatened to be a bruising kiss. Gasping at the same time, both tongues darted forward and a battle of dominance ensued – a battle Cody happily submitted. Randy's tongue invaded the younger man's mouth as it heavily and slowly swept over his teeth and gums. Moaning and craving for more, Cody moved his tongue in order to draw Randy's back and feel it against his'. Randy complied immediately as both tongues deeply massaged one another.

Brusquely, Cody tore his swollen lips away, both pair of eyes locking in an intense gaze straight away.

"Finally."

It was very challenging to write this chapter. Not only in terms of time but in terms of how I wanted it to go! I really hope you liked this chapter! Hopefully, I'll be able to update the story one more time before the end of the year. Please review to let me know your opinion about the plot so far! :)