Morning broke and she was tangled up in him, their legs intertwined, one hand in his hair, another clutching his sweatpants. His arms were around her, holding tightly, and as his eyes flickered open they focused on the mass of orange hair that fell over his chest.

She murmured peacefully as her eyes opened slowly.

"Hi," he said softly.

"Mm, hey," she laughed, pulling herself off of him.

"Dare I ask how we ended up like this?" he said with a slight smile, they always ended up like that when they shared a bed.

"You said ya wouldn't be able to keep him from me," she shrugged, sitting up.

"Yeah, I mean, ya wouldn't…" he trailed off as she looked over her shoulder at him nervously. "Bex. Ya didn't…"

"We were quiet."

He bolted up, "are you kiddin' me Rebecca?"

"Oh stop! It was your idea."

"To have sex in my parent's home?" he hissed, " in my fuckin'…" he stopped to scoff and shake his head, "in my childhood room. Jesus, Bex. I don't know what it is 'bout him but he brings somethin' out in ya."

"Maybe I bring out somethin' in you," she tossed back, slipping out of bed. "An' by the way we didn't have sex. Just fooled 'round a bit. An' you promised to gimme it right tonight."

He watched her collect her clothes from her suitcase and chuckled, "did I now?"

"Always say you're a man of your word."

"Lord," he grumbled, tossing the comforter off of him and coming up behind her as she pulled her hair into a top knot, "as if I need the extra temptation."

He pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her neck and brought his lips close to her ear.

"Never do that again."

"Are ya just mad you missed it?"

"Yes. An' not exactly that now happy I gotta go make sure no one heard us now. I know how ya are."

"I was good."

"Yeah I bet you were," he laughed, his fingertips grazing her forearms. "But in my parent's house? C'mon Bex."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "Ya mad?"

He sighed, "No. Not at you."

The more they played this game the harder it was to stay mad at her when every single time he found he wanted her more and more.

"I'm gonna go see about ya little rendezvous."

"Alright. I need a shower and to do my hair,"

"Oh then I'll see ya in the afternoon," he chuckled and smiled, closing the door behind him as he left.

Downstairs, his brothers and mom were chatting at the kitchen counter.

"There he is, sleepyhead."

"It's quarter passed 8, Ma," Finn laughed.

"Becky still in bed?"

"Showering,"

"Ah. You two sleep okay?"

"Uh…kinda," he bit his lip, "ya guys didn't happen to hear anythin' late last night, did you?"

"Hear anythin'? Like what?" his mom asked almost too innocently.

"Oh, she uh, had one of those nightmares. From the concussion. Woke me up, thought it might've woken you too."

"Is she alright?" she seemed to believe him, immediately concerned with Becky's well-being. Kassidy on the other hand eyed him suspiciously.

"Yeah, she doesn't want me fussin'. But I'd feel bad if she disturbed anyone."

"You shouldn't, but it doesn't matter anyway. I'm goin' sit on the porch with dad, help yourselves."

Kassidy waited until their mom was fully out of earshot and the sliding door closed behind her. He sipped his tea and looked over at Finn.

"Sounded pretty nice, as far as nightmares go."

Finn's face dropped, "what did you hear?"

"Not much, thrashing mostly. One of those little, y'know," he mimicked the gasp-moan that Becky always made.

He smacked Kassidy's arm and looked around nervously. Their parents hadn't seemed to have heard.

"Fuck," he whispered under his breath.

"An' my bed shares that wall, so if ya worried 'bout mom and dad, don't."

"Yeah, I hope you're right."

"Gotta hand it to ya, didn't know ya had it in you. Becky, sure. But you?"

"Yeah well it wasn't me."

"What?" Kassidy raised his eyebrows.

Finn looked back to the porch again, "we can't talk about it here."

"Ya wanna go for a hike?"

"Yes."

XXX

"Becky not going with ya?" Finn's mom asked five minutes later as they were lacing up their sneakers.

"She just started dryin' her hair, it'll take about five hours," he snickered, "all those extensions."

"alright well, we're leaving at 3. Be back and showered by then."

"Yes, Ma," he kissed her cheek and nodded for Kassidy to follow him.

It wasn't a long trek up to the peak that overlooked the water, he used to do it every morning while he was running the academy. But they didn't speak until they got to the top. Finn sat down on one of the big rocks and Kassidy sat next to him. Even then, silence lingered for a moment.

"Do you remember when we were kids," Finn began slowly, "mom used to say that it seemed like I always had an angel on one shoulder and a demon on the other?"

Kassidy laughed, "yeah, you were a bit o' a troublemaker sometimes."

"Well, she wasn't far off. I don't…I don't know what it is but…that side of me, it just takes over."

"Like when you wrestle?"

"Sometimes. Ya seem calm about this?"

Kassidy shrugged, "kinda explains a few things. Ya always had two sides. Takes somethin'…brutal inside to do what you do. No offense, but I think ya know that. The Fergal who used to build spaceships out of Legos with me ain't beatin' someone into a pulp in the ring."

"No, it's not. Guess we've always sorta been at odds."

"Is it under your control?"

"When I need it. I can call it. An' so can she. When she wants it."

"Wants it? Wants…sex?"

He nodded.

"With the, the…"

"We call it the Demon."

"An' last night?"

"Him not me. Well, I guess that's up for debate. It's still me, my thoughts, my…desires."

"Because ya want her."

"Yes," Finn looked out to the sky. "More than words can describe."

"Mate," Kassidy shook his head, "what the 'ell is the problem?"

"She lied to me, for one, for months, sneakin' around with that thing. Plus she's…y'know, Becky."

"Aw man, life is so hard for Fergal," he pushed him playfully, "A beautiful girl just hangin' on your every word. She's smart, she's funny, she knows how to kick your ass, which frankly, ya need, and to top it off, she is a great kisser-"

"Oh don't go there."

He laughed to himself, "just sayin'. Ya were in love with her then and you're in love with her now."

"I was not in love with her."

"Oh c'mon. you remember that night?"

"I see you 'aven't forgotten it."

"Yeah, no," he chuckled, "not a chance. Hey, it was a fantastic night."

Finn sighed heavily and jumped up, pacing by the peak. "You're way too proud o' the fact that ya kissed her."

"I snogged her. But that's semantics."

Looking out to the water, he returned to that night in his head. The little laughs that seemed to be louder than anything else in the room, Kassidy's eyes following her as her skirt flounced when she danced around the billiards table and Finn pulling away his own. She grinned at Kas as she sunk the eight ball and he bought her another drink with a false reluctance. His hand stayed firmly on the small of her back as they found a corner and laughed, their lips flirting with each other. Eventually, she had enough, and pulled him into a long kiss, the kind that would shake the room and make you see stars for days. Next to Finn, Paul laughed as Kassidy looked back at them and mouthed Fuck.

"She always kiss like that?" Kassidy asked, thinking about it too.

Finn crossed his arms, "yes."

"Look, mate," he sighed, "I know that the only reason she did it was to make you jealous."

"Maybe, I don't know."

"She did. Did it work?"

He looked down at his feet, "yes."

I need air, he remembered telling Paul, rushing out of the bar as Becky pulled Kas into another kiss.

Paul ran after him, asking if he was okay. Finn insisted he just was feeling hot, but Paul pushed, tried to explain it away.

They're just kids messing around.

He shook his head and said he didn't care, they were having fun. Paul eyed him though Finn looked straight at the ground, not wanting to admit what Paul already knew.

Paul sighed, she should be having fun with someone her own age.

Don't ya think I know that? Finn snapped at him, trust me, I know. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, I shouldn't feel like this.

You feel how you feel, mate, Paul's head was always clear. It's your actions that matter. And you can't...you can't ever touch her.

I 'aven't. He looked down at his beer, we kissed once.

When?

Two years ago.

Fergal, Paul sighed deeply. You kissed her?

She kissed me. I let her.

Just, he looked back at the entrance of the bar let her be happy, for once, yeah? Cause you can't be what she wants you to be.

Finn gulped at the memory, how he promised Paul he'd never cross that line with her, ever.

"I'm sorry," Kassidy said, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"I never said that. But I'm sorry. I knew how much ya wanted to be with her, everyone could see the chemistry ya had. She made eyes at me, an' I went for it anyway."

Finn shook his head and sat back down next to his brother, "no, it was inappropriate. Ya were at least her age."

"Well, we're not 18 anymore. An' it's been a long time since you were her trainer. So if ya wanna sleep with her, and she wants to sleep with you, what's the matter?"

"I don't wanna hurt her, I never shoulda- and I didn't- or at least, I didn't realize I did."

"But ya glad ya did, aren't you?"

"It's a right mess."

"Oh it is not, you're just makin' it out to be. Mate, she loves you, she has always loved you. Ya have her, she is not goin' anywhere, all you haveta do is decide you're ready to love her too, an' instead you're runnin' scared."

"I am not – y'know what, forget it. Ya wanna hook up with her tonight, be my guest."

"Oh, bullshit."

"I'm not her keeper, she can do whatever she wants."

"She wants you, Ferg! Shit."

"I don't want to fuck this up."

"So you're not even gonna try? You. The kid who told everyone he was gonna be a wrestler no matter if anyone believed him."

"That was only my heart to break. This is hers too."

"Ya want my opinion? I think she's worth it. Hell, if her kisses are any indication, I'd say she's definitely worth it," he laughed.

Finn pushed him playfully, laughing because it was true. Becky had a way of making the whole world seem to disappear. Kassidy pushed back.

"Quit bein' a scardey cat."

"What'd you call me?" Finn stood, a fake scowl on his face.

"What?" Kassidy jumped up and let Finn chase after him, getting him in a headlock.

"What was that? You wanna revise that statement?" he teased as Kassidy's face turned red, part from laughing, part from the hold.

He shoved Finn off, calling him a name, and they both lost their footing.

"Shit!" Finn felt his face come smack dab onto the grass and he tried to grab onto something, but the steepness of these hills was too much.

He rolled down, smacking into rocks and catching glimpses of Kas trying to catch himself too. At least in the ring he knew exactly what everything would feel like. A pain shot up through his knee and he cursed to himself as he finally stopped at the bottom.

"Ya alright?" Kassidy called over.

Finn sat up, his head spinning a bit, "yeah, fine." He looked down at his knee, which had gotten badly scrapped up, "ah fuck."

XXX

As they came through the front door, Finn b-lined for the kitchen drawers and called out to the living room.

"Mom do we have duct tape?"

"What'd you do?" she came through the archway, Becky behind her. "That means he hurt somethin'," she told her.

"I'm fine,"

"There's a first aid kit in the bathroom," she told him, spotting the gash on his leg, which was still bleeding.

"Fiiine," he made his way back up the stairs to the bathroom.

"Ya want help?" Becky followed him.

"If I say no will it change your mind?"

"Nope," she laughed, "how was your hike?"

"Oh it was good," he sat down on the edge of the bathtub as she pulled out the first aid kit and kneeled in front of him. The alcohol wipe burned against his knee and he winced. "Fuck!"

"Finn ya get punched in the face for a livin'."

"I know but it hurts," he chuckled as she sent him a sympathetic smile, he was pretty torn up as far as accidental injuries went. He must've caught his knee on one of the sharp rocks on the way down. "We had a good talk."

"Yeah? What about?"

"You."

"Me?" she moved to the Neosporin.

"Told him ya off limits."

"Ya did?"

"Would that make ya happy? Or did ya want to end up in his room tonight?"

"Course not, Finn, that was like a million years ago. An' it was one kiss."

"It was a few kisses."

"I'm sorry, do ya suddenly care 'bout that?"

"No."

"Okay." She slapped a large bandage onto his knee and he pulled back in pain.

"Ow, jeez!"

"Don't be a baby. C'mon, if ya don't get in the shower soon ya mom'll have an attack, and ya still haveta shave."

He ran his hands over the stubble outside the lines of his beard. "Your hair looks nice."

"Huh?"

"You blew it dry, didn't ya?"

She ran her fingers through the big waves that fell down her shoulders, "yeah."

"It's lovely."

She nodded, "thank you."