Disclaimer : I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein. This is pure fiction, written for entertainment only.
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Chapter 14
Mark groaned at the persistent pounding at the door but didn't budge from his position. He felt too comfortable to move. A smile crept up on his face as he looked down at the blonde head lying on his shoulder, the fingers of one hand curled lightly on his chest. Bending, he pressed a kiss to the top of the head before extricating himself. Jeff protested in his sleep but settled for the pillow Mark pressed against him. He clutched it against him and went back to sleep.
Mark glanced at his watch and frowned. What was with these people calling so early in the morning? It was only half past seven in the morning. He really could do with more sleep. Sighing in resignation, he pulled on his sweat pants before moving to get the door and was greeted with the impish faces of Shawn and Hunter. He groaned out loud. Why did it have to be the most annoying people in the company?
"Morning!" they greeted him in unison. Shawn cleared his throat and saluted him. "Capitan, we are here to report on yesterday's situation! Except for a slight misunderstanding between Austin and Kurt which we managed to resolve, all went well." He relaxed his stance and said gleefully, "You have nothing to worry about when we are in charge, this is kind of fun! Hunter and I wouldn't mind helping you guys out whenever we can. Right, Hunt?"
Hunter nodded enthusiastically. "No one and I mean no one could have handled Austin and Kurt the way we did. You would have been proud of us, Mark."
Mark was just about to ask them exactly what transpired yesterday and how they dealt with the situation when Shawn nudged him with his elbow. "How did yesterday go?"
Mark pretended to give the question careful thought. If they were expecting him to share the details of his sex life, they would have to wait for an eternity.
"Good" he just said.
Shawn and Hunter looked at each other, clearly disappointed with his answer.
"Come on, Mark, we volunteered to help out yesterday. You could at least give us some juicy details."
Mark smirked. "A gentleman does not kiss and tell. But, thanks for all your help yesterday. I'll see you guys later" and he shut the door in their faces.
Both men looked aghast at his uncooperativeness. Hunter said with a sigh, "I guess that's the end of it."
"Hmm…" Shawn stroked his chin thoughtfully, a mischievous gleam in his eyes, "maybe not. Mark won't say anything but Jeff is another story altogether. I think I know how to get him to share the juicy bits with us. Follow me!"
…..
He felt the bed shift and he cracked an eye open to see Mark getting up to go to the bathroom. He estimated he would have another ten to fifteen minutes of rest before Mark got out. Clutching Mark's pillow towards him, he buried his face into it. Taking a big whiff, he took in Mark's scent and purred with contentment. His thoughts went back to last night and he blushed with the memory. Mark knew how to make him feel good, touching him in all the right places, and the way he worked his tongue …. He couldn't help letting out a shiver of excitement as he pressed his legs tightly together. Just that thought made him ache for him again. He frowned, realizing that ever since he hooked up with Mark, he seemed to want to have sex every day. Was that normal? He even began to wonder if the sex was as good for Mark as it was for him. What if it wasn't? He started to fret. Should he ask him or would he appear to be too forward?
As he was considering it, he heard the bathroom door opened. He squeezed his eyes shut, feigning sleep, wondering if Mark would try to get him up. The bed dipped and he smelt the fresh smell of soap mingled with Mark's pine aftershave. A hand reached out to pull his pillow away but he clutched onto it tightly, a giggle involuntarily escaping him. There was a moment of silence and then Mark's voice rumbled with amusement, "I know you're awake, Jeff. Come on, time to hit the shower. We have training today."
Jeff peeped out from the pillow and saw Mark hovering over him with an amused look on his face. He giggled as he chirped childishly, "I don't want to get up yet."
"And why is that?" Mark asked, playing along. He lowered himself beside him, propping himself up with one arm. He only had a towel wrapped around his waist. If anyone could see him now, they would point out that he had never looked more relaxed.
"Because I'm too comfy to move," Jeff wriggled his nose playfully at him.
Mark reached out to tweak his nose. "I see the problem Matt faces every morning trying to get you up. Hmm… what if I give you something? Will you get up then?"
"You have skittles on you?" Jeff asked, leaning up eagerly.
Mark shook his head, eyes twinkling with amusement. "Nope, but I have something better."
Jeff furrowed his brows. What can be better than his beloved rainbow candy?
"I don't know if anything else will do, Mark" he said solemnly.
"What if I'm to give you a kiss … like this one?" and he tilted his chin up to press the softest kiss to his lips. Jeff closed his eyes, leaning into the kiss. When Mark withdrew, he slowly opened his eyes and there was a dreamy look in them. Mark chuckled. "Now, will that do?"
Jeff let his breath out slowly, licking his lips. Knowing that Mark was willing to play just gave him a wicked thought.
Mark looked startled. Oh no! He has that same look Shawn has when he's up to no good!
"The kiss almost convinced me, but if you do something for me, I'll get up and take that shower."
"What do you want me to do?" Mark asked warily, knowing he was treading on dangerous grounds.
Jeff gave him an impish grin. "It's really simple, all you have to do is to dance around naked."
Mark gave him an incredulous look. "I don't think so. I'm not going to make a spectacle of myself!"
"Please?" Jeff pouted and batted his eyes at him but Mark said adamantly, "No way!"
"What about with the towel on?" Jeff asked in a compromising tone.
Mark decided he had enough of the foolishness. He stood up and scooped him up into his arms.
"What are you doing?" He protested as he was carried into the bathroom. "No! Let me go, Mark!" He struggled to get free but Mark had a firm grip on him. "You cheated!" and he gasped when Mark suddenly kissed him roughly on the mouth. He tightened his arms over him, kissing him back feverishly. When Mark finally let him breathe, he lay breathless and acquiescent in his arms.
Sitting him on top the counter, Mark drew off his towel and wrapped his legs around him. He hefted him up by his buttocks and murmured huskily, "What about if we do the dance together?" and impaled him. Jeff cried out and moaned the next moment when Mark covered his mouth with a searing kiss. They moved frantically against each other in a mating dance, loud moans escaping them and sooner than they liked, finished their dance.
As Mark turned on the shower to wash themselves clean, Jeff leaned against him with a weak grin and said, "This beats skittles any time."
…
Glenn lay on the bed, hands tucked behind his head, grinning from ear to ear. He had been listening to them in the bathroom since they got started.
"Are they done yet?" Matt looked over to him, a pillow over his head and ears. He just couldn't bring himself to listen anymore once he found out what Mark and Jeff were doing in the bathroom.
When they first heard Jeff cried out, Matt had jumped off the bed in a flash and was heading towards the adjoining door to check on him when Glenn asked, "Are you sure you want to walk in on Mark plugging your brother?" and laughed uproariously at his expression.
"But… but, Jeff sounds like he's in pain!"
"He's not in pain, dummy, he's howling with pleasure!"
Matt tried hard not to entertain that vision in his head but the animal sounds coming from the bathroom hadn't helped at all. In the end, he just blocked out the sounds for the entire duration.
Glenn smirked at him as he gave him the 'okay' sign.
Matt uncovered his ears with a sigh. "I'm maimed for life!" He turned accusing eyes to his roommate. "This is all your fault! Because of your big mouth, I was up all night waiting and worrying and ended up having to listen to them going at it! And they are at it again! Can't your brother keep it in his pants? He's going to kill Jeff if he keeps this up! My brother's delicate, you know, and Mark is … large in that department!"
Chortling, Glenn sat up. "If you were Mark and it has been a while since you had yourself some, wouldn't you go at it when the opportunity presents itself?" He laughed out loud at Matt's grimace.
"Eww… that's a nasty thought!" Matt said, screwing up his face with distaste.
Glenn cuffed him on the side of his head. "Dumbnuts! I bet your thoughts were far from nasty when you were pounding into your lady friend!"
"That's different!" Matt muttered sullenly, rubbing his head.
"There's no difference! You like women, you do them. Mark likes Jeff, he fucks him. It's that simple."
A sudden thought struck Matt. "Wait, are you telling me that your brother is going to do my baby brother every chance he gets?"
Glenn grinned. "Yep, e-v-e-r-y chance he gets!" he said with emphasis.
Matt let out a deep sigh and gave him a somber look. "I guess I'll be bunking with Jeff from now on."
"What are you trying to do? You're trying to keep them apart?" Glenn growled as he stood menacingly over him.
Matt gulped but stood up to face him. "I'm not saying that Mark can't see him, I just don't want them sharing a room. Jeff's still young and they may be attracted to each other in a purely sexual way. Don't you think it will be a good idea for them to find out if they're compatible in other ways? I'd prefer they take things slow. It's really easy to ignore the other aspects of a relationship when you're so focused on the sexual aspect. I don't want Jeff or Mark to end up regretting and hurting each other. Do you know what I'm getting at?"
Glenn was taken aback by Matt's insight and maturity. He had to admit that the young man was sensible beyond his age. "I see your point, but I really don't see Mark changing his mind. Jeff is young and he may yet to find out for himself what and who he really wants. So, what do we do now?" Even though he didn't want to jeopardize Mark's relationship, he didn't want his young friend to get hurt either.
Matt let out a sigh of relief that he understood. "Let's just stick to the original rooming arrangement and see how things work out between them. They are going to be working closely together, so they will fairly see each other every day. I don't think they will object to staying in different rooms.
Glenn grinned suddenly. "You know what? I think brother dearest will disagree with you on that. I'm sure he'll have something to say to this once he finds out. Come on, let's get ready and go over and join them. Don't forget, we have training today."
Half an hour later, the four men made their way down together to grab a late breakfast. They just wanted something light to tide them over till lunch. They were intercepted even before they made it to the breakfast room.
"I need to talk to you, Mark." Kurt looked unhappy.
"Jeff and I will see you later after we grab something to eat," Mark said and turned to go.
"Jeff?" Kurt studied his counterpart. He stifled back a snicker and said, "I don't think he can help me."
Jeff's face fell and a hurt expression came over it. Mark's face darkened. "You show your respect, boy, or you'll have to deal with the problem yourself!"
Kurt was taken aback by the threat. He hesitated and then apologized. "I'm sorry, Jeff. I didn't mean to insult you but you're new at this. Austin will eat you for breakfast! Mark's the only guy who can talk some sense into him."
Jeff nodded, accepting his apology. "What did he do?" he asked meekly.
Kurt turned red with fury. "That damn redneck sprayed paint all over my car!"
"But, why would he do that?" Jeff asked, a puzzled frown on his face.
"I don't know. I've never done anything to him! I think he just enjoys tormenting me! You know what he wrote on it?"
Glenn and Matt answered simultaneously, "You suck?" and burst out laughing.
Kurt frowned before letting out a deep sigh, "Why does everyone hate me? Everywhere I go, people keep taunting me, telling me I suck! Well … I don't suck, damn it! I'm an Olympic gold medalist! I won the Olympic gold with a broken freaking neck!"
"Calm down, I'll talk to Austin. But, Shawn told me he had already settled the business between you two. Was there something else?" Mark was beginning to wonder if they talking about another subject altogether.
"No. But, since we're on the subject of Shawn, I want to talk to you about him and his sidekick. Do you know what they did? When I told them my problem, they went up to Austin and told him I didn't like what he did to my car. They told him to do something about it and you know what the son of a bitch did? He said that since I didn't like the way my car looked, he would give it a new facelift, and he drove his damn monster truck over my car and totaled it completely!"
Jeff couldn't help himself. He burst into giggles just as Glenn and Matt howled with laughter.
"You think that's funny?" Kurt looked miffed, feeling somewhat hurt that no one was showing him any empathy.
Mark cleared his throat, trying to keep from laughing. "I promise I'll talk to Austin but I don't know if I can get him to compensate you for the damage. I may need to talk to Vince about cutting his pay to pay for it if he refuses. As for Shawn and Hunter, what did they do when Austin drove over your car?"
"They just stood there with their mouths open and said 'Oh', and then Hunter told me it was time I got rid of that old heap anyway and get a new car." Kurt looked completely vexed. "You know, between those two and Austin, I'm losing my hair! Look!" He bent his head and pointed to the center of it, "See? I'm balding! That's what dealing with them can do to you!"
"Oh, you poor thing!" Jeff patted him on the bald spot with a sorry look. "You must be distraught with your loss. Try to stay calm or you'll lose what's left on your head. Your car's gone, so there's no point fretting over it. Why don't you come with us and have some cookies and milk to take your mind off your troubles for a while? Mark will settle things for you after breakfast. Won't you, Mark?" and Jeff turned to him for a confirmation.
"I'll try," Mark promised. He was going to speak to Shawn and Hunter the first chance he got. They had a lot of explaining to do!
"Come on, let's go get some cookies and milk!" Jeff clapped his hands enthusiastically as he led the way into the breakfast room.
Kurt found himself smiling against his will. "He likes milk too! I'm beginning to like that kid!" he said before walking briskly ahead to catch up with him. Mark muttered something incoherent under his breath as he went after them. Glenn and Matt brought up the rear, exchanging a look. Did Kurt just make Mark jealous with that casual remark?
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"Are you sure it will work?"
Both men were at the bench, doing presses. It was training day and the place was crawling with sweaty bodies pumping weights, doing squats and wrestling in the ring.
"I know what I'm doing, Hunt. Jeff's easy to please. Let me handle him." Shawn checked his watch and sighed impatiently. "What's taking them so long? It's almost eleven. We're almost done here."
Just as he finished speaking, Mark and Jeff walked in with their brothers in tow, Kurt Angle was right behind them.
"Oh crap! I think we're in trouble!" Shawn muttered as Mark made a beeline for them with a scowl on his face.
"Hiya, Mark," Shawn greeted him with a small wave and weak smile. Hunter avoided meeting his eyes altogether.
"You two, in my office now!" Mark ordered and turning around, went back out, with Jeff and Kurt following close behind.
Glenn and Matt snickered as the degenerates walked past them with the former wishing them luck facing up to Mark's wrath.
As soon as they entered the office, Mark barked out, "Did you, or did you not tell me that you have settled the problem between Kurt and Austin?"
Shawn nodded meekly. He stole a glance at Kurt and saw him smirking at their expense. He promised to pay him back for getting them into Mark's bad book.
"You said no one could have handled Austin and Kurt the way you did. What the hell were you thinking, telling Austin to do something about the car! You do not leave open suggestions to him, knowing he's a goddamn wrecking machine and he'd make you eat your words! Who's going to pay for the damage now?" Mark looked from one to the other, waiting for an answer.
"We didn't know Austin would go crazy. I mean, he has always been unpredictable," Hunter spoke in their defense. "We never expected him to take his monster truck and drove it over and over and over and over again over Kurt's car until he flattened it to a quarter of its size."
His reiteration drew a painful grimace from Kurt. His beloved dark blue 1985 Chevy Camaro was his pride and joy. It was now a heap of scrap metal.
"We were only trying to help, Mark, but there was nothing else we could do as he had already totaled the car. It was so heartbreaking to see it squashed into a giant baking sheet," Shawn slapped his palms together for effect. "It died a painful death and we grieved for it. I even shed a tear or two over it," he added in a morose tone.
Mark pinched the bridge of his nose. Would it ever stop? He sighed, deciding to get it over with. "Austin has to pay for the loss but he's not going to like it when I tell him. Go and get him and tell him I want to see him, now!"
As Shawn and Hunter scrambled to do his bidding, Mark turned to see Jeff rifling through his refrigerator. He was bent over and Kurt was gawking at his ass. He growled, startling Kurt from his reverie. He looked away sheepishly, trying to look innocent.
"Mark, you want something to drink?" Jeff asked, holding out a bottle of mineral water to him.
"Thanks, Jeff," he took it from him and made towards the couch.
Jeff gave Kurt a bottle of the same as well, knowing he didn't drink anything but milk and water. He got himself a can of mountain dew and plopped down beside Mark.
"Can we start our training after we are done here?" he asked as he popped the can open and took a sip, sighing with pleasure at the sparkling drink. Matt allowed him the occasional can or two, saying they were not good for him because of their high sugar content. He always tried to sneak in the extra can or two if he could get his hands on them.
Mark nodded, "We're out of here as soon as I talk to Austin."
"You know Jeff that is not a healthy choice of drink" Kurt said, nodding to his mountain dew. "They contain sugar and those calories will go to your ass if you're not careful," he warned.
"I don't think so. My ass looks fine as it is," Jeff said as he took several sips and smacked his lips with satisfaction. No one was going to discourage him from indulging his sweet tooth.
Mark glared at Kurt, making him fidget with unease. What did I do wrong?
Jeff placed his drink on the table and got up. "I need to use the bathroom."
As soon as he was out of the room, Mark leaned over and said, "You keep your eyes away from his ass, you hear?"
Kurt gulped. "I wasn't looking …" he started to say, but Mark stopped him. "Cut that bullshit! You were looking!"
He had not spoken to Jeff yet about his feelings for him, but he felt he should stake his claim before Kurt overstepped his boundary and he had to hurt him really bad. "He's with me, so I don't want you looking in his direction. You got that?"
"Of course Mark. I wouldn't dream of taking away what's yours," Kurt assured him quickly.
Jeff came back out and rejoined them. He looked up at Kurt. "Why don't you sit?" and he shifted to make room for him on the couch beside him.
"Uhh… no thanks, Jeff," Kurt said hurriedly, "I prefer to stand." After that warning from Mark, he wanted to keep his distance.
There was a knock on the door before it opened to reveal Shawn and Hunter bringing Austin in.
"You want to see me?" Austin asked.
Mark got up to face him. "You know what this is about, Austin. Let's talk how you're going to pay for that vehicle you trashed." He cut to the chase.
Austin let out a low laugh. "You expect me to pay good money for that pile of heap he called a car? Uh huh!"
Mark grinned. "I don't think you understand me too well. Let me explain to you how this works. You destroy something that doesn't belong to you, you pay for it. Now, I've asked you here to work something out but if you're not going to be co-operative, then, I'll have to go to Vince and you'll have to pay for that car one way or another. So, which is it?"
Both men stared unflinchingly at each other as the others looked on uneasily.
"So, what you're saying is that I have to pay for that sorry pile of junk," Austin finally spoke up.
"That's what you're here for, to compensate for the loss," Mark said, not giving ground.
There was an unreadable look on Austin's face and his stare wavered. Mark waited and it paid off. "How much do I have to pay?"
Mark looked to Kurt and he said, "Eight grand" without hesitation.
"Son of a bitch! It doesn't cost that much!" Austin snarled.
"I just had some parts replaced and the car painted just three months ago!" Kurt defended his asking price.
"I'm not going to pay eight grand for that pile of dirt!" Austin reiterated.
"You guys saw the car. How much would you pay for it?" Mark addressed Hunter and Shawn.
"I would say six grand," Hunter spoke up. "We took a lift from Kurt a couple of weeks ago and the car drives like a dream."
"Will you pay six grand?" Mark asked Austin.
"I'll pay five and not a penny more!" Austin put his foot down on the daylight robbery.
"Kurt?" Mark addressed him.
"I'll take it," Kurt reluctantly accepted the offer of compensation. It was far better than he had hoped. He never expected to get anything out of Austin.
"I'll give you a check later," and with that, Austin left without a backward glance.
"I appreciate your help, Mark. I've taken up enough of your time. I'll see you around." Shawn and Hunter excused themselves quickly and left with Kurt.
Mark sat down with a sigh and noticed Jeff watching him attentively.
"What's wrong?"
"You're so good at dealing with people. Austin is not an easy person to handle." Jeff stated as a matter-of-fact.
"He's stubborn but he's alright. Just need to let him know you won't take crap from him and he'll respect you for it," Mark said.
"Mark?" Jeff looked anxiously at him. "I'm not cut out for this leadership thing. Everything about it intimidates me. Maybe you should get someone else to help you. I'm pretty useless to you."
Mark wrapped his arm around his shoulders. "Give yourself time to learn. You're new at this, so don't be too harsh on yourself. I'm here to guide you, so pick up whatever you can. You'll do just fine."
"You always seem to know what to say to keep me motivated," Jeff said gratefully. "I don't know what I'll do without you."
"Don't flatter me yet. I'm pretty harsh when it comes to training and abiding the rules. Come on, let's get started."
He got up and Jeff stood up on the couch and wrapped his arms around his neck from behind. "Will you give me a piggy back ride?"
"Jeff, it's not … proper. We're working."
"It's just a piggy back ride," Jeff pleaded with him yet again.
Mark hated to deny him but he hated the thought of his colleagues poking fun at him more. He turned around and pulled him close. "I'll give you all the piggy back rides you want in our room later," he promised and pecked him on the lips. "Shall we go?"
To his relief, Jeff wasn't upset with him. He leapt to the floor and tugged him forward by the arm eagerly. "Let's go! I can't wait to wrestle the almighty Undertaker!"
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