A/N: I don't own the Wrestlers.

Dirty Deeds

A WWE Fanfic

CH 29: Uncomfortable Moments

We were quiet on the plane ride. I'm not sure if Punk is nervous, but I know I am. Matt tries to engage me in conversation, but he finally decides to sleep instead when I snap at him after he asks me for the hundredth time if I'm all right. Punk, across the aisle from me, is sullen behind a pair of dark sunglasses. When we land, neither Punk nor I are in any hurry to get off the plane. Matt finally nudges me and says, "They frown on people who refuse to get off the plane."

"Sorry," I mutter, standing up. The plane's pretty much empty except for the three of us and the flight crew. I grab my carry on bag from the overhead bin, then hand Matt his. Punk's still sitting there, his head tilted so he can look up at me. "Time to go."

I see his eyebrows peek out from behind the dark glasses. "Are you sure I have to do this?"

"We're already here," I point out. "Come on, Punk. Be brave."

He sighs and grabs his bag from beneath his seat, then stands up. Satisfied that he and Matt will follow me, I leave the plane. The flight crew smiles at us as we leave. They're probably glad to see the last of us so they can get the plane cleaned or whatever it is that they do when all of us are gone. Once we're in the tunnel, Matt takes my hand, leaving Punk to trail us through the airport. I try to keep an eye on him, to make sure he doesn't bolt. He's not happy to be here, and he's been sure to let me know that, every chance he gets. He's a good friend, though, because despite his objections, he is here.

Just inside the security checkpoint, Punk puts a hand on my shoulder. "McCool, I need to talk to you a minute."

I frown. "Okay. Give us a minute, Matt?"

"Sure," he says with a shrug. "I'm going to go to the baggage claim. See you guys there." He pulls his hand from mine and heads through the checkpoint.

When he's gone, I turn to Punk. He's still wearing the sunglasses. They look weird on him. "You all right?"

"No," he says.

"What's the matter?"

"I can't believe you talked me into this."

"Punk," I sigh, "it's just a weekend, hanging out with Matt. You guys are cool now."

"It's not Matt that worries me."

"If things are really horrible, you can go," I say. "Matt and I will book you a flight and I'll drive you to the airport myself and you can yell at me the whole way back. Okay?"

Punk slides the glasses down his nose so he can peer at me over them. That makes me smile because he looks so serious. "I should have gone home."

"There's always next weekend." I hug him and whisper, "Thank you for coming with me."

He hugs me back, then disentangles himself. "We don't want to start any rumors on the cusp of your big TV reveal, do we?"

I grin. "Definitely not." Then I steal his sunglasses.

"Hey!" Punk protests.

"We're inside," I say. "You can have them back when we're in the car." He grumbles, but I smirk and saunter through security, leaving him no choice but to follow me.

It doesn't take us long to find the baggage claim. I hear Punk suck in a breath, and I start to turn and ask him what's the matter when I see Matt. He's deep in conversation with his brother. "Michelle?" Punk says. "Did Hardy happen to mention…?"

"No." I stare at the pair of them. They haven't seen us yet. "But there's nothing for it now. Our bags are over there."

Punk glances at me. "Does this count?"

"Count?"

"You said if things were really horrible…"

I turn to frown at him. "No. Ask me again when we get to Matt's house."

Matt catches sight of us just then, and he comes over. Jeff stays with the bags that Matt has already pulled off the conveyor belt. "Hey, guys," he says, his tone apologetic. "Sorry. Uh. I was going to just rent a car, but Jeff…" He shakes his head and offers us a rueful smile. "He wanted to come and get us. I couldn't say no."

"Why not?" Punk asks.

"It'll be fine," I say, eyeing Punk. "Let's get this over with."

Punk sighs and trails Matt and I over to the bags. Jeff smiles at us. "Hey, Michelle." He pauses, and looks past me at Punk. Punk's posture is rigid, and he's got that menacing look on his face. Jeff glances at Matt, then pushes past us, so he and Punk are nearly nose to nose. They're roughly the same height, I notice. "Punk."

"Hardy," Punk says.

There's a really long, uncomfortable moment as they stare one another down. I'm squeezing Matt's hand and wishing that I felt confident enough to get between the two of them and break it up when Jeff breaks into a laugh and offers his hand to Punk. "Glad you decided to come."

Punk frowns and looks at me. I shrug. "Thanks," Punk says, finally taking Jeff's hand. They shake, and then Jeff turns to look at Matt and I.

"Geez, Michelle," he says to me. "You're as white as a sheet. You didn't think we'd get into a fight in the airport, did you?"

"I wasn't sure," I say.

Jeff laughs. "As interesting as that would be, I think they'd kick us out. Come on, we've got a long drive to the house, and I'm sure you guys want to get settled."