DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. The characters belong to WWE and Vince McMahon. This is a work of fiction and I claim no knowledge of the actual events that went on in real life.

This takes place after Shawn kissed Hunter on live TV at RAW 11/03/1997.

It was nothing but a meaningless kiss. Or was it?

Frustrated Hunter got out of bed, quietly as to not disturb his girlfriend who was sleeping peacefully next to him. Something that had eluded him for the past few hours. Actually, he had no idea how late it was. The moon only shone a dim light into the room so he figured it was still in the middle of the night. In the dark he searched for his track pants and the shirt he'd casually thrown onto the chair in the corner and put both on. He needed to get out of here for a while to clear his head.

With no particular destination in mind, he walked down the street from the hotel they'd crashed at. The original plan had been to drive to the next town after the show, but Shawn had been adamant in wanting to have a few drinks. There'd been no talking him out of it so Hunter had given in. He had to admit, the three of them did have fun at the bar earlier and for once Shawn hadn't gotten totally plastered. Even though he couldn't help but think he might have preferred shit-faced Shawn for once. He had tried to be subtle about it, but Hunter didn't fail to notice that Shawn had been watching him like a hawk the whole time. And somehow it had made him uneasy.

Or maybe that kiss in the ring had.

Shawn had always been the more affectionate type, never shy to hug or pull you close. Hunter got used to that and really didn't mind. The kiss earlier, though? That had come right out of left field, even for Shawn's standards. He played along and when they got to the back he had just shrugged it off. This was just Shawn being Shawn, right?

And yet something had been off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Joanie had jokingly asked Shawn whether she needed to worry about him kissing her boyfriend. And just for a second, Shawn had hesitated and there was a flash of… something in his eyes. Hunter was certain Jo had missed it as she'd never been as perceptive when it came to his buddy as he was, but he hadn't. However, Shawn caught himself fast and fired back with a cocky smirk, "What? You're not sharin'? I'm hurt, Jo." At that, she'd just punched him in the shoulder, laughed, and that was it.

So why was he now wandering around at this godforsaken hour, trying to wrap his head around a stupid in-ring stunt that Shawn had pulled to get under people's skin?

Maybe because he sure had gotten under Hunter's.

To the world, Shawn may be loud and brazen. Often to the point of being obnoxious. But that had never been how he was with Hunter. When it was just them travelling up and down the road together, he got to know a different side to Shawn. Even when Joanie was around, he wasn't as open. They were friends and got along great, but he always seemed careful to just let her see what he wanted her to see. Well, truth be told, he was like that with just about everyone, keeping most people at arm's length. Hunter sometimes wondered why it had been different with them pretty much right from the start. It was like Shawn had put his trust in him instantly and he almost seemed the most comfortable when it was just them.

It was also when they were alone that Shawn got introspective, scarily enough sober even more so than intoxicated. Many nights sharing a room they'd spend talking, when the lights were already out, and it was then Shawn admitted to some of his insecurities and how disillusioned becoming the champ had left him. And how lonely this glorious life as the Heartbreak Kid made him feel. Hunter remembered teasing him that the chicks he picked up might beg to differ. At the time he hadn't thought much of it, but Shawn had gone quiet for a bit, before he said something along the lines of that those he truly cared about never seemed to be aware of it. He didn't elaborate, though, and when Hunter tried to press the subject, he'd got a cushion thrown at him for his trouble. And the ensuing, admittedly juvenile, pillow fight cut off any further serious discussion.

To be honest, he'd even forgotten about it until just now.

He'd reached the bridge they'd driven across from the arena and stopped, leaning his elbows on the railing. His gaze was fixed on the flickering city lights in the distance.

He really was most likely reading too much into this, but at the same time he knew that with Shawn it were always those small things that everyone seemed to miss. You had to pay close attention to get a good look behind his mask. Hunter was one of the few fortunate ones with whom Shawn actually let his guard down and yet he pondered if he might not have a blind spot in this case after all.

But then, what could he do about it? It wasn't like he could walk up to Shawn and ask him if that kiss had meant anything. If there was more to the subtle touches that always came across as coincidental. Those little remarks that Hunter had never considered as more than Shawn messing with him. Suddenly, all of that didn't seem as unintentional anymore.

Hunter briefly let his mind go there… How Shawn might react if he did confront him about it. Just like with Joanie, he would probably laugh in his face, even if Hunter was dead-on. There was no way that he would admit to anything. There was too much at stake, Hunter was well aware of that, and therefore Shawn would leave him none the wiser. And maybe his assumption was wrong after all.

However, his gut feeling told him he wasn't.

But what difference did it make? He was with Jo and happily so. So why push an issue that wasn't out in the open? If Shawn had wanted to make a move, he could've done so way before she got into the picture. And he himself had never looked at Shawn that way. Or any other man for that matter. So why was there this nagging voice in his head that had kept him awake? Maybe because, if he was really being honest, he'd never cared for anyone like he did for Shawn, either. Whether that went beyond friendship or not wasn't anything he'd ever given any thought to. And part of him didn't dare to.

Hunter pushed himself off the railing and raked a hand through his long hair.

Shawn was a puzzle. One he wouldn't solve tonight.

And walking back towards the hotel, he wondered if the pieces to his own hadn't just got scrambled more than he was ready for.