"He's nice," Taker said.
"Don't start." They entered the bowling alley parking lot.
"I didn't say anything."
"Yeah, you did. You said he was nice."
"He is nice."
"And...?"
"And he's polite."
"And...?"
"And he has good hygiene?! What exactly are you getting at, Kane?"
"He's a man!" Kane shouted.
"No!" Staggering back, Taker placed a hand over his heart. "I'd never realized that before. You mean to tell me that Jeff Hardy is a man! What a scandal! Do you think Vince knows?"
"Very funny... You know what I mean."
"No, I don't. But since you think that I do, why don't you enlighten me?"
"Well... Don't you think it's odd that I'm interested in a guy?"
Bro, after getting burned by more than one female in this federation, I'm pleased that you've taken interest in anyone!"
"So... You're not upset or disappointed or anything?"
"Not at all. Like I said, Jeff is nice. But if you ever dye your hair like his, I swear I'll disown you."
"Love you, too, bro."
As they were getting into the cab of Taker's truck, the Phenom saw Jeff exiting the bowling alley. "Hey, Jeff!" he called, waving his massive arms to draw the younger man's attention. "You need a lift?"
"And where the hell is he gonna sit?" Kane asked as Jeff trotted towards the vehicle. "On my lap?"
"I can't believe he's sitting on my lap..." Kane muttered.
After letting both Lita and a very suspicious-looking Matt know that Jeff was going back to the hotel with them, they'd tried to make as much room for the boy as possible. But seeing as there was no way either one of them was going to lose one hundred pounds or shrink twelve inches in the next five minutes, Taker eagerly suggested that Jeff sit in Kane's lap. Kane, stuck between Taker's obstinate glare and Jeff's eager eyes and slightly pouting lips, saw that he had little choice in the matter. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to complain about it every chance he got.
"I can see you're really suffering over there."
Jeff, having fallen asleep less than fifteen minutes into the trip, shifted in Kane's lap, trying to get more comfortable in the compact space. Kane instinctively wrapped his arms around the smaller man's body, securing him to the spot. He caught Taker's glance and smirk. "What?"
"Nothing... I'm just thinking about how cute you two are!"
"You're an evil bastard and you should be shot out of a cannon."
"Love you, too, Sparky."
"Don't call me that!"
"But you gotta admit that this is quite a scene..." Taker paused for a moment, studying Jeff's face. "He's drooling, yanno," he concluded.
"So what!" He pulled Jeff closer to his chest, protectively.
"I'm just sayin..."
"He can drool on me if he wants to," he whispered.
"You're a sick puppy and I can't believe I'm related to you. Here's the hotel. Now get out of my truck and never say anything like that in front of me again."
Once the rumbling of the engine died away, Jeff stirred, slowly waking up. "We there?" he asked, seeming to rub the sleep from his eyes in a child-like fashion that Kane found quite lovable.
"Yeah! Now get out!"
"Don't mind him," Kane said, opening the door. "He just gets cranky when he's up past his bedtime."
"G'night, Taker," Jeff yelled, bounding towards the hotel entrance. "Sweet dreams!"
Taker pulled off, intent on looking for a place to park. "I must be losing my touch..."