No preamble... Jumping right in here... Enjoy, and review!

Shawn couldn't stop smiling as he drove up to the hospital, glad at this fortune at finding a good parking spot. Last night, he had convinced himself thoroughly that he and Mark were nothing more than friends, and that a kiss between friends wasn't so odd. After all, he and Hunter had done the same before they started going out, right?

"Sir, which room are you looking for?" a kind nurse asked the Heartbreak Kid as he walked towards the elevator.

"Oh, I already know where I'm going," he said with a grin, showing off his pass. The woman nodded and motioned for him to go on, and Shawn responded with a short bow.

"Hunt?" he called when he reached the room, felling his grin widen. "Guess who!" When he received no answer, he decided to just walk in, hoping that Triple H wasn't asleep…

Instead, when he was inside, Shawn was met by one of the most intense glares he had ever received.

HBK felt his heart rate suddenly increase. "Hey, Hunt…" he began, voice trailing off as he wilted under that stare.

"Hi Shawn." Hunter smiled, but it gave Shawn chills to see it, because it wasn't exactly a friendly one. "I've been doing pretty good. I should be out sooner than expected, or so they say."

"That's great!" Shawn said enthusiastically. "I've missed you so much…"

"Have you?" Triple H asked, and Shawn's expression grew puzzled. "Shawn, just come here."

The Heartbreak Kid hesitated a moment before taking a step toward the hospital bed. The look in Hunter's eyes…he knew that look…

'It's the look he gives me before he beats the crap out of me,' he reasoned with a wince. 'But we haven't fought in years… I'm probably just imagining things.' When he was in reach, he felt the Game's strong arms wrap around him, pulling him into a warm embrace, and his fear melted. This was his best friend…the man he loved so much…

"Shawn," Hunter began with a sigh. "Sometimes I'm scared that I could lose you."

Shawn felt his heart stop and his breath caught in his throat. "What do you mean?" he asked in a whisper. Triple H's grip on him tightened considerably and it became even harder to breathe.

"There are so many rumors going around, Shawn, and then I see this… What am I supposed to think?"

Shawn considered running away from the moment, too frightened to even turn his head to see what it was Hunter was referring to. Trying to breath again, he forced himself to look, and gasped.

It was the special edition of WWE Magazine…the one Vince had them all posing for, with a giant centerfold of him and the Undertaker. And the photographer hadn't taken a picture of them looking at the camera.

They were looking at each other, and there was no mistaking the look in their eyes.

"Hunter…" Shawn began, feeling his heart beating dangerously fast. "That was just a photo shoot… There's nothing between us."

Triple H released Shawn from his arms and pushed him back a step. "I love you so much… You know I love you," he began slowly. "You know how much you mean to me…" His voice wavered and his hands became fists. "But I wonder sometimes if I mean anything to you…"

The words stung Shawn hard and deep, and he had to bite back his anger before speaking. "Hunter, I love you," he said softly. "There's…no one but you. You're the only man I love." For some reason, he felt like he was lying. But saying it made it feel more true, although he kicked himself for not sounding more sure. "I'm not with anyone else."

"Not Cena?"

"No."

"Not Jeff?"

"No, Hunter, I--"

"What about the Undertaker? I've heard about you two hanging out a lot lately, and…" He held up the magazine before throwing it across the room. "And now this!" He hadn't meant to yell, but his emotions were running so high that if he wasn't screaming, he knew he'd just…cry.

Shawn blinked back tears, seeing the wetness of his boyfriend's eyes. "Hunter… That picture… I was hanging out with him but…" He closed his eyes, trying to hold back the flood, but his breath was already coming faster. "It was only because…Because I wanted someone to protect me while you were away!" he blurted. "You know how I always want a bodyguard to help me!"

Triple H considered Shawn's words. "That's all?" he asked skeptically, wanting to believe it with all his heart. "You don't feel anything for him?"

"No," was HBK's answer, and he made up in his mind in that instant for it to be the truth. "Not a thing." He forced himself to smile, then. "The furthest I could get with a guy like that is 'buddy.'"

Hunter smiled slightly and relaxed, before pulling Shawn into his arms again and kissing with all the love he could muster. "I love you so much Shawn… You have my heart and soul… Please, please don't crush them."

Shawn stroked Hunter's blond hair lovingly, closing his eyes and kissing him on the forehead as the Game buried his head in Shawn's chest. "Never," he said sincerely. "Never will I break your heart." A feeling of peace came over him at that moment, and Shawn knew it was because he had done the right thing, and that he had made the right choice.

'I've got no business with the Undertaker… I…I already have someone I love. And I love him with all of my heart.'

His blue eyes focused on Hunter's brown ones, and they shared a soft kiss. As their lips connected, Shawn reminded himself how much he and Hunter needed one another…how much they loved one another.

'I could never choose anyone over him,' he thought with a smile, pulling back to kiss Triple H's cheek.

"I have to go, Hunt, visiting hours are over. But I'll be back, as always." He gave his best friend and lover a wink. "And don't believe the rumors. Those guys are just jealous."

Triple H gave him a smile and a nod, lying back against his pillow as he watched Shawn leave, blowing him a kiss.

The moment the door closed, he sat up, burying his face in his shaking hands and let tears of relief slide down his face.

Shawn climbed into the car with a smile, closing the door lightly before rolling down the window and letting the cool night air hit his face.

'I have to fix things,' he told himself, putting the keys into the ignition and starting the engine. 'I have to set the record straight with Mark. It was fun while it lasted, but we could never…' He looked into the rearview mirror in order to back out, and froze.

His face was streaked with still-flowing tears.

"I'm crying…" he whispered aloud, the world blurring around him. "Why… Why am I crying?" His voice broke on the last syllable, and he bowed his head slowly against the steering wheel, sobbing.

The Undertaker opened his room door slowly, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "What?" he asked, voice rough from sleep. As his vision cleared, however, he realized who was standing at there, and his eyes widened. "Shawn?"

Indeed it was. Shawn Michaels was standing at his door, tears streaming from his deep blue eyes.

"I'm sorry…" he sobbed, wiping at his tears, strong form shaking. "When I visited Hunter today… He said that…" Shawn tried to stop crying, but knew that it was useless. "'Taker, I love him, I'm so sorry!" he blurted out all at once.

The Undertaker's eyes had only widened through this confession, but before he said a word, he took the crying, trembling man into his arms, pulling him against his chest. "Shawn," he said gently, stroking the smaller man's hair. "Shawn, why are you apologizing?"

HBK didn't raise his head. "I'm sorry… I've been leading you on all this time… We shouldn't hang out so much…" He sighed as the tears continued to flow, although the sobbing did finally stop. "We've become friends so quickly, and if I didn't love Hunter I…" The words refused to leave his lips--he just couldn't bear to say them.

But Mark heard them, loud and clear. He felt a sharp tightening in his chest, but swallowed it for the moment. "Shawn, don't apologize," he said in a low voice, and trying to mean it. "I know that you love Triple H… And I know that we can never be more then friends." The next words caught in his throat, but he forced them out. "I knew that from the start."

Shawn looked up finally and saw that the Deadman was…smiling? His blue eyes, still red and misty, widened. "Are you…serious?" he asked, pulling away slightly. A nod. "You mean, you're okay with this?"

The Undertaker shrugged. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" He clapped Shawn on the shoulder. "You're my friend, Shawn, and who am I to stand in the way of your happiness? You love HHH--you should be with him." He was a little surprised when he felt Shawn hug him at that moment.

"Oh, Mark, thanks so much! You don't know how much this means to me…" His voice trailed off as he felt the weight lift off his shoulders. But Shawn could have sworn he felt it moving over to the left side of his chest now… "You're a great friend!"

The Deadman laughed and gave him a pat on the head. "Of course I am. Now, you should get some sleep. It's late as hell."

"But I'm not sleepy anymore."

"Yeah, well, I am!" The Undertaker playfully shoved Shawn out of the room. "Goodnight," he said, waving goodbye and closing the door, watching the Heartbreak Kid nearly skip back to his room down the hall.

As the Undertaker climbed back into bed, he could feel that tightening in his chest again.

'Dammit,' he thought to himself, eyes growing moist. 'Stop. You know he loves Triple H, what were you thinking? That he'd leave his long time friend-and-more for you?' With a sigh, he buried his face in a soft pillow.

"They belong together, that's obvious," he whispered aloud, closing his eyes, ignoring the pain as best he could. "And I… Well, I am alone. It's always been this way, why should things change now?" His strong hands clutched desperately to the pillow, in a vain attempt to stop the pain that was washing over him. But the words echoed in his head, an agony he had never felt before.

"If I didn't love Hunter I…"

Slowly, he slipped into a light sleep, thinking of Shawn as he often did. Only now, the dream was empty. No light, no color, no music.

No Shawn.

He was alone.

For the first time in a long time, Mark cried.

The End.

No, I'm kidding. That would be too sad. Sorry if this was sappy... Again, I know little of love, and this chapter has the extent of my knowledge... Hope it worked okay, though...

Review?