Hello all. I am here, again, and with another chapter. Classes are getting hectic, and I've been tired as all hell, but it's not a bad tired...yet. Soon I'll be begging for sleep, though. XD 'Till then, I shall post chapters! Yay!
So...I think I mentioned in the last chapter that we are coming to the end... The grand finale... Things are only going to get more and more insane from here on out...
Also, there are mentions in this chapter of a history between Kevin and Shawn that may or may not become another story... It'll probably be in flashback form, or something of the like, since ShawnMuse has made it clear that their relationship is purely platonic now. XD
Alright, I've babbled enough. Thanks as always to those who read and review. Your compliments make me so happy! I hope you continue to read to the end, and we'll see how it goes when we get there. ;)
"Damn," John Cena said aloud, folding his arms across his broad chest. He had just come in from a match, and had passed Shawn Michaels in the hallway. "When Shawn's sad, it's like…a cloudy day or something."
"That's real poetic of you, Meathead," Jericho said with a sneer, trying to finish lacing his boots.
Cena frowned at the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla. "I'm serious…I mean, he's not really showing it, but you can definitely feel that he's upset about something. I wonder what's wrong?"
"Probably his fucking stupid boyfriends," Randy chimed in from his corner. He had also just come back from a match and was cooling down by sitting in the back and doing absolutely nothing. "Nothing causes mental distress like love."
The guys murmured their agreement. "Speaking of boyfriends, where the hell is Triple H?" Jeff Hardy asked from his perch in the locker room. "Usually he's hanging around, but I haven't seen much of him lately."
"You don't think that he and Shawn broke up, do you?" Jamie Noble asked.
"Nah, we'd definitely have heard about…and we'd have seen the ensuing bloodbath," Randy said simply. The other guys nodded.
"Hey, maybe it's different this time," Jeff speculated. "Maybe because Shawn has 'Taker, there's nothing Triple H can do about it."
Cena snickered. "But why the hell would Shawn suddenly break up with Triple H? That doesn't make any sense."
"But why would he suddenly start going out with the Undertaker? That doesn't make any sense either," Jericho interjected. "But it happened."
"We could always ask Kane," someone suggested. There was a long silence before everyone burst into laughter.
"Yeah, right, who the hell's gonna ask him?" Randy chuckled.
Y2J pointed at Cena suddenly. "Send this assclown in. At best, Kane will kill him."
"We can only hope," Jeff snickered, drawing more laughter from the other guys.
"Hahahaha," Cena said in a monotone voice with a roll of his eyes. "You guys are all hilarious. So funny I forgot to laugh!" He started to say more, but the room suddenly went dead silent.
Shawn Michaels had just come in.
"Well, that's not weird at all," the Heartbreak Kid said sarcastically into the heavy silence, walking past many of the guys who suddenly realized they had somewhere else to be, feeling several pairs of eyes on him. "What was so funny a few seconds ago?"
"We were just talking about Kane…and Cena getting killed by Kane," Chris Jericho said quickly and smoothly. Cena stuck his tongue out at the older man. "See?"
Shawn gave them a small smile. "And I thought I was immature," he said quietly, going over to his bag. Cena and Jericho exchanged a look.
"Hey, Shawn," Cena said somewhat haltingly. "Is everything…okay?"
HBK looked up at the younger man, honest surprise on his face. "Yeah, why?"
"Well, it's just that…you…" John felt himself blushing. 'Dammit, how do I say this without offending him?' he thought suddenly.
"You seem a little down lately," Jericho chimed in.
Shawn shook his head. "Well, that's sweet of you. But everything's fine," he lied, flashing a fake-but-convincing smile. Not caring whether Jericho and Cena actually bought it or not, Shawn finished packing away his stuff and walked quickly out to the parking lot.
"Bye, boys," he called over his shoulder, vanishing out the door.
"I hope he's okay," Cena said quietly after a few minutes.
"Me too," Jericho whispered. "I hate to see him so sad."
The ride back from the arena was mostly silent, Shawn sitting quietly in the front seat with Kevin driving, whose mouth set in a hard line.
"I'm really worried about them," Shawn said at last, sighing and looking out the window. "Hunter hasn't talked to me much in a week, and Mark is almost no where to be found. It's like they're completely avoiding me… Do you have any idea what's up with those two?"
Nash shook his head. "I don't know, but with your permission, Shawn, I'll beat the answer out of one of 'em. Just let me get my hands on Hunter's sledgehammer…"
"Please, Kev, you know I don't want you to hurt them," Shawn said with another long sigh. "I tried asking Hunter already, but he just laughed it off and said that he was fine. But…" He shook his head, blue eyes clouding with concern. "Something in his voice…his manner… I know he's up to something, and whenever he's up to something and keeps it from me…"
The angry expression on Kevin's face softened into one of sadness. "I know," he said softly. "I know. Nothing good's gonna come from this. I just wonder what he's planning."
Shawn ran a hand through his golden hair. "Maybe I should try asking 'Taker, if I can find the man."
"I don't think you'll get any answers from him."
"You're probably right." The Heartbreak Kid sat back in the car seat, closing his eyes. "I just know that something terrible is going to happen, and I feel like it's going to be all my fault…"
Kevin slammed on the brakes, jolting Shawn forwards. "Now don't you dare put this all on yourself," he said sternly, shaking the now wide-eyed man hard. "If those two jackasses do something, it'll be their fault, not yours. Understand?"
Shawn smiled faintly. "Ric said the same thing."
"Then it must be the truth." Diesel reached over and ran a large hand over Shawn's hair, before letting it come to rest on the Heartbreak Kid's cheek. "Look, Shawn, remember when I was head-over-heels for you so long ago? And then I found out that you were in love with Hunter?"
Shawn groaned. "How could I ever forget? We fought like madmen after that. It was a miracle that out friendship survived."
"Exactly. But I eventually realized that I loved you enough to understand that it wasn't my place to choose who you loved. And you know what? I still love you, even though you're so far beyond my reach that it hurts to see you sometimes." Big Daddy Cool smiled, dark hair framing his face. "But it all worked out in the end, and I know this'll work out for you too."
Shawn Michaels shook his head, a small smile on his lips, and reached over to embrace his long time friend. "Thanks, buddy," he said softly. "Hearing it from you makes it seem true." He allowed himself a small laugh. "Heck, I've probably just been imagining things this whole time!"
Kevin Nash nodded, although he knew that Shawn had great instincts and was himself hesitant to doubt them.
'For your sake--and theirs--I hope you're right, Shawn.'
Next chapter...all hell breaks loose...
Review?