"So, what's with Shane?" Lance asked, slanting a gaze over at Jay who sat in the passenger seat beside him.
The blonde returned it with a quizzical look and shrugged, unsure of what his friend meant. He looked back out the windshield, thinking nothing more of it.
"Seemed kind of intense to me," Chris offered from the backseat.
Jay turned to look at him curiously. "What makes you say that?" he asked.
"Just felt that way," Chris replied. "It looked like Jeff thought so too, judging by the guilty expression on his face."
"Well, he did say he promised Matt he would watch out for his brother," Lance added.
Jay glanced back and forth between the two as they spoke, not wanting to interrupt. But when there was finally a break in the conversation, he jumped in quickly.
"Shane is seeing Molly," he confided softly. "They went out last night."
"Molly, huh?" Chris murmured skeptically.
"Yeah. I was working out with him before the show and he asked me about her."
Lance traded a look in the rearview mirror with Chris, both apparently surprised to hear Jay speak more than one or two words in answer. He couldn't say he blamed them for their surprise. He hadn't felt much like speaking these days. The only one who seemed to be able to get him into a conversation was Jeff, but Jay didn't want to abuse that comfort level. He knew Jeff was just starting on a relationship and didn't want to be a bother.
"But Shane really seems to have a problem with Randy," Chris pointed out.
Jay shrugged again. "It's probably because he hasn't worked with him very much. He hasn't seen them flirting around each other as long as the rest of us."
"Well, I've only seen Shane date women," Lance nodded. "So I guess that must be it."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Matt, we can't miss checkout again!" Shannon sighed as he sat on his bed next to his fully packed suitcase. "I'm way too new to the company for that to fly."
"They won't hassle you if you're with me," Matt grunted, shoving his shaving kit into his own case.
"But they did the last time," the younger man whined. "How do you think it looks for me taking advantage of privileges I haven't earned yet?"
Matt snorted and shook his head at the peevish blonde. Shannon didn't know how sexy Matt found it when he sassed him. He found himself wondering what it would feel like to just slam the kid against the wall and shut him up with his own lips. Then he had to stop himself. Jeff would smack him upside the head if he got wind of those thoughts and Matt didn't think for a second being his brother would soften the blows. These urges had to stop or Matt was going to go insane with them. He didn't think he was developing feelings for the kid, that's for sure. His attraction for Shawn was still as acute as it had been on RAW. But Matt couldn't help feeling the temptation to take Shannon and fuck the life out of him … figuratively, of course. He wanted a release and he wanted to cause someone pain. He wanted to make someone hurt as much as he himself was hurting. But this boy was a friend and his brother's best friend, to boot. Matt had to figure out how to get these inclinations under control before he did something he knew would be monumentally catastrophic.
Shannon just looked up at him with sad, innocent, green eyes. He had no clue what had been forming inside the older Hardy brother's mind, Matt knew. Best he not know. Matt didn't even want to contemplate Jeff's reaction. His brother was easygoing and laid-back most of the time. But Matt grew up with him and knew how vengeful Jeff could be when someone he cared about was wronged.
"Well, we still have five minutes to get ourselves out of here on time," Matt finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Shannon smiled in relief and hauled ass out of the room, dragging his suitcase behind him.
Really nice ass, though, Matt thought as he followed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adam chewed on a hangnail as he waited for Matt to get his lazy ass down to the lobby. They had to leave soon if they wanted to beat the traffic around DC. And if they wanted to make it to the next arena on time, they'd better damned well beat that traffic. Another thing that made Adam nervous was that Shannon would be joining them on this ride. Normally, the kid traveled with Jamie Noble, one of the other cruiserweights, but that wrestler had gone home for a family emergency, so the small blonde would be joining Adam and Matt on this trip.
Why the kid fascinated him lately was a mystery to Adam. He didn't know what it was that made him stand out all of a sudden, but he had a hard time keeping his mind, or his eyes for that matter, off Shannon. Hopefully no one else had noticed. If Matt had, he didn't mention it. And if Adam knew his friend well, he would have heckled him nonstop if he had. Most importantly, Adam didn't want Shannon to know. As much as he was attracted to him, Adam knew he wasn't in the position to start a new relationship yet. There were still too many scars to heal from his breakup with Jay. And his knew attraction for Shannon brought up fresh waves of guilt over how he'd treated his former longtime lover and best friend. No, he didn't deserve a real relationship right now, if ever. And he didn't want to make Shannon into his newest victim either.
Plus there was also Shannon's crush on Matt standing in the way. He didn't think the kid knew how obvious he was with the longing glances and puppy-dog eyes. The little blonde had it bad for Version 1.0 … that was for sure. Matt was pining for someone else though, but Adam had yet to pry out of him who it was.
Matt and Shannon burst into the lobby, interrupting his thoughts just then. Shannon was panting slightly as he jogged over to the checkout counter to settle up with the clerk.
"Why don't you tell him he can check you guys out while you finish getting ready?" Adam frowned at his friend.
"Because he looks sexy all flushed like that," Matt smirked.
Adam felt his cheeks heat up and he looked away quickly.
"I'm just kidding, Edgy," the dark haired man drawled. "You got the car already?"
"Gassed and ready to go," Adam replied, pulling a few papers out of his pocket. "And here are the directions."
"Great, I'll take the first shift," Matt volunteered. "And you can just … enjoy the view."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shane stared at the back of Jeff's head as Randy drove the SUV down the highway. He was sure that the tension in the car was completely his own doing and he was pleased as all get out to provide it. The more tension they had the less conversation there would be … and the less time Randy would have getting to know someone that shouldn't be with him.
"So, um, Molly told me she had a great time with you last night," Randy said finally. "I saw her this morning before she headed put with Amy and Trish."
Going for the roundabout moves, Shane mused. Cunning, but it won't work. He ain't yours! He glanced to Randy's eyes in the rearview mirror and gave a slow and lazy nod. Molly had said as much to him before they'd parted the night before. He remembered that he had been disappointed that the small peck on her cheek did absolutely nothing for him, though just touching Jeff's hair had ignited a flame inside. Oh, man, am I in trouble, he admitted to himself. He still couldn't figure out how to get Jeff off his mind. It would solve his problems if he could just step back and let Randy have him, but something inside of him snapped every time he thought of that slick guy's hands all over his baby. Somehow, sometime recently, Jeff had ceased being his best friend's baby brother and became Shane's baby. But he still contended that he was the wrong man for Jeff. Though one thing was for damned sure … Randy Orton was even more wrong for him. This situation was a nightmare from where he sat.
"She hasn't had a steady for a long time," Randy went on with a small smile. "You sure you're up to it."
"He's fine," Jeff chuckled nervously from the passenger's seat. "I'd never worry about him with a girl. Always treats them like gold."
The younger man's melodious voice sent a pleasant shiver down Shane's back.
"Yeah," he said softly. "I always try to."
"Not that you have anyone now."
"But when I do have them," Shane smirked, sending a heated glance to Jeff, who was peering at him out of the corner of his eye, "and I get to spend quality time with them, I make them feel like they're the only one in the universe … right Jeff?"
Jeff nodded mutely and turned away.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why the hell does it feel like he's chasing me, Jeff thought as he stared at the road. The ride was almost done and Jeff knew that as soon as Shane had them checked into the room, he would be whisked away from Randy for another lecture. He felt it in his gut. And the way Shane was staring holes into the back of his head told him he was in for an intense time, too. He wasn't sure whether to dread or anticipate it.
Randy wasn't any kind of help at all either, asking all those damned questions about Molly. And Jeff didn't want to even hear her name right now, either. She had him, for Christ's sakes! He was even seeing her again after the house show tonight. Jeff knew he shouldn't feel jealous of her. Shane was straight, not gay. He just had to keep telling himself that and he'd be okay. He and Randy would be okay.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: Okay, I'm trying to add all the drama about the other characters. How am I doing?