A/N: First off, sorry this is late! The semester ended and I had finals and graduation and such. But now I'm on break until at least June first! This chapter goes back to WrestleMania and puts Kane at least a little more in character.
So, without further ado, enjoy the read :)
Thoughts of Kane invaded every moment of Zack's days and nights. As they passed through city after city and hotel after hotel, Zack's thoughts were constantly drawn to the larger man who always seemed to be at his side. At night, his mind rarely stopped short of extremely erotic dreams that made the next morning extremely awkward.
When they finally arrived in Miami for WrestleMania week, Zack felt as if he were going mad; he didn't know what he'd do if he couldn't have the older man by the time they left. He'd begun to seriously think about making some sort of move toward Kane, but the thought of being rejected and abandoned once more always stopped him short. He knew what he needed was advice, but the only person he could think to get it from was Punk, but they were never alone together, and there was no way he was going to ask with Kane or Taker in the room. So he settled for jerking off quickly in the shower and trying his hardest to keep himself under control when he slept. Zack could tell that Kane knew about his recent frustration, but didn't quite understand the source.
The day after they arrived in Miami, Taker and Punk visited their room.
"Have you forgotten our meeting today?" Taker asked Kane.
"Of course not," the slightly larger man replied; "You're the one who's late."
"And you're not even ready yet," Taker pointed out ask Kane pulled a tight fitting t-shirt over his bare torso.
Punk stood off to the side, not even bothering to stifle his laughter at watching the 'brothers' going back and forth.
Taker walked away before Kane even had time to grab his phone and wallet. He followed quickly, bidding Zack a quick farewell before leaving them alone. Punk, true to form, wasted no time in making himself at home, throwing himself down in a chair and sprawling out. Zack looked on smiling; if it had been anyone else, the behavior would have been off putting, but Punk owned it.
Zack joined him in the adjacent chair, slightly anxious about the subject he was about to bring up.
"So how are things?" Punk asked, as he flipped the TV on, muting it while he flipped through channels so that they could talk.
"Uh, you know, new, confusing..." Zack began, not exactly knowing how to broach the subject.
"I know the feeling man, it can be hard to grasp at first," Punk replied, eyes glued to the images flipping by on the TV; "I remember when 'Taker first pulled me in, I was terrified. It took a while for me to actually become comfortable. Still haven't completely settled into it yet to be honest."
Zack found it difficult to believe that Punk could ever be scared in any situation. But there it was, and he guessed that if Punk had to be afraid of anything, this would make the most sense.
"And you and Undertaker...what's it like...being with him?" Zack asked, losing volume with every word and by the end, he was almost silent. Punk began laughing, causing Zack to blush furiously.
"That was something I hadn't been prepared for, but he wanted it and I couldn't refuse. Not that I wanted to."
"Do you think maybe Kane..." Zack couldn't continue his sentence, losing the words he'd rehearsed over and over in his head.
Punk laughed again, "Obviously! A blind man couldn't miss it. Trust me, he wouldn't have kept you around this long if he didn't intend to have you fully eventually."
With that, Punk seemed to find a show that he found interesting and turned the volume up. Zack payed no attention, too busy trying to think up a good reason for Kane's hesitance.
Kane sat in his usual seat in the car, staring out the window, his mind far away from its usual topics. It had been increasingly drawn towards all things Zack Ryder, and there was nothing he could do to change it. He'd tried to redirect them to other things, like upcoming matches, how to communicate to the watching millions who he'd become and who he was transforming into, but Zack always found a way to sneak back in and divert them to the most inappropriate of places.
"Thinking about your boy?" Taker asked, a hint of knowing in his tone.
"Understatement," Kane grunted in response.
Taker laughed a low rumbling laugh; "Then perhaps you should do something about it," Taker suggested.
"I just want to make sure that he's ready," Kane said with a sigh; no one would ever bring out his soft side like Zack.
"He's ready," Taker said; "Trust me, I can see it in the way that he looks at you."
Kane contemplated that; he wished that he could be sure that Zack was ready for him, that he could believe his brother's instincts, but Zack's recent behavior had caused him to hesitate. His thoughts went round and round, one minute he'd decided to have Zack that night, the next he'd backed out and decided to wait a little longer. By the time they'd made it to Vince's hotel, he was more lost that when they'd started.
They entered Vince's room, Taker first, Kane behind. Alberto was sprawled out on the bed, milking his mostly healed injury for all it was worth. Ricardo was sitting next to him, spoon feeding him some sort of soup from a steaming bowl. Vince was in the desk chair watching the scene, obviously procrastinating from his work, which was up on his computer behind him.
"Hello sir," Taker and Kane said together, bowing slightly to show their respect.
"Please, sit down," Vince said, gesturing to a couple of chairs facing him.
They did as they were told and the meeting began. They discussed the upcoming week, Taker's End of and Era match, Kane's big match against Randy that would cement his return to monstrosity, and about how Laurinaitis would be taking over the duties as GM of both Raw and Smackdown. Kane's heart dropped slightly at the prospect of Zack being used to lose so that Johnny could further his career, but he saw where it was necessary, so he didn't complain or bring up his displeasure. He knew Zack could handle the loss and it's circumstances and that he'd bounce back.
They knew the meeting was over when Vince started casting lusty glances at Alberto, licking his lips and no longer paying attention. Taker and Kane excused themselves and left. The entire ride back to the hotel had Kane once more trying to figure out what to do about Zack. There was nothing he wanted more than to take him, mark him, and fully claim him. Just thinking about it got him all hot and bothered and he could feel Taker smirking next to him.
Arriving at the hotel, they made their way to the room and once outside, Taker whispered simply, "He's ready."
Zack wasn't sure exactly how it had happened, one moment he'd been trying to figure out a way to persuade Kane to take him, and the next, he was lost in a fantasy that had pulled him in so far that he almost didn't notice when the man himself returned. When he heard the door to their room close, he nearly fell off the ledge where he'd been gazing out the window; snapped out of his day dream, he looked around to find that Kane and Taker had returned and Punk was lounged in the chair watching TV where he'd left him. Taker appeared to be amused by his protege's ability to treat anywhere like home, but went over and pulled him up none the less.
"Time for us to go," he said, and they left quickly. Maybe even a little too quickly; leaving Zack and Kane alone. Kane, of course, understood the point his brother was making, but he chose to ignore it. He joined Zack at the window, gazing out over Miami, the sun glaring off everything, stinging his eyes. Of course he preferred the dark, it suited him far more, but he couldn't deny the beauty of the city with the sun cast over everything, lighting it up. He put his hand over his boy's head, crushing his signature spikes, and he left it resting there, just enjoying the feel of his boy beneath him.
Zack, unconsciously, leaned back into Kane, getting comfortable in the safety of the large man. Every nerve in his body was on fire, starved of touch and needing to feel Kane's large hands on him; but it wasn't the time to make a move. He looked out over the city once more, this time appreciating it's beauty, while also cursing having left his sunglasses on the other side of the room as the sun stung his eyes.
When he couldn't take it anymore, he closed his eyes and just let the warmth of Kane wash over him. He was lulled into a state of such relaxation that he nearly fell asleep, for the first time in weeks not worrying about WrestleMania. He felt Kane shift, and then he was being carried to his bed and laid down. Even after the covers were pulled up over him, he was nowhere near as warm or comfortable as he had been; in fact, the shock of the cold sheets woke him up rather rudely, but he didn't let on. He continued to pretend to sleep, listening to Kane going about his business.
Cena's head thumped against the back of the booth seat he was in across from Randy, paying no mind to the people behind him.
"Stop it," Randy growled, annoyed by Cena's recent moroseness.
"Would if I could," Cena replied with a sigh.
Randy groaned, Cena's mood making him miserable. A good mood was rare for Randy, but Cena was dragging him down ever farther than was normal for even him.
'You know what you have to do,' One of the voices in his head whispered.
Of course he knew, he just didn't know his course of action. Getting Zack back for John would be difficult, but not necessarily impossible, and Randy figured himself the perfect man for the job. He was already set for a match with Kane at WrestleMania, but just because he was scheduled to lose didn't mean he couldn't do a little damage first.
He must have been pulling a face because John called him on it.
"What'cha thinking about?" John asked, obviously worried about Randy's train of thought.
"Just what fun WrestleMania is gonna be," Randy said innocently.
Zack was fast asleep in his bed as Kane sank down in a chair, head in his hands. It was all becoming too much; he needed to own Zack, to possess him, the monster inside demanded it. But the last shred of humanity left in him prevented him from crossing the room and taking the boy now, before he was deemed ready.
He did his best to hide the war raging inside him, but sometimes, the monster reared it's ugly head and he nearly lost control. It had happened earlier, when they were taking in the view out their window and Zack had leaned back, resting against him. Such an innocent gesture, and yet it had nearly destroyed all of his resolve. He'd had to move quick, depositing Zack in his bed before going to take a cold shower to snap himself out of it.
If only Zack knew. If only he would send a message to let Kane know that he was ready, that he had moved on from John. But then what? Would he pin the boy down and take him right there? Kane wasn't one for romance, and he sure as hell wasn't known for being gentle. Zack would be marked, the world would know who he belonged to, there was no helping it. Kane just hoped he wouldn't actually hurt the boy.