A White Wedding?
"Whatcha doin'?" The voice on the other end of the phone was familiar, but completely unexpected.
"Just claiming my luggage, Jeffro. Why?" As usual, Tom's plane was late getting in.
"Do I really need a reason to call my fiance?" Jeff sighed. Maybe it was nerves, but Tom sensed some underlying concern.
"Of course not, babe. How did your first night back go?"
"Pretty good. There were a couple of idiots in the crowd who thought it would be funny to mock my recent troubles, but other than that, things were fine."
"I saw the show." Tom answered "You looked pretty hot out there."
"You know it!" Jeff responded. Tom could almost picture him rolling his eyes at the mushy comment.
"Talked to Matt yesterday."
"Oh, how's he doin'?" Tom asked
"Tore his abdominal muscle at Raw." Maybe this was the underlying concern Tom had sensed in Jeff's tone. "Don't know if he's gonna be out for a while or not."
"Ouch." Tom grimaced "I'll send him an E-card... I hate to cut this short, but my Mom's waiting for me."
"Say hi to her for me." Jeff sang
"I'm gonna be here for a while. If you got a day free, you're quite welcome to come up." Tom offered
"Thanks, but I don't think I got the time. Vince's has got me on a tight leash for the first few weeks. Uhm..." Jeff's train of thought suddenly derailed.
"I know that 'uhm'. You're gonna ask me if I'm gonna make a decision. Aren't you?" Tom walked through the terminal, looking for his mom.
"Just wond'rin."
"I dunno, bro. I really wish it would be an easy decision. But I don't think the fans would accept me resigning one week, then coming back the next..."
"Vince said he would do a cameo to explain it." Jeff added. This was news to Tom.
"We just got engaged. Do you really want us to be apart already?" Tom's voice cracked.
"I just want you to be happy." Jeff replied
"I am happy just being with you."
"Awwwwww..."
"Look, I really gotta go. " Tom waved at a lady and pointed at his phone. "I'll call you tonight Jeffers. We'll talk then. Say hi to Bunny and Lizard for me."
"Okay, bro, I'll be waiting for you." Jeff laughed
"Laterz. Hi Mom, how you doing?"
"Hiya, son, you're looking a lot better than the last time I saw you."
"I should think so. You wanted to pull the plug on me last time we were together." Tom had put the past behind him. He'd been a little angry when he'd heard from Matt what his mother had tried to do, but he'd understood. Eventually.
"Is this all you brought?" Teresa asked
"I travel light now." Tom answered
"Oh."
"I'm taking some time off." Tom added
"You resigned, or was that all part of the show?" Teresa looked at her son.
Tom wa stunned. He thought his mom hated wrestling. She'd never supported him while his father was alive.
"I thought you hated wrestling?" He asked
"Your father hated wrestling and you know how that man could get sometimes."
"MM-hm." Tom hummed. His dad had been a strict believer in the value of legitimate work. Professional wrestling was not what he considered either legitimate or work.
"I never had a problem with it. Although I am a little confused."
"Uh-oh." Tom thought "If she saw the show two weeks ago... yikes!"
"Confused about what?" Tom dreaded the answer, but he had to know.
Tom's mother waited until they were in the car driving highway 401 before she answered. "This whole thing with you and Jeff... it is a storyline, right? I mean, I don't have a problem with you being gay, but Jeff is your brother."
"If I don't answer this right, I'm out of the will, right?"
"Tommy..." Teresa replied in the voice she'd used to use when Tom had done something wrong.
"Mom, I wish I could explain it. I'd been crushing on Jeff for years..."
"I knew that." Teresa swerved off the main road. "After all, there aren't many twenty-something year olds who have posters of pro wrestlers in their bedrooms."
"The fact that we're both related doesn't change anything. I can't just turn off feelings I've had for the past fifteen-plus years!"
"I don't expect you to. I wish I could say that I understand, but as long as you are happy. Just make sure you invite me to the wedding."
"Wedding... how did you know we were...?"
"That rock on your hand sure didn't come from a vending machine." Teresa laughed, grabbing Tom's hand in her own while keeping one on the wheel. "Nice... how did you afford this?"
"Actually, Jeff bought them. He has the same, only the stones are reversed."
"Marquis cut... two carats each... Tom, this is a fifteen thousand dollar ring."
Tom's eyes bulged. His mother had worked as a jewelry appraiser for several years, so he didn't doubt her assessment.
"Fifteen thousand!" He shouted
"Better have that insured." Teresa turned her attention back to the road. "I hope you said thank-you."
"I will now. I thought these were just commitment rings. Y'know, we'd get something really fancy when we do get hitched." Tom stared at his finger. That one piece of jewelry was worth more than anything else he'd ever owned, house excluded.
"He must really love you son." Teresa said "You better love him just as much."
"If I didn't before, I sure will now." Tom's mind raced. Boy, would he have something to talk to Jeff about later.
Tom and his mother spent the rest of the day catching up on things. They never talked again about Tom's relationship, which was fine, but if Jeff decided to take Tom's invitation up, things could become a little uncomfortable.
"Dinner, son."
Tom switched off the television. On the way out of the den, he passed several shelves full of VHS tapes. Out of curiosity, Tom looked at the label on one. The tape was full of wrestling programs, and from the dates, they were all ones he'd appeared on.
"Are you coming or do I have to give your dinner to the cat?" Teresa yelled louder.
"Coming, ma." Tom replaced the tape on the shelf and bounded up the stairs. He'd definitely have to ask his mother about that.
Over dinner, Tom was trying to figure out how to bring up the subject, when it dawned on him.
"Can I ask your advice on something?" He put his fork down and cradled his head on his elbows.
"Sure, son, as long as it's not picking out carpet swatches for your house."
"Nothing as important as that." Tom laughed despite his intention to keep it serious. "I assume that you saw ECW last week... y'know, my resignation..."
"That was part of the show, right?"
"I wish I could say it was, but that girl Tiffany screwed me over big-time. So, right now I am out of work. But Vince McMahon offered me a job as General Manager of ECW."
"Well, take it. You need to survive somehow." Teresa answered, as if it was plainly obvious what he should do.
"I wish it was that easy. If I take the job, I'll be on the road a lot more than I used to be. And, y'know..." Tom wiggled his ring finger.
"You don't want to have to maintain a long-distance relationship."
"Especially after what Jeff's been through recently." Tom wondered how much his mom knew about Jeff's problems.
"My advice is to think about the future... if you don't want to be away from him as much as you say, I'd say don't take the job. If you think your relationship could survive, then go for it."
"I guess we could always hang out at the pay-per-views." Tom replied. "Since when did love become so confusing?"
"Son, love is never easy. If you love someone, you're in for a world of trouble either way. So you either stop loving them or love them a whole lot more." Teresa stated
"That's very profound." Tom replied "But I don't think whoever said it took my situation into account."
"I'm sure they didn't." Teresa answered
Tom spent the rest of the evening curled up in his father's old recliner, watching some of the tapes his mother had accumulated. They were all wrestling programs he'd been on, going back to his in-ring debut. To his surprise, his mom was quite knowledgeable about wrestling, even though she asked numerous questions.
"I guess what they say is true... the camera adds twenty pounds." Although he hadn't noticed it himself, watching his recent matches as compared to his earlier ones, he could see that he had packed on a bit of weight.
"More like fifty in your case." Teresa joked
"Thanks mom, that's very Carol Brady of you." Tom answered
"I'm going to bed. Your room is just as you left it." Teresa gathered her glass and Tom's empty beer bottles. "How long do you plan to stay?"
"I dunno." Tom said "No later than Monday, I'd assume. Regardless of what I do, I won't be a burden."
"You were never a burden, Tommy. A little weird, but never a burden. See you in the morning."
Tom went to bed shortly after. Lying in his old bed, a touch smaller since the last time he'd used it, he thought. The more the thought, the less sure he was. He fell asleep, but was jarred awake by his phone.
"Who could it be now?" He squinted at the display.
"Hi, lover." He yawned
"Did I wake you?" Jeff sounded like he'd also had a few drinks.
"It's two a.m." Tom squinted at the bedside clock as well. "Of course you woke me."
"Well, exc-u-u-se me dude." Jeff sounded angry. "It's Saturday night. I thought you woulda been out partyin'."
"Not me. I'm engaged. Too much temptation." Tom said
"I'm not the jealous type." Jeff answered
"No, you're the horny type." Tom said
"MMM... wanna know what I'm wearing?" Jeff purred
"Let me guess. Probably nothing, right?" Tom smiled. Thinking of Jeff like that sent tingles right to his groin.
"Shows what you know... I'm still wearing my ring." Jeff feigned a sulk.
"Mmm..." Tom groaned, cupping his semi-hard cock through his boxers. "I wish you were here with me. I'd ravish you the way no one else can."
"And how would you do that?" Jeff gasped. Tom could almost sense the arousal through the phone lines.
"Well, Jeffers, I had a few ideas. I've always wondered how my Enigma would taste covered in chocolate sauce, strawberries, and whipped cream." Tom whispered, hoping he wouldn't wake up his mother, asleep just down the hall.
"What about the banana?" Jeff asked, suggestively.
"You already know the answer to that." Tom rolled on his back and freed his throbbing pecker from it's cloth confines. Transferring the phone to his left hand, he started slowly stroking himself with the other one.
Jeff gasped again. Tom could almost picture him in bed, his own hand wrapped around his slender shaft.
"How about a little hot fudge to go with that?" Jeff mewled "And don't forget the cherry."
"Dude, you haven't had a cherry for years." Tom licked his lips, wanting to taste Jeff right then. Dairy Queen would never be the same again. "But by time I was done dessert, I'm sure you would've given me an extra helping of your secret sauce." Tom was really hard now. He was trying not to lose it too fast, but his mind and his hand had other ideas. He had to force himself to slow down.
"Then what?" Jeff groaned loudly. The dude was as ready as he was, if not more.
"Then I'd give you a taste of Fenway park. A nice foot-long hot dog between your buns."
Jeff laughed. "Foot-long! Don't flatter yourself, Tommy."
Tom frowned. "Fine, maybe I'll call Matt and see if he wants some sausage for a late-night snack."
"Ewww... no, Tommy, I want it!" Jeff pleaded, his breathing getting heavier.
"You want it... beg for it!" Tom demanded, the sound of Jeff's breathing echoing his own pants.
"Pleeeease, Tommy, give it to me. I can't wait."
"Neither can I." Tom gasped "Pumping your tight ass so fast, my balls bouncing off it."
"Oh God, yes, deeper." Jeff growled
"You're squeezing your cheeks around my cock, holding me tight." Tom moaned "I can feel your body quivering as I push through and bounce off your prostate. Stroke after stroke I hit that spot, turning you into a squealing mass of throbbing flesh."
"I'm gonna..." Jeff groaned, arching his own hips off the cheap motel room bed.
"I'm jerking you off while I fuck you, feeling your hardness pulse with need." Tom "Let's cum at the same time, baby..."
"Yessss......" Jeff moaned "Now?"
"Fuck., yeah, shoot that hot load for me. All over your hot bod." Tom gasped, biting his lower lip to stop him from moaning any louder when his orgasm hit.
"Tommy!" Jeff screamed his name several times as he released his own load.
There was silence over the phone while both men came down from their respective highs.
"That was awesome." Jeff still heaved.
"Now you know why I don't want to be away from you." Tom sighed, looking around for something to clean up with.
"Whatever you decide it's okay with me." Jeff said "I'll always love you."
"Assuming I can keep you away from the storage closet?" Tom raised an eyebrow.
"Why'd you have to ruin the mood by bringing that up?" Jeff suddenly went cold.
"Oh, Jeffro, I'm sorry." Tom soothed "My mouth runneth over."
"I know you didn't mean it. I'm just too emotional sometimes, I guess." Jeff responded
"And I'm just stupid sometimes." Tom answered
"You are bro."
"Zinger!" Tom mused
There was silence on the phone for several moments. Tom thought Jeff had dozed off. "You still there?" Jeff finally broke the quiet.
"Of course." Tom answered "Just cleaning up."
"Mmm. Imma gonna be there tomorrow. The offer still stands, right?"
"Yeah."
"Your ma cool?" Jeff queried. The yeah from Tom had caused doubt in his mind.
"She knows." Tom replied "But I don't think she's cool with it."
"Maybe I'll stay here then?" Jeff offered
"It's my life, not hers." Tom stated "Maybe spending some time with you will help clear things up."
"Haven't decided yet, have you?" Jeff asked
"I dunno what I'm gonna do. I need a job, but I think I need you more."
"Aww.. that's so sweet, Tommy." Jeff sighed "I've been thinking about something."
"And...?"
"You have a house in LA, I'm rebuilding in Cameron. What if we sold both of them, took the money and bought a house together."
"Together... as in... you and me?" Tom asked
"You and me." Jeff repeated "We can start our life together."
"But what about work?" Tom asked. Jeff's suggestion made sense, but it still didn't help Tom come to a decision.
"You'll know I'll come home whenever I can. If you get really lonely, you can come on the road with me."
"You've been thinking about this for a quite a while, haven't you?"
"Next step, man. You took the first big one; now it's my turn." Jeff paused, as if he was expecting to Tom to agree to it right away.
"But what if I decide to go back? Could it still work?"
"I was kinda figurin' this 'coz you didn't seem too stoked 'bout goin' back." Tom's fears weren't lessened by the response. "But we can make it work."
"We'll talk tomorrow." Tom wanted to say yes, to scream it for all to hear, but he needed to give it a serious think. He'd made a few rash decisions in his life, and not one of them had gone as planned. He was not gonna let this happen with Jeff.
"I'll call you when I arrive." Jeff answered "'Nite, love."
"Nite, baby. How are the children?" There was one thing that Tom was not going to let his mom discover. So what if he was gay, and fucking his own brother? If his mom found out that he still slept with a stuffed toy, he'd never hear the end of it.
"I gotta talk to you about that also. I think Lizard and Bunny are getting a little too close, if you know what I mean?"
"Not cuddly animal porn, Jeffro, please?" Tom whined. That was a nightmare waiting to happen.
"I'll see you tomorrow." Jeff said "Bye-bye."
"Mwah!" Tom made the kissy noise and hung up.
"No cuddly animal porn. No cuddly animal porn." Tom repeated to himself over and over. It usually worked, but sometimes, like the "think unsexy thoughts" episode of "The Simpson's", it had the opposite effect. Fortunately, tonight was not one of those nights.
Sunday morning, Tom's mom woke him up the way she always had. When he was a child, Teresa would usually let him sleep him a little on the weekends, but when she felt he'd slept enough, she would simply tap on his door. That always got his train moving, but also caused problems later in life. Tom couldn't sleep without complete silence. Try doing that when you're in a hotel full of drunk, hyped up, party-hardy wrestlers coming and going at all hours and it was no surprise that Tom was an insomniac. Last night was one of the best sleeps he'd had in months, not including his little midnight rendez-vous with Jeff.
"I"m off to church." Teresa announced "Are you coming?"
Tom had not been to church since his mid-teens. He considered himself a Christian, he was very spiritual, but had a real problems with organized religions. One of his favorite expressions, taken from an interview with Kevin Smith, was "I appreciate what Christ did, but I'm not into the dogma."
"Unghhh!" Tom pounded his pillow. "Sure, why not?"
"We'll go to lunch afterward if you like."
"Buffet?" Tom asked "I'll treat."
"I'm sure we can figure something out." Teresa smiled "I'm leaving in twenty minutes."
Mass wasn't bad. It might have been better if some kids hadn't recognized him. He spent fifteen minutes after the service signing autographs, something the priest probably didn't like.
"Let's go before anyone else asks me to sign anything." Tom whispered
"You looked like you were enjoying yourself." Teresa answered "Father Creighton, my son Tom... Tom, this is father Creighton."
"You're still around?" The priest was the same one that had baptized Tom, as well as presided over his first Communion and Confirmation, back when Tom still "dug the faith".
"I'm not that old." The good father laughed "Nice to see you've come back to the flock."
"Only for today, I'm afraid." Tom said "I'm back on the road shortly."
"Teresa has told me about you." Creighton's brow furrowed. "And I must say I am shocked but not surprised."
"Oh."
"But that being said, I was wondering if I might also get an autograph?"
Tom almost burst into peals of laughter. He'd been expecting a lecture about defilement of God's temple, not a PR request.
"Sure, father. What would you like me to sign?"
The priest reached inside his robe and pulled out an eight by eleven picture of the Hardy Boyz., one taken back when Matt was Heavy champ, Jeff was IC champ, and Tom was a few minutes shy of joining Legacy.
"Anything for a fan." Tom quickly signed the print and then excused himself. Teresa talked to the priest for a few more minutes before she also left, meeting up with her son at the car.
"Lunch?" Tom asked "I'm famished."
"Let's go... you're still buying, right?"
"Depends what you told Father Creighton." Tom was serious.
"Nothing you wouldn't want me to." Teresa answered, yet didn't.
"Like what?" Tom demanded
"Just that you were having a crisis of faith." Teresa said
"As long as that's all it was." Tom responded "Overeating, here we come."
Lunch was, well, lunch. They both ate way too much, complained about how much they were eating, then went back for more.
"I'll definitely need to start working out again." Tom patted his waistline contentedly, then burped lightly.
"Are you ready to go?" Teresa asked
"Whenever you are." Tom replied "Maybe we can get outta here without having to sign anything other than my credit card slip."
"I'll see you outside."
Tom paid for the lunch, then joined his mom for the drive home.
"Have you decided?" She asked, breaking an awkward silence.
"Decided? Not yet!" Tom exclaimed
"Oh... so you will be staying tonight." Teresa prompted
"Yeah, but don't ask about dinner. I may be going out with a friend." He hated to use the other f-word in front of his ma, simply because he knew she wasn't comfortable with the idea and probably never would be.
"This 'friend' wouldn't be the same friend who gave you that rock, would it?"
"Yeah, mom." Tom could not lie to his mother.
"Well, he's quite welcome to join us. I'm not gonna shut my future son-in-law out just because I don't understand." Teresa smiled.
"I'll ask him when he arrives. I don't think he knows where you live."
"If he's got half the sense God gave you, I'm sure he'll figure it out."
While Tom tried to figure out if that was a knock against Jeff or not, they arrived home. To Tom's surprise, a red Corvette was parked in the driveway.
"What the..."
"I take it that's him."
"Yeah, but how...?"
"Do you really wanna know?"
Tom thought for half a second. "No." He bounded out of the car and swept Jeff up in his arms.
"I missed you, Skittles." Tom inhaled deeply. The smell of lavender, mixed with the essence of Jeff was deeply intoxicating.
"You too, Future." Jeff buried his face in Tom's neck, snuggling closer.
"Yeah, future is right." Tom looked into Jeff's turquoise eyes. "I've made a decision."
"And..."
"If you think It'll work with me being GM of ECW, then I say let's give it a shot."
"Ooh, Tommy, I love you so much!" Jeff buried his face in Tom's, kissing ferociously.
"Me too. Let's go inside. I should probably call Vince and let him know."
Tom carried Jeff inside like a new groom carrying his bride across the threshold. The future was now!
TBC
Love is in the air! (or is that the sewage treatment plant?) One thing's for sure, ECW will never be the same!