Shawn and Marty entered their hotel room in complete silence. Shawn didn't know why it seemed so tense all of a sudden but he was sure Marty would speak up when he got ready. Since Kenneth decided to go out drinking tonight, Shawn was able to ride back with Marty for the first time in almost two weeks. Shawn waited to see if Marty was going to shower first but instead he sat on the edge of his bed staring at the floor.

"Uh…Marty? You alright man?"

"Oh yeah." He looked up and smiled warmly. "Of course."

"Oh okay. Well um…you wanna shower first or can I?"

"No. Go ahead and shower."

"Alright," he grinned. Shawn grabbed his favorite boxers and headed to take a quick shower. When he finally emerged from the restroom, Marty was waiting to get him a shower as well. He smiled warmly at Shawn as he hurried past him into the restroom. Well I suppose he's alright then… Shawn went and collapsed on his bed. He was tired and sore from tonight's match among other things. That last time has really got me sore but I'll be alright. Shawn laid in bed doing his best to wait up for Marty but the exhaustion soon overtook him and he fell fast asleep.

When Marty emerged from the restroom, he wasn't at all surprised to see Shawn fast asleep. He really didn't want to wake him but he needed to talk with him before it was too late. With a reluctant sigh, he passed over his own bed and sat down next to Shawn. Shawn's gorgeous curly locks were sticking to the side of his face half covering one of his eyelids. Marty reached up to brush the hair out of his face ignoring the fact that he was well aware of how soft Shawn's skin felt.

"Hey Shawn." He shook him a little stirring him awake. "Shawn. Wake up. I need to talk with you." Shawn's eyes fluttered open and he yawned muttering something incoherently. When his eyes finally adjusted to the semi darkness of the room, he quickly sat up wondering what could be bothering Marty so.

"Is…Is something wrong?" he asked sleepily.

"Shawn…" he sighed. "I…I know about you and Kenneth." There was a long pause as Shawn took in Marty's words. So he knows so what now? Shawn didn't really know how to respond so he just stayed silent. Marty reached out and touched his shoulder. "You don't have to say anything because I know why. He told me and when he did I…I freaked out."

"Marty look, I didn't mean—

"It's okay Shawn," he nodded. "I know and I understand. I just…I'm just sorry that I didn't notice."

"You weren't supposed to notice Marty and I wasn't planning on telling you either."

"I know that but Shawn, you can't keep fighting my battles for me."

"I'm not trying to fight them. I was just trying to get a little retribution. They hurt you Marty and I could tell that you were at your breaking point. I didn't want to lose you. I still don't wanna lose you. You're all I have and you know that." Marty reached out and cupped his face.

"I know you care Shawn and I feel the same way about you, which is why after our match tomorrow I am leaving."

"What? Leaving? What do you mean leaving?" he frowned. He was not liking the sound of this and he hoped this was just some kind of joke.

"I'm retiring Shawn. I just…my heart's not in it anymore."

"That's a lie and you know it!" Shawn snapped. "Why are you doing this? Why are you giving up on me?" Shawn was nearing the point of tears because he didn't understand it. Marty loved wrestling and for the past few weeks he seemed happy as he kicked everyone's ass in the ring but now all of a sudden he wanted out? Shawn wasn't taking that for an answer.

"Shawn listen, we both know you're the better wrestler."

"That's not true Marty. I'm just quicker."

"Yeah well you're going to be the one that stands out as time progresses. I mean look at you. You're in the best shape of your life and you look damn good. That long, beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes…Not only are you good looking but you're also the best wrestler on the roster. I don't wanna compete with you and I don't want you taking on my battles."

"Then I'll stop. I'll do whatever you want—

"No you won't Shawn. You'll try for a while but in the end you'll end up helping me again and I don't want that. I need to grow up. I need to learn to stand on my own and the only way I can do that is if I leave your side for a while."

"But you can't Marty!" he choked. "If you leave me then I'll be all alone. I'll have no one."

"You're strong Shawn. Really brave and strong. I believe in my heart that you'll find a way to keep on moving. Don't give up on your dream."

"It's not worth it if I don't have anyone to share it with," he cried. Marty pulled his friend into his chest while he sobbed.

"It's okay Shawn. It's okay," he whispered. "I'll be around. It's not like this is forever."

"I know but just the thought of losing you is bad enough." Marty looked down at Shawn and sighed.

"Shawn…I've made up my mind and I'm going to do this – for us. But before I go…before we part, I want you to do something for me." Shawn pulled away wiping his eyes in the process.

"Sure," he nodded. "Anything for you."

"Shawn I…I want you to make love to me." Shawn just stared at him.

"Wha…What?" he stammered. Marty gripped his shoulders lightly looking his friend in the eye.

"I want you to make love to me."

"Wow…Marty I…"

"I know you didn't expect this but just hear me out. I know that you and I both consider ourselves straight but…Shawn I'd be lying to you if I said I haven't felt something for you all this time."

"But Marty I…I can't…I just…I'll hurt you and…"

"Shawn if you don't do this for me then I hope it's because you're disgusted with men. Otherwise, are you really going to deny your best friend his last request?"

"No…of course not Marty. Look, I don't…have a problem with guys. Kenneth pretty much nipped that in the bud but I can't…I'm afraid I'll hurt you and I don't want to do that. You can't make me Marty."

"I feel the same way about you Shawn but if you don't do this – if you don't take control, then I'm going to take you myself."

"I'm…sorry Marty but I just can't."

"Then so be it." Marty shoved Shawn back onto the bed and covered his lips. Shawn didn't fight him. In fact, he eagerly welcomed him, deepening the kiss. Their tongues fought for dominance with Marty finally winning him over. A low growl escaped from the back of Shawn's throat making Marty instantly hard. He put his full weight on his partner as he tore his lips away to suck on his neck. Shawn felt himself getting aroused and it was all he could do to encourage Marty to relieve him. Marty's hand slid down his chest slipping easily into his boxers clasping his erection. Shawn whimpered from his touch but then just as quickly Marty drew his hand back.

"Mn…Marty don't tease," he moaned. "Please…just…just touch me." Marty started moving his hand pumping Shawn's member. The blonde moved with his hand, thrusting and moaning with pleasure. His climax came quickly covering Marty's hand with his release. Marty took his lips for another kiss only to be thrown off by Shawn flipping them over. Now Shawn hovered over him staring down at him with pure desire. He brought his lips to Marty's then trailed tiny wet kisses down his chest. His hands played with Marty's rosy duds pinching them to draw needful moans from him.

"Mn…Shawn…don't stop," he breathed. Shawn had no intentions of stopping. He reached up to pull Marty's shorts off of him then he completely covered his erection with his mouth. "Oh fuck Shawn!" he gasped. Shawn wasn't used to doing this being that he was usually the one on the receiving end but thanks to Kenneth, he had a pretty good idea how it was supposed to go. Deeper into his mouth he took Marty making him moan with pleasure. The sound was music to his ears. He suddenly gave a gentle hum sending shockwaves through Marty's body. That was all it took. "Fuck Shawn!" he screamed as he orgasmed. Shawn thought he would be able to get out of it but Marty rolled over on his back.

"Come on Shawn. I want you to take me."

"Marty—

"Shawn please?" he begged. "Please take me." With a reluctant sigh, Shawn clasped his hips pulling him near. He inserted a finger and then another to prepare him. Kenneth did it to him the last couple of times and it made things a lot less painful. Marty whimpered for a moment but after a while he started welcoming the intruding fingers. "Shawn, God Shawn I need you inside me." Without another seconds delay, Shawn thrust inside him. Marty was so hot and tight; it was better than he could have imagined in his dreams.

"Oh my…Fuck Marty…" He couldn't help it. As much as he wanted to take his time, he was quickly losing himself in Marty's tight heat. He gripped his hips tighter pounding into him faster and harder. Marty threw his head back moaning with pleasure, his hips moving to match his rhythm. "Fuck Marty…I'm about to cum!" With one final thrust Shawn exploded inside of Marty. They both collapsed onto the bed, sweating and smelling of sex. Marty rolled over and pulled Shawn on top of him capturing his lips for a kiss. It was slow and sensual but the message in the kiss was quite clear and when they finally pulled apart, they just lay there in each other's arms until Shawn drifted off to sleep.

~*~*~

Bret slowly stood to his feet and walked out of the room. Chris didn't even try to stop him because he was pretty sure he knew how Bret was feeling. From the way the interview was going, he was certain Bret was trying to hide the fact that he was ever in love with Shawn and just hearing him describe how he made love to another was enough to make him crazy jealous. Poor Bret… Chris' eyes rounded on Shawn who was now just sitting there quietly staring at his nearly empty bottle. Maybe I should go check on him… Chris stood to his feet to go after him.

"No…don't Chris," Shawn said softly. "Give him some time. If he doesn't come back then you can finish getting my side. It's the least I can do for all your trouble." Chris sat back down like he was told and they both just waited in silence.

Meanwhile, Bret stood outside the door with his back against the door. It was all he could do to calm his body down. He was experiencing so many emotions that he wasn't really sure what to do with himself. While he was listening to Shawn describe his rape, it was slowly tearing him apart but then just as quickly, his pity turned to anger when Shawn announced that it was okay. How could anyone do what he did he wondered? How was that really okay? Shawn explained it as best as he could but all this talk of love was making his head hurt. People all over the world do crazy things for love but Shawn…he did something that Bret just couldn't see himself doing, not even for his wife and it scared him. Does this mean my love for her is actually superficial? Does it mean I never really loved her at all? Dammit I knew I shouldn't have come here! Shawn always makes me question my beliefs. I hate him…I hate him so much! And yet…

He closed his eyes as the image Shawn created forced its way into his brain. He could easily picture Shawn writhing beneath Marty as he stroked him senseless; the low moans escaping his beautiful lips beyond his control. The image was actually kind of hot but that only angered him even more. I'm not…I'm not gay but Shawn was mine. Just the thought of someone else touching him like that… Bret cursed himself silently. Who am I kidding? I'm being a total loser and a crybaby. I'm happily married and I don't care for him at all. Even the thought in his head seemed to sicken him. Bret's body started to tremble uncontrollably. He folded his arms across his chest as tears streamed down his face. He hated Shawn Michaels…or at least that's what he told himself for years. But now that he was starting to learn more about him, it was getting harder to hide buried feelings – feelings he wasn't sure of at the moment. He thought about leaving the building. If he just walked away now then he wouldn't have to hear anymore. He would never have to listen to Shawn again except on TV and he could pretend that none of this ever happened, but he knew better. If I leave now then how much better am I compared to Shawn? I called him a coward for trying to run and he decided to stay for the interview. The least I can do is practice what I preach. Bret dried his eyes and took a deep breath. "God help me get through this," he whispered.

x-x-x

Chris had almost given up on Bret but a few minutes later Bret was taking his seat again waiting to continue the interview. Wow. I certainly wasn't expecting him to come back especially after that but I guess it's safe to continue…

"Uh…well…welcome back Bret. Uh…before we continue is there anything you'd like to say to Shawn at the present time?" Bret thought about this for a moment then shrugged.

"Glad you two finally admitted to what everyone else knew all alone."

"Which was…?"

"That you were gay for each other," he answered bitterly.

"Oh God you are so…whatever Bret. I sometimes wonder whether or not the next part of my life was really worth it."

"Yeah well I do to."

"You were a terrible friend."

"So were you."

"And a terrible boyfriend."

"We were not—

"And here we go again," Shawn scoffed. "You haven't changed a bit. You admitted to the world that we were lovers so what's the big deal about owning up to being my secret boyfriend?"

"Secret boyfriend?" Chris asked with a frown. I'm…confused…

"Yeah secret because he was so scared of what people would think of him even though HE pursued ME!" Shawn spat.

"Alright I've had enough of you for one day!" Bret stood up and pushed at the divider. "Get your skinny ass over here so I can rip you apart!" Shawn eagerly obliged. He stood to his feet and started making his way around the divider but Chris stopped him.

"No…no Shawn. I can't have you two fighting—

"BUT HE'S PISSING ME OFF!" Shawn screamed.

"AND SO ARE YOU!"

"BUT I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING TO YOU BRET! I'M JUST TELLING THE TRUTH! WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND—

"WHY YOU WERE A WHORE?" he yelled. Shawn slammed his fists against the divider.

"I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO BECAUSE I LOVED HIM! AT LEAST I OWNED UP TO MY FEELINGS FOR HIM! YOU…YOU…I THOUGHT YOU ACTUALLY LOVED ME BRET! EVERYTHING YOU EVER SAID TO ME WAS A LIE!"

"I NEVER LIED TO YOU SHAWN! I ONLY LIED WHEN YOU STARTED KEEPING SECRETS FROM ME!"

"BULLSHIT BRET! YOU LIED TO ME ABOUT LEAVING. YOU LIED TO ME ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP—

"I'm not…I'm through arguing with you Shawn," Bret breathed.

"And I'm done arguing with you. You'll never own up to what really happened because you're a baby. A big, grown baby who still hasn't learned to take responsibility for his actions and you know what else? I said it once and I'll say it again. I screwed you at Montreal and if I had it to do over, I wouldn't change a thing. I hate you. I hate you so much," he choked. The words hit Bret like a knife to the heart and it scared him. Before today, he couldn't have cared less if Shawn hated him but now…now it seemed to matter, more than it should have. Bret stared through the divider at the figure of the blonde whose face was mirroring his. He couldn't see it clearly but he was certain Shawn looked miserable. His musings were interrupted by Chris' voice.

"Have we reached our limit or can you two calm down enough to continue?"

"I'm leaving," Shawn snapped. "I hate his guts and I don't care to hear anymore from him. It's the same as always. I'm spending most of the time defending myself and for what? At the end of the day nothing will matter. You'll show this to the WWE Universe and they won't be any closer to the truth than they was before. Screw it. I'm outta here. I don't need this kind of stress when I have someone who loves me enough to even allow me to go through with this waiting back at the hotel." Shawn grabbed his hat off the floor and started for the door. "Sorry Chris. Maybe next time we'll actually get some where."

"Shawn don't walk out that door."

"Oh shove it Bret. I'm through—

"It's true," he said quickly. "Shawn...Shawn was my boyfriend," he said softly. Chris' jaw just dropped and Shawn froze on the spot. He turned around with a confused look on his face.

"Why Bret? Why admit it now? It's not going to change anything." Bret pressed his forehead against the divider, groaning. He was giving in again and he hated it. At the same time, a part of his spirits sank a while ago when he thought Shawn was going to walk out that door for good. His soul just screamed for him to come back and without thinking he reacted. He confessed and now he had no choice but to continue. He sighed.

"Maybe not," he said softly. "But it kept you here with me."

"For a moment and now I'm leaving."

"Shawn don't go. Please," he managed. "Don't…I need you to stay." There was a long sustained silence as Bret waited for Shawn's response. He was sweating bricks and it didn't help that he was nearing the point of a breakdown. Please…Shawn…

"I'll probably regret this for the rest of my life but I'll stay," he mumbled. He took his seat again then glared daggers at the figure behind the divider. "Your turn to talk hotshot and if I were you, I'd make it good because I've 'bout had it with you for one day." Bret took a deep breath.

"Alright. Fair enough. Well Chris…I guess…I guess I can take it from here. Shawn...I believe I spoke to Shawn right after his rape. I also spoke with him after his final match with Marty. That's when I'd say our friendship started to develop…"

AN: Will pick up with Bret's story next time. No idea when I'll update again but I doubt it will be anytime soon.