"Look, Randy. We need to talk. I feel like a real dick, and this has just been eating away at me, and I need to get it off my chest before something bad happens." Mark said, ready to bust at the seams with guilt. Randy's brows furrowed as he sat there waiting the inevitable. "Alright. Shoot." he said. With a sigh, Mark started, "last night when I was talking with Jeff, that wasn't all that we did."
xXx
With his head hung low, Randy walked away from the window. Watching the two interact in such a way made him feel like a voyeur; he was watching something that he shouldn't be watching,
"Why can't you give me just one more chance?" Jeff asked, his tear streaked face, with red puffy eyes looked at Mark. Mark wasn't sure what to say. He knew what he should say and what he wanted to say, but he just couldn't bring himself to say it. "Jeff, why do you have to make this so damned hard for me?" he asked, "I just want us to be okay. What happened before was all mistake, but I can't take it back and I can't give up on what I have right now." Jeff stood up, "fine. I get it. You don't want to hurt Randy, and you're right, he shouldn't get caught in this, but I want you to know that I can't just give up on this." Jeff started to walk away, but turned around and stood directly in front of Mark, who was still sitting. "Mark, you used to tell me that if I got my act together, got clean and focused, I could do anything I wanted. Do you still believe that?" Mark thought for a moment, "Yeah, I do. I've always believed in you, Jeff. You know that." Jeff smiled and nodded. He took a moment and looked around where there were and then looked up at the building in front of him, but of course, no one was around. "I'm clean now. And I know what I want." Jeff said firmly, and then he swiftly leaned down and kissed Mark. Mark thought of every reason to pull back and push Jeff away, but as he tried doing so, he gave into the kiss and returned it.
Jeff smiled at the reaction he got and pulled away. After what seemed like hours, but was only seconds, Mark stood up and gently pushed Jeff away from him. "I don't know what you're thinking, Jeff, but whatever it is, don't do it. I'm happy and I just want us to get past our problems. This, whatever it is you're thinking, isn't what I want. I hope that you can respect that Jeff. You're a great guy who deserves to be happy." Mark turned his back to Jeff and started making his way back to the front of the hotel. "But you make me happy, Mark." he heard Jeff say. He turned around and gave Jeff a quick look before continuing.
What the hell have you done now, Mark?
xXx
Mark gently opened the door to his and Randy's hotel room and when he saw Randy, he immediately felt guilty seeing him lying on his side of the bed, still waiting for Mark to return. Mark looked at the clock on the night stand and then headed for the bathroom to take a shower.
When he heard the door to the bathroom close, Randy stirred and heard the shower running. He turned and noticed the bed was still unruffled, so that meant that Mark hadn't slept there. He looked at the clock next to him. 7:00a.m.?
Randy shook his head. He didn't want to jump to any conclusions. Mark wasn't the type of guy to sleep around, so he was sure that at least that hadn't happened. He was worried though; could Mark and Jeff really have talked all night? Yes. He thought, of course they could have. He knew how amazing Mark could be to talk to and, once being attracted to the Enigma himself, he knew the allure the young man offered. With their past, their obvious feelings for each other, he figured that it was only a matter of time until Mark broke it off with him and went back to Jeff.
The Legend Killer laid back to think about everything that had led up to this and how he could have been fooled to believe that he ever had a chance. He started to think of what to say to Mark when he came out. It was usually pretty easy for him to talk to Mark, about anything, but this he had no clue how to handle.
When he had decided to just accept whatever Mark was going to say to him, he heard the water shut off and listened to the noise coming from the bathroom until Mark walked out.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" Mark said when he came out of the bathroom and saw Randy sitting up. "No," Randy said without looking up. "You didn't wake me." Mark immediately noticed, but tried to pretend that he didn't. "Sorry, I didn't comeback last night. Jeff and I had a lot of stuff to talk about." Randy nodded, "It's fine. You guys need to clear the air and straighten out whatever you guys have going on." "Randy, I know that this is really bad. It's a really bad, shitty situation," Mark spoke to him, "but I promise you that it's done with. At least as done as I can make it on my own." Burning a hole in the wall on the opposite side of the room, Randy grinned, "I know, Mark. Don't worry about it. I know you wouldn't intentionally hurt me. If you've got something to say or clear up with me, you'd just go ahead and do it." "I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you intentionally or unintentionally, but I assure you there's nothing that I need to clear up." Mark added.
Randy nodded again, "Okay. Then everything is just fine." "Good." Mark said, "Now, get ready. We've got a long flight ahead of us."
With that, Randy got up and started getting ready to leave. They had an early flight to Texas, where they'd be staying at Mark's house.
xXx
Once seated in the plane, Mark turned to Randy. "I think I'm gonna try to sleep a little before we get to Texas." "Yeah, you look like you could use some rest," Randy said.
"Ha, isn't that the polite way of saying some looks old?" Mark joked. As worried as Randy was, he couldn't help but laugh at the older man, "yeah, it is, but I mean you actually look tired." he said. "I want to call you old, then I'd call you old." "Not too old to take you over my knee, boy." Mark said. Randy smirked, "I'll have to keep that in mind." "You're horrible, you know that?" he laughed.
xXx
After both having rested on the plane, Mark and Randy headed to Mark's home. The silence that fell between them was pleasant. Randy was amazed at how comfortable he was with Mark, even with the images of him and Jeff sitting together, interacting so intimately lingering in the back of his mind. Right now, he's with you. Don't let that fact slip away. There wasn't anything he could say or do to make himself completely worry-free, but that didn't deter how easily he could forget about all of that for the moment.
"Finally. Home sweet, home." Mark said as he opened his door to get out. Randy was the first out and walked around to the back of the car to get their bags. "Just leave them, we'll get them later." Mark told him. With a nod, Randy moved to the driver's side of the car where Mark stood. "I can't get over how amazing your house is, Mark." Mark smiled at the compliment, "I worked hard on it, thank you." He extended his arm and waited for Randy to take it. "Come on, I'm hungry." he said, walking towards the door. Mark unlocked the door and allowed Randy to go in. Randy walked into the foyer of the house and then waited for Mark to finish turning the alarm off. Once he finished that, Mark walked into the living room throwing himself onto the large, plush sofa, leaving Randy trailing behind him. "Come on, Orton," he said. "You've been here enough to not feel like a guest." Randy chuckled, "yeah, but those other times I was like some dirty secret of yours." Mark sat up at this and gave a him a quizzical look. "I'm kidding Mark, move over." Randy planted himself next to Mark. "So, do you have any food in this place or do I need to go into town?" Mark thought for a minute, "there should be food. I have a friend who comes in to clean up a little and she usually brings enough groceries to hold me over. I'd probably starve if not for her. Too lazy to go to the store on my own, is what I am." Both men laughed, after running his hand through his short hair, Randy stood up, "I'm starving too, I'll make us something." Mark smiled and desperately tried to cover up the laughter that was threatening to escape. "What?" Randy asked noticing Mark's failure to do so. "You don't think I'm capable of preparing a simple lunch?" Mark sat up and grabbed his hand to keep him from walking away. "No, no, no. It's just that, sweetheart, you don't look the type to cook anything." Randy had to laugh, "I assure you, Mark, you've no idea what I'm capable of in the kitchen," Randy told him, "or else where." he added with a smirk. "Alright, boy, go do your thing," Mark said, "just don't burn down my house, please." he yelled out as Randy made his way into the large kitchen.
Mark switched the television on and found a basketball game, soon enough though; he was dozing off to the smell of food invading his nose. "Mark!" Randy yelled, about twenty minutes later. When he didn't hear Mark's response, he went into the living room and found Mark asleep; legs propped on the coffee table, water bottle barely hanging in his grasp, one arm placed behind his head to prop it up. Randy laughed at the sight before walking close to him to shake him lightly. "Mark," he said, "Big man, wake up." Randy sighed when Mark squirmed and then settled back into sleep. "Dammit. I make lunch for you, you're going to get up." Randy said aloud to himself while stepping over Mark's legs so that one was on either side of them. "Get up, Mark." he tried again. When he didn't respond, Randy smiled to himself and rubbed his hand over his chin. Finally, he leaned down and supported himself with one hand on the arm rest and the other on the back of the sofa. Randy pressed his lips to Mark's, softly letting them linger for a moment before moving back. Again, Mark barely moved, so again, Randy leaned in and pressed his lips to Mark's, this time, however, he pressed against him with a little more force and used one hand to grip Mark's chin and allow himself entrance. After a few seconds, Mark's lips curled into a smile and he returned the kiss with as much effort, dropping the water bottle to cup the back of Orton's head. Once they parted, Mark let his head fall back against the sofa and said "from now on, if you need to wake me up, that method will do just fine." Randy laughed, "it was a last resort effort, but it did the trick." he said as he gave Mark his hand to help him up to his feet. Mark lead the way into the kitchen, "well, you didn't burn down my house. Thank you." "Funny, Mark. Sit down and eat." Orton told him, sitting down himself. After a couple of bites, Mark spoke up again, "also, Randy, next time, you don't need to hesitate before you kiss me and you should really give me a better pet name than 'big guy'." Wearing a faint smile, Randy just shook his head. "Hm. This is actually pretty good, kid." Mark added with another fork full. "You're a jerk, you know that?" was Randy's reply.
xXx
Full from what Mark described and raved as a 'delicious' lunch and jet lag, Mark and Randy decided that as wonderful as the afternoon was, a large, comfortable bed was much more appealing at the moment. Before heading upstairs for a much needed nap, Mark went back outside and grabbed the bags from the car. He carried them upstairs and into his bedroom. As he walked in, he noticed Randy already laying down in his bed; shirt off, folded nicely and left on the side table, belt on top, rolled up, and shoes tucked neatly at the base of the table. Mark couldn't help but smile at the kid's neatness. It complimented him nicely; he wasn't a slob, but he tended to let things rest where they lay and then worry about them when he was done with the true task at hand. He showed it by leaving his shoes and shirt in a trail as he made his way to rest next to Randy. His added weight caused Randy to stir a little and he quickly recognized the familiar form next to him and draped his arm across Mark's chest. Mark settled into the position and closed his eyes as he lay listening to Randy's even breath fall against his shoulder.
Mark fought himself over waking the younger man up and telling him what he needed to tell him and just giving up on sleeping simply to lay there and watch him for as long as he could. Finally, he knew he couldn't wake him up so instead he settled on watching him until his own eyes felt heavy with sleep. Before they did though, he decided that as much as he was looking forward to spending the rest of the week with Randy, he didn't want to continue lying to him. I'll tell him when we wake up, I have to tell him tonight. Can't risk him sensing something is up and making me tell him. When we wake up...
xXx
Feeling a faint scratch against his forehead, Randy jerked his head and swatted at the sensation. Opening his eyes he laughed to himself realizing the sensation was Mark's beard. Randy moved from Mark's grip and grabbed his cell phone from the table next to the bed. Reading the time, Randy decided it was probably time to wake up from their nap and taking Mark's suggestion into consideration; he moved closer to him and began his light-as-a-feather attack on Mark's neck. Mark squirmed in his sleep at the actions, he rolled his neck to the side and Randy smiled to himself and the new flesh he could lavish. He lowered his head to Mark's pulse point and began sucking gently, trying to leave a mark, but not wanting to wake him. "I'm already awake, so go ahead and suck harder." he heard Mark moan. Not letting the fact stop him, he continued his ministrations with more gusto. Mark took in a deep breath as he let Randy work a small, purple mark onto his skin. When Randy broke away from that, he attached his lips to Mark's where they quickly began battling for supremacy. Mark shifted his weight as he gave up one battle to start another; with skilled hands he guided Randy's hips to hover over his. In a more suitable position, Mark tore his lips away from Randy's swollen ones and thrust up against his crotch. Loving the look of lust his lover's face wore, Mark repeated the action and relished the expression he received in turn. With some regret, the Viper allowed Mark to turn them over so that he was now underneath him. Whatever regret he had though, he quickly forgot about when Mark wasted no time in ridding him of his jeans and boxer-briefs, leaving him stark nude. Mark looked up to make sure Randy was watching his every move, which of course, he was. Satisfied with the attention he smiled and started at the base of Randy's naval, kissing and nipping a trail over his taught abdominal region and up to his chiseled chest. Before continuing Mark continued up and engaged Randy in another heated kiss. When he pulled away this time, he moved to his ear and whispered to him, "thank you for coming to me when I needed you." Mark had started to work his way back down, but Randy was quick to catch his jaw in his hands and staring into his green eyes and raising his head slightly to meet his mouth, Randy gave him a smile and another passionate kiss before allowing him to continue with what he was doing. Mark's heart raced when he looked into those blue eyes once more.
xXx
As they sat through dinner, Randy could see how distracted Mark seemed. Most of the meal was eaten with the two sharing stories about the business they shared and about their families. "I don't think I've ever met your mother. I've seen her backstage with you a couple of times, but I don't think i've met her. She sounds great, you'll have to introduce me to her sometime." Randy said as Mark finished telling him a story of when he was a kid. "She'd love to meet you. She was a big fan of our story a few years ago." Randy laughed, "Was she? I've got to meet her sometime then." After a little more talk, they finished in near silence. Mark was sure that Randy could tell something was bothering him. He read like a book sometimes. Gathering the plates in his hands, Randy walked to the kitchen sink and started rinsing the dishes. Mark stood up and grabbed a couple of beers from the refrigerator and walked back towards the sliding door that led to the giant backyard. Turning to look at Randy he said, "leave those. Why don't you come outside with me?" Randy turned to him, "yeah, just a second." he washed his hands and with a lump in his throat followed Mark outside onto the patio. Mark was sitting in a large, wooden deck chair. He motioned for Randy to sit next to him and when he did, handed him the other beer. Not wanting to waste time, Mark got straight to what was eating at him.
"Look, Randy. We need to talk. I feel like a real dick, and this has just been eating away at me, and I need to get it off my chest before something bad happens." Mark said, ready to bust at the seams with guilt. Randy's brows furrowed as he sat there waiting the inevitable. "Alright. Shoot." he said. With a sigh, Mark started, "last night when I was talking with Jeff, that wasn't all that we did." Right off the bat, Randy knew this wasn't going to go well for him, but he sat and listened to what Mark had to say. Seeing the change in expression on Randy's face, Mark clarified himself. "we were outside talking and when were through, Jeff kissed me. And believe me when I say tried to fight the urge to return it, but I couldn't" he paused for a second. "...I didn't." Randy swallowed hard and turned so that he didn't have to look directly at Mark. "I immediately felt like shit for doing that to you and I told him that we couldn't be what he wanted us to be again." Mark stopped to sit forward and put his drink down, he sighed and waited for Randy to look at him, "I'm an asshole, I know that. And you have every right to believe that, but I need for you to know that I never meant for it to happen and that it's been eating at me all day. I didn't want to keep lying to you. I didn't want to run the risk of you thinking I was trying to hurt you." Randy let what Mark's words sink in; he wasn't sure what to make of it. He was extremely glad that Mark hadn't said what he thought he was going to, but his attempts at being okay with the situation were not working in his favor. Mark couldn't even resist Jeff for that small action, how was he supposed to compete with someone who still had such a strong hold on Mark?
"To be completely honest Mark, I was expecting a lot worse." Randy admitted, much to Mark's surprise. He wasn't expecting that response. "I can't say that I'm completely okay with what you've just said, because I'm not, but I really didn't expect it. I was sure that you were going to tell me that you weren't interested in our current relationship. I'm relieved, but also stuck in the same place I was before." Mark opened his mouth to speak, but thought it best to let Randy get off his chest whatever he needed to. "I've got a confession of my own. Last night, I woke up and when I realized you weren't there next to me, I thought the worst. I couldn't settle my mind and went over to the window. I looked out and was taken back by what I saw." Mark shut his eyes, fearing that Randy had already known. "I would have much rather had seen you two kissing." Randy laughed nervously. "The way you were touching him and just the general way you two were together made me feel like I was watching something I had no business watching." he paused for a moment to figure out what else he wanted to say. Mark took the opportunity to speak, "I'm sorry that you saw that, Randy. But most of all, I'm sorry that I made you feel that way. I didn't know that you were going to see us, but regardless, I should never make you feel that way." "What I'm interested in hearing, is whether you think this is even worth it?" Randy asked him. "I don't understand," Mark said. "I want to know if this, what we're doing right now, and what it seems we're always doing is worth it?" Randy had to swallow the lump in his throat to finish, "or would you rather just stop and work out whatever it is you and Jeff obviously need to work out?" Mark understood now, he turned Randy's head to look at him and looked him directly in the eyes when he answered, "you are worth it."
xXx
Jeff put down the sketch pad he held in his lap as he waited for his flight to be called. He turned his iPhone off and pulled out his earbuds, giving his racing mind a rest. He looked up from his seat and noticed Randy sitting down with Ted and Cody. He watched the three men until their flight was called. Jeff hadn't spoken with Mark all week; he wasn't sure what else he could do to get Mark's attention. He thought that he would at least try talking to him about the kiss he had planted on him, but he never did. Mark didn't say anything to him about the incident, and he figured it was because Mark was hoping to just ignore it until he could figure out something else to say to him. Although he had hoped he would get to talk to Mark again, Jeff understood that he had put Mark in an awkward position and was willing to wait until he was ready to talk about it again. Thinking of it the kiss they shared, Jeff could remember how familiar the kiss had been. He sat smiling to himself at the feeling it brought to him. He couldn't give up yet. Jeff thought maybe he needed a new plan of attack. Seeing Randy by himself, Jeff decided to go over and talk to him. Maybe he could get through to Randy who must be feeling weird about the whole situation.
"Hey man, what's going on?" he said sitting beside the Viper. "Hey Jeff." Randy said extending his hand to him. "How're you doing? Heard you tweaked your knee
on Monday." Jeff asked. "Yeah, I did, but it's nothing too bad. How about you, how're you doing?" Randy asked in return. He felt a little uncomfortable, but thought maybe he would see where it led. Jeff tried to read Randy's reaction and body language, but he wasn't giving anything up. "I'm alright. Usual aches and pains, but I'm dealing with them." he answered. "That's good. I'm glad to hear that." Randy responded. "Yeah. So where's Mark? Haven't seen him all week." Jeff asked getting to his point. "He actually took a flight home last night. Gunnar had a basketball tournament this weekend." he stated. In that moment, Jeff felt a bit of pity for Randy. He didn't know how he felt about it, but he sure did remember what it felt like when Mark left him to be with his family. "Oh, that's cool man." was what Jeff could manage. Refocusing, Jeff continued. "Look Randy, I don't know if Mark told you what happened the other night, but I gotta tell you man, there's a lot of stuff going on between us and..." "Let me stop you right there, alright? He did tell me. He told me everything I needed to know, so I don't think there's anything you need to say to me right now." Randy said interrupting him. "No, I think there is. You need to give him some space. We need to work this out and we both know Mark is too nice of a guy to want to hurt anybody and do what needs to be done." Jeff tried convincing Randy that they needed time to work out their problems, but he wasn't taking the bait. "I'm not getting in the middle of this. This is your business and I trust that Mark will work it out with you as best as he can." Randy said. Getting frustrated, Jeff stood up in front of Randy. Not one to back down, Randy did the same. Sticking his finger in his chest, Jeff kept up. "Look, Randy, we didn't ask for this to happen. Yeah, we both screwed up, but how can you not see that we both still care about each other. I love him, he loves me and I know you know that. Why don't you make it a little easier on him and just let us work this out on our terms. Maybe you can't see it, but I know this is really tearing him up." Starting to feel his own anger and frustration build up Randy tried to calm himself down before he responded. "I do know how he feels about you, Jeff. But if you're thinking i'm just going to hand him over to you, we both know that isn't going to happen. I've kept my nose out of your business and I'd appreciate it if you'd do the same. If Mark decides it's you he wants to be with then I will not try to stop him. He's a grown man who can handle his own affairs appropriately." Realizing this was another failed attempt, Jeff decided not to push it any further, however he was going to make his point clear once more. "This isn't some game to me; I care about Mark a lot and it seems like you do too, so you know I can't just drop this. Not until he's given me another chance." By this time the other couple of wrestlers in the area were watching them, ready to intervene if needed. Randy looked away from Jeff and to the other guys and nodded in their direction, letting them know everything was okay. "I know you do, but I hope you'll respect his decision." Jeff just smirked and nodded as he turned and walked away. He was sure that Randy wouldn't say anything to Mark, but it just sunk in how willing Randy was to fight for him as well.
xXx
"You really need to work on your monster thing." Randy told Glen as they sat down at a table for lunch. "I've learned that I'm scary enough to not have to act like a monster." Glen replied. "Besides, they were just kids, numb nuts. Not everyone can go around being a jerk, like you and get away with it." Randy laughed, "that's because I have the good looks to pull it off. Ask, Mark. He knows." Taking a drink of his water, Glen looked at Orton and got serious. "How's that whole thing going anyway?" "Whole thing is going fine, I suppose." Randy answered. "You suppose?" the big red machine questioned. Randy started grasping at what Glen was hinting at, "well, as good as it can be given the situation." "And you've weighed all the possibilities regarding your situation?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, you don't have to be in this situation. You know that everything that's going on between them has nothing to do with you. You could wait it all out and give it a shot once they've cleared everything up." Glen said honestly. Randy nodded, "I know it doesn't. But I can't afford to let him go without a fight. You're one of his best friends, shouldn't you be watching his back instead of mine?" "I'm always looking out for Mark, but it's obvious how hard this is on you too." Glen said. "I know Jeff, not as well as Mark does, but I know that that little firecracker isn't going to give up without a fight. He's gotta be getting under your skin. Mark told me about what happened a couple of weeks ago." Randy sighed, "Jeff's just a whiney little bitch." Randy hated talking that way about someone but truth was that he was indeed fed up with him. "I really don't mind that Mark wants to stay friends with him. They've got so much history; it'd be insane to expect them to just forget about each other. I feel that I've been more than generous in allowing them to fix things, but I really can't stand Jeff anymore. Having him in my face telling me that I don't care enough about Mark to let him handle this first is bullshit." "When did that happen?" Glen interrupted. "Last week, at the airport." Randy answered. Glen could tell that Randy was ready to boil over with emotions he'd been pushing down. "Jeff's just being a bitch about this and what makes me angry is that he can't give it a rest and just work it out, for everyone's sake." "You can't let him get on your nerves, though, Randy. Mark's been honest with you about everything, so you gotta ride out the storm or get out of the eye of the hurricane while you still have your sanity. He's trying his damnedest to make sure you're not getting the short end of the stick every time." "I know, and I'm in it to ride out the storm. I just don't understand why Jeff can't keep me out of this." Randy said.
A few tables over, Matt Hardy could hear pieces of the conversation and headed to the dressing room to find Jeff.
After searching the arena, Matt finally found Jeff in a bathroom in the back of the building. "What are you doing way back here?" Matt asked his brother. "I couldn't concentrate on painting with all the other guys, so I came looking for a little privacy. Amazing how much privacy you can find in a really gross and old bathroom at the back of a building." Matt laughed at his brother. "You're nuts, Jeffro." Matt walked towards his brother, "look. We've gotta talk about something." he said. "Go ahead, Matt. I'm listening." Jeff said as he continued with his painting. "I'm serious, Jeff." Matt told him. Looking at his brother, Jeff got it and put the paint down. "Alright, what do you want to talk about?" "I wanna know what you said to Randy at the airport." Matt asked. Jeff looked carefully at Matt and then answered, "I just told him that he needs to give Mark some space so that he and I can work this shit out. Why are you asking this?" "Because I just heard Randy telling Glen that you were acting like a whiney little bitch and that you were out of line by getting in his face." Matt told him. "I know you, Jeff, and I know that he's probably right. You probably were out of line. You gotta learn to keep your feelings in control. You're never going to get Mark's attention by acting like this." Jeff barely heard what Matt had just said, "wait, he called me a whiney little bitch and you didn't even try to defend me?" Matt sighed, "dammit, Jeff. That's not the point. If you're going to keep going after Mark, you can't just go and get in Randy's face." Jeff was confused, "who's side are you on, Matty? I'm your brother." "I'm always on your side, Jeff, but you have to leave him out of this. This thing between you and Mark has nothing to do with him, so just stay away from him." Jeff didn't want to hear it, "you don't get it Matt. Randy's staying with Mark. They're sharing a bed. They're sharing a life now. That used to me. That's the life I lived for. Mark is the guy I lived for and now they go around parading each other." Jeff said bitterly. "I'm not gonna sit back and let them play house while I'm dying inside every time I see them. I love him, Matt. I don't care what you or Randy has to say about it. I'm not giving up without a fight." Matt nodded, "I know you do, Jeff and I'm not telling you to give up, but you won't win him over that way. I told you that I'd help you however I can, maybe if I talk to Mark, he'll understand a little better where you're coming from. I'm on your team, Jeff. Don't forget that. Just don't go blowing up at Randy. Alright?" Jeff was angry, but he didn't want his brother to worry about him. "Yeah, thanks, Matty." "Alright, I'm first up on the card, so I'm going to go get ready. Finish up and I'll see you later, Picasso." Jeff gave him a smile and said okay. "I'll see you later then, man."
Jeff watched Matt leave the bathroom and when he figured he was far enough, he threw the paint off the counter and kicked a stall door. "Fuck this shit." he said. I can't stand around while Randy has the one person that I love more than anything. Fucking whiney little bitch, huh? Fuck that. He's taken too much from me to let him get away with that. I'll set him straight once and for all.
xXx
"What the fuck is your problem," Jeff said, slamming through the doors of Mark's locker room. "I thought maybe you and I understood that we were going to go after Mark. This isn't about you and I." Randy got up from the chair he was sitting in, "what the hell are you talking about, Hardy?" Jeff laughed, "you know exactly what I'm talking about, man. Don't give me that shit. You think I'm a whiney little bitch, huh?" Randy sighed, now realizing what this was about, walking a little closer to Jeff he defended himself. "Look, Jeff. I'm sorry that you heard that, but I was a little frustrated with everything going on and..." "And what? You didn't mean it? Bullshit." Jeff said cutting him off. "No, I meant it." Randy corrected. "Matt said to back off about it, but screw that." Jeff said, getting right in Randy's face. "Jeff, this is the second time you've gotten in my face and you need to back off." With a small push, he managed to get the younger Hardy out of his face. "Get your fucking hands off of me, man." Jeff told him. "Who the hell do you think you are?" This time, Jeff was the one who pushed Randy. "Look, Jeff, why don't you just get out of here before something happens." he suggested. "I want to know why you think I'm a whiney little bitch. Is it because you know that you have no chance with Mark once he realizes that we both made a huge mistake?" Jeff said pushing Randy a little more, causing the taller man to step back. "You're a whiney little bitch because you don't realize that Mark is ready to move past all the bullshit you put him through, but you're too dammed selfish to see it." Hearing this just angered the Rainbow-haired Enigma that much more. "Give it up, Randy. I'm sure you are a good guy to him, but it's not going to last. It's not you who spent years with him, through thick and thin." Randy tried to mellow his adrenaline, "whenever you wanted to be with him. Whenever you didn't leave just because you were afraid of what you guys had. I'm not afraid, Jeff." "Oh fuck off, Randy. You don't know a damn thing about us and how we feel about each other. You're not me. Don't try to make me out to be the bad guy, you took advantage of him, but I can tell you this, he loves me and there's nothing you can do to change that. You just slithered your way into all of this. If you are going to go and say shit behind my back, why don't we just agree that all is fair in love and war? I love Mark and you have him. I'm not going to let you win." Finally, something in Randy snapped. Before he could stop himself, in just a second, he had pulled his arm back and launched a fist at Jeff, connecting with his cheek. The punch sent Jeff stumbling into the television set behind him; dropping with a thud to the floor. In an instant though, Jeff was back up and threw a punch of his own. His connected squarely with Randy's jaw. Soon, Randy had Jeff pressed up against the locker after slamming him against it and was trying to connect his punches. Jeff, small, but agile, slipped past Randy and remembering the knee he had just tweaked, using his own knee as a battering ram, kicked Randy's leg and pinned it against the wall. Both men had the other somehow and was trying to get any advantage he could.
Members of the Smackdown! roster, including Chris, Phil, the elder Hardy brother, Glen, John and Dave rushed into the locker room where they heard a loud thud come from. Chris was the first to get inside, followed by Phil and Glen. The sight in front of them wasn't much of a surprise; sooner or later something was going to happen between the two young men and it had finally hit the fan for them both. Chris quickly made his way to the two men who currently were intertwined, fists pulling back and then landing on the other man, any place it could manage. Chris grabbed Randy's arm as he reached back to lay another shot on Jeff. Using the leverage, Chris managed to pull most of his body away from the smaller man who threw a kick into his gut. By this time, Chris had Glen and John helping him hold back the Viper. Phil, Matt and Dave held the smaller and much angrier man back while he tried to break loose from their grips and get in another shot.
Glen turned to look behind him, and had to shout over Jeff's voice to be heard. "Both of you need to settle down, right this damn second." When Randy and Jeff both settled down, still being held back by the other men, Glen spoke again, "What the fuck is going on?" he said, looking at both me. "Why don't you ask this fucker, Glen." Jeff spat out. Randy just laughed, "Jeff, when are you going to grow up?" "Hey! I asked you both a fucking question." When neither man was willing to speak up, Glen looked down at his watch. "Dave, John will you go and get Mark. He should be in with the medic." Glen took his place to at the side of Randy, making sure he wouldn't try to break free. "Just tell him that he needs to get his ass over here, right now." Dave and John nodded and left the room. Making sure it was closed before they walked away.
Matt shook his head, "Jeff, I told you to drop this. What the hell did you do?" Jeff immediately felt the need to protect himself against all accusations, "Matt, isn't it enough that he has Mark? I couldn't let this asshole get away with saying what he said about me." Matt looked at his brother, "Dammit, Jeff. I said I was going to help you. You didn't have to come in here." Across the room, Chris looked at Randy with disappointment. "What are they talking about? What did you say?" Randy stood tall and looked directly at Jeff and then back at the two men in front of him. "What does it matter now?"
A moment after Randy had spoken, Mark came busting through the door. Looking around the room he knew it wasn't anything good. "What the hell happened?" he said, walking between the group of men. Jeff was the first to speak, "your fucking boyfriend is a fucking asshole, man. That's what happened." Randy couldn't tolerate Jeff any long, "oh fuck you, Jeff." he said pushing against Chris and Glen. "You've got Mark feeling so damned guilty for doing absolutely nothing wrong. He's so worried about how you feel about him he doesn't even realize that you doing it. He's done nothing but try to work all of this shit out with you, but you can't just let him go and be happy with his life and take the friendship he's offering." Jeff took in the words and then shot back at him, "I'm not trying to guilt him into anything. I'm just asking for a second chance." "Second chance? How many of those 'second chances' has he already given you, Jeff?" Randy asked. "Enough. Somebody needs to tell me what happened, so somebody better start talking." Again Jeff started, "Matt overheard this fucker and Glen talking and he just so happened to mention that I was a whiney little bitch." Mark turned to look at Randy, "is that true?" When Randy didn't answer, but instead looked away he asked again, "Randy, I asked you a question." Randy snapped his head back to look at Mark, "yeah, I did." Mark stood there dumbfounded; he really didn't believe that Randy would say something like that. "When I came in here to confront him about it we started arguing and he pushed me into lockers." Jeff finished. Again, Mark was beyond belief, Randy wasn't the type to react like that, at one time he had been though, and because Jeff wasn't a liar, he knew it had to be true. Randy looked down at the floor, embarrassed by his own actions. He wasn't that guy anymore, but he had just blown up and couldn't stop himself. He hated being that guy again and was extremely ashamed of his actions. "Randy, what the hell were you thinking?" Chris said, but Randy didn't even hear the words he was saying. "I'll give the him some credit, he knows how good he has it with you, and the only reason he blew up was because he knows that we deserve another chance. We've been through so much shit together and he knows how we feel about each other. Randy you don't know half the story though, and you don't anything about us." Randy's head was beginning to ache and just listening to Jeff was making it worse. He took a deep breath, "Earlier you said that I didn't know anything about you two. I know more than you think, Jeff." he said as he backed away from the men in front of him. Randy looked over at Mark who stood with his head hung low towards the ground as he tried thinking of how things got so messed up; Randy again felt so ashamed of what he'd done, but continued speaking, "I know enough to know that you're too damn high up to be knocked down from that pedestal that Mark keeps you up on." Randy turned his gaze back to Jeff who was listening to what he was saying, while Randy's words caused Mark to break his thoughts and look over at him. "I know enough to know that you're right, Jeff. I know how good I have it with Mark; I'm lucky to have him care about me even half as much as he cares about you. And I know that there's a part of him that I can never touch because it belongs to you and you alone." Swallowing hard, Randy finished, "I know enough to know that my one shot with him only came about because you screwed up. If not for that, I would have never gotten the opportunity. I didn't slither my way in and take advantage, it just happened. I hope that you both know that." when he was done speaking his mind, Randy tried to walk out, but Glen and Chris stopped him. Randy raised his hands and said, "I'm good, guys. I'm done." Walking past them, he couldn't bring himself to look at Mark or Jeff again. Mark took a few steps forward, "Randy..." He stopped and watched as the usually confidant and self-assured Orton walk out the door, looking defeated.
All of the men in the room looked to Mark, who stood there with his hands resting on his waist. Obviously lost on what to do, Chris spoke up, "Aren't you going to go after him?" When he didn't answer, Chris stepped up to look at the bigger man right in the face, "Mark, you are my friend and you know that I have your back no matter what, but you need to get your head out of the sand and figure out what you're going to do to fix this mess." With that said, Chris turned on his heel and went out the door, to follow Randy.
Hope this is up to the standards you've all set for this story. Not crazy about the beginning, but I like the end. What do you guys think? REVIEW! It's much appreciated, you all know that. Speaking of REVIEWS, TakersLady, you make me LOL. Thanks for the REVIEWS!
Going ahead with my planned ending for this story, just gotta figure a way to get there. Hope you'll all stay with me. I don't plan on taking this story into the new year, again. (BTW, did you know I've been working on this story for over a year? RIDICULOUS!)
Please let me know what you thought. I'm Straight Edge and my only vice is the REVIEWS you all send me. That's all for now. Over.