Part 1.

Chris Jericho was feeling remarkably relaxed as he wandered back to his dressing room. Remarkable because Chris wasn't exactly what you would call an easy-going guy. Maybe it was fate, good vibes from the crowd or just that he seemed to have, against all expectations found happiness, maybe he was just in a good mood. Nevertheless, tonight he felt relaxed. Which was a shame because he only had a moment to brace himself as Christian barreled intently down the hallway towards him.

"Man Chris I gotta tell you something!" Chris' friend Christian, tall, slim and incredibly gregarious. A man whom despite Chris best efforts, actually seemed to genuinely like him.

Go figure.

It was a measure of Jericho's fondness for the other Canadian that he allowed Christian to physically push him into his dressing room. Like someone from a lame spy thriller Christian checked the hallway before turning to the other occupant of the room. With a big sigh, he sank onto Chris' couch and stared morosely at the floor.

"I'm in big trouble Chris." The slimmer man confessed.

Leaning back against a bench beneath the mirror, Jericho examined his friend. Jay's perennial good mood seemed genuinely gone today. No bright grin, corny joke or wild hyperactivity. Chris felt a flicker of worry.

"Trouble?" Chris prompted.

"I ran into Adam at lunch and……" Christian bit his lower lip. Chris waited expectantly.

"…we had COFFEE!" the slim man blurted out at last.

Chris couldn't help but laugh.

"God Jay! I thought you were going to say you were pregnant!"

Christian leapt up. "Chris come on!" There was an edge of real distress in the man's voice, causing Chris to crush his amusement. Moving to the just vacated couch he sat and said, "Okay. Sorry, so what's so bad about getting coffee together?"

Jay began to pace. "Because it's Adam and we used to be...you know…?" Turning pale blue eyes on his friend. "You did know, right?"

Chris controlled his expression with determined willpower.

"Yes Jay. I don't think many people exist who didn't know." He informed him.

"Oh yeah...well..." rubbing a hand through his short hair, Christian resumed his pacing. "We kinda ended a while back. It was mutual and all cool and everything. Then he got hurt and I got hurt and we didn't see each other and now he's back and we had coffee." As if that explained everything, Christian dropped to the couch next to Chris.

"So the coffee means your back together?" he asked curious.

"No," another sigh. "Just that it...you know…kinda rekindled the fires I guess."

Chris studied his friend curiously. "And that's a bad thing…?" Letting his question linger in the air.

A third sigh, this time bigger than the others.

"Because I…well…..I kinda like someone else." He finished in a rush.

This apparently wasn't news to Jericho either.

"And….?"

"Well it's not like he knows I like him or anything. I haven't like, asked him out and the thing is if I start seeing Adam again then I may miss out on things with….err...this other person. If he even likes me, which he doesn't." Jay turned to look beseechingly into Chris' bright sapphire eyes.

"Help?" He begged.

Oh brilliant! Chris cursed internally. Chris fuckin' Jericho, master of nearly destroying his own life, giving advise to the lovelorn. Jesus, the guy should have asked Randy or one of the girls. Chris turned his reputedly sharp intellect to targeting the most obvious problem.

"Who do you want?" It seamed a reasonable question.

"I don't know!" Christian wailed.

Not so reasonable. Okay.

"You have to decide what you want more. Nougat or honeycomb." Chris pointed out.

Jay's look of incomprehension was almost comic.

"Both are desirable," Jericho explained. "But if you had to choose just one for the rest of your life. The only dessert you would ever have, which would you choose?"

Christian though for a second. "Can I taste each one?"

"Not what I want to think about Jay!!" Chris complained getting to his feet. "But yeah, you know how one tastes and you like it. But you haven't even tried the other, so how can you know if you like it?"

Jay nodded his head eagerly. "Or if it likes me?"

Chris smiled. The weird road of food being a metaphor for lovers had been, admittedly, his fault, but for his own sanity he better divert Jay.

"You have a match in twenty." He reminded the seated man.

That seemed to bring Jay back to the present.

"Oh yeah. Thanks Chris. Man you are the best friend I ever had you know." Jumping up Christian threw his arms around the smaller man in a big hug. Chris tensed instinctively but quashed the reaction quickly and gently disentangled himself from Jay's embrace.

Christian banged out of his door the way he did everything, with lots of energy and very little dexterity.

Jericho listened to the sound of what he thought was Jay skipping… skipping?...down the hall. Shaking his head Chris' lips quirked into a soft smile. No matter what, Jay was his friend.

The blonde though himself a fortunate man.

********

Jay loitered just inside the men's locker room, feeling a little like some kind of pervert, waiting for his friend, FRIEND, Tyson to emerge. It was late and the arena almost empty. It was a run-through, tonight and he and Tyson were last with Shawn and Chris. The two blondes leaving earlier, Tyson having to remain to do some work with the trainer on a sore shoulder. The last ones in the locker room, Christian fiddled with his gym bag strap and tried not to imagine his friend, F.R.I.E.N.D. naked…in the shower.

It had begun when they'd been introduced. The huge man, Tyson, intimidating and mean looking. A great heel look from the get go. Not a master of the ring in any imagination, but ready to learn and to work, which is more than can be said for some out the back. Jay had literally had his breath stolen when he'd shaken the man's hand, unable to stop his eyes caressing the broad, muscled shoulders and awesome tribal tattoos on his bare arms. Instantly curious to know if they were all over the big man's body.

"Call me Ty," A deep gravelly voice and definite twinkle of humor in the dark chocolate eyes.

"Err…Jay...just Jay. Like the letter," Christian had stammered like a teenage girl. Fuckhead! He cursed himself. Talk like a grown up for Christ's sake!

"Jay, like the letter." Ty had repeated. Tasting the name on his tongue as if it was a fine wine or something. "Pleased to be working with you Jay."

Christian had fallen, then and there. Hook, basket and eggs.

For the next few months working the program with Chris and Trish had been fantastic and awful at the same time. Fantastic because it was Chris and working with him was always ace. Trish was a bud and Tyson, well; having a big mean bodyguard...sorry…Problem Solver…was a cool arc. And having the sexy 6'6' devil bearded, tattooed, black wife beater wearing Tyson Tomko as said bodyguard was the icing on the cake.

But it was awful for Jay's nerves and hormones. Every day Christian talked himself into asking the big man out. "Wanna get a coffee? A drink? Dinner? Can I blow you?" AAARGH. The problem was every time he worked up the courage to approach the man, after a show, during a break in rehearsal, Tyson's nearness would completely throw him off his stride. He'd get tongue tied and blush, reverting to talking about work as a cover.

He suspected, hoped really, that maybe, just maybe Ty had liked him back. Only talking when needed and revealing a dry, sardonic sense of humor when he did, Ty was the definition of the strong silent type. His silences seemed to balance Jay's endless prattle about life, the universe and everything.

Sometimes he'd catch the big man watching him, the chocolate orbs warm and amused. It could be `interest'. It could also be `brotherly affection'.

And now Adam was back.

His Adam.

EdgeandChristian.

AdamandJay.

It's practically fucking sacred around here.

Seemed pretty sacred back then too.

Then coffee the other day. Looking at Adam, all gorgeous and healthy again. Long hair tied back so neat, he'd chucked a fit at seeing Jay's shorn locks, all long limbs and wicked smile. His Adam.

They'd even shared a look. One of Those Looks "that Meant Something". It had sent him running to Chris, his head spinning, trying to figure out what to do. His best buddy Chris, who had such a great life now all that shit with Goldberg was over, had set him straight. Jay knew Chris was a hell of a lot smarter than he was and was in a real, actual relationship. Something that Jay hadn't had since Adam. Jay had needed Chris and the blonde was there to help him, now all he had to do was work up the guts to ask Tyson out so he could `sample the dessert' as Chris put it.

Jay was shaken out of his soon-to-be pornographic thoughts by a sudden pop and fizzle above his head. The bare light bulb blew out, followed by the other three in the locker room, ending with a loud BZZZZZT from the switch by the door. Then the room was plunged into darkness.

The shower stopped.

A luminescent glow from the upper windows lent enough light to see, so Jay began to make his careful way to the door.

"Ty? Something's blown out the power." He called reaching out to flick the light switch back on.

A strong hand grabbed his wrist violently an inch from the switch.

"Yarghh!" Jay yelped in fear and surprise.

Gasping for the breath that had left his lungs in shock he stared up at the man holding his slender wrist in a vice like grip. "Ty? You scared the fucking shit outta me!" he accused, then paused taking in the sight of the other man.

Tyson was naked underneath a dark blue towel slung hastily around his hips, of that Jay was certain. Droplets of water still danced from the strong muscled shoulders down a firm chest, towards the towel. Unable to help himself Jay's eyes fastened to a droplet, flooded with an inexplicable jealously for the small amount of H2O. Pain emanating from his clasped wrist dragged Christian's eyes back to Ty's face. Brown eyes were locked onto his hand; fear the dominant emotion present, quickly being drowned by anger. Turning to the soft blue gaze of his captive, Ty shut his eyes, inhaling deeply, filling the large torso and threatening the loosely tied towel. Christian watched, heart beating like a hummingbird, as the big man once more looked at him.

"Ty?" He managed, mind awhirl from the big man's closeness.

Gently, almost reverently, Tyson lifted Christian's still imprisoned hand towards his mouth. All thought fled from the Canadian's brain as the softest of kisses was placed into his palm.

"…don't ever..." Tyson's words a desperate whisper.

Almost choking with a mixture of pleasure and surprise, the blond moaned as Tyson slowly rubbed the back of Jay's hand against his cheek.

"God Ty…would you…" Jay tried to form a sentence, to beg the big man to continue with his caress.

With incredible care, Tomko released the slender wrist and slid his hands around Jay's waist, pulling the smaller man into a tight embrace. Snuggling against the defined chest, Jay began to plant small kisses onto smooth tanned skin. Loosening his arms slightly, Tyson looked down at the man in his arms, resting his forehead against Jay's. His words were low.

"Can I…."

Christian held his breath.

"…have you?"

Ty felt the long lean body in his arms tense, as if readying for battle.

He staggered slightly as Jay literally leapt into his arms, long legs entwining around his waist. As Tyson's towel lost it's heroic battle with gravity, Christian revealed his answer.

"Fuck yeah!"

******

Read Part Two