There are perks to a back injury. While the fact I can't get up from the
couch might seem an inconvenience, it gives me a great excuse to just lie
here while Chris, Joanie, and Eddie scramble around to make dinner. Yup, I am
now free to watch the football game with Sean, Kane, Jesse, and Billy.
Although, as the mad cheering continues, I'm beginning to think it's safer in
the kitchen.

Chris comes out of the kitchen, wearing a red-splattered apron and looking a
bit tired. "Hunter, can you try this for me?"

I eyed the spoon he held up. Something red and lumpy dripped off it into the
bowl he held. "I don't know. Will it kill me?"

Chris didn't look amused. "No, but I might. Now try some of my famous Jericho
cranberry sauce." He holds the spoon over my mouth, letting the sauce drip
into my mouth.

My mouth puckered immediately. "What the hell did you put in here????" I
managed to ask.

"Lemon juice..." Chris stared at me in mock sympathy. "Too tart?"

"Yeah. Like as in, you should maybe save this stuff for sobering our friends
up."

Chris smiled, taking his sauce back to the kitchen. "I'll remember that."

I looked back at the TV. I'm actually not a big football fan, but it's very
entertaining to watch Sean, Jesse, and Billy get into the game. It's even
more fun once they get some beer in them, as they do now. Currently, Kane has
Sean firmly held on his lap to prevent him for attacking the TV, while Billy
and Jess argue over what the coach's strategy should be.

And then Joanie pops her head out of the doorway. "Dinner's ready!" Football
is immediately abandoned in pursuit of food, leaving me stuck here. I slipped
going up the stairs yesterday, landing me flat on my back for another few
days. I watch through the doorway to the kitchen as my friends load their
plates up.

Eventually, they carry their plates back out here, and what's this? Chris is
carrying an extra plate...which he sets on my chest. "I figured if I didn't
grab anything for you now, there might not be any left when you managed to
get to it."

 
I move slightly to rub my head against his leg. "Thanks babe. I would hate to
miss your atomic cranberry sauce."

Everyone is about to start eating when Joanie stops them. "Guys...you all
know I don't get along that great with my family, right?" We nod, wondering
what she's getting at. "Well...I kinda consider you guys like my family, and
on those stupid sappy shows, the families always go around the table and say
what they're thankful for. I'd like to try that." We all groan, but Joanie
ignores us. "I'm thankful for my friends, because they are the only group of
people in which I am the normal one, I'm thankful that I can grace the cover
of Playboy, and I'm thankful for Eddie bringing spice into my life, both
figuratively and literally."

Eddie is blushing. "I guess I'm next. Uhm....I'm thankful that my gimmick
with the Radicals doesn't suck as bad as it could, I'm thankful I have
Jerktina to pick on, and I'm thankful for my Mammacita...for being my
Mammacita."

Billy shakes his head. "I'm thankful for my push and for having a cutie like
Jess as my lover."

Jesse smiles. "I don't got that first one, so I guess I'm just thankful for
Assman over here."

Kane is smiling slightly, I think he is like Joanie, this is the only real
family he has. "I'm thankful for you guys kinda adopting me into your group,
and I'm thankful for Sean, for making my life more . . . interesting."

Sean has his head resting against Kane's chest, but I think he mutters "I'm
thankful that Kane still puts up for me."

Chris glances over at me slightly. "Uhm...I'm thankful that Kane hasn't
killed me yet in our feud, I'm thankful for Joanie's kick-ass matchmaking
skills, and I'm thankful for Hunter and his....Hunter-ness."

My eyes get misty, but I manage to keep my voice light. "I'm thankful for
Vicodin, which kills my pain so nicely, I'm thankful for all you guys, and
I'm thankful for having the sweetest, cutest, most obnoxious, sexiest guy
ever for my lover."

Eddie grins. "Oh, aren't you ADORABLE???"

I glanced up at Chris. "I change my mind. You're the second most annoying."

With all the serious mushy stuff, we get down to eating. Well...everyone but
me and Chris get down to eating. Chris is teasing me with his food, chewing
each bite slowly, making my mouth water with every bite he brought to his
lips. Not only was it making me hungry, it was damn sexy. Finally, he
finished with his plate and glanced at the plate still lying on my chest.
"Aren't you gonna eat, sweetie?" His voice carried a note of mischief and
evil.

 
I smiled at him. "You're leaning on me. I can't sit up so I can feed myself."

"You're not supposed to sit up, you're supposed to stay lying down." He
sighed in artificial resignation. "I guess I'll just have to feed you."

And he proceeded to do just that. Making airplane noises. Asking me to open
up the hanger for the rocket ship. At some point, it started to sound like
bizarre sex talk. "Are you doing this to pay me back for using you as a plate
that one time?" I murmured, but there was no answer.

By the time Chris finished humiliating me, everyone else had finished eating
and were laughing at me. I gave them all the evil eye back.

It wasn't too much later that our guests decided to get going. All of them
agreed that this was the classiest celebration DX had been a part of in ages.
When they were gone, Chris came over to sit on the edge of the couch. "That
was actually kinda fun..."

I nodded. "Everyone was getting along...I think you accomplished a miracle."

Chris blushed. "Well, what can I say?" He grinned. "Oh, and by the way, I
heard your little comment, and I am not nearly finished paying you back for
the cake incident."

I was powerless to stop him as he pulled my shirt over my head and my pants
off my legs. He shed his own shirt, picking up a can from the floor. I
watched nervously. "What're you doing, Chris?"

He smiles. "I'm making art." And all of a sudden, I realize what the can is
as a thin white line shoots out down my chest. It's cold and I break out in
goose bumps,. but it's nothing compared to the tiny tremors that run through
me as Chris licks up the trail of whipped cream. He continues making patterns
on my chest and stomach with the whipped cream and cleaning them off with his
tongue. The touch is so light, but yet so warm in comparison with the cold
cream, that before long, I'm rock-hard.

Chris looks down. "Oh geez, that needs taking care of." Before I can protest,
he pulls off my boxers and sprays the whipped cream on my erect cock. And
then.....oh my God...he's sucking it....using his
tongue.....ohGodohGodohGod....and I can't move, I can't squirm or buck or
anything because of my goddamn back...

 
And then suddenly, it's cold again. I looked up pleadingly at Chris, who had
moved away. "I didn't want you to come yet." he said. "I have more plans for
you."

I looked away. "Chris...baby, I can't. My back...."

Chris moved to straddle my chest. "Don't worry. There are other ways."

My blush deepened. "I know, but...Chris, I can't move. I can't like....you
know..."

Chris leaned down so his face was only inches from mine. "I said," he
captured my lips in a deep kiss, then broke away, "don't worry."

I took a deep breath. "Ok honey bun, this is your show now."

He picks the can of whipped cream back up and sprayed some onto his hands.
With light touches, he spread some onto my throbbing cock, using it as
makeshift lube. He moved himself above me, then paused, his confidence
visibly cracking. "Uhm...Hunter? I've uhm...kinda never done it this way
before."

I closed my eyes in frustration. "Just take it slow. There's not really a
trick to it..."

"Wait a sec. YOU'VE done this?" Chris's voice was both shocked and amused.

I wish I could bang my head against the wall. "Yes. A really long time ago.
Now will you..."

"Who were you with?" Oh God, this is so not the time for playing 20
Questions... "I mean, I would assume the guy was bigger than you...and there
aren't too many like that. So who was it? Undertaker...Big
Show....Rikishi.......?"

"IT WAS SCOTT HALL, OK??!?!?!?!?!" Ooops, I didn't mean to scream that...

Chris looks puzzled. "I didn't know you were with Scott...."

I'm about to cry. "I've been with the whole Klique! I was the Klique's whore!
And I really don't want to talk about that right now, because I need you to
finish what you started and fuck me!"

Finally… finally… finally… FINALLY Chris starts to slide down on me. I was
expecting it not to work too well, with the not-so-great lube and lack of
preparation, but we come together quite easily. Once he was all the way down,
he hesitated, then moved almost all the way off then came slamming back down.
I wanted to move my hips to help him, but I was paralyzed, only able to enjoy
the pleasure of Chris's rhythm.

I came first, Chris soon after shooting onto my stomach. We lay there panting
for a moment, then he got up off me and went into the bathroom to grab a
washcloth, cleaning my stomach and chest gently. When he had finished, he lay
back down next to me, his head resting on my chest. The silence persisted for
a moment, then I heard a small whisper. "Hunter?"

"Yeah Chris?" I looked down at him and our eyes met.

"You probably don't want me to ask, but...what did you mean about being the
Klique whore?"

I took a deep breath. I knew this would have to come out someday, so it might
as well be now. "Way back when, when me and Shawn and Sean and Kevin and
Scott were all together in the WWF...none of us really had the whole
'monogamy' concept down too well, and it kinda ended up with me being the
once everyone was alternately screwing and getting pissed at for screwing
their boyfriend." I swallowed. "It kinda got a bit nuts for awhile, there was
a lot of paranoia and accusations."

Chris was quiet for a moment. "That's why you don't trust anyone, isn't it?
Because they hurt you."

"They didn't hurt me...." I trailed off, seeing Chris's questioning gaze.
"Ok, they hurt me. Being used for cheap sex wasn't my idea of a good time,
but I did it to make them happy. And yeah, that's probably where my trust
thing comes from....because that sure didn't teach me about trust in
relationships." I moved my arm to hold him tighter. "But I have you now. And
I love you and trust you more than anything. So can we put this behind us?"

My answer was not verbal, but physical, as Chris cuddled closer to me and
almost immediately fell asleep. I was almost there myself, until a car drove
by outside with their music playing loudly. They must be the next-door
neighbors, because I can hear the radio constantly, so they must have parked
in the driveway. The song on their radio ends and another starts, almost
sensual in it's softness.

You're toast and jam and you're cotton candy
You're double rainbows beside a setting sun
There's wood burning outside, there's a fire glowing
You're sweet as green apples, you must be the one.

I stroke Chris's hair. He is beautiful when he is asleep...he looks so
innocent. It's almost like he gives off a light, one that makes me feel warm
and safe and all those things I convinced myself I didn't need to get from
another person.

You bring me to the heart of a golden man
You bring me to the natural truth
You take me to a solid hollow
And keep me sailing this ocean of youth

He was made for me. That's the only conclusion I can come to. We were meant
for each other because I can't imagine anyone but Chris being able to make me
open up the way I always have to him....and somehow I know I am the same for
him.

So take me to an alter of diamonds
and run with me through sheets of jungle rain
Show me all of your manly mystery
And let me heal your beautiful pain

We both have so much baggage. Rape, fear, distrust, bitterness, all of it has
been working against us. But somehow, we got though it. We took care of each
other, held each other, loved each other, and we beat it all.

Be my island in crowds of faces, my oasis
Be there...

That's why you're toast and jam and you're cotton candy
You're double rainbows beside a setting sun
You're wood burning outside, there's a fire glowing
You're my sweet green apple, you must be the one

I bring my fingers up to my lips and kiss them, then brush them over Chris's
face. "You are definitely what I'm thankful for." I whisper.