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During Rampage, Hook doesn't pay too much attention to what Jericho has to say. He's watching, of course he is- Joe had insisted the three of them watch the show together, just in case, as if he has a sixth sense about these kinds of things. And well, who knows, it's Joe, maybe he does. Hook had watched Orange's match closely, pleased when he wins, but for the most part, he tunes the show out. Joe nor Shibata seem that concerned with Jericho's declaration of finding a new tag partner to replace Bryan Keith, so Hook doesn't dwell on it either.
Joe is still at ease the next night, scouting out areas of the arena that would probably entice Jericho, and they pick the room next to the Zamboni, because obviously that's exactly what those three would be drawn to, and any surrounding area where they could spread their "wisdom". It's not until the trap is sprung and they brawl with Jericho, Big Bill and Bryan Keith that Hook realizes what a mistake their collective lackadaisical attitude towards it all has been. He sees movement out of the corner of his eye, twists in time to see someone enter the ring and when he rushes the guy, he gets grabbed and thrown hard onto his lower back, the pain vibrating up his spine into his skull.
He's forced to lay and watch as Shibata gets taken out too, before rolling onto his back and giving in to the misery. Joe somehow gets taken down by the guy as well, and all Hook can do is lay there and hope they'll leave them alone now. Thankfully his internal hopes come true and they leave Joe, Shibata and Hook where they lay until referees come out to check on them, offer assistance. Joe, of course, refuses. Shibata is already on his feet, glancing from Hook to Joe and back with a worried crease in his brow.
Hook slowly rolls out of the ring and pulls himself upright, waving off the referee who approaches him too. He follows Joe and Shibata quietly up the ramp, his head tilted down as he tries to ignore the pain stabbing up his spine with each step. He can see on the monitor Orange is doing an interview with Lexi nearby and he thinks Joe is already walking that way, so he just continues following.
Thankfully by the time they reach the interview area, ZSJ has left, Orange's expression shuttering, then calming as he notices them. "Hey, are you ok?" he asks immediately, walking up to Hook and cradling his jaw in his hands, the ones that had just been gripping Sabre's collar with so much anger and frustration that he'd almost tore it clean off of him.
Hook doesn't want to think about that, just leans into Orange's warm hands and sighs. "Yeah," he mumbles. It's not true, but he's not going to say otherwise while Joe and Shibata linger nearby.
"Do you need medical?"
"No." Hook shakes his head. "Just wanna get out of here." He glances towards Joe and Shibata.
Joe looks angrier than Hook feels, but he steps closer, the frustration in his eyes not meant for Hook. "Phone'll be on if you need anything. I'll see you tomorrow."
Hook nods. "Alright. See you tomorrow." Tomorrow. Forbidden Door. The match that has suddenly gone from even numbers where Hook actually had some hope to this mess. He turns towards Shibata and holds his fist out towards him.
Shibata nods at him and meets him halfway with a fist bump, turning towards Orange as Hook steps back, pressing his head against the cool tile of the wall next to Orange. Somewhere between the ring and here, Shibata's gotten his phone back and he types into it. "Take care of him," the female voice says.
"I will," Orange promises, Hook not even having the energy to be annoyed by being talked about despite standing right there. "You sure you don't need medical?" he asks, curling his fingers around Hook's neck and lightly squeezing, grounding him just a little. Enough to make him pull away from the wall and sway towards Orange.
"I'm sure," he mumbles. "Are you done tonight? Can we go?"
"Yeah," Orange says softly. "We can go."
Hook doesn't remember much about the drive from the arena to their apartment, but he's thankful that the show's in New York this week so instead of struggling to sleep in some strange hotel bed, he gets to sink down into their couch and close his eyes as Orange wanders around, putting aside their bags and poking around the kitchen for awhile.
He's not sure how much time has passed exactly when Orange sits down next to him. "Here," he says, pushing a bottle of water into Hook's hand. "Are you hungry?"
"No," he mumbles, obligingly lifting the bottle and sipping from it under Orange's watchful gaze. "I just want to sleep." He doesn't, not really, but he thinks anything has to be better than trying to force food right now when he just feels shaky, the Doritos he was eating earlier leaving him feeling heavy and ill.
"Alright," Orange says quietly, nudging the water. "Finish drinking that, and we can go."
Hook grumbles but listens, drinking as quickly as he dares considering. He sets the bottle aside as soon as he's done and Orange stands, holding a hand out to him. Hook sighs and grimaces, lacing their fingers together and letting himself be pulled upright.
They walk side by side to the bedroom and Orange lightly nudges Hook towards the bathroom. "Go ahead," he says.
Hook winces and rubs at his face, squinting up at him. "You should go first," he mumbles. "You had a match tonight. And last night."
"No, I'm fine waiting for a few minutes." Orange shakes his head, smiling faintly. "Go ahead, Hook."
Hook thinks about arguing further but he sighs and goes ahead, shoulders slumping as he leans over the sink and stares at himself. He splashes his face, runs his wet fingers through his hair, and tries not to think too hard about the hours prior as he properly begins his nightly rituals.
Orange stands up once Hook returns to the bedroom, resting his hand on Hook's back- the warmth of his hand eases some of Hook's lingering pain from getting thrown by Cobb earlier- and he offers him a small smile. "I'll be out in a few minutes."
Hook nods. "Alright," he says, kicking his shoes and pants off, tossing them into the laundry basket before sinking down into bed. He's sore, but worse than that is how his mind is racing. They were so close, he really thought they had a good chance up until tonight. Seeing Shibata laid out, and then Joe, replays over and over in his head and he groans, burying his face into the pillows and trying desperately to ignore the memories.
He's still laying like that when Orange leaves the bathroom, laying his denim jacket and jeans over Hook's clothes in the hamper, and stretching out next to him. He leans over and presses a kiss to Hook's shoulder. "Good night," he whispers, settling down next to him with his hand resting against his hip.
Hook tries to sleep. He really does. He can tell by Orange's slow, steady breaths against his side that he's peacefully asleep, and he doesn't want to bother him, but it's nearly impossible to lay still. He rolls gingerly onto his back and exhales, staring at the ceiling. Orange's arm shifts, presses against his abs, and Hook exhales. He lifts Orange's hand and kisses his knuckles, turning to look at him with a grim look on his face.
-x
Orange is sleeping pretty well for the first time in he's not sure how long. Winning two matches and having Ishii in his corner had helped. Yeah, he's a little worried about wrestling ZJS the next day, but he's already beat him once and he's pretty sure he can do it again. Besides, he's more concerned by what's happening with Hook anyway.
It's probably this more than anything that alerts him when something changes, his eyes squinting open as he feels the cool sheets under his searching hand, lifting his head to find Hook's side of the bed empty. "Shit," he mumbles, forcing his sleep-heavy body upright.
Hook is leaning against the windowsill, looking down at the street below, his shoulders slumping as he rests his forehead against the glass. Orange is careful, quiet as he eases out of bed and walks around the bed, approaching him. He knows the instance Hook realizes his presences, his shoulders tensing. Orange stands behind him and wraps his arms around him, nuzzling into his shoulder. "Hey," he says quietly.
"Did I wake you up?" Hook mumbles. "Tried to be quiet."
"No," Orange says. "You weren't noisy. The bed just feels weird without you."
Hook huffs out a weary laugh and leans back into Orange's warmth, sighing. "Sorry."
"No need to apologize," Orange tells him, stroking his side comfortingly. "Anything interesting happening down there?"
Hook scoffs, shaking his head. "Nah. Pretty dead right now."
Orange nods, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. "Wanna come back to bed?"
Hook sighs. "Can't sleep."
"Why not?"
"Everything I said was proven right," Hook mumbles. "Thought Joe, Shibata and I had an actual chance, but here Jericho is yet again, stacking the deck against us. I don't know why I expected anything different."
Orange holds him a little tighter. "Hey, there's still a chance. The way Joe looked earlier? I wouldn't want to be going against him."
Hook sighs, reaching up to squeeze Orange's wrist. "Listen, you should go to bed," he says. "You've wrestled a lot this weekend, and you have a really important match tomorrow. I'll be fine."
"I'm not going to bed without you," Orange says, squeezing him. "You need to try to sleep too."
Hook grimaces, turning in Orange's arms to look at him. "I can't," he says. "I tried. My head is too..." He motions towards it, a frustrated grimace on his face. "And my back still really hurts when I'm laying down."
Orange hesitates, then grips his shoulders. "Trust me?"
Hook exhales, already disliking this. "Yeah?" he says. "You know I do."
Orange smiles.
-x
Hook breathes slowly, sprawled out on his stomach in bed, face buried in pillows. He sighs, blinking lazily. "Orange?"
"Mm hmm, I'm here," Orange says. He pours a generous amount of lotion onto his hands and rubs them together briskly, warming it sufficiently, before resting his palms flat on Hook's lower back, massaging in slow, careful circles.
Hook moans heavily into the pillows before tensing up. "Oh," he mumbles, face heating up as he feels Orange's hands trembling with his laughter.
"I guess this feels good then," Orange says, digging in a little more until Hook's muscles start to go lax under his fingers little by little. "You're way too tense, Hook," Orange murmurs. "I know tonight was a blow, but trust in Joe. He knows what he's doing."
"He's not the one I'm doubting," Hook says. "I just... laid there while he and Shibata were taken out, and I... haven't felt that worthless in a long time."
Orange's touch pauses against his spine, his frown deepening as Hook breathes shakily under his hands. "Hook..."
"I told you, it happened with the FTW title, and then he had both Big Bill and Keith during the triple threat, and now... Of course there's four of them." Hook is tensing up all over again and Orange tries to stay calm as he slowly rubs circles against Hook's spine. "But it was different before. It was just... me, by myself, fighting to get something. This time, when things get fucked up because Jericho is always a step ahead, I'm letting Joe and Shibata down too. I don't... I don't want to do that but I don't know how to stop it."
Orange thinks about what to say as he continues to massage Hook's muscles, still trying to ease some of the lingering tension there. "I think Joe's crafty enough to out-do Jericho," he says. "I know it's not always easy for you to trust people and it's understandable after last summer, and considering you and Joe's history, but I think he will have some sort of an idea or strategy to even the playing field a little bit tomorrow. The best thing you can do now is try to rest so you'll be at your best when Joe tells you what he needs from you."
Hook huffs, his shoulders lifting in a shrug motion before Orange digs his fingers under his shoulderblades, drawing some more tension from him. "I hate when you get all logical with me," he sighs, letting his head droop deeper into the pillows.
"Does it help?"
Hook lays there for a minute, allowing Orange to continue to massage his shoulders, before giving in. "Yeah," he admits quietly.
Orange smiles, pressing his fingers in a little deeper. "Good," he says.
"Damn," Hook mumbles into the pillows, toes curling as Orange's hands press higher and higher, smoothing up his spine towards his neck. It's like whatever's holding all of the tension in Hook's body is cut the instant Orange's fingers rub up the back of his head, pressing gently under his ears.
Orange hums, looking down at how Hook's body is relaxed, all but melted into the mattress. "Better?"
"Yeah," Hook says, sleep starting to take him under, his accent growing thicker. "Thanks."
Orange smiles and leans in, pressing a kiss to the side of his face. "You should let me do this more often."
"Don't like to bother you," Hook sighs. "You've had enough going on lately."
Orange hesitates, trailing gentle touches up and down Hook's spine. "Hook, this is the most enjoyable thing I've gotten to do in a long time. Any time we get to spend together, no matter what we're doing, is the furthest possible thing from 'bothering me'. So just... let me. Ok?"
Hook breathes slowly, steadily, and Orange watches as his eyes flutter. "Alright," he murmurs. "Ok. You can." His words drift as he falls asleep between one thought and the next and Orange chuckles, shaking his head fondly.
Once he's rubbed the last of the lotion off into Hook's skin, he settles back down next to Hook and drapes the sheets over them both, wrapping an arm around him and watching Hook's peacefully sleeping face, lulled by his steady breathing, until he too drifts off.
They may be in vastly different headspaces in less than 24 hours, but for now, he has faith.