The pattern had been repeating itself for days now.

Ever since Hunter had informed Sean, leaving no chance of argument, that he was going to take it easy for the next few weeks, Sean had been swinging between sulking and falling asleep at random intervals. Whenever Shawn tried to point out that this new catnap addiction proved that it was too early to start wrestling again, all it earned him was a dark glower.

It was obvious that if Sean had been at home, he'd be pushing himself too hard. That was why Hunter was leaving him with Shawn. Just to make sure, Hunter was also staying behind for a few days to, basically dote and do that protective glare he did so well. He'd sent the Outlaws ahead, although he'd nearly had to throw Jesse out the door to get him to leave. Now it was just the three of them.

Of course, that made it sound a lot more friendly than it was. Even with this new truce, things between Shawn and Hunter were edgy at best. Hunter and Sean were at odds as well. The doting did not work well on the nerves of an extremely frustrated and impatient kid in his late twenties. Other than the occasional confrontation, they lived around each other, acting with the cautious, stiff politeness of strangers. It was, to put it mildly, an unpleasant way to spend two days.

Sean was, as usual, the one to shake things up again.

He wandered in as Shawn was watching television in the living room, and seated himself on the couch beside him like he hadn't spent the last few days pointedly ignoring him. With some creative shifting and without words, Sean managed to get himself curled up against Shawn's side with Shawn's arm flung protectively over him. That done, he leaned his forehead against Shawn's neck and lay there comfortably.

Shawn better than to comment. Dealing with Sean was like dealing with a stray cat. If you weren't going to push them away, you might as well just accept it, because the chances of getting an explanation were nil. Instead, he kept his eyes on the television, focusing more on the lean body pressed against him than the show itself. This felt right, somehow.

"What are we watching, anyway?" Sean's quiet words broke the silence, sounding slightly bemused by his own inattention.

Shawn studied the screen before answering, "It's Dragnet, I think. You know, the cop show with Joe Friday and his partner, what's-his-name. The weird lookin' guy."

"Mmm. Reruns older than I am. Cool."

They didn't say anything after that, didn't have to. Instead they watched the black and white images flick across the screen, casting shadows across the room, and soaked up the contact.

Dragnet was over and they were halfway through the Twilight Zone when Hunter appeared in the doorway. Like a lean, tall living shadow in the darkness, he eyed them both with amusement.

"Hey. Everything cool in here?"

"Yeah." Lightly running his fingers over Sean's side, Shawn said affectionately, "I'm kinda trapped here."

"So I noticed." Hunter didn't move from the doorway, just leaned there and watched them thoughtfully. Steam curled up from the mug in his hands, wrapping itself into fragile patterns before disappearing into the darkness. Standing there in his t-shirt, jeans and socks, Hunter looked almost... domesticated. It was an entertaining thought.

With his free arm, Shawn gestured to the empty space on the couch. "C'mere. Join the party."

"Yeah, seems like a real wild time." Crossing the room, Hunter half collapsed with a long sigh at Shawn's other side. He glanced at the television, and one side of his mouth quirked up in the first smile Shawn had seen from him in a while. "Nick at Nite? I didn't figure you for the type."

"It felt right," Shawn explained shortly with a one-shouldered shrug. The silence had permeated him, and for once he didn't feel like breaking it.

Considering that, Hunter accepted it with a nod. "Guess it does." He looked at Sean. "How you doing, Waltman?"

When there wasn't an answer, Shawn raised his head to look at Sean and gave an incredulous laugh. "Damn, he's out again. No wonder this is driving him crazy. All that energy of his is on the fritz."

"You want me to help you drag him upstairs?"

"Nah. I'm okay with being a human pillow. Still, if you tell another soul, I swear to God-"

"Relax. Besides, you're not the one who slept with him." It was a moment before the second meaning of his words came back to him. Hastily, Hunter added "That isn't what I meant-"

"You sure?" Shawn asked bluntly. "Haven't you ever considered it?" Leaning his head back, he gently pushed back some of the hair that had slid into Sean's face, then looked back at Hunter. "The kid's practically got 'fuck me' written on his forehead. You ever looked?"

"Jesus, Shawn, he's barely legal."

"Bullshit. He's twenty-seven. You were younger when we-"

"Stop," Hunter commanded tersely, looking down into his coffee. "Just stop. Leave what we used to be in the past."

"Used to be?" Shawn countered. "We're not very used-to-be. Tell me, when I made you scream my name, was that temporary to you? Can you just forget the way I could make you shudder, the way you knew how to do the same to me? Did you forget how we used to screw in the hotels, terrified that somebody was gonna walk in on us-"

"Shut up," Hunter murmured desperately. His knuckles were white from holding the coffee cup so tight.

Ruthless, Shawn went on, "But we didn't care, we did it anyway. Did you manage to forget that-"

"Stop it, now-"

"That I loved you? Is that what you're so terrified to hear?"

"Damn you." The whispered response seemed to be pulled from Hunter. Setting aside the cup with rigid control, he started to get up. "I'm leaving."

Shawn's hand caught his chin, holding him on the couch. With firm strength, it forced him to look at Shawn. Michaels studied him carefully, searching his eyes for some hint. Finally, he murmured, "No, I don't think you are."

Leaning forward as much as he could with Sean still draped against him, Shawn pulled Hunter towards him and captured his mouth in a kiss. It was everything that it was always supposed to be: tender, sweet, oddly soft, a silent promise that there was more behind this than sex and deceit.

It also shattered everything.

The kiss was heart-achingly familiar. It whispered of the first seduction, of those panicked nights in hotels, of staring at the ceiling long after midnight listening to Shawn murmur in his sleep. It tempted him with the opportunity to have that again, an invitation to return to his Eden. Those only came once.

With a sudden shudder, Hunter surrendered to it and leaned into Shawn, sliding both hands through the other man's hair and deepening the kiss.

Shawn tasted indefinably good, the slightly bitter taste of alcohol lingering in his mouth; he smelled better, like smoke and sleep. Pulling back slightly, he ignored Shawn's muttered protest and moved down to his throat. Hunter worked on memory, sliding his mouth further down to tentatively run his tongue over Shawn's jugular. That drew a catch of breath from Shawn, and the arm around Hunter's waist tightened slightly. Gratified, he was about to do it again when Shawn suddenly went still. Hunter warily raised his head and winced when he saw what had made Shawn freeze.

Sean was standing up, regarding them both thoughtfully. He had obviously been awake long enough to not seem particularly surprised.

Sitting up, which pulled him away from Shawn, Hunter began, "Kid, I can explain..."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Sean glared down at them both for a moment before saying, his tone utterly exasperated, "Jesus Christ, it certainly took you two long enough!"

Shawn blinked at him. "What?"

"I mean, I was starting to wonder what it would take to get you two to figure it out. If this hadn't worked, I was seriously considering drawing a diagram over the bathroom sink. You know, insert Tab A into Slot B." With a disgusted shake of his head, Sean stepped back. "Well, at least it finally occurred to you that you need each other. And I definitely mean finally."

"You... you..." A look of shock dawned on Shawn's face. "You were yentaing! You had this planned out, didn't you?" When Sean just grinned at him, Shawn started laughing. In between gasps for air, he accused, "You little brat!"

Hunter stared at Sean, still lost. "You knew?"

"Yeah." With a one shouldered shrug, Sean looked towards the floor. There was an odd note to the kid's voice as he added, "Hey, it's the least I can do. You belong with him. If it'll keep you happy..." Looking up, he continued more brightly, "Go ahead. I'll be in the kitchen, out of the way."

He reached for the abandoned coffee cup that was no longer steaming, and found his wrist caught. Alarmed, Sean looked up and into the studying, suddenly serious gaze of Shawn Michaels. The older man turned his wrist over, running his fingertips over the palm while asking, "Do you want to be out of the way?"

It was Sean's turn to blink, uncomprehending. Still holding Sean's wrist, Shawn turned a questioning look towards Hunter. The meaning was clear. It was Hunter's decision to make.

Swallowing, Hunter looked towards Sean. He was still poised to get the coffee cup, frozen there by shock. In the flickering white light from the television, he looked unearthly, a pale, dark haired hallucination in worn out jeans and socks. The illness had cost him weight, making him look even more vulnerable. Right now, it was hard to believe that he could fight his way out of anything. The thought of him sitting in the kitchen in silence, by himself in the dark, would not be tolerated by Hunter's protective instincts.

With a slight shake of his head, Hunter sighed. "Look, we'll continue this upstairs. The floor's uncomfortable down here." When Shawn reluctantly released Sean's wrist, Hunter added wearily, "And I pray to God your bed can handle three people."

Brightening, Shawn half-leered at him. "Depends on what they're doing." Rising to his feet, Shawn looked down at Sean, and the leer turned in a nearly reassuring smile. "C'mon, kid. You're coming with."

Sean looked back and forth between the two men. "I don't get it. You want..."

Hunter got to his feet and wrapped an arm around Sean's waist. It was an unfamiliar sensation, but it sent an odd little jolt through him that made his next words waver. "Yeah. We want you, and this. Come on, upstairs."

Still wary but a little less stunned, Sean let himself be led upstairs. Shawn was a few steps ahead of them. He turned and gave a slow, smooth smile to Hunter. It was a silent 'thank you', although for what wasn't clear.

Taking a deep breath, Hunter moved over the last step, into Shawn's bedroom, and into a totally new territory.

The room was small, barely lit by the full moon outside. It hadn't changed much since the last time Hunter had been there. Releasing Sean, he looked around consideringly, then towards the bed. It was still the same bed, thankfully large enough to hold three people. He had to wonder if Shawn had been planning this. Wandering over to it, he ran his fingers along the black silk sheets, and smirked. Looking up, he commented, "Classy-"

A moment later, his mouth was covered by Shawn's, and from the way  Shawn was single-mindedly exploring the inside of Hunter's mouth, the time for wiseass comments were over. Hunter was only too happy to comply, sliding his hands under Shawn's shirt to let his fingertips roam across the broad, furred chest. With a low growl, Shawn pulled his mouth back and began to quickly unbutton Hunter's shirt.

"Mmm. Slowly, slowly, it's too nice a job t'rush." The accent was faked, but the smirk in Sean's voice was not. The kid leaned against the wall, watching the display more intently than his tone would suggest.

Raising his head, Shawn turned a searing, half-lidded look on Sean. He eyed him for a moment, letting his gaze pause in some strategic areas, then gestured to the bed. "Laugh now, Waltman. Just wait until I get my hands on you. Get on the bed."

Sean was quick enough to obey, for once. A hint of wry amusement lingered in his dark eyes and in his knowing smirk. That wasn't enough warning for Shawn. He was still unsuspecting until suddenly his shirt was pulled over his head and a very warm mouth was working its way down his throat to his chest. Only Hunter's hands on his hips, both holding him up and keeping him still, kept him from falling to the floor as his knees buckled when Hunter's tongue traced a path just above his collarbone. He grabbed at the other man's shoulders, earning a smug chuckle from Hunter before he repeated the action with the other side. "Infuriating bastard," he mumbled, leaning his head back with a purr as Hunter moved on. "You are so dead after this."

Dropping down on to one knee, Hunter smirked up at him. "No. You'll be too tired and grateful to care."

"You are such an arrogant-" The rest of the insult was lost to incoherency as Hunter languorously ran the tip of his tongue over Shawn's nipple. "An... oh, Jesus GOD, Hunter, please..." His breathing shallowed, and he shivered as Hunter started tracing small circles around the nipple, only to unexpectedly lick straight over it.

Abruptly, Shawn gathered a hand of Hunter's hair and pulled him back up, catching him another heated kiss. Hunter didn't notice that they were moving backwards until the back of his knees bumped against the bed. Startled, he pulled away, only to be shoved unceremoniously on to the bed. A moment later he was pinned there by the weight of Shawn's body on top of his. Shawn smirked at him, looking like a cat after a successful pounce. "I warned you," he murmured, his lips brushing against Hunter's as he spoke. Not looking away from Hunter, he added, "Sean, grab his arms and hold him."

Before Hunter could move out of range, he was pulled into sitting almost upright. His arms were caught behind him, between his back and Sean's chest. Sean's hands, however, were free- which he proved by unbuttoning Hunter's shirt the rest of the way and pulling it open. With an oddly reverent touch, Sean ran his hands over Hunter's chest. His expression was almost awed that he was even allowed to be here, to observe and to touch them. Poor kid was probably going to be in shock when Shawn got a hold of him.

The thought drew a quiet laugh out of him, which turned into a sudden gasp for air halfway though. He looked wildly down at Shawn, who merely grinned at him and ran skilled fingers over the bulge in Hunter's jeans. Hunter gave a strangled moan, hips twitching automatically, but Shawn ruthlessly pushed them down again with one arm. With his free hand he pulled the jeans's zipper down, then shifted so he could drag the jeans down Hunter's legs. Hunter could never clearly remember later whether Shawn pulled them away with deliberate slowness or if it just seemed that way. The underwear followed much faster.

"Jesus," came Sean's whisper from beside him. The kid had obviously gone from awe to near disbelief. His eyes darted across Hunter's body, trying to memorize everything at once and ending up with only a blur. His full lips were parted slightly, and the look in his eyes could only be described as starved.

"Beautiful," Shawn murmured. "Nothing's changed." Curling the fingers of one hand around the base of the erection, he licked away the pre-cum gathering at the head before sliding the tip into his mouth. A low whimper escaped Hunter at the sudden moist heat, and he arched his head back against Sean's shoulder. The deliberate, delicate touches of Shawn's tongue along his length left him shuddering, head tossing restlessly and fingers clenching uselessly into Sean's shirt. With each inch that Shawn took in, Hunter's moaning got a fraction more wild, to Shawn’s quiet amusement, until Hunter finally spoke.

"Shawn." His voice had that narrow edge of strained control, the telltale sign of how close he was to losing it. "Shawn, stop, I'm too close!"

With obvious reluctance, Shawn let go of him and moved back. Hunter jerked reflexively, forced in a few deep breaths, and reopened his eyes. Some trace of rationality had returned, although it was pushed to the breaking point. "Lemme go, kid."

When Sean released him and moved away, looking anxious, Hunter pulled him back slightly and began to yank the t-shirt off of him. After a moment, Sean hesitantly went to unbutton his jeans, but Hunter swatted his hands away and did it for him. Over the kid's head, Hunter caught Shawn's eyes and mouthed 'lube'. Shawn nodded and went to go fetch it, leaving the two of them alone.

Still silent, Hunter pulled Sean's jeans off, following that up by yanking away the underwear and throwing them aside. Once that was done, he leaned against the headboard and simply looked Sean over. It was made rather difficult by the fact that Sean had his knees against his chest. His expression was solemn, determined. He glanced up, noticed Hunter watching him, and became involved with staring at the floor.

"You still with us?" Hunter asked gently.

Sean took a deep breath, then nodded.

"Good." Taking Sean by the arm, he manhandled him into lying against him, chest to chest. He lay back, putting one arm over Sean's lower back to hold him in place on top. They lay there for a moment, both afraid to break the silence. Hunter could feel Sean's heart racing through the contact. They were going to have to take it easy on him the first time... which was assuming there would be other times. Hunter shook his head with a mental sigh. It was better not to jump to that conclusion, and just focus instead on feeling annoyed at how long Shawn was taking to find the lube.

His neglected erection took that moment to make itself painfully known. He grimaced slightly and shifted. Sean blinked, looking down, and asked, "You want me to take care of that?"

The incongruously innocent look on his face as he asked that drew a smile from Hunter. Taking the kid's face between his hands, he replied, "No. I'd rather do this."

Raising his head, he pressed his lips to Sean's.

The contact started out hesitant, as if they weren't lying in a tangle of naked limbs. It quickly turned into something else as Sean untensed and let Hunter slip his tongue through. As Hunter trailed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, Sean shivered under him with a soft noise. Pulling away, Hunter purred, "Mmm, responsive, aren't you? Wonder what else can make you do that..."

He slid his hands down Sean's sides, noting with a wince how easily he could feel Sean's ribs before slipping his hands between them to run lightly over the kid's chest. As he searched out the spots that made Sean purr, he began to nuzzle at the kid's exposed throat, using licks, kisses and nips. When he started to slowly trace circles around Sean's nipples, ignoring Sean's murmured pleas for him to speed up, he felt the weight on one side of the bed shift. Shawn lounged there, naked and tawny, watching them with an interested expression on his face. Raising the bottle of lube, he tapped it against his open palm with a slight grin.

Hunter managed a quick nod before abruptly reaching down and sliding Sean over enough that their erections were in direct contact. Sean let out a shallow gasp, and Hunter had to bite his lip, hard, to keep from coming at the sudden stimulation. Once the sensation had passed, Hunter got a better grip on Sean's hips and thrust forward against him. Sean moaned and tried to reciprocate, but the hands holding his hips wouldn't let him. Frustrated, he raised his head to demand, "Why won't you let me-"

"Shh. Just take it in. Let it take you in." Another thrust drove Sean into shudders, and Hunter had to fight to concentrate on his own words. "Feel that?"

The only answer Sean gave was a whispered curse as he buried his head against Hunter's shoulder. As the thrusts regulated in a maddeningly slow rhythm, he dug his fingers into the bed as if for support. When a finger, slick and cool from lubricant, slid into him, he arched into the touch, desperate for release. Those hands around his waist wouldn't let him go.

Shawn leaned in closer against his back, murmuring something reassuring, before going back to stretching him out. The thrusts had stopped, for the moment. Hunter's hands were slid over his back, soothing him, adding to the burn of pleasure. After a few long moments, he felt the touch of Shawn's cock against his entrance before it slid in, agonizingly slow. Pain flared across his nerves for a moment and his fingers dug into the bedspread again.

Wincing as he was pressed into the mattress, Hunter watched the reaction flickering across the other men’s faces. Sean was tension personified again, his face burrowed against Hunter's throat like he was seeking protection. Shawn was struggling not to lose control, afraid to even twitch for fear that would set him off. The effect of the tight, hot pressure around his shaft finally eased off after a few moments and he sat up slightly. With an unusual amount of caution he rocked his hips forward, driving Sean against Hunter again. Sean moaned into Hunter's shoulder and Hunter shuddered, on the edge himself. Biting his lip slightly, Shawn angled the thrust towards the prostate the next time and earned a sharp cry of pleasure from Sean. Shawn grinned, albeit a little unsteadily, and set the same pace that Hunter had earlier.

A few moments of agonizingly slow, gentle thrusts had Sean practically writhing to get some kind of release. Hunter, breaths coming in sharp, shallow gasps, wasn't in much better shape. Resettling himself, Shawn thrust a little harder, a little faster. His own pulse sounded loud in his ears, setting another, quicker pace. He drove forward into Sean, listening to the small noises that were torn from the other two as they were pushed higher, waiting for the flashpoint. Leaning into Sean's back, still rocking into him, Shawn whispered hoarsely, "Enough. Let go."

He did. Arching back into Shawn, Sean gave a broken cry and came. His mind was consumed by heat and desperation for one perfect instant before both abandoned him again and he fell from grace. He faintly heard Shawn's yowl and felt Hunter jerk against him. Then the darkness crashed in on him.
---
That was the thing he had missed the most, Shawn decided as he idly ran his fingers over Hunter's hipbone, simply because it was in reach. He had missed the quiet, rhythmic sound of breathing in the night, a warm body pressed up against his, any and all reminders that he wasn't alone. Of course, now that was definitely no longer a problem. The bed was damned near crowded.

Not that he minded. A slight smirk played across his lips as he thought, /Talk about overcompensation/.

On the other side of Hunter, Sean mumbled something in his sleep, stirring restlessly for a moment. He resettled when Hunter ran his fingers down the ridge of his ribs, which was good, considering that Shawn couldn't conjure up the energy to move and do it himself.

"He okay?" he asked finally, when Hunter didn't raise his head or open his eyes.

"Yeah, he's fine. Practically purring, actually." Hunter kept his eyes closed. The message was clear: he wanted to be left alone for the moment. Which meant, of course, that Shawn wouldn't.

"Good thing, because he's gonna kill us both in the morning for doing that to him." Shifting so that he was pressed up against Hunter's side, lying with his stomach to the bed and Hunter's arm sprawled loosely over his back, Shawn added, "He's almost as bad a control freak as you are."

Unfortunately, Hunter didn't rise to the bait, muttering only 'mmph' before ignoring him again. Well, damn. So much for the subtle approach. Propping himself up on his elbows, Shawn offered, "Penny for your thoughts."

"Doubt they're worth that much right now." Hunter reluctantly opened his eyes and sighed. "You're not going to be quiet until I tell you, are you?"

"No."

"Figures." With another sigh, Hunter kept his eyes on the ceiling while listing, "I'm thinking about how much trouble this is gonna cause. About what'll happen if Vince ever finds out. About how in the hell we're gonna explain this to Jesse and Billy." There was a moment's hesitation before he added, "What my father's gonna do when he finds out."

"Your dad?" Bewildered, Shawn tilted his head. "I thought you two were okay again."

"No, we're never gonna be 'okay'. He just decided that it was better to ignore the fact that I was sleeping with you than to have me tell the press why he was planning to hold back my inheritance. There's no way he'll be so tolerant if he finds out I'm in the middle of a goddamned threesome."

Tolerant wasn't exactly the word Shawn would use to describe the elder Helmsley. 'Insensitive prick', maybe, but not tolerant. It was something of a miracle that Hunter had gotten out of that house with his spirit intact. Reaching up to stroke the sweat-darkened hair out of Hunter's eyes, Shawn asked softly, "Anything else?"

Still studying the ceiling, Hunter continued, "I'm wondering if this was a good idea so soon after Sean's fever. And that I don't want to leave. I don't even know if I can. And I think I'm done now. Give me a few minutes and I'll probably have several others, though." Hunter finally looked at Shawn, and the look in his eyes made something in Shawn's stomach twist in sympathetic pain. "So. I'm willing to take suggestions."

Running his fingers through Hunter's hair, Shawn considered that tangent for a moment before offering a wry smile. "Hunter, I've told you before and I'm telling you now... you think too much. I'm gonna have to make a rule that you're not allowed to guilt trip until at least the next morning."

"Tell that to my psyche."

"I'd like to." Shawn leaned in and ran his fingertips over Hunter's eyelids, smiling faintly when Hunter compliantly closed them. "Listen to me here, sweetheart. Don't worry about it tonight. Just go to sleep. We, and I do mean we, can deal with it in the morning."

For a moment, Hunter seemed on the verge of protesting, then relented with a shamed grin. "Sorry," he murmured, his arm around Shawn's waist slightly tightening in apology.

"Tch. No big deal." Shawn watched him for a moment, then impulsively laid his lips against the center of Hunter's forehead before settling his head back against Hunter's shoulder again. They lay there for a moment in silence before Shawn asked suddenly, "Hunt?"

"Mmm?"

"Was it worth it?"

Hunter gave a choked laugh. "God, yes."

"Good." Satisfied, Shawn reached across Hunter to fondly ruffle Sean's hair before laying his head back down. As Hunter's breathing finally leveled out into sleep, Shawn smiled to himself.

Life was good.