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So?”
Tyler paused in his contemplation of Instagram filters long enough to raise an eyebrow at the question, but didn’t look up from his phone.
“Fandango.” Xavier continued after checking Tyler was not, in fact, going to give him more of his attention.
Tyler made a noise indicating that he was listening, and Xavier took that for the invitation it was.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong. You’ve been pretty unusual, for you, with him since you guys meshed day one but-“
“But?”
“You look at him differently lately.”
“Differently?” It came out sharp edged, more so than Tyler intended, but Xavier had known him long enough, and well enough that he didn’t even hesitate.
“Like you’re worried he’s not coming back and amazed all over again when he does.”
Tyler froze for a second, too long to play it off entirely. Frowning lightly, he turned the pause into something contemplative but dismissive “Amazed is a bit much.”
“It’s really not.”
“Well he was gone. Again”
“Injuries suck man, but they happen. I mean, more to him than I like to mention but still, it’s not the first time.”
“That was different.”
Xavier’s face turned smug in the worst way and Tyler realised his mistake too late.
“See. Different” He pointed at Breeze.
“Don’t you have a threat to my Left Right Left Right title to go organise? Spend more time on that and less on my tag team.”
“I’m a multitasker.”
“Woods,” Tyler’s tone turned guarded, and more uncertain than he would have liked. Xavier softened in an instant.
“I’m just asking,”
“Well stop.”
Xavier held his hands up, “I’m here to listen is all I’m saying.”
Tyler looked away pointedly, but he bumped his side against Xavier’s in thanks.
“Now, let’s go strip you of that title you shouldn’t have in the first place”
Tyler scoffed, falling into a good-natured round of bickering with the ease of practice.
*****
The arena backroom Woods had co-opted was filled with the wrestlers that had volunteered happily to join in on the taping of ‘Up Up Down Down’ and Xavier was laying out stakes to the camera as Tyler leaned against the back of the couch set up centre screen.
Fandango bounced slightly from one leg to the other beside him, nodding along to the terms of the competition, and Tyler tilted toward him without thought.
He caught his own image in the monitors nearby and Xavier’s words floated through his mind.
‘Amazed…’
He wrinkled his nose slightly and huffed at himself, unused to ever reacting to his own reflection with something less than total reassurance.
“Breezey?”
Tyler shook his head and Fandango nodded good naturedly, unbothered but not uncaring.
Not for the first time, Tyler wondered how he could convey that difference so easily, and then wondered further if maybe it was just because he could read Fandango as well as Fandango seemed to read him.
Xavier’s voice drew him out of his thoughts, “Ladies, Gentleman, and Breeze, take your places!”
Tyler pulled an overly dramatic face of annoyance but moved to his spot on the couch, beside Jimmy Uso.
“Here to redeem this channel!” Xavier announced, “After battling to the final, Uceeeeeeeeeee”
Jimmy pumped a fist in the air as the room of wrestlers alternatingly cheered or jeered.
“And his opponent: Defending champ, but not for long, Prince Pretty!”
Fandango clapped exaggeratedly in Xavier’s direction, and Woods shook his head in equally exaggerated annoyance.
“Oh, you’re not against me this time?” Tyler arched an eyebrow.
Fandango swayed into his space, leaning against the couch, “Never.”
Tyler laughed, ‘Liar! Check the tapes.”
Fandango leaned in further, face pointedly serious, “Never for real.”
Breeze felt his face heat, but smirked despite it, “I’m still not sure about that but I’ll allow it for now.”
Fandango tried to hold his expression but the crinkles around his eyes gave away the smile he was hiding, “I would die for you, Tyler Breeze, don’t test me.”
“Oh my god,” Tyler laughed, “Cut it out!’ he ducked away laughing, hiding the very real fluster behind giggles.
“Even if you don’t know what bacon is!” Fandango continued.
“No! That’s not even-oh my god” Tyler repeated himself, “We’re not doing that, I’m concentrating.” He grabbed up a controller to illustrate his point.
Fandango reeled back, “Am I distracting you?” he clutched at his heart, “I am here to offer my man, my Breezy, my Up Left Down Right champ support, and he pushes me away!”
“Stop,” Tyler managed, tone firm in a way it was all too clear he didn’t mean. “Stop it! Go sit down.”
Fandango shrugged and sat on the arm of the couch.
“Not what I meant,” Tyler laughed. Fandango grinned down at him and stretched an arm across the back of the seat, not moving away in the least.
“Fine, but stop it,” Tyler agreed, focusing on the screen in front of him without specifying what exactly Fandango was meant to stop.
Fandango nodded in compliance, smile still showing around his eyes and Tyler refused to look at Xavier as he could already feel the amusement radiating from that direction.
Despite the warmth of Fandango’s arm pressing in through his shirt, Tyler managed a victory easily enough, used to the proximity after years of partnership.
Fandango grinned; wide and proud, “And still double champ!” he crowed.
Tyler laughed harder than the behaviour warranted, but he allowed himself to get swept up as Fandango stretched out from his position on the couch’s arm to start swatting at Xavier who was still holding the belt behind Tyler’s back.
“So shiny, so shinyyyyyyyyyyyy” Fandango drew out, reaching for the title as Xavier muttered in displeasure but let it be drawn away.
Fandango draped the belt across Breeze’s shoulder, moving his hand to the back of Tyler’s neck.
Breeze grinned even wider and shook Jimmy's hand while Jey started jeering at his brother’s loss.
****
‘So. Different.’ Tyler typed out and sent, back in his hotel and alone while Fandango scouted for food.
‘Really. We’re finally doing this and it’s over text’ came back within a minute and Tyler pulled a face to himself.
‘ You’re a terrible friend and I don’t know why I keep you’
His phone started ringing and Tyler rolled his eyes but answered.
“Like you could survive without me” came in place of a hello.
“Hanging up,” Tyler threatened, already aware they both knew he was lying.
“Ok, ok. Different,” Xavier continued, “Different isn’t bad.”
“It’s not,” Tyler agreed though his tone suggested he wasn’t confident.
“Look, different is probably not right exactly. It’s just, More , I guess. Like, you finally realised.”
Tyler made a noise of dissent, “What do you mean I finally realised?”
“Dude,” Woods deadpanned, “You’ve always been different for him. It’s just that now you’re being different to him.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Yeah it does.”
Tyler stayed silent.
“Stop sulking, cause you know I’m right.”
“Fine, fine.”
“You’re good, Charles, this is good.”
“Don’t call me that,” Tyler responded habitually, mind already steps ahead of the conversation, “I’m actually hanging up.”
He paused.
“Thanks,” he added and hit the call end on screen as soon as the word was out.
****
Tyler’s hands tingled, buzzing with the aftermath of a good match. It always held that bit more of an edge now that they had belts on the line. Fandango was walking rounds of the otherwise empty locker room, movement caught somewhere between pacing off energy and strutting in victory. Grip tightening on the belt over his shoulder only to loosen again in rounds.
“Close,” Tyler managed, one hand clutching at his own belt, now back around his middle, while trying to make it look casual.
Fandango just nodded, not slowing but adjusting to bring himself closer in smaller and smaller circles. Eventually, he shortened the circle completely until he was just shifting in place in front of Tyler.
“4 years” Fandango managed after a moment, low but clear.
Tyler tilted his head in question.
“4 years and I still hate it when they keep you from me- from the tag.” he faltered slightly on the end of the sentence.
Tyler’s face must have shown his indecision over whether to take offence, because Fandango shook his head immediately, “I know you can beat them, any of them, so you don’t need to get out of the ring”
He made a noise in the back of his throat, lightly frustrated.
“I always hated it, it’s worse now though.” He seemed to be working though his own inner monologue, so Tyler waited him out.
Fandango tilted his head forward, eyes remaining locked with Tyler's.
“When I was gone, I could only catch your matches on and off and I couldn’t help, not at all, and now you’re right here and I still have to watch while you-” he cut himself off, looking sheepish.
“--But I know you can win,” he shook out his shoulders, bouncing his tag belt, “it just feels…” he grimaced, “I don’t know. Different.”
Tyler sucked in a breath at the word, and Fandango furrowed his brow, shifting back and out of the bubble they had created around themselves but not dropping eye contact. Tyler made a noise of complaint, leaning to follow him. “I know,” he managed, too quick and too honest even though it wasn’t really a clear answer to anything Fandango had said.
Fandango stilled for the first time since they had left the ring. When he moved again it was to slowly settle a hand on Tyler’s waist, warm and familiar, fingers dipping beneath the leather of the title belt and pressing further into skin.
“Yeah.” Fandango breathed.
Tyler took a moment to thank the understanding between them, because none of their responses really made sense, but he knew exactly what Fandango meant.