Title: He Thrusts His Fists Against the Posts and Still Insists He Sees the Ghosts
Author: Emono
Rating: FRM
Fandom: Wrestling
Series: I'd Rather Fight With You Than Make Love With Anyone Else verse
Pairings: John Cena/Jack Swagger, Randy Orton/Cody Rhodes, Miz/Morrison, Chris/Evan, Hardycest
Disclaimer: The WWE is not mine nor are any of it's child branches, it is the 96% property of the McMahon's and God bless the bastards that work for them. I respect the sexual preferences and identities of all the wrestlers on WWE roster, and who they share a bed with is really none of my business.
Beta: gil_follower
Warnings: Character changes, slash, wrestling violence. Spoilers for Night of Champions

AN: You could tell I did NOT want to write this match, sorry

"Oh my God" Jack and Cody stood together in Swagger's locker room, both hiding from the flood of people that had attacked him in the hallway "We're champions."

"I know" Cody replied numbly.

"We're…as in us, are tag-team champions."

"I know."

"…why are we tag-team champions?"

"I…I dunno."

They were sitting together on the bench, the belts lying carefully across the room on the chair. They were almost too afraid to touch them.

"I've never seen them up close before" Jack admitted softly "I've never touched them before."

Cody sighed, a towel clutched in his hand to soak up the blood from his split lip, "This is messed up."

Jack turned toward the brunette, "Where's DiBiase anyways?"

"I don't know" Cody admitted softly "I hope he's not hurt, though."

Swagger bit back a retort about Ted being a prick, but just let the man think whatever he wanted. Cody suddenly shot up, panic on his face.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked, suddenly anxious at the fear in the other's face.

"Ted and I we're supposed to-…well" Cody cut himself off, actually afraid to say the next words "As Legacy, whether we won the belts or not, we were gonna…"

Jack's eyes widened, "Oh no."

"Jack, please, I can't do this by myself" Cody pleaded "I don't have Ted, and if I go out there by myself, either John or Hunter will take me out before I can do anything!"

The blonde shook his head, refusing outright, "I'm not doing it."

"Think about it…" Cody got before him on his knees, trying to look convincing "You won't have to touch Cena, you don't even have to get in his line of vision. If we go out there, together as a tag-team, we can take out Triple H. Don't you want that? It'll give Cena a fair chance against Randy!"

"I'm no Legacy-dog" Jack stated, not trying to be defensive "I have no right being out there."

"You see this?" Cody got up, walking over and picking up the belt that now read Jack Swagger across the nameplate "And this?"

Cody held up the other belt of the same design, this one with Cody Rhodes scrawled across it.

"This means that when it comes to matters of the ring, we're bound together. We're a tag-team, do you know what that means?"

Jack had never been a tag-teamer before, so he shook his head.

"We move as one or not at all" Cody stated solemnly "And I'm not seeing a downside for you here. John gets his fair fight, Hunter gets kicked out of the completion-"

"And Randy gets a better shot at the title."

Cody tensed, looking at the clock, "You better make your decision fast, Punk and Hardy's match just ended. We've barely got twenty minutes until the WWE championship match starts."

-xXx-

*The following is a triple-threat match, and it is for the WWE Championship!*

Cena was introduced first, nearly every person in the stadium standing on their feet to either boo or applaud him (though the negative was too low to hear over the screaming girls.) More the seventeen thousand people? The roar was deafening.

Even when The Game came out, he wasn't cheered for as much. God, that man was overrated.

Randy went out there alone without his Legacy, he hadn't spoken to his lover since that embarrassing tag-team match earlier.

They were all introduced in order, King and Cole getting their commentary in before hand.

But when that bell rung, Randy slithered out of the ring in hopes the two ego-maniacs would take themselves out for him. Alas, it didn't work. John and Hunter exchanged a heated look, and then both older men slid out of the ring and at the young star.

Randy was kinda pissed that his strategy didn't work, but he wasn't about to be discouraged. He got back in there, weighed the odds, and went after Hunter first.

The moment Orton tried to get out of the ring and away, John delivered a swift clothesline that sent him down like bricks.

Not even a few minutes in and Randy was getting the shit beat out of him.

Randy even tried to go up the ramp, get away, but failed at that too. He got his head knocked around that runway like a rubber ball, Hunter and John taking their sweet time torturing him. But with one smooth move, Randy pushed Cena out of the ring and into The Game. His opponents collapsed at his feet, dazed.

Randy tried to take back the match, but Cena was a worthy opponent. The fight ebbed and flowed between the two men, one second flowed into the next through a sheen of sweat. When John finally did catch him in a Attitude Adjustment, Triple H interfered and then The Game was back in the match. The upper hand was passed around like candy, none of the three ready to lay down and take it. Though Randy did get a few really good shots in with Triple H, it wasn't enough to satisfy The Viper's thirst. When it was just Randy and Hunter, they got into a standing punching match that left the taste of copper in their mouths.

And when Randy was thrown out of the ring, Cena and Triple H had a little stand off of their own. They proceeded to toss each other around like dolls, both pulling out everything on each other. Hunter even got out his finisher, but that pin was ruined by Orton yanking the older man out of the ring.

It got more brutal as the fight went on, involving the announcer table and some minor blooshed. Cena STF-U'd Triple H on the table, Orton was thrown into the crowd, Orton and Cena having another strength-off in the ring the crowd went crazy for. Soon enough, all three got back into the ring.

Agonizing minutes went by, no one getting closer to the gold.

In a glorious Orton moment, he had both his opponents on his back, methodically taking them out and humiliating them.

All things seemed to come crashing down for Randy when Triple H locked him in a Sharpshooter. It kept him nearly face-down, straining his back, and reaching for the ropes like mad. Triple H dragged him away, toward the middle of the ring, and locked the move again. He tried desperately not to tap, hoping it wasn't going to end there, when Cena interfered.

John locked Orton's arm between his strong calves, putting him in a headlock as well. Before Randy could stop himself, before he could try to block out the feeling of his body nearly being snapped in half, he tapped out. He kept slapping his palm against the canvas, each hollow thud just another piece of his great dream crumbling and shattering in front of him.

But even though John was screaming tap and he indeed was, the ref didn't call it and the pressure increased on both ends until Randy's submission was weak and he wasn't sure he could breath anymore.

That's when it all kind of went to hell.

The next time John looked up, he got a face full of Rhodes coming at him. The little brat started kicking and punching him across the ring, cornering him against the turnbuckles and not letting up. Before he could even fight back, the boy was kneeling in front of him, knocking him upside the head over and over again. It was a little disorientating to say the least, and he couldn't up but fall face-first down into the mat.

One of those stupid fucking Zelda boots plunged down onto his kidney, forcing a coughed breath from him.

When Cody was satisfied, he straightened up and tossed off his shirt. He gave a disgusted scoff at the fallen hero, then put his back to him. He went to his lover's side, bending down and snapping his fingers in front of those bleary ice eyes.

"Randy?" Cody whispered where the cameras couldn't pick up, slowly kneeling down to him "God, are you ok? Are you alright?"

Randy shook his head, reaching out and seizing one of his lover's soft hands. He tried to use it to anchor him, to help flood the pain from his limbs. Cody took one of his wrists, glad to at least see the man was coherent. But then Randy pointed behind him, though he hadn't quite caught his breath.

"Baby, what…?" Cody stood, in the process of turning around when he caught the sight of the man behind him. He wanted to attack, but before he could make a move his arms and leg were seized and he was easily hefted up onto the older man's shoulders. He thrashed, but those powerful limbs wrapped around his form and help him in a firemen's carry.

The screamed "Randy!" that came form his boy's throat was enough to put fire in Orton's body, and he sprang up without thinking about it too much. He flipped and grabbed Cena's head, taking him down in an RKO that sent all three men to the mat.

Cody rolled off John, getting out of the way, glad he hadn't been hurt worse. He made sure to get out of the ring completely, turning to watch the amazing display.

Randy rolled Cena onto his back, laying over him in a pathetic but effective pin. The three count was pounded out, the bell going off to reveal his win. He slithered his way to the closest turnbuckle, looking around wildly. He was glad to his lover safe out of the ring, and then his eyes ran over heads in search of Ted's. What he found though…

The ref handed him his belt and raised his arm, declaring his victory. He got out of the ring as soon as he could, knowing he was going to hurt like hell tomorrow and that he had RAW as well.

John rolled over onto his belly, holding the back of his pounding head. He couldn't believe he had done it, that he had let the belt slip through his fingers yet again. Fuck, he shouldn't have grabbed Cody, he should've learned by now not to attack Cody. Doing that only made Orton crazier, and that was why he was keeping the gold for so long.

God, where was Triple H?

John turned his head, looking at the big man climbing back into the ring. Ted must've-

"Oh my God" John gaped.

Jack…his Jack stood there, panting and glaring at Hunter. It was obvious he had been the one to take him out, the one to interfere in his match. Those big blue eyes he adored settled on his, shame and heat flashing through them in equal measures.

John watched in horror as his lover backed up, going around the ring, joining Legacy at Randy's right side.

"Voices" echoed around them, filling the arena.

Cody ran up to his lover's side, putting a hand on his lower back as they smirked on at the two fallen men in the ring, "We did it!"

"Hell yeah, we did" Randy muttered, flinging an arm over his lover. Cody was pleased with such brazenly public contact, taking the opportunity to wrap his arm completely around his slim waist. The older man turned his head, eyes wide when he spotted none other than Cena's bitch Jack Swagger.

Randy looked him over, "The hell are you doing, Swagger?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Jack hissed venomously, not pleased one bit "I'm helping my tag-team partner, bitch."

Randy scowled, but held his title up that much harder.

It was a new age, and everything was going to change.

THE END

(To be continued in "I'm A Shade Too Pale For Handsome")

The soundtrack for this story and a lovely gallery I put together are found on my profile

PS: I DARE you to go watch this match on YouTube, just when Priceless comes in. Randy and Cody have the cutest moment, with Cody leaning over him and Randy grasps his hand, Orton even trying to point out that Cena's behind Cody. It is amazing! No matter what they said in the commentary, he did not sacrifice Cody for the win, you can see that Rhodes was completely fine afterwards. Anyone can also see that RKO was more of a "Don't fucking touch my boy, bitch!" than words could say. And the way they left? Arms around each other? Come on! THEY'RE FUCKING!!!

*ahem* Just saying