AJ Styles cocked his head and placed two hands flat on the marble counter. "Ma'am?"

"I'm sorry, but as I've said, there's nothing I can do," the clerk said, nervously tugging on the ends of her hair. AJ must have been coming off angrier than he meant to. "The winds are reaching fifty-five miles an hour out there. Visibility's reaching zero. More snow's on the way, so the airport's shutting down. All flights have been cancelled."

"I can't get out of here?"

"It's strongly recommended all guests remain in the airport and make no attempts to leave." The line sounded rehearsed, like she had to say it fifteen times a day. "Once the wind dies down a bit, the crew will get out and try to clear the roads some. Until then, there's no flights coming in or departing from Denver International."

AJ wiped a hand over his mouth. "Yeah. Okay." He was frustrated, sure, but what could he do? Bitching to this poor woman who had to explain herself repeatedly to hundreds of stranded travelers wasn't going to solve the weather crisis. "Thanks," he said instead, backing off for the next folks in line to hear the disappointing news.

He should have seen this coming. It was Colorado, after all. The four seasons this grand state had were early winter, winter, late winter, and summer. He missed the south. Alas he was here in its place, stranded for who knew how long?

AJ dragged his rolling suitcases behind him. He had a seat in a long row of black chairs, contemplating what to do next. He folded his hands in his lap, tapping his thumbs together. This airport supplied a decent chain of restaurants and shops. But how long could that really hold him over?

Several minutes passed and the airport filled within them, hundreds arriving just to be informed they couldn't leave. When would word get out that DIA was not the place to go today? AJ peered up and saw the lines stretched gate to gate, people demanding answers.

Someone was there he recognized.

Someone he wished wasn't there.

Chris Jericho was in the front of the line, getting the 411 from the same clerk, who didn't look nearly as daunted by him as she had by AJ. In fact, she looked pleasured to bring the bad news. Maybe she was a Y2-Jackass fan. Though he was equally stranded, AJ couldn't help but smirk as Chris huffed, shuffling away from the counter with the ends of his scarf flapping behind him.

Chris's walk lurched to a halt when he caught AJ watching him from a distance. He shifted a duffle bag from the right shoulder to his left, then realized yes, he could, in fact, keep walking. He made his approach gradually, like AJ would unleash a Styles Clash if he got too close.

But AJ wouldn't do anything to him. AJ wanted nothing to do with him.

"Trapped here too, huh?" Chris voiced. Bastard couldn't resist a prod or two on AJ's nerves. "Just my luck."

"It's a mighty big airport, Jericho. It'd be real easy not to see each other during all this."

"I was gonna do the sensible thing and get a room in the airport hotel."

"Good for you. Usin' your noggin," AJ scorned.

"You hanging out over here all night? Or are you coming with?"

"I'll get there when I get there. Just leave me alone."

Chris sighed like AJ was the stroppy one. Like it hadn't been 110% Chris's fault their team split up and AJ's heart was still mending. "Fine."

AJ couldn't help but watch him go, disappearing in the mob. Walk away. Just leave like you always do. It's what your best at.

Getting a room in the hotel wasn't a bad idea. If he was going to be stuck here, he might as well. AJ gave it some time to avoid another confrontation with Jericho. Then he gathered his luggage, wary to always keep it within sight and on him, and journeyed in that direction.

The long walk got him nowhere as a horde of guests walked in the opposite direction. He went against the current of people traffic, wondering what they were moving away from.

Chris Jericho was part of those retreating.

"Hotel's full," he said without stopping, without even glancing at AJ. "Looks like I'll be camping out."

AJ closed his eyes and groaned. If he'd gotten over there sooner, maybe he would have scored a room. Even if he'd had to share it with someone. Just not Jericho.

Well. Maybe Jericho.

But he'd be sleeping on the floor.

But that wasn't happening, anyway.

The airport's atrium started looking like a homeless camp. People were pushing chairs together, organizing their suitcases around them like shelters. AJ grabbed two chairs for himself before those became unavailable, too. His phone battery was already depleting. He needed a wall outlet. Those would run out hurriedly, too. AJ noticed a column plastered with travel posters, an electrical socket on the bottom, a hundred feet away. He claimed his baggage with his two chairs and hauled his belongings towards that column. My campsite for the night, he thought.

Chris Jericho stepped in front of the column and squatted down to plug something into the outlet.

AJ grunted. "Man, can you stop showing up everywhere I go, please?"

Chris looked back at him like he was surprised to see AJ so soon again. "Oh, did you want this?" he asked.

"Yeah, I wanted it. That's why I was walking towards it. Don't give me that crap."

"Well, it's not yours for claiming, AJ Styles. It's a public airport."

AJ was ready to drop everything and smack him.

"You wanna share?" Chris asked, standing back up. "I mean, there are two plugs on this thing."

AJ took a glance around. Sure enough, now power outlets were a rarity in this sector. Unless he really wanted to wander the entire airport in search of "encampment" far from here…

"Fine," AJ sighed. "I call bottom."

"Oh, I know you do, boy," Chris badgered.

AJ ignored his quip. He dragged both chairs up on the right side of the pillar, heaving his suitcases onto each seat to "save" them. Chris positioned himself on the floor, leaning against the column, tapping away on his phone after sticking it into the charger. AJ wasn't quite ready to offer his second chair yet. He'd grabbed two for a reason. It would make for a very uncomfortable but feasible bed later, if this resulted in spending the night. But it was already seven-thirty. AJ foresaw that.

"Snow's supposed to clear out by tomorrow," Chris said, reading the forecast off his phone. "Winds will die down, temperature will get above freezing. Maybe that means we can fly out by dawn."

"It's okay not to talk," AJ said. He didn't care how petty he sounded. Chris devastated him. Just seeing him again was enough to elicit those aching memories. His heartbreak was still fresh.

"What the hell else am I gonna do to fill the awkward silence?"

"Endure it."

"You're so pissed at me, AJ, I get it. I know it hurts. But you're a big boy. You'll get over it."

"Oh yeah, I'll get right on that." What hurt the most wasn't even what Chris had done, but rather, AJ had no idea why. From enemies to friends, to…what, sudden enemies again? Why? What had changed?

But he wasn't about to ask why. "Because he was jealous" sounded like a complete fabrication. Who cared why, really? What did it matter? What's done is done.

Chris left him alone. He ended up sliding white buds into both ears and cranking up some sort of rock music. Iron Maiden, if AJ had to guess. He knew Chris was a sucker for that band. He was a sucker for most classic rock.

AJ knew a lot about Chris. Or so he thought.

He kept to himself as well, pretending Chris wasn't sitting mere feet away from him, listening to his own music—a blend of country and rock, mostly. Thank heavens for wi-fi, slow and laggy as it was. He browsed the same stories on Twitter again and again. Ignored Chris. Caught up on weather reports and the airport's social media accounts, checking for updates. None so far. Same reaction all around: the airport was shut down, all flights cancelled until further notice.

This sucked.

AJ's stomach grumbled at him. He needed food.

Some of the restaurants had shut down for the night, including the bar. A place AJ perhaps should have considered visiting earlier. A drink sounded nice.

Pizza Hut Express's red and yellow lights still glowed across the way. Not a bad choice for his only one.

AJ stood up. He realized he either needed to bring all his luggage with him, or find someone to look after it.

One option was slightly less inconvenient than the other…

Chris's head bobbed to the music. AJ pretended he didn't find it quirky and adorable. Chris noticed AJ's watch and pulled an earbud out. "What?"

AJ closed his eyes, hating to ask a favor of this man. "Could you, maybe…watch my stuff for a second? I'm gonna go get something to eat."

Chris looked over at the seemingly only restaurant left open at this hour. "Sure. I don't mind." He made a face, like something he was considering wasn't easy to think on. "Um…could you…grab me something? I'll pay."

"Don't worry about it," AJ said as Chris tugged on the zipper of his duffle bag.

"You sure?"

"It's fine." Don't read into it, Jericho. Unlike you, I can be a decent guy. "It's just a pizza. No biggie."

"Thanks," Chris mumbled, returning the headphone to his ear. "I'll watch your stuff."

"Thanks."

AJ was the last order of the evening before closing time. He chose from what was left, precooked: two slices of supreme pizza—Chris could get over whatever he didn't like and pick them off himself—an order of breadsticks, and a two-liter of Mountain Dew. He knew Chris liked it. He was a fan as well.

He balanced the food as well as paper cups, plates and napkins to his and Chris's shared area. Chris put the headphones away on AJ's approach, then helped AJ place everything on the floor.

"Carpet's a better table than a chair is," Chris pointed out. "I'll take people's feet all day over asses."

AJ wished he hadn't smiled at that, but he did.

"Thanks again, AJ Styles. I'll pay you back."

"Just AJ, Jericho. And I said don't worry about it."

Chris chuckled, lifting the pizza slice to his lips and shaking his head.

"What?" AJ demanded. The hell was so funny?

"I still get to you, don't I? Admit it. That's why it's taking you so long to get over what happened."

AJ's head was hurting, trying to process everything all over again. "I ain't givin' you the pleasure of an answer to that one. But yeah, when you're stuck working with a man every single day, it's kinda hard to shake him."

"You're gonna have to, Styles, if you ever wanna get anywhere in this company. If there's one thing I learned in all my years as a WWE superstar, it's that friendship is a dead and useless dynamic in the business. Better left unattended."

"What a boring way to live."

"Guy doesn't need friends as a wrestler. What's important is the fight. The victory. The championships. That's what it's all about, right? That's why you're here. Not brotherhood or friendship or, God help us, partners. Just look at the success rate of factions compared to all the failures. Daniel Bryan and Kane. The Shield. All those stupid Divas teams that came around. Friendship doesn't make it here. Hard work does."

"Good reason to be an asshole and drop me."

"What was I supposed to do, AJ, huh? Stick with you, let myself fall—"

AJ peered at him while Chris swallowed back whatever he was going to say with a swig of Mountain Dew. "I mean, I've been doing this for a long time. And so have you. But this isn't Japan, kid. The WWE is unlike any wrestling company in the world. I'm a veteran of this specifically. I've seen some pretty damaging stuff. Friendships fall to pieces, good guys lose their minds, bad guys letting their emotions get the better of them…it's nuts. This job screws with your head. It's better not to have attachments. Nothing to tangle you up, hold you back from reaching your potential as a fighter. I didn't want that to happen with me, and especially not you. You're still the new guy. Experienced fighter, yeah, so you should have an idea of what the business is about. Not friendship. The fight."

"Chris—"

"Trust me. It's easier for both of us in the long run if we keep fighting. Getting all close the way we were, it makes things complicated. It puts us both at risk for pain."

"I am in pain," AJ growled. "What 'risk'? There's no 'risk.' There's what happened and what we could have prevented. You didn't have to stab me in the back to protect me."

"If I hadn't done what I did, AJ, it would have been trouble. Believe me. If I'd…fuck, I'm just gonna come out and say it. If I'd fallen for you instead of pulling out, the way I did, I would have been screwed for the rest of my life."

AJ blinked. He couldn't even eat. Just watch Chris unfurl like a scroll, tagged with formerly withheld thoughts. What is he saying…he loves me? He loved me?

"I didn't want you to get hurt by falling for me either, AJ. A company that's got no room for friendship damn sure doesn't have a place for love. Because what happens then? We team up, we're together, we're fighting in each other's corners…and then you get hurt. Or I get hurt. It throws off our game. Personal feelings can and will get in the way. You would have been my Achilles's heel, kid. Think of what all our rivals in the business could do with that information."

Chris stared down at the floor, the pizza left on his plate. "It sounds really messed up, because it is. I had to hurt you to protect you…before you did it to me. I just reached the inevitable a lot sooner, saved ourselves some time. If we stay enemies, we don't risk loving each other. If we fight, we don't fall into something we can't get out of. Something that'll cost us both greatly. You walk through this company day by day, match by match, and you don't let anything get to you. That's how you keep your eyes on the prize. That's how you keep your head in the game. That's how you succeed."

AJ was quiet. He cupped his chin in his palms, finding shapes in the design on the floor under them. What Chris said made sense, sure…friendship was a risky game in this business…but that didn't mean it didn't have its place.

That didn't mean it alone was worth fighting for.

"I would have fought for you, Chris," AJ said. "You grew to mean so much to me."

"Then I made the right call, my leaving you."

"Just because two guys are together doesn't mean they're doubly weak. It means twice the strength. I could have picked you up whenever you fell, or you do that for me. Success doesn't necessarily mean having a belt around your waist. If I've made it through a day knowing I'm the best, and what's important to me is still there, that's success."

"I can't hold you back, AJ. I won't be responsible for that. Or any future harm to your career."

"Chris, you've gotten me so far already. We had a match for the tag team titles the night you…" AJ held the rest back, replacing it with, "I was going places, with you at my side. I was making it. We had a good thing."

"Can't argue with that," Chris said.

"So the fact you went and betrayed me, it didn't make sense. I was fine. You were fine."

"I want so much more for your career than fine."

"I appreciate that. You're looking out for me. But knowing you're there, knowing you care…that's my strength. That's where I find my forte. I don't want to need you, I don't wanna be completely dependent on you…but I'd like to know for days I'm not as strong as I usually am, you'd be there to pick me up."

Chris rubbed his nose.

"But if it's too late, it's too late. You made your point, and you claim you're doing what's best for both of us."

"I did it for you. Everything I've done since you got here, it's been for you."

"The way you're talking makes it sound like you did fall for me," AJ breathed. "It wasn't something doomed to happen eventually…sounds to me like it already did."

Chris rubbed his cheeks. AJ regarded the red tint to them, even in the darker setting of the airport.

"You do, don't you? You love me."

"Yeah, so what? You love me," Chris accused.

AJ's heart smashed against his ribcage. "I—"

"Don't tell me I'm not the only one unashamed of how I feel."

"You—you're not, I…" AJ soughed. He pushed the rest of the food aside. He'd lost his appetite. His stomach was in knots, pulsating with butterflies. "You're not."

"So?"

"So I'm surprised at just how fast I fell for you, Chris."

"Tell me about it," Chris muttered.

AJ shoved the dishes and trash aside, leaving nothing but empty space between them to fill with their bodies. "So tell me. Is it really better to keep pretending we hate each other? Put up a fight? Or am I worth fighting for?"

"You've always been worth fighting for. I've made a couple of brutal sacrifices for you, remember?"

"You have."

"I just…I want to protect you, AJ. In whatever way I can. Maybe my idea wasn't the most pleasant, but I thought it'd work."

"You wanna protect me?"

"Of course I do."

Their knees touched against one another.

"Then stay with me."

"Damn, quit beating those brown eyes at me. You know I can't resist it."

AJ smiled. "I know a lot about you."

"Alright, then, fine. If this is what you think is best for us…if you think we're stronger together and this company won't tear us apart, ruin our careers…"

"It's all about the fight, right? Like you said."

"I'll fight till the end." Chris opened his arms, and AJ leaned into an embrace.

"I missed you so much," AJ admitted at last.

"I missed you too, AJ, hell of a lot."

"I think this blizzard is the best thing that could have happened to us."

"No, man, a hotel room is the best thing that could have happened to us. At least then we'd have a bed."

AJ shivered at the thought of sharing a bed with Chris. Maybe next time…if this was going to work, and he wanted it to…he couldn't afford to lose Chris again…

AJ didn't bother with his makeshift bed on the chairs. The floor with Jericho was way more comfortable than a "place of asses", as he'd put it. They drew clothes from their suitcases to use as pillows, laying side by side on the floor of the airport, surrounded by hundreds of uncomfortable overnight guests yet feeling alone, together, right at home. Finally, some real healing could start.

"You wanna share?" Chris asked, offering one earbud from his headphones.

AJ accepted. He slid it into his ear and chuckled at the Iron Maiden song. "Yeah, real romantic."

Sleep came easier than he expected, given the circumstances, and in the morning as folks stirred and announcements of the airport reopening and rescheduled flights blasted over the speakers, AJ woke in a bit of peace.

He also woke with Chris Jericho's arms around him. A smile on both faces.

The way it should have been.

In the moment he was thankful for the storm. On the other side, he'd come out a little stronger.