Archive of Our Own ^beta

Aries felt his heart rate speed up as he listened in on his tag partner seemingly conspiring with Daniels and Kazarian. He just knew he couldn’t trust him, he just KNEW it.

He tuned out from the tail end of the conversation and stood with his back against the cool wall. Trusting anyone, even Bobby, was a huge mistake. He felt confident in their team's capabilities and knew it could take them somewhere: being tag team champions.

Of course, they had their moments in the past, the fact that Aries won the title from the Canadian being the frequent amplifier in their little arguments. But it takes a wedding to make them see eye to eye. Oh, and Jeff Hardy.

The first time they were in a ring together and didn’t argue felt like magic. Yeah, Aries cut him off but they didn’t get into it…it just escaped into the air. It was like someone waving a wand in the air. They even used their history of dysfunctionality to grab the tag titles. They were getting there!

Bobby Roode was always a tricky topic for Aries. Yes, he was a bump in the road, but Aries admired him. Tag teams need balance, so where Aries was loud, mouthy, and a straight-up asshole, Bobby was calmer, and a little quieter (except when they were having one of their many little, petty arguments). He almost admired him. The night they won the titles…

Their plan to win every title in the company was set in motion. It was nice to hold gold again, they both could agree. Bobby’s smile was so bright…cute in its own way. Aries could feel himself smiling back. It was genuine. He didn’t push Bobby away when he went for a kiss, something that had been long lingering over them. The tension dissipated into something new.

After they won the titles, Bobby seemed to disappear because of some company drama. It left Aries to think about the kiss. What did it mean? Before he disappeared, but in between the kiss, things were a little odd between them. No, the kiss didn't mean that they were automatically dating, but that kiss didn't mean nothing. They were a little bit nicer to each other after it.

How could he be so stupid? Aries felt his body heat up; the tips of his ears getting red, hot with embarrassment; letting his guard down for Bobby! He should have been on his toes the second those titles graced them. But no, Aries' eyes were always on Roode. His admiration had seemingly started to turn romantic post-kiss. 

The day Bobby returned Aries felt like he was soaring. His heart had felt like it was pounding out of his chest; their faces were so close! They went out, they retained, and they kissed again. A “feelings talk” was needed, but danced around. Aries didn’t want to be the fool in this situation; talking about his feelings wasn’t his cup of tea.

Feelings. Why did this hurt so much? How could he act like this?

He could never wrap his head around how Bobby made him feel. The once thorn in his side has his heart racing. He spent countless nights thinking about Bobby but just forgetting about it. Maybe those kisses didn’t mean anything at all.

He felt himself slide down the wall and sit on the floor. His little world was crashing down and he had to pretend not to care. These feelings, like always, had to be suppressed.