Erchomai [Ricochet/Adam Cole]

chapter 12: just fake boyfriends

From where Trevor is standing, being the fake boyfriend of Adam Cole doesn't seem all that different from being his friend. Adam still shows up at Trevor's house and teases him endlessly about his die-hard love of rom-coms before they wind up on the couch watching said rom-com. Adam proves to be unable to keep from touching his music collection and insists on picking the music each time he's over. And their texts continue to consist of various things, including quality memes tossed between the two men.

But what neither of them manages to notice is the small things that begin to change with their relationship as the days progress. They don't notice how when Adam is teasing him about the movies, his hand lingers on Trevor's arm longer than necessary as he leans into his space with his eyes crinkled around the edges in that way they are when he's really happy.

They're unaware of the domesticity of sitting next to each other on the couch as they watch the movie, arms touching while they share a bowl of popcorn and the SpongeBob fleece. Adam's phone will buzz on the coffee table with a notification and Trevor instinctively reaches forward to grab it, handing it to him without taking his eyes off the screen. Though he does only when Adam nudges him to show him a funny text or post on Instagram. And sometimes, after a small chuckle, Trevor will suggest a reply or reach over to like the post, never seeing how Adam beams at him the whole time.

And while sending memes is Adam's default way of coping to any friend, neither of them seem to notice just how long and late those texts between them range. They can start early in the morning and go as far as midnight. Trevor doesn't realize he's been up later than planned until he looks around his empty room and spots the time on the clock.

Trevor doesn't know that Adam tells him things he hasn't told his best friends, but he appreciates the way the man's opened up to him with unique metaphors. Like how he explains that, despite the spotlight thrust on him in Undisputed Era, he'd sometimes just rather fade into the background like Kevin Jonas. Or take a more laid-back approach similar to, as he so eloquently put it, "The one guy in Florida Georgia Line who sings, like, a second's worth of lyrics."

Trevor's personal favorite thing in their relationship so far (and it's such a small thing) is Adam going on a very much sober rant about how Lacey Chabert, the actress who played Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls, hasn't starred in a movie with Channing Tatum while the other two plastics have. That night he convinced himself that Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried were preventing her from achieving her full plastic potential as she was forced into a lifetime of shitty Hallmark Christmas movies. "Two plastics, Trev," he had exclaimed. "Not one, but two. It's a fucking conspiracy!" They vowed to come back to that at a later date, though Trevor's sure Adam's mind is made up.

As Adam opens up, Trevor's completely oblivious to the sharing he himself has been doing. Letting Adam into his home to probe through his CDs is one thing. Telling him how the weight of the North American Championship sometimes feels too heavy for Trevor to shoulder or going on a slightly tipsy rant about his deadbeat dad abandoning him is something else entirely. Something deeper and real.

Almost a week after they were ambushed by their friends, Trevor and Adam are sat on the couch rewatching Beyond the Mat. They both end up dozing off on it since they've seen it multiple times and had gotten up earlier than normal after a late night of texting. Adam's arm is draped behind Trevor on the couch as Trevor leans against him, head resting on his shoulder with hopes of getting even a smidge of sleep.

That hope is dashed almost as quick as it sprouted, because Trevor's awake as soon as he feels a warm palm placed against his face. But the contact is nice, so he smiles, keeping his eyes closed. There's a quick whistle. "Hey, pretty boy." The hand leaves and returns to slap Trevor lightly, knocking the smile off his face. "Wake up."