Dean should've known when his day starts off with hands shaking him awake, James looking uncomfortable and anxious once his vision focuses. "Your phone's ringing," he tells him. "I... uh..."
He quickly backs up when Dean sits up and runs a hand through his hair, grabbing the device off of the table. He squints at the screen, not that surprised when he sees that it's Seth. No one else would call him at this hour. He stares at the clock for a second. Almost 9 AM. Oh. He answers the phone and drops back against the pillows. "Hey, what's up?"
"Guess who missed their flight?" Seth sounds pissed, tired and, if Dean can guess, hungry. He'd been beat up, his ribs continuing to give him trouble after breaking them weeks back, Owens powerbombing him against the apron re-aggravating them and causing the WWE officials to give him the week off. Not that that had stopped him from confronting Jericho in the parking lot, but you know. Dean can respect that. "Are you in South Carolina already?"
"Yeah, sorry. I could come get you-"
"No, I have my rental car back. I'll just drive up there. We can fly home together or something. Makes as much sense as sitting here for hours, waiting for the next flight out. Since Delta is too good to help me!" he says emphatically, loud enough to be heard over the bustling in the background.
Dean rolls his eyes, too sleepy to deal with this. "Alright," he drawls. "See you later."
As always, Dean's disinterest calms Seth down and he sounds more subdued when he talks again. "Alright. See you then."
They hang up and Dean stares at the ceiling for awhile before rolling over to face James. "C'mon, let's go get some breakfast before we go to Smackdown." For himself, Poptarts and whatever else he can pull together at gas stations work but when he's traveling with Roman or Seth, he does try, dropping in at Dennys, or Bob Evans, whatever quiet restaurant he can find where he'll be left alone. Since it's James' first week as an official WWE Superstar, he decides to suck it up and go wherever the kid wants.
Cracker Barrel ends up being the choice James makes after some uncomfortable shifting around, his neck and ribs still obviously giving him some grief after being put through the table by Strowman and the match against AJ to win his contract. The lights are low there, Dean thinks he likes it, making note of this place as they're seated by a friendly enough waitress. The food's good, James is quiet and gives Dean his space as they eat, and all in all he has no complaints. His mood gets even better when his phone lights up while they're on their way to the arena a couple hours later.
I'm at the hotel, Seth sends him. See you after Smackdown.
He smirks and thumbs out a quick ok before glancing at James, who is peeking at him but quickly turns his attention back to the road. Good man.
Once they arrive, James starts to squirm around in his seat, Dean looking over at him. "You alright, man?"
"Yeah, just nervous, I guess," he says, voice weak and low as he digs his nails into his palms. It's not too much of a surprise when an emotional downpour starts a moment later. "What if I mess up, Dean? Being a WWE Superstar is all I've ever wanted, and if I mess it all up... I..."
"You won't mess it up. You've got a good head on your shoulders, and you've had my back a lot, and I appreciate it," Dean says, slapping his arm and wincing when James drops forward, almost faceplanting into the steering wheel. Pulling him back upright, he struggles to look confident in what he's saying. "I've got your back too, so don't worry about things. It'll go great, Ambrose Asylum tonight. You'll see!"
"Right," James says, looking a little consoled. "With you by my side, what could go wrong?"
Oh boy, Dean thinks, getting out of the car before James could see the look on his face.
Ambrose Asylum starts off ok, considering. Dean stares in surprise when James holds his hand instead of shaking it, fighting not to roll his eyes. James talks about what it means to him about being a WWE Superstar, and... and... AJ interrupts. He stands on top of the commentary table and insults them until Dean tosses it back at him about losing to James three times. AJ enters the ring then and Dean remembers vaguely calling James a mutant, the man shrugging when Dean bothers to add in No offense, like that lessens the sting of being insulted by the only man he mostly gets along with in the company.
He's just made a note to say something about it later, make sure James is ok, when AJ sends James into Dean who hits a ladder. He lands head first on the corner of a rung with his skull cracking just so and crumbles, rolling outside. The pain continues when AJ throws him into the steps, Dean's head spinning as he struggles to get up, just to stumble to the side of the commentary table and collapse. This doesn't feel like a concussion, he's just dazed, but still. It's impossible to fight through it and help James as he listens to sounds of a beat down feet away. He hears a chair crack against flesh and bone and fights once more to get up, his body failing him even worse now. "James," he mumbles, fingers twisting against the edge of the table when he hears another brutal impact, the entire crowd going abruptly silent.
He comes back to himself when he realizes that a medic is leaning over him and he blinks, vision sharpening and weakening before he remembers. "James!" He's up and scrambling, pushing people out of his way until he spots the bent, lifeless form of his friend. Gnawing at his nails, he drops to his knees next to James and watches as the medics work on getting James braced up- again- and onto the stretcher- again. James is limp, not moving, even when he's strapped into the cot, and Dean can only mumble "It's all my fault... we'll fix this, we'll fix this," again and again as he follows the line of people to the ambulance waiting for them.
He can't sit still while in the ambulance, no matter how many times the EMTs look at him warningly. James is so quiet and pale, it's agonizing to watch and Dean's almost forgotten that Seth is in town until they've been at the hospital a few minutes and he hears a throat clearing. He looks up and frowns, scrubbing angrily at his face as Seth approaches him and kneels down between his knees, staring up at him worriedly. "Are you ok?"
"No," he mumbles. "James... uh, James hasn't regained consciousness. They think he hit his head on the steps on the way down. They wouldn't let me back with him while they run tests." Seth squeezes his wrists as he talks and Dean shifts, lets their fingers interlace and he laughs brokenly as he remembers James holding his hand and how it had thrown him. "I was such a jackass to him. Calling him a mutant and just..." He groans. "He's a nice guy, he's too nice, especially for this business, and I don't know what to do with that. What do you do with that?"
Seth smiles sadly, stroking Dean's hands. "I'm not the one to ask that, Dean. I don't do well with nice people either, but I guess you just support him and stay with him, and make sure AJ pays for what he's done Sunday."
Dean nods, eyes fixed on Seth's face as he seems to absorb his words. "Right, right. I just... I can't do that right now... I can't sit here and do nothing. Once he's back from tests and they let us in, would you... will you stay with him? Just... you don't have to do anything, just... uh, just call me if something goes wrong?"
"Of course, Dean, I'll do whatever you need," Seth says, voice low and soothing as he moves to sit next to Dean and hug him, tucking him in as close as he can considering the awful waiting room chairs separating them. His fingers in Dean's hair calms him a little and they're still wrapped up like this when a nurse comes by.
"Are you with James Ellsworth?"
Dean's mouth suddenly dry, Seth answers for them and then helps Dean up, walks him down the hall to the room James is settled in. He still has a neck brace on, his eyes are still closed, and he looks bruised and delicate. "Why isn't he awake yet?" Dean asks hoarsely, Seth rubbing his back as the nurse wanders around, examining James' vitals and scribbling them down.
"He's stirred a bit here and there, by his medical records he had a long couple of weeks. We're not too concerned, his tests so far have come back with nothing too serious, but we won't know more until he wakes up. Let's not worry too soon, alright?"
She smiles at them and then bustles back out, Dean shifting backwards and forwards before he steps towards the bed and ghosts a hand down James' thin arm. "Son of a bitch," he groans out, squeezing James' hand and holding on like he didn't want to in the ring. "It's all my fault. I dragged you into this, I kept involving you in my drama with AJ, I didn't think he'd actually take it this far, or I thought if he tried, I could protect you. I'm an idiot, I never think, I'm so sorry." He's always loathed himself, but this... this is worse than anything he's ever done before. He'd put James on this path, and then instead of respecting him for the kind, decent guy he is, he'd insulted him in front of the world.
Seth's hands are warm on his back, rubbing and soothing until Dean pulls away. "I'll stay with him," Seth tells him, taking the seat once Dean nods distractedly and heads for the door.
Dean isn't sure where he wants to go, but he ends up back at the arena. He trudges down the halls, listening as Smackdown wraps up. It's all background noise, barely a buzz in his head, but then he hears that voice. That ugly Southern accent, and then Heath Slater's voice trying to interject, just for AJ Styles to snap at him to shut up. Rhyno is smirking at AJ when Dean enters. "Hey, you bastard!" he yells, swinging at and brawling with AJ as Heath and Rhyno cheer him on. By the time AJ gets away and scrambles out of the room, the entire area is trashed and Heath and Rhyno are trapped in a corner, watching wide eyed. Dean struggles up to his feet and salutes them before stumbling out of the room, patting his pockets until he finds his phone. It didn't crack in the melee, to his relief, so he finds his text screen and messages Seth. everything ok?
He's not even out of the arena before Seth responds. Yeah, everything's good. See you soon?
yeah. Dean drives as fast as he dares, staring up at the hospital once he parks, gnawing at his lips. He walks the path Seth had taken him earlier, finding himself back in James' hospital room. It's quiet and dark, Seth sitting in the chair until Dean leans over and drapes an arm around his chest, staring at the bed. "Anything?"
"He's been stirring a few times. They think he'll be awake soon," Seth murmurs, stroking Dean's cheek. "Look, take the chair, I'm going to get some water. Do you want anything?"
"I'm good," Dean says, watching Seth leave before turning his attention back to James, reflecting on how good it had felt to beat Styles down. "Just the start, James. I will fix this. You won't have anything to worry about as soon as you're well enough to return." He's still standing there when he hears a faint murmur, something similiar to his name, and he looks up, shocked to find James' eyes staring at him, glazed and unfocused with exhaustion and pain. "Hey, hey. James, you with me?"
"Dea- Dean," he mumbles, breathing rougher when he realizes he can't move. "I- I ca..."
"Don't try to move," Dean says, resting a hand on his chest. "You're hurt, ok? Just take it easy." James stares at him pitifully and Dean exhales, hating the look on his face. "That asshole Styles Clash'd you off of the steel steps. You hit your head on the way down, so they've been running a lot of tests. But I got him back for it tonight, and I'm going to do it even more on Sunday."
James forgets and tries to nod but cringes in pain, trusting in every thing Dean says, as always. "I know you will, Dean," he says, trying to smile through the pain.
Humbled and somehow feeling even worse at the man's nonstop belief in him, Dean exhales. "Hey, man, what I said in the ring... about you being a mutant, I didn't mean anything by it. You know me, I just get in a zone and I don't really think about anything I'm saying or doing. AJ's ugly mug just brings it out in me I guess."
"It's ok," James says. "I know you didn't want to offend me. Besides, I've heard a lot worse over the years."
Dean isn't sure what to say about that, all too aware of what's been said in the Smackdown locker room just in the few weeks James has been around, but he's distracted when he hears something behind him and turns to find Seth loitering by the door, sipping from his water. "Hey, James, you wanna meet someone? I know you saw him at Survivor Series, but I don't think you interacted with him." Considering Seth and Dean were on separate teams, they didn't spend time together at the PPV, focusing on their individual brands until they arrived at the hotel and made up for some lost time.
"Who?" he wonders before looking up as Seth takes Dean's silent cue and enters the room, hovering on the right side of the bed opposite of where Dean's standing. "Oh," he squeaks. "Se- Seth Rollins."
Seth tips the bottle at him, eyeing the man who had somehow befriended Dean so easily when so many failed at the same thing over the years. "Hey."
James looks confused, but only slightly. He'd sensed a strange vibe between Seth and Dean at Survivor Series in the backstage whenever they'd walked by each other, but then he'd been put through a table by Braun Strowman and had forgotten it until this moment, staring at them. "Hello," he says.
Dean lightly taps him on the chest, regaining his attention. "Get some sleep, man. I'll be here when you wake up."
James nods sleepily and obligingly closes his eyes, listening as Seth and Dean talk lowly over him, Seth's warmth pressing against his legs as he leans over to face Dean. "Do you really need your car washed?" Seth asks, an almost teasing lilt in his tone. "Like, the rental car you've been driving for this tour? I don't know how you always get them so dirty in just the few days you have them."
"It's me, of course I do," Dean mumbles back, his weight resting against the other side of the bed, dipping it down just enough for James to notice and keep him from falling asleep.
"And your laundry?"
"Hell yes. It's a mess."
There's a rasp of fabric and James guesses Seth is shrugging his shoulders. "How about this, give me your money and I'll run out and get your 6 pack and Now and Laters, then I'll drop your laundry off at the laundromat, and I'll run through the car wash. After all of that, I'll take the beer to the hotel and bring you your candy. Does that work?"
"Yes. What would I do without you?" Dean asks, James listening as more shifting sounds go on over him as he drifts. He struggles against the exhaustion weighing him down and opens his eyes in time to see Dean and Seth leaning over him, their faces close together. It takes James a moment to realize they're kissing, his face heating up as he watches them.
He must make a noise, or something, because Seth glances over at him and hisses, pulling away. Dean and Seth stare down at him for a moment, Dean's lips twitching. "This is our little secret, right?" Seth asks, eyes containing something of a challenge.
"Of course," James mumbles, staring at them as more things he's observed the past few weeks that he's been spending time with Dean clicks into place. The random texts at all hours of the night, Dean's focus on Raw despite it not being their show, how easily he insults Owens and Jericho when alone with James, and the fact that the last time he'd asked James to handle his flight booking, it was to Iowa, not Nevada.
Seth hums and leans in to kiss Dean once more before taking the impossibly folded up money from his fingers. "You don't want to know where that's been," Dean teases against his lips, remembering how it had disappeared after he'd handed it to James in the ring, and Seth falters.
"What?!" he exclaims, staring down at the $20 suspiciously, before forcing himself to talk quieter, mindful of the nurses wandering the halls. "I hate you."
"No you don't," Dean says smugly, watching as he stomps towards the door. "Bring two boxes of Now and Laters, James can have one when he's better."
Seth glowers over his shoulder at him but nods briskly before leaving.
"He's interesting," James offers, the pure brightness in Dean's grin as he turns to look at James surprising him.
"He is." James yawns and Dean settles back in next to the bed, pressing a hand to James', rubbing his arm. "Stick with me, kid, and I'll teach you everything you could ever want to know about all of life's deepest mysteries."
"I'm too tired to even think up a good response to that," James muses, laughing breathlessly despite the agony still circulating through his veins before closing his eyes and finally giving in to his body's need for rest.
Dean chuckles, some of the guilt easing away from him as he watches James sleep. While he waits for Seth to return, he spends the time to himself planning for Sunday. "He won't know what hits him," he whispers, promises the sleeping man.