Summary:

After a busy, difficult day, it's finally time for Raw.

The three members of the Shield have to deal with their own insecurities, fears, and personal problems the best they can. Comraderie, reassurance begged for as silently as it is given, raw feelings and fond memories wash through them.

Will they enjoy their moment or will they drown in it?

Notes:

This chapter surprised me coming together way quicker than expected. Please don't get used to this lol.

As I said, this story was drafted but I'm doing a really heavy editing before posting. It flowed in such a way that I had to make the decision to cut off the last scene and just stick to their appearance on the show. Otherwise, it would have ended being even longer than Chapter 1, which I understand is an already long sit to read on itself.

I hope you enjoy the read as much as I enjoyed writing it, and please don't be shy and let me know what you thought of it. I can't stress enough how difficult this story is to put together and the effort I'm making.

If any parts have glaring grammar mistakes or make no sense at all, give me a shout, English is not my native tongue and mistakes and tiredness happen ;)

IMPORTANT: Cursive is for flashbacks. Bonus tip, flashbacks are partial scenes of what will come on Part 2 of As Long As We Know The Truth!
Chapter warnings: Explicit language, mentions of depression.

Monday, October 9th 2017

Raw

Standing close to the stage curtain, the three members of the Shield were pressed in a tight group hug, sharing an emotional moment and trying to ground themselves before their reunion officially took place on the stage. Just before Sheamus and Cesaro's entrance themes hit the arena, they bounced around their rivals to hype them for what was to come. Enthusiasm had taken over every single body standing on the gorilla position, aware that this was going to be one of these moments WWE existed for. Performers or not, these people were all part of it.

There was no doubt that the three wrestlers were happy to work together again even if none of them were actually able to bring themselves to savor the moment completely, not yet, each for their own reasons. The truth was they were thrilled to be a faction again, relive their ascension to the top of the WWE, their struggles, their incredible success and domination upon the roster.

Still, they would never forget the dark days, the efforts and years in the indies for Dean and Seth, the injuries, the pain, the exhaustion, the horrendous booking and their failure to make it as big as they felt they deserved. The years of making sure no interaction took place between them outside of the shows in order to protect kayfabe and hiding the healthiest friendship they could have in the business.

Raw anticipation made the air around them buzz with electricity but it still it didn't feel right as the Miz's voice filled the hall, beginning to cut his promo, creating the setting for them to come back as a unit.

The three of them were as excited as they were terrified.

Dean opened his eyes when he felt the Samoan slowly removing himself from their group embrace. He patted his friends on the shoulder while the other two wouldn't let go of each other yet. "Ya gonna kill it Uce. Today you're getting cheered, believe that. Well, if this fucking koala lets go of me. If we don't come out you're fucked." He joked but made no effort to remove his arm from Seth's shoulder. The Architect kept a tight arm around his waist, his fist clinging to Dean's t-shirt so hard his knuckles turned white while his other hand covered his face, barely hidden on the blonde's shoulder.

Ambrose looked from one friend to the other, flashing a tense grin to Roman and flinching as Seth squeezed him tighter, receiving a fond look in return from the Big Dog. Tired blue eyes slid shut again before Dean inhaled deeply and soundly, exhaling slowly to try to guide and calm Seth who wouldn't stop shaking. As he feared would happen, nerves had struck the younger wrestler as the day went on, finally catching up to him at the last moment.

He would never admit out loud that he needed to calm down just as much.

Dean heard hurried words that didn't really register in his brain from the producers, giving Roman some final instructions before he performed. The Samoan, microphone in hand, was ready for his cue.

The former CZW champion felt his heart swell with pride while cursing himself mentally for all the times he'd bragged with Seth while on FCW and, even if he would never admit it, during their first run as The Shield, about how Roman would never make it to the top while on FCW. They always thought they were the shit and were held back their inexperienced teammate.

But the truth was the ex-football player had blown all expectations away. He finally learned to handle the pressure of being in the ring while being constantly insulted and booed, and basically gave zero fucks about whatever the fans shouted at him outside of it. Without a doubt, he was the one who grew up the most during their time in WWE. Went from being green, insecure and clumsy to become a hell of a performer.

Roman was the one handling it better than them and giving them a new lesson, one they probably never realized they were asking for. While tense, he still oozed fucking confidence as his music blasted as loud as possible on the arena and still was not near enough to drown the boos filling the air as soon as the first note reached their ears. A deep breath and an animal growl later, he walked out towards the audience to confront The Miz.

Loosening his hold on Seth while drawing him closer, face to face, Dean tangled one of his hands on his friend's hair. "C'mere." came out in the form of a breathless whisper as his other hand gave absent yet reassuring pats between his shoulder blades until the arm finally wrapped around him. He rested his chin on the brunette's shoulder and allowed himself to melt around him for an instant, contradicting feelings amped up by his depressed state seemingly slipping away into a corner of his mind where they weren't so loud.

Seth looked beaten, as if the weight of the last three years and his own history of redemption, kayfabe and real life had finally caught up with him. There also was some lingering guilt from the last few hours and what was about to come and Dean tried his best not to show any sort of anxiety of his own. Which was actually pointless since he knew Seth could see through that. He didn't know where he found the strength not to crumble as they clung to each other, sharing the weight of the pressure on their shoulders as they struggled to find their ground.

"Show must go oooooon." he half sang, half whispered mockingly against the Architect's neck. Dean felt his friend snort before a soft sigh was followed by a chuckle of his own. Seth's forehead rolled slightly on Dean's shoulder, wet eyelashes brushing the bare skin of his collarbone. "I say fuck it to all the shit we've gone through today. It's your moment dude, just… you just enjoy it okay? We're gonna kill it and turn all shit into gold like we always do. Let's do it for them, bro'!"

"D- it for Dusty…" Seth's voice hitched slightly as he nodded against Dean's t-shirt. "For the fucking zombie princess… For all of us."

Wavy locks dripped water down the top of Seth's t-shirt, face and Dean's collarbone and neck. Dean would never mention the tears and the tiny muffled whimper he'd felt against his skin. Away from the stage lights and so close, Seth looked exhausted, dark rings visible under the stage makeup. Small wrinkled lines framing the corners of his red-rimmed eyes, his skin looking a bit lifeless as he bit on his lower lip. His beard screamed for a trim and up close he looked every bit as broken as Dean felt. How hadn't he noticed his friend's exhaustion? Was he so lost into his own asshole that he'd been unable to see past himself?

Seth released Dean's t-shirt from his grip to pull away, a broken smile attempting to tug the corners of his lips upwards before he bumped their foreheads together, both pushing a bit. Damp chocolate eyes stared into equally moist blue and Ambrose barely felt the brush of their noses as Seth sniffed softly. "Now what huh? Think we gonna be booed out of the city?" A little nervous laugh escaped the wrestler's lips, his shaky breath vibrating against Dean's chin.

Dean knew Seth was still shaken from earlier and that he wasn't as good as he was when it came to concealing his feelings. "Nah, they gonna eat it up you'll see." he tried to sound reassuring during his friend's rare moment of insecurity as he pulled away from him.

Looking towards the end of the hall again, he spotted Renee sitting with Charly. Both women were waiting for instructions for their next backstage segment and he breathed out in relief upon the sight of his wife smiling again, even if her eyes and face were still a bit puffy and bright. Charly kept a comforting arm around the blonde announcer and both were chatting quietly while Renee seemed to be typing on her phone. Dean knew the ladies were meeting Lita after Raw to hit some bars and have a girls night and he knew it would be the best for her tonight. Renee didn't deserve to suffer just because she married him.

Roman's voice cut through the air as he began speaking on the mic. A quick glance to the monitor next to them showed that while he looked chill and confident, his voice betrayed the tension he was feeling, his body a bit too stiff, an obviously rehearsed pose. Nobody knew if the WWE universe would react well or if they would turn on the Shield for joining Roman again. The tension on the arena so thick it could be cut into squares and stored in boxes.

So it was not an easy night. But it should fucking be, or at least Dean felt to his core that they deserved a good, easy one.

"Rumors? Who said anything about rumors?" Finally, his fucking cue.

Dean's music hit the arena and the crowd went nuts. It couldn't be compared to the pop when Seth and he teased their reunion, but it was still a good pop.

He had managed to appear somewhat chill before going onstage but as soon as he let go of Seth and his theme hit, he let the anxiety and tension melt away, focus and energy canalized into doing what he loved the most. Wrestling. Performing. The Lunatic Fringe persona wash over everything he was feeling as he let it run wild, all vicious, intense energy as he walked out and stood next to Roman.

Dean noticed Roman didn't move a muscle but almost jumped startled when the 'Burn it down' scream rip through the arena, the crowd going nuts along with it. Seth's face betrayed him with an expression Dean had already witnessed a long time ago, overtaken by the emotion of the moment when he stepped out and the crowd finally exploded. His attempts to regulate his breathing to calm down were noticed by both Dean and Roman. His expressive eyes roamed around the arena almost in shock, drinking in the crowd's glee and barely unable to not shake and contain the stream of emotions. The water dripping down his face could only hide so much.

For a brief moment, the world stopped as the three wrestlers stalked forwards, no further words needed. Pumped up, silent, confident badasses doing what they did best. Suddenly nothing mattered but the loud cheers, the crowd standing up on their seats and leaning towards them as they made their way to the ring. Goosebumps made his hairs stand up. The yelling and trash talk coming from the ring, the cameras and crew moving around them, the children, women, men in the crowd getting impossibly loud as they circled the ring.

Adrenaline and excitement ran through Dean's veins as they attacked The Miz, Curtis Axel and the Bar, emptying his mind as he focused on his performance and rushed through the moves, letting the noise, the energy and the thud of his heartbeat in his ears carry him through the attack. At some point, he felt so high that he could even feel the crack of his joints echoing on his throat as he moved.

It didn't take long for their rivals to end up sprawled on the mat, Roman standing in the middle of the ring, seemingly not believing that he was being cheered. Or maybe not sure if any of these cheers were directed at him at all. It looked almost like his friend didn't dare move at all in case the fans hadn't noticed he was standing tall in the middle of the ring and would suddenly start booing again.

Dean gave him a few quick reassuring pats on the chest as he celebrated with his usual energy and an excited "Not dreaming Uce!" was directed to Roman as he looked up, basking in the praise and cheers from the crowd. Harsh gasps for air caught his ear and he turned around when he realized it was Seth trying to calm down, breathless as he stood near the ropes.

The blonde rushed towards him and nearly lost his balance and dragged Seth down with him when he jumped onto the ropes and threw an arm around his shoulders. Seth almost jumped startled but his face immediately lit up and an honest, joyful laugh escaped him, letting go of all the tension as soon as Dean got a bit closer to his ear and made one of his Dusty impressions. He lingered there for a bit, comforting his friend and doing his best to help him enjoy the moment, Seth didn't deserve to suffer. He wasn't really surprised to find himself actually relishing it.

Both beamed, as delighted as the fans for a moment under the huge crowd pop at their gesture. They had been given orders to do whatever it took to keep the fans from booing, so having them cheer for Seth and Dean was a good start for what was going to come.

A couple knowing looks between the three performers and they rushed to pick Miz up from the floor. The smaller members of the Shield lifted him up and set him on Roman's shoulders for their trademark powerbomb. The crowd finally lost it. Everything exploded, taking the arena like an earthquake wiped all troubles away for a moment that lasted for too many heartbeats to count. They screamed, celebrated for the crowd on the corners and released a bit more tension before posing with their fists together for the first time in years before slowly heading backstage.

Still in character, they walked through the hall and stopped for a quick interview with Charly. Their joy was evident on their energetic promo. Dean felt so good he started rambling about how many opponents they would take on until an amused Roman stopped him.

As soon as they were told they were off camera, Roman threw his arms around them, crushing them into a tight, sweaty group hug. They were so out of it, so driven by how everything flowed on the arena that it could have lasted a few seconds or an eternity for all they cared. "Holy. Fucking. Shit. That felt so good." Was all he was able to say as they pulled away slightly and tried to catch their breath.

The three men lingered, not really registering their surroundings as the world kept moving and the show continued, they didn't need nor care about anything else than their moment. "Sometimes you forget how good it feels yeah." Seth patted Roman's head and tugged at his hair to bring him closer to place a quick kiss on the wet black mane of hair. "World must be coming to an end if you were just cheered, man." A breathy chuckle left his lips as Dean playfully slapped his hand away from the Samoan's hair, taking his turn to pull Roman's head closer to his lips and mimic what his teammate had just done. He took it further however, annoying his friend with a wet, loud grandma kiss on the top of his head.

Dean pushed Roman away and spat to the side, his tongue stuck out in the air comically to try to get rid of the chemical conditioner taste. "Yeah guys, for a moment I thought you'd get booed out of the arena and Miz would get the fuckin' babyface in peril treatment there." Roman admitted half joking and the three laughed when Miz butted in with a light-hearted 'I'm too good of a bad guy to be cheered.'. They laughed it off, but actual relief was present on the Samoan's features and voice as his gaze hovered over his teammates.

"Nah, they just ate the fuck out of it, couldn't happen any other way guys." Dean shivered at the feeling of a hand settling on the back of his neck as he spoke, fingers tapping and digging gently on the sweaty skin beneath his ear. It barely lasted a moment before Seth pulled him closer, bouncing madly and bumping his shoulder with his teammate. "Course it couldn't, that felt so fucking good! The Shield is back and kicking some ass baby!" The warmth of sweaty skin and facial hair made Dean's skin tickle when Seth pressed his cheek against his playfully, wide grins threatening to split their faces in two. Their skulls butted as he engaged the blonde into jumping with him and giving up at the second head bump.

Both breathed a content yet pained sigh as bright blue eyes slid shut, savoring how right it had felt. It felt so right. Pressure returned to the back of his neck with a small squeeze from Seth's fingers that ended tripping on the slick skin before letting go. An annoyed groan, the rustle of a hand wiping the sweat on a t-shirt, a chuckle. He could feel a pleasing tingle crawling down his back for a while afterward.

Adrenaline was pumping so hard in his veins that Dean felt tiny shocks all over his skin. He felt high, emotion fighting its way to buzz out of every pore in his body. He was practically bouncing in the locker room, his hairs standing up in awe as William Regal praised their performance. The 30-minute iron man match had blown everybody's minds off, it had been perfect. They had told a story so intense, well-paced, with such an intelligent use of the ring, of their bodies, thirty minutes of drama and pure good wrestling… It had been incredible.

The energy was so strong that he couldn't contain his delight, he was on fire. Even his dick pulsed happy inside his compression underwear, not missing the joy that ran through his whole being. He felt invincible, untouchable, like a bonafide fucking star. He could taste the glory that had yet to become a fact on the tip of his tongue and holy shit how sweet it was, his mind wandering away, trying to reproduce what it must feel to perform like this at Wrestlemania. Low budget locker rooms had never felt so comfortable.

It felt right. SO right.

Seth stood next to him, looking every bit like a child would as they open that Christmas gift they thought they'd never get as he took in Regal's words.

A low chuckle from William Regal. He looked delighted enjoying the sight of the two bundles of vitality that just had the match of their lives so far, both obviously ran over by their emotions and ready to burst. It turned quickly into a merry laugh when their gazes met and both jumped into the other's arms. Both guys spun around the room like that, bouncing like teenagers attending their first music festival and diving into their first mosh pit, hitting each other a bit too hard. "That felt so good! So fucking good!" Dean's words tripped over themselves as he kept on bouncing, hugging Seth, letting go at him to shove him back, drawing him close again immediately afterward.

"So fucking good, y'felt it?" The brunette pushed Dean away to address Regal again, stopping himself just when he was aiming to jump the legendary wrestler as well. "Mr. Regal… shit! See what I mean when I say we're ready for the main roster? What we're capable of?"

Regal smiled fondly and stepped forward, giving them a couple of light pats on the shoulder. "Enjoy the present lads. When the time is right, I know you two will turn this business upside down. I have never seen anything like this in my entire career, and your hard work will end up paying off. Dusty certainly knew what he was doing when he pitched you two together from the beginning."

Seth hugged Dean again, though it felt more like a body collision that almost made both fall backward. He buried his face in Dean's neck as his fingers crept through the back of it, making the towel around his shoulders slid down slightly. Dean shivered when stubble grazed his cheek at the same time twitchy fingers squeezed his skin hard enough to wince before pulling away. Seth's grin was infectious, his lips parting again and again like he didn't even know what to say but desperately needed to find words to express it. Ambrose for sure felt exactly like that and couldn't, didn't want to break the gaze and their moment.

"Ya hear him? We gonna blow the business, have memories and footage of the camera zooming out on a crazy arena that explodes because of us. Sounds so goddamn cool… We are the fucking future, Dean. We…" his free hand closed into a fist and he accompanied each word with a playful punch to Dean's chest. "We. Are. The. Fucking. Future, ya hear me?"

"Course we are!" Dean seemed to find the ability to speak again, letting the words from his coworker and mentor sink in and the joy wash through every nerve. "If you stop punching the fuck out of me, never gonna make it to Raw if you keep beating me up you- ouch!" Another punch, this time on his shoulder.

"You are indeed." With another amused chuckle, Regal took his suitcase and prepared himself to leave, turning around to address the two young wrestlers again. "But as for now, you two must come down from the trip, shower and celebrate, you deserve it. Good job lads."

Dean stared at the closed door, his mind still spinning as Regal 's words repeated themselves over and over in this brain. He finally shook himself out of it, turning around to flash a mischievous grin to his friend. "Burger and strip club dude? Don't know about you," he chuckled as he palmed the slightly visible bulge in his wrestling trunks. "But my friend here wants to celebrate the match buried in some pussy. You comin'?"

Seth snorted from the bench he was sitting on, it quickly turning into a bark of laughter, so hard he had to stop trying to remove his leg pads. "Got a feeling you're taking me to the filthiest in town, am I gonna catch something just from sitting there? Promise the strippers aren't 50-year-old junkies man? My dick's gonna fall off before the night is over I see it comin'." he was probably imagining some delirious scene as he literally bent over with laughter. The brunette reached up with his fist to wipe a tear off his eye and resumed removing his boots as Dean sat down and did the same. "Oh god, I'm crying." He clutched at his belly, trying to compose himself. "But sure I'm in, my dick deserves better than rats tonight, gonna sleep like a baby." Still snickering, he rose to his feet and slid his fingers under the waistband of his ring gear, tugging the clothing down his legs to step out of it.

Dean watched him with a satisfied smirk as he grabbed a towel from his bag and stepped into the shower area, soon following his friend.

Once the three wrestlers let go of each other, the noise, the rush of the backstage of a live television show and the rest of the roster and producers shook them out of their little moment to join the celebration. Reality would start setting in.

They'd done it. And it felt good. Really good. Still, Dean knew that it wouldn't feel as good as it should have once he came down from the adrenaline rush. But it was as close as it would get, at least that night.

Notes:

Having cut a full scene out of this chapter, I'm still unsure about how many I will need to finish the first part of ALAWKTT (there, that was long).

What do you think of this so far? I tried to give Dean a bit of a break here. Being depressed doesn't mean you're gonna be gloomy and down all the time, it can affect every individual in different ways upon several scenarios. Sometimes it will numb you, or make you overexcited, paralyzed...

I can't stress this enough: reviews are appreciated and are a nice reward for the effort put into this piece. Whether you like the story or not, I would love to hear your thoughts!

See you soon with Chapter 3, set after the Raw live broadcast.