Thanks for the reviews guys =]
I've decided to progress this just slightly since I feel going off of the last few chapters that It would take a while to move through one month, so yeah, that's why I'm jumping to the PPV so quickly.
The lyrics used at the beginning are from "Broken Soul" by Fozzy, yet again with Jericho's band =]
First time I get to mention my favorite referee, Charles Robinson, in a story, yay!
Wow this chapter is really long! It has a bad ending, I'm sorry, but it'll get better soon. Mark has a plan, he just needs to cool down literally.
I own no one, they are all owned by the WWE. They lyrics are owned by Fozzy.
Now I'm standing at the crossroads
And I know which way to go
But I'm not strong enough to get there on my own
Shawn sighed faintly as he walked through the long, quiet hall of the arena. His hands were dug deep in his pockets as he kept his head down, his eyes casted towards the floor. A large oversized hoodie covered his body, hiding the damage from the world, the hood pulled up tight over his head. He sighed once more as he walked, his mind clouded over with thoughts.
A month had past since Mark had left Shawn's side to return to his show, and since then Hunter had used every second of his available time to hurt Shawn. No matter how hard Shawn tried to protect himself, he couldn't bring himself to hurt the man he still loved deep down. Every time Shawn's mind reverted back to Hunter though, he felt a course of pain ripe through his body, reminding him of the torture he had been put through.
Shaking his head, Shawn walked to his locker room and shut the door behind him. He walked slowly over to the bathroom, peeling off the hooded sweater as he walked. He stood in front of the mirror, grimacing at the different shades of bruises on his face. He sighed as pulled off his shirt, his eyes casting down towards the bruises that were scattered along his rib cage and along his stomach. He shook his head as he readjusted the white bandage that wrapped itself around his ribs, holding the broken ones in place.
Shawn walked back into the locker room and pulled a clean shirt on, messing up his hair in the process. He sighed as he walked back into the bathroom, grabbing the brush next to the sink and brushing out his hair once more. He stared at the soft golden locks, his eyes blurring slightly as he threw his brush aside, turning away from the mirror. He walked back over to his bag and grabbed his cowboy hat, placing it on his head.
Then with a fake grin on his lips, he stepped out into the hall, greeting those around him. He could feel their stares on him though as he walked past, each of them whispering about him behind his back. He didn't really even care anymore, though he knew why they were whispering. He hadn't been at work for days due to his broken ribs, and the only reason he was there now at the PPV was because of his storyline. If it wasn't for that, Shawn was sure he'd still be in his hotel room nursing another bloody nose or swollen eye.
Shawn shook his head as he walked away from them, keeping his gaze down until he knocked into someone, knocking him back on the floor.
"Oh there you are babe," said Hunter as he looked down at the fallen Shawn. Shawn frowned faintly as he stood up, brushing himself off. He didn't even have a chance to say anything before Hunter pulled him back to the locker room, ignoring the looks he was getting from the others. Shawn whimpered faintly as he was pulled into the locker room and the door was locked behind him.
Shawn walked back out of the locker room an hour later, an arm wrapped tightly around his stomach. He grimaced as he walked down the empty hall, trying desperately to get away from Hunter. He leaned against a nearby crate, his eyes falling shut as he tried to relax in hopes that the pain would cease long enough for him to go in the show later.
Meanwhile, Mark stood in his locker room, tugging at the cuffs of his long black coat. He sighed softly as he sat down on a bench, running a hand down his face. His mind raced with thoughts about Shawn, his mind wondering if he was okay or not. He had a feeling Hunter had hurt Shawn again after he left, but he knew he had to leave. He had his own show, his own matches to take care of; he just couldn't spend all of his time on RAW. Thankfully though, the PPV at come up at the right time and now Mark had the chance to see Shawn. That is if he could bring himself to go find him. He didn't want to see the damage down to the man that he cared so much about and yet at the same time he was curious still if he was okay or not.
Growling faintly, Mark stood up from the bench and walked off, looking around for Shawn. He walked down a few halls before he was stopped by a stage hand saying he had to go finish getting ready for his match. Mark rolled his eyes and walked away, choosing for now to ignore the worker. He walked around a corner, scanning for Shawn once more when he spotted the other man leaning against a crate. He hurried over to him, hoping he wasn't unconscious or anything like that.
"Shawn?" came a voice, breaking through Shawn's thoughts. He opened his eyes slowly and turned his head, his gaze falling on Mark. A small grin came to his lips as he rushed over to the larger man, throwing his arms tightly around Mark's waist. Mark frowned faintly as he hugged Shawn back, rubbing Shawn's back gently. Shawn jumped as he felt a pain course it's way through his body from the touches, and he pulled back, earning a frown from Mark in the process.
"I'm sorry," Shawn said softly, looking up at Mark's frowning face, "I just hurt, badly."
Mark nodded faintly, sighing heavily, "I understand," he said gently, "Are you sure you can still go through with tonight?"
"Of course, we need this for our storyline," he said with a small grin," Besides; I get to kick you, that's fun!"
Mark rolled his eyes as he shook his head, smiling faintly at Shawn, "Right, well that match is coming up so I suggest you go get to gorilla so you can hide."
Shawn nodded and hugged Mark once more before hurrying away. He walked off to gorilla position and looked around, spotting the referees heading towards him. He removed his hat and set it aside, turning his gaze towards them.
"We're almost ready to go Shawn," stated referee Charles Robinson. Shawn nodded and leaned against the nearby wall, biting his lower lip to keep the pain from showing on his face.
When it came time for Shawn to head to the ring to hide, the lights dimmed to darkness in the arena, and Shawn walked out in the center of the referees. He climbed underneath the chamber structure towards his spot and waited; thankful that he had removed his hat earlier otherwise he'd probably get stuck.
Shawn held his breath, keeping quiet as the other wrestlers began to come out from their match in the Chamber. He sighed inwardly as he watched, his mind off track until he realized it was time for Mark to come out. He grinned faintly to himself as the lights dimmed to darkness once more and the chilling gong filled the arena, signaling the approach of The Undertaker.
He shifted slightly in his little spot, watching as the fire appeared on the stage, before Mark walked out. He grinned inwardly once more as he watched Mark walking before he stepped onto the stage. His eyes flashed open wide as the flames shot up right where Mark was standing. He bit his lower lip to keep from shouting out as tears welled up in his eyes. His heart pounded for a few seconds before he saw Mark storming out of the fire, ripping his coat and hat off. Mark walked into the chamber and then around the ring for a few minutes before getting into his pod near where Shawn was hiding.
It took a few minutes of heavy breathing before Shawn was calm enough to keep quiet where he was hiding. He watched the match with little interest, waiting for the chance when he could get out of that small space and check on Mark. When it came time for him to come out, he climbed through the structure and climbed into the ring, staring at Mark's back. When Mark turned towards him, he kicked Mark with Sweet Chin Music and watched as the larger man fell to the mat. He watched Chris cover Mark for the win and he stood there for a little bit as the show ended.
Once he was backstage, he looked all around for Mark, wanting nothing more than to check and see if he was okay. He sighed softly when he spotted Mark storming down the hall, yelling and hollering at everyone in sight after what happened in his entrance. He stood back as workers fled the scene, none of them wanting to deal with a pissed off Mark. He walked over to Mark after a moment and stood in front of him, clasping his little hands around Mark's wrists.
"Are you okay?" asked Shawn softly, looking up at him. Mark tore out of Shawn's hold and stormed off, his anger still too livid for Shawn to control. Shawn watched him walk away, a frown on his lips.
"Shawn come here!" ordered Hunter from behind him. Shawn spun around and looked at Hunter, sighing heavily. He walked over to the younger man and took his bag from him, walking out of the arena with him. He kept quiet on the ride to the hotel and even as Hunter smacked Shawn around, tears silently rolling down his cheeks. He didn't even cry out as he crashed through the table, his broken body lying in a heap of broken pieces of wood and glass. Hunter walked out of the room after that, leaving the broken Shawn alone in the cold, dark room.