Hey, lucky, you! You got two chapters tonight! This one's kinda short, which is why I've gone ahead an uploaded it. Enjoy!

-AC

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"And when we're done humbling you, I'm gonna move on to the Architect of the Shield, Seth Rollins."

Promo night. Triple H is on the spot right now, Orton and Batista to his right and left in the center of the mat.

"And I'm gonna enjoy pulling that little hummingbird's wings off one by one myself."

In the monitor room, Seth's hand immediately goes to his back, almost involuntarily. He grimaces even though he knows that Triple H's bravado is all for show, but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel any less uncomfortable. He isn't really partial to the idea of his boss pulling his very much existent wings out feather by feather.

Dean nudged him, drawing his attention away from the promotion on the monitor.

"He doesn't mean that," he reminds him, nodding at Seth's hand splayed across his back. Seth shrugs, the wings shifting beneath the fabric of his shirt and vest. "I know, but it still feels like a threat."

He rolls his shoulders, winces slightly at the dull pull in his wings suddenly. It's almost time for their cue.

"You okay?" Roman asks, noting the slight grimace on Seth's face. "Wings bothering you again?"

Seth shakes his head. "Probably just stiff." A stage hand off to the side gives them their cue. Time to rock and roll.

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3:45.

Earlier than normal Seth wakes in complete darkness, growling under his breath as he spies the time on the clock. Decides it's way too early to be up with the pins and needles sensation in his back. The wings are bothering him again; he wasn't able to stay asleep for it. It was like there were tiny bugs pinching his wings everywhere, little pinpricks sprouting all up and down. He held his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. "It's too early for this. What did I ever do to deserve this?"

"Are you still awake?"

A light suddenly appears in between the two beds and Seth can finally see who is talking. Roman sits up, rubbing his eyes in the light of the bedside lamp, swings his legs over the edge of his bed. Seth nods at him, running his hand over his back between the shoulders.

"Yeah. Sorry if I woke you."

Roman shakes his head, waves it off. "'Sup? Wings bothering you?"

Seth nods, a bit sheepish. He really hates having to bother the others with his wing issues. "I don't know why; I thought I was over this once they'd finished growing out." Roman looked up at them in sleepy thought. "A bunch of them are sticking out all over the place."

Seth shakes them out, only opening them up a few inches and picks at some of the tiny offending feathers. "Can you give me a hand? I can't reach the ones in the very back. Roman nods, switches places from his bed to Seth's, sits beside him and attempts to smooth them out. They set about smoothing them back into place for nearly ten minutes before Roman lets out a sigh.

"I don't think this is working. They keep popping back up whenever we push them back down." He gives Seth a once over and adds, "It actually looks kinda gross."

"Gee, thanks, Rome."

Seth frowns at the wings. He hated to admit it but Roman was right; they did look gross. It reminded him of cottage cheese, all clumpy and weird looking, strangely colored in some places. What was happening to them? Had he been wrong about them being fine under water? They weren't molding were they? Would the wings just fall off?

Roman, oblivious to Seth's silent freak out, reached up and pulled on one of the little feathers. It came out with little resistance and Seth hadn't even seemed to notice. "Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"I think some of these little ones are supposed to come out. I just pulled this one out and you didn't even notice." Roman held up the little feather as proof. With a new game plan, they set to work plucking out the feathers that stuck up, smoothing the others out properly. Roman paused to grab the trash bin, where they deposited the feathers, and when they'd established a thorough routine-pluck, smooth, toss-Seth spoke.

"I think I read about this somewhere. This is called shedding, I think? Ah, no-preening. That was it. It's when I have to straighten and clean the feathers and get rid of the ones that are ready to fall out." He inspects a feather and then tosses it into the trash bin.

"Oh. So this is bird hygiene?" says Roman from somewhere behind him.

"Pretty much."

"Wonder what kind of bird you are."

Before he even knows it, Seth has begun dozing off, the gentle tugging on his feathers and the relief that comes after soothing him into a much sought after sleep. Roman sighs after a few moments, rousing Seth, and murmurs, "This is so weird. Never in a million years did I think I would be up at three in the morning preening my best friend."

Seth smirks at the remark. "Yeah? Well, never in a million years did I think that I would be up at three in the morning being preened by my best friend-ow, careful!"

"Sorry, one snagged."

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"What happened in here?"

Seth pokes his head up from the Questbar he's devouring for breakfast in order to greet Dean as he walks in. He's probably come to collect them for morning gym training downstairs in the hotel gym. He looks like he's just walked in on a murder scene.

"Looks like a pillow factory exploded," he continues, shaking a few tiny feathers off from the bottom of his shoe. Seth swallows his mouthful of food and gestures at his back. "Roman was preening me last night and we got feathers all over the place. Oops." He doesn't sound the least bit sorry.

Dean makes a face. "Ew, when you say 'preening', it sounds like something dirty." He cringes, and then it's Seth's turn to make a face. "It's just hygienic," he mutters, taking another bite of his Questbar.