Chapter Twenty One: Tensions Rise and Fall
A/N: *lets out a long breath* It's good to watch RAW again after two months of my parents hogging the tv (as usual)! I couldn't resist, so I started writing during the show. Emma is just… wow. Talk about a total makeover. Then there was the whole Roman and Triple H fiasco. And I couldn't stop laughing when Dean went shopping for weapons during Paul Heyman's usual rant. Well, that's some random stuff floating around my head. Moving on to chapter 21. Sorry this is late! Track in outdoor season is busy as heck w/ a couple of meets a week. I'll try to have chapter 22 up a little sooner after this is posted. And sorry in advance if it becomes random towards the end. I'm trying to get this up as soon as I can. The drama in the SHIELD dissipates… and then it continues.
The car ride to the next city was spent in silence. None of the three could look at each other. They hadn't really spoken since that night. Seth put as much distance between himself and Roman as physically possible. Dean was left to deal with the repercussions. He had tried to start up conversations with them both, lighten the mood, try and mend some of the damage done. His efforts were in vain, however. By the end of the weekend though, things were starting to get better. Seth was much less cross with Dean (he could never stay mad at him for long anyway), sometimes speaking with him, cuddling with him in his better moods. It was mostly small talk or necessary questions, but it was something. Dean also got Roman to start talking a little again. He blatantly ignored Seth, but was willing to engage in a conversation with Dean every now and then. He was still torn up about the whole "monster" thing, but Dean kept assuring him that it was never an issue to begin with. Fix his relationship with each brother? Check. Fix his brothers' relationships with each other? Not that simple.
For the life of him, the Cincinnati native couldn't even get his brothers to look at each other, much less say a word. Every time he brought Seth up to Roman, the subject would be changed. Every time he brought Roman up to Seth, there would be some not so nice things said and he'd be stuck with a moody boyfriend until dinner. Back in the original SHIELD days, Seth was the one who sorted out everyone's problems. Now that Dean had been forced to take on the responsibility, nothing was getting solved. But, one day, he was woken up and the situation seemed to solve itself.
Seth had awakened from his good dream (reliving the SHIELD's debut match) to the sound of thunder and rattling windows. He gulped, thankful for taking the side of the bed away from the outside, and tried to calm himself down. 'It's just the rain. Weather can't hurt me in here,' he told himself. He slowly shook his boyfriend.
"Dean," he hissed, "Dean! Wake up. Baby, hey!" When he got no response, he huffed silently and pressed a rough kiss to his lover's lips. Dean groaned and kissed back before telling Seth, "Not righ' n'w, Seth. I w'nna sleep." A crackle of lightning across the sky made Seth jump and double his efforts to wake Dean. He proceeded to insistently poke and prod his boyfriend. When that didn't work, he pulled Dean into a sitting position and started shaking him hard.
"What?!" the brunette snarled, still half asleep. Seth buried his face in his boyfriend's chest when as windows shook once more. Dean understood when he felt Seth start shaking. It was thunderstorming. Seth hated thunderstorms, lived in fear of them. "Shh. It's okay, babe. I'm right here. Nothing's gonna hurt you." he cooed reassuringly. Roman must have heard them, because he was sitting up on the other bed, confused and awake-ish.
"Is Seth freakin' out over the storms again?" he mumbled sleepily. Dean nodded to him. Seth stopped shaking and turned at the sound of the Samoan's voice, looking his oldest brother in the eyes for the first time in a week. There was something about Roman's voice that could calm anyone in situations like this. They were silent, neither wanting to be the one to break the silence. Dean prepared himself for the argument that would surely ensue. Seth claiming that he wasn't scared and Roman snapping back saying he was. They'd be going back and forth for hours. Finally, after a minute of soul search staring, Seth spoke.
"Hey, Rome," he whispered. He smiled shyly, hoping he didn't get a death glare in return. It seemed that he would, until Roman broke out into a grin the size of Vince McMahon's ego.
"Hey, Seth," he whispered back happily. He crawled out of bed and joined Dean in holding Seth in his arms. Seth sighed contently and in relief at having his brothers back on somewhat the same page. "Seth, I'm so-"
"Don't. Don't say you're sorry. I'm sorry. For being the biggest jackass ever and blaming you. You've had a rough couple of weeks. It's like Dean said, "Everyone has their bad days." You just had one and we made it worse. I didn't mean anything I said. I never meant to-"
"Don't start. I know you didn't mean it. I know you were upset. I'm not mad, I never was."
"You'd think I'd be the one saying that," Seth snickered. Dean smiled while stroking Seth's blonde patch. This problem was resolving itself. This might be easier than he thought.
"And I can't stay mad at you. I love you, baby boy." Seth sat up at that. He looked at Roman puzzled.
"Baby boy? First it was Dean with babe, now you?" Roman's face fell a bit as he replied.
"Always wanted to call you something special, ya know? It was the first thing I thought of that fits. Got a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" he asked. Seth chuckled.
"Yeah, I like it." When a bright flash of lightning illuminated the hotel room, Seth yelped and clung to his brothers. His fear of storms was something that dated back to his indie days. He was carpooling with a friend, before he met and got to know Dean, in a storm when lightning nearly struck their car, sending them swerving off the road and flying into a cluster of thick trees. The front of the car was crushed and flattened. Seth had no idea how his friend was even alive after taking the brunt of the impact. He was told the damage he received nearly put him into a coma. Since then, he's been afraid that a storm would try to claim him as its next victim. Dean felt for his lover. All the trauma in his childhood contributed to most of the problem and fears he had today. He and Roman tried as best they could to calm Seth down and, soon enough, they all fell asleep in each other's arms.
XxX
Seth groaned during Paul Heyman's speech. Rehashing the same thing every week and expecting people to still be interested in what he had to say was not working in the slightest. That and Seth's lack of sleep, sugar, and coffee was not helping him. He had dozed off in the middle of the discussion when Dean's music went off. Seth was startled awake as Dean emerged from backstage, brandishing a red wagon with his signature logo on the side. Everyone was as puzzled as he was as Dean wheeled the wagon to ringside. Paul and Brock were somewhat amused by this. Seth pulled out his phone and texted Roman, who was getting ready for a match. r u seeing this? what's gotten into him? He got the reply of who knows? it's Dean. what's it matter?
"What's it matter? Are you serious, Roman?!" he hissed to himself. i can't believe u. u get mad because he's always putting himself in harm's way. now u suddenly don't care?! Seth refused to believe that. Roman cared too much about the both of them to just brush this aside like it was nothing. He was pulled from his thoughts by another text. like I said, it's Dean. he's doing what he normally does. relax y don't ya. Seth's frustration at his brother grew. Hadn't they just made up that morning? And now this? we're not done here. i'll find you later. and when I do… He got the reply of I'll b waiting before the black and blonde superstar turned his attention back to the monitor.
Dean was nonchalantly throwing various weapons into his wagon. First, it was the crowbar. Then, it was steel pipes. He picked up a baseball bat, but tossed it back under the ring in favor of taking "Barbie", his present from Mick Foley. He reached back under the ring and grabbed a fire extinguisher, tossing that in the wagon as well. He takes a kendo stick and throws it wherever, not noticing it bounce off the floor and into the ring at the Beast Incarnate's feet. Brock retrieves it and wields it like a lightsaber, trying to be prepared if Dean tried to attack. The Lunatic Fringe paid him no mind, smiling as he added Terry Funk's chainsaw to his weapons collection. He even took a pair of nunchucks and started swinging them around! The whole time, Seth was wondering, 'What the Hell is he doing?' The Ohioan glanced at the wagon, noticing it was still half empty. He ran and kicked the steel ring steps, lifting up the top half and placing it into the red vessel. He gave a satisfied nod and began to head backstage, wagon of toys in tow. The whole time, Brock's eyes never left Dean, waiting for the impending assault. Dean hadn't even looked at him, as if Brock wasn't even there.
Seth had had enough. Dean was doing God knows what with those weapons, Roman was still acting like a child throwing temper tantrums, and he couldn't do a thing about it. He hopped off the crate he was sitting on and went to go find Roman in the locker room. He kicked the door open, making a few superstars inside cringe as the slam reverberated through the silent room. Roman glanced up and did a double take when he saw Seth standing there, fuming and defiant. The others in the locker room, Dolph, Cody, R-Truth, and Dean himself stared in confusion as he made his way over to Roman. They were in each other's faces, staring each other down. "What're you gonna do, Seth?" Roman challenged, to which Seth replied with a step back and a picture perfect dropkick. The former world champion crashed into some lockers before regaining his balance and sending Seth a death glare. Immediately, Roman charged at him and hit him with a devastating spear. Seth was dizzy and winded before he felt the blows begin to land. Dean, on instinct, ran to Seth's aid, tugging Roman off of him.
"ENOUGH!" Dean thundered, punching Roman square in the jaw and putting space between his brothers. Cody and Dolph restrained Dean just in case while R-Truth helped Roman up. The Samoan threw his arm off, tense like an angry bull. Seth winced and gingerly got to his feet, holding his ribs. The SHIELD members locked eyes with each other, making the other three superstars wary. They kept a firm grip on the two in case they tried to fight things out. "I've had it with you two! All week, I've been trying to get you guys back on the same page. I've tried to get you to talk it out so this doesn't happen. This morning, I thought we fixed this? We were all cuddling together, as girly as that sounds, just keeping each other company, keeping each other safe… Why are you fighting again? We're brothers, we're lovers, we're family. We're supposed to have each other's backs, not be the reason we're watching our backs! Please," the brunette begged with a heartbroken look on his face, "Just stop this…" He broke free of the two's grasp and headed out of the locker room. It wasn't lost on Seth and Roman that their brother had let a tear slip during the exchange. Dean doesn't cry. Ever.
"Jon, wait!" Seth cried, running after him. Roman followed closely behind him. Knowing him and his destructive nature in times of distress, he could be beating himself up, literally, in a bar, or worse. They looked down the hallway, hoping he hadn't gone too far. He was nowhere in sight.
"Son of a bitch," Roman muttered, "Okay, you've known him longer, Colby. *turns to Seth* What would he do? Where would he-" He didn't get a chance to finish his question before he was enveloped in a tight embrace. Seth rested his head on Roman's shoulder, not wanting to let him go.
"I'm sorry, Joe. For everything. I don't wanna fight anymore. I just… I just want us to be us again. *lets go reluctantly and takes a step back* Right now, we need to find Jon. Fast." As soon as he said that, the other three emerged from the locker room.
"Hey," Dolph called, "We'll take this side of the building. *motions to the left* We'll text you if we find him." Seth and Roman nodded and continued their search. They looked in any room and opened just about any door, asked passersby if they'd seen him around, shouted his name, tried really hard not to panic. Roman was too angry to panic. Not at Seth or Dean or anyone else. At himself. When a stage manager came by to tell him Triple H was in the ring, the number one contender gave a nod and told someone to hit his music.
"Colby! *Seth stops and turns towards him* I've got business to take care of. I'll meet up with you after this." Seth nodded and ran out the arena. Roman was angry, and he knew the perfect person to take it out on.
"There is a lot at stake. This is not a game, this is real life. Millions of dollars are at stake on Sunday. And you can take your morality and shove it! I don't care. This-" Roman had heard enough. His music hit and marched down the entrance ramp. The brawl was in Triple H's favor at first, stunning Roman by slamming his head into a steel ring post. He turned the tide, however, by tossing Hunter into the barricade. He then proceeded to clothesline him over it into the timekeeper's area. When that happened, seemingly the whole roster came down the ramp to break the two up. After all, Wrestlemania was still six days away. The rest was a blur to Roman, who's mind was only half focused on the task at hand. He went on to give Triple H a own medicine by slamming his face repeatedly into an announce table. Things ended up back around the ring somehow and Roman, probably due to his adrenaline and anger, found himself flying over the top rope into the sea of superstars trying to keep them apart. It wasn't long before Roman stood up, a victory under his belt heading into the biggest match of his career. At the moment, however, that wasn't his concern.
Roman appealed to the crowd, showing off a bit. When he felt he'd been around the ring long enough, he rushed backstage and headed towards the exit. As he made it to the door, his phone went off. He hit the accept call button. "Colby, please tell me you found him," he gasped, still somewhat out of breath from earlier. There was rustling in the background on the other end of the line before he got an answer.
"Yeah. He was pacing outside on the other side of the arena. After he ran his shoulder into a wall. And kicked someone's car. I feel sorry for 'em, because that's a pretty big dent." Roman laughed in relief. "Oh, and Mox says hi. He wants to rip us both to shreds, but he's waiting for you to come find us. We're out by the Camaro." Roman gave a quick, "Be there soon." and hung up. He pushed, more like shoved, the door open and headed in the direction of his brother's beloved car. Standing there, as promised, were his two (one and a half?) brothers. Seth perked up when he saw Roman, walking over to him with a scowling Moxley in tow. They needed to calm him down if they wanted to talk to Dean. Roman, either oblivious to this fact or not caring, headed straight for said scowling person (Personality? Roman wasn't even sure anymore.) He wrapped his arms around Moxley and pulled him close.
"Hey, Mox," he whispered softly, "I wish we could be talking at a better time, but… you know…" Roman said to the alter, who was stiffer than a board with surprise, but still tense. "Tell Jon we're sorry. And that we made up. Unless you wanna stick around…"
"I-I don't-" Moxley barely got out before he felt Seth join in the hug. He didn't know what to do. He knew their affection was directed towards Dean and not him, but it felt like… "What are you doing?" he finally asked. Roman let go, not as skilled at dealing with Moxley and deciding to leave things to Seth. Seth turned him around and pulled him into a searing kiss. He tried to fight it at first, struggling to push his main personality's boyfriend away, but Seth kept an iron grip on him. Eventually, Moxley relaxed into it and kissed back. He whimpered as the two toned man slowly pulled away. "Why?" was all he could say.
"Because you're a person too. I was kissing you. Not Dean. And, um, I kinda want my boyfriend back without getting punched in the face…" Seth murmured. Moxley chuckled.
"You could've asked, ya know. After I got a few good shots in on you two, anyway." Seth smiled nervously and Roman raised an eyebrow as Moxley closed his eyes and became as still as a statue. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. They slowly turned back to that bright, full of life, deep blue they usually were. After blinking a few times, he spoke.
"*groans* I feel like I just got hit over the head with a sledgehammer… So, you made up with Roman, babe?" he asked Seth. The other two laughed and embraced him. He hugged back before addressing another interesting thing he learned "on the inside" as he liked to think of it. "And… were you just kissing Mox?" Seth blushed and looked away, choosing not to answer that. Roman cleared his throat to get their attention.
"If you lovebirds are done, some people want a shower and some food before morning gets here. Sort out who's cheating on who later. I actually want to get back to the hotel!" Dean smirked and tossed his big brother his keys. Roman caught them and looked up at Dean with curiosity.
"Seth got to drive, it's only fair." He pulled Seth into the back with him as Roman started the engine and drove them back to the hotel. Dean crossed another thing off his mental checklist. Fix his brothers' relationship with each other? Check. Next: Destroy Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania.
Roman had a mental checklist of his own that he reviewed as they pulled into the hotel parking lot. He'd crossed out and added so many things, he could hardly keep up these days. Deliver payback to Triple H? Check. Make amends with Seth and Dean? Check. His new main objective? Win the WWE World Heavyweight title at Wrestlemania.
A/N: For those of you confused about the sudden turn of events involving Seth and Roman comforting Moxley, I'll be posting a one-shot that further explains why they suddenly get along better. Again, sorry if some points of the chapter seem random, I've had a really brain scrambling week. Thanks to all the readers for their continued support of this fic! Can I possibly get more reviews from different people? Maybe?