A/N: Ya know, this was originally meant to be a one-shot. But the muses have spoken. This won't turn into a series, more like a collection of one-shots when the muses speak.
Spoilers for the 9/3/2003 show. I am lucky enough to be in Nashville for the live show and have seen the show before it airs. If you are going to watch the PPV, watch it – then read!
For those of you who don't know CM Punk or Julio … allow me to assist: Email me a request for pics at Huzzah13@aol.com and I will send you pics of Julio and CM Punk. Since I can't make a address work on this uploading..::grumble::…
Chapter 2
Punk threw himself against the cage again and again. He would only get so far to the top before Sinn or Slash would knock him off from inside the cage. He howled with anger as he was thwarted yet again from getting to Raven. Father Mitchell and Shane Douglass were in there and hurting Raven and he couldn't get to him! He turned to watch Julio try to break down the door again. Slash was holding the door against the longhaired man and Sinn was again watching for Punk with glee.
Something in the ring flashed and for a moment Punk was filled with horror as he thought Mitchell may have brought a knife into the ring. He was halfway up the side of the cage before he and Sinn realized it. Punk hit the ground immediately after Sinn hit him.
Julio helped him up and held onto Punk for a moment. "What is that bastard going to do with scissors?" Then they both watched in shock as Mitchell removed a lock of hair from a semi-conscious Raven. "Shit." Julio muttered, then went back to the cage door. Punk lent his strength to Julio's and caused both Slash and Sinn to hold it against him while Mitchell and Douglass caused harm to his Raven.
A nudge from Julio and Punk looks up to see The Cowboy James Storm drop in on the other side of the cage. With Sinn and Slash occupied by them and Mitchell and Douglass focused on Raven, it was easy for Cowboy to climb up the other side of the cage and drop in while his partner, Wildcat Chris Harris watched from outside. Punk nearly lost his footing as the New Church and Douglass pushed him and Julio aside to get out of the door. As soon as they were past, he climbed in; intent on getting to Raven who lay slumped beside the cage wall.
Punk put his hand on Raven's leg as he bent in to talk to him and moved immediately at the older man's wince. "Damn, what did they do?"
Raven replied with a grunt. "To my leg? Nothing. AJ did that during the match. But those bastards, I'm going to kill."
Punk growled. "The line starts here."
Raven grinned as his words came back to him. CM Punk getting all protective was kind of hot, he thought. Raven watched the blonde pace the ring and yell at the New Church just outside the ring. He leaned into Julio, "I've never been more pleased to be injured."
Julio snickered. "I'm sure. And in a few hours when it still hurts to breathe, I'll be sure to remind you that you said so. You won the match by DQ, by the way."
"Like that really helps me win the title." Raven responded. "Little jackass Styles. And Russo too, that bastard. Then he remembered watching Julio and Punk walk off with Russo on their shoulders. "What exactly did you two do to Russo?"
Julio smiled down at his friend. "We took him to the back and, uh, kept him occupied."
"Why am I disinclined to believe that is as innocent as it sounds?"
"Because to keep him occupied, Punk had to sit on him and sing the Barney theme song." Julio laughed.
Raven shuddered. "He knows those words? How … scary."
"Yeah well, it worked until we saw the New Church, took off after them, left Russo, then found out that they had doubled back and were already in the ring." Julio said with a touch of guilt.
"Oh please, come back to the ring and make my day better!" Raven and Julio looked at the blonde, as he was leaning out of the cage door, yelling at the New Church and assembled heels. Punk was asking for a fight, a need for revenge becoming a part of him.
Raven looked up at Julio, "You might want to go pull him back before they take him up on his offer. I don't think the three of us can hold the," he paused to count, "seven, I think, of them back."
"Well we don't need to worry, there is more than three of us." His friend responded. Raven took a look around and was pleased to find a milling of faces standing around. "Well how nice."
***~~~***
"And I'll be damned if you will go out there by yourself again. I don't care if they ban me from ringside, I'll buy a damned ticket and sit in the crowd!"
Raven listened to his love rant in their hotel room. Julio sat beside the bed in the room's only chair and Raven was stretched out across the bed using Punk's legs as a pillow. As much as he hated looking up at the others, this was the only way he could be comfortable. Since Punk didn't approve of the drugs and other miscellaneous things that could help, Raven didn't partake of them. But, man, it hurt.
"Trust me," Julio said to Punk, "You don't want to truly catch the attention of the New Church. It's not a pretty place to be." He couldn't quite conceal his shudder. Raven shied away from the mental image the confession brought to mind. Julio bound and gagged with a torch passed in front of him did not for good dreams make.
Raven reached out and casually touched Julio's leg. He knew that Julio still had nightmares about fire now. And as the default leader, he would do all he could to make the New Church pay for their mistake. As he thought about protecting Julio, he also considered protecting his new love. "Shit!" His eyes flew open and he sat up against the pain.
"What?" Punk moved so that his body would still support Raven's injured one. Raven closed his eyes against the sudden mist in them. He still wasn't used to this kind of support from others. And what it leads to could be dangerous.
Raven turned to look at Punk. "We can't tell anyone about us." The hurt look in Punk's eyes almost killed him and Julio's stuttered shock hurt nearly as much. "No, look what The New Church did to Julio for associating with me. If they knew about you…?" He stopped and looked away. "What if I can't always get there in time?"
Julio grabbed both their arms. "That is what I am here for." He looked at Punk, who nodded at him, then looked back to Raven. "Punk and me talked while you were doing that interview. You don't always need to think you have to save us Raven. We can save you too."
Raven looked on in shock. This … he hadn't expected this. This loyalty was uncommon for people who joined his side. Most made no promise to stay on his side. Julio seemed to smile at his reaction, and then the younger man walked into his room and shut the connecting doors. Raven was still looking at the door when he was suddenly on his back as his lover tried to finish a map of Raven's mouth with his tongue. Punk pulled away and stretched his body across Raven's, using his chest as a pillow. "I promise not to let anyone know we are together if it will make you happy, but I still want to scream it from the rooftop or in front of all the fans. We had it wrong in the first place. You are the drug; I am the addicted."
A/N: Wondering if the next part of these should make the boys a threesome of leave them as is. Let me know what you think.