Chapter 9
A/N: The musi are being rather silent. But beta was making fic noises and I caved. This chapter has little to do with the show as it is really hurting me. The fire incident I mention is where The New Church had Julio and Alexis Laree tied up and gagged and kept waving torches in their faces until Raven showed up.
The show so far: For the past two weeks it has been thus – Raven has match. Raven wins. Raven get bum rushed after match. Julio and Punk make save. Raven gets pissy. Aarrg! Tonight is the big match where Raven has agreed to tag with The Gathering this one last time. If the turn is coming, well, I'm scared it will be here.
Julio walked out of the bathroom, toweling his hair dry. "Damnit Punk, I mean it. Next time clean up the dye after you make your hair purple. Next time the dye will permanently set in the shower floor. And we'd probably have to pay for it."
Running an absent hand threw his newly colored hair, Punk responded with a nod as the hand held video game beeped on.
He sighed. "Are you even listening?"
Punk smiled. "Yes." He hit the pause button and crawled across the bed he was on to where Julio stood at the end. He sat up and kissed the dark-headed man. "Clean up my shit when I'm done with it or catch hell from the manager. I got it."
Julio gasped dramatically. "He can be taught."
"But not much." Raven spoke up from the desk chair in the room. He closed his laptop as Punk pouted. "I'm ready to eat. You guys ready to go?"
"Yeah, just let me save my game." Punk said, and then got up reaching for his jacket. "You want to dry your hair first Julio?"
"Nah." Julio threw the towel back in the bathroom. "You guys go on without me. I'm not too hungry. Too tired to be hungry," he yawned. "I'm hitting the bed."
Raven walked up to him, frowning a bit. "Are you alright?" Punk even stopped putting on his coat to wait for the answer.
He snorted. "Yeah Raven. I'm ok. Just exhausted."
"Okay." Punk said a little hesitantly. "We should be back soon then."
"Go to bed." Raven spoke quietly and ran his hand down Julio's arm, giving him chill bumps from the caress. "We won't wake you when we get back."
And he was right. Julio never heard them come in that night. He sleept deeply and never noticed Raven pulling the blankets back around him or Punk wrapping an arm around his waist.
***~~~***
Julio knew that Punk was supposed to be in the locker room, but not seeing him didn't bother him. He was around. He started digging threw his bags for that thing he had to have before going to the ring. He heard the door shut behind him and assumed it was Punk. He turned, but no one was there. He shrugged and turned back to his things.
It was the smell that tipped him off.
The scent of smoke rolled across the room like a truck. It was just suddenly there, and noticeable. Not like a little hint of smoke, just wham there. He turned and his heart nearly stopped when he saw the flames licking up the door. He screamed something, what it was he didn't know. An unintelligible shout of horror that came from him. He started panicking and turned in a circle only to see no other way out and the flames creeping from the other walls across the floor. He jumped over a bench and pulled Punk's bag from the path of fire only to have his hands get wet. He pulled him close only to smell the gasoline that covered them.
The terror was making it hard to think or breathe at all. He knew Punk was supposed to be around but hadn't seen him at all. Had he been hurt? Was he still here somewhere, unable to remove himself from the fire because he was unconscious? He was looking around and moving things that Punk could possibly be behind. He couldn't find the younger man but knew, just knew, that he was in danger there if Julio didn't find him.
It was getting hotter and Julio was sweating and scared and some of the water on his face wasn't just sweat but the tears he was crying. There was no way out, he could not find Punk and just where the hell were people? If there was a fire shouldn't someone else see it? But he couldn't follow that thought because the fire was taking his air and getting so much closer and he was backed into a small corner where there were no flames, but that wouldn't be much longer.
"Julio!"
It was Raven. He was outside and knew Julio was there. "Raven!" he called back. "Help! I can't find Punk and I can't get past the fire and I can't breathe..." he trailed off, gasping. He could feel pressure on his arm and looked to see a cord wrapped around his wrist. He screamed again and tried to pull it off and stop holding him in place. It fell away moments later but the fire was closer. "Raven!" he screamed.
"Julio! Please!"
He opened his eyes. Raven was above him on the bed; holding him from tossing yet again, fear in his eyes. Punk sat beside him, his hand loosely gripping Julio's wrist. Information flooded his mind. It was another nightmare. His loves were safe. He collapsed in silent tears.
Raven pulled Julio's shaking body against his and cradled him to his chest. Punk crawled up and pulled Julio's hair away from his face. "I'll go get some water," he said softly to Raven.
The older man nodded and began softly crooning to Julio, "It's okay. We're here. You are alright."
Punk came back with a glass and a wet cloth. He wiped of the tears and got Julio to take a sip of the water. It was a routine they had unfortunately fallen into. Julio's nightmares would suddenly return and it would involve a long night of trying to sleep again. The next day Julio would pretend it never happened. And keeping his unspoken request, neither would Raven or Punk.
"I'm sorry," was the husky whisper from Raven's arms. "I'll be okay."
In response, Raven just gripped him tighter and Punk took both Julio's hands in his. "You have nothing to be sorry for Julio." Raven defended. "The only thing we have to be sorry for is that I didn't finish James Mitchell when I had the chance." He growled. "I could hurt him a hundred times over for this."
"I only wish you would have let me get a piece of him." Punk sighed. "Although I was pleased at the amount of blood shed."
Julio felt Raven smile. But nothing alleviated the knot in his chest. "I feel so damn weak."
Raven snorted. "You are not weak, baby. You got through the fire ordeal when it happened and you still get up every morning after one of these nightmares. That makes you so very strong."
"Yeah," Punk added. "Don't think I could ever face the New Church ever again if that happened to me. I know he threw a fireball at me, but I wasn't, well, you know." He shuddered. "I wouldn't have been able to break out of the ropes myself, much less try to fight off Slash and Brian Lee afterwards."
Julio smiled a bit. "I'll never understand why you guys love me."
"Because you are Julio and we do." Raven said, kissing the top of his head.
Punk grinned. "That and the fact that you are hotter than hell."
Julio opened his arms to Punk and he snuggled inside, using Julio's chest as a pillow. It sill took Julio a bit to calm his breathing and heartbeat, but wrapped in Raven's grasp and holding Punk reaffirmed comfort through touch. Punk fell asleep first and Julio, albeit reluctantly, followed.
Raven stayed awake longer, looking down on both of them. He smiled, amazed again at his fortunes and hoped that the day they'd split would never come. He also hoped a bit that Mitchell just tried to hurt what was his again. It wouldn't come to a match that time, it would still be a beating, but one that no one would ever see or hear about. He snickered and slid into sleep.