Disclaimer: I don't own any of the WWE Superstars featured in this fic. I wish I could borrow them, though...
Rated: M
WARNINGS: slash, m/m pairings & sex, character death, blood and gore, explicit language, & other graphic scenes
Sheamus' POV
Sheamus tugged at his orange hair in frustration. Everybody was back on the bus, minus Punk and Jericho. And nobody would shut the fuck up for two seconds to hear what he had to say.
"SHUT UP!" Sheamus finally yelled over the loud arguing. Everyone stopped talking and turned to face the Celtic Warrior.
"Finally!" He spat, exasperated. "We found a fresh water stream a few hundred feet from here. Cody and Show have gone to get some. Kane brought back a rabbit that he killed with his bare hands. We'll have to share that along with the roots and berries Christian brought back."
"And what are we supposed to do about Punk and Jericho?" Orton shot back.
"If they're not back in an hour, we'll send a search party out to find them. Got it?"
Everybody nodded in agreement towards Sheamus as they went on with their business. Truth be told, Sheamus was scared out of his tits that Herbert got his slimy hands on the two men, or they were in serious danger. He had to admit, though, that Punk would get them out of trouble if it crossed their path. He managed to take a nap while everyone else divided up the food and savored every morsel. Christian woke him up and waved a small piece of meat and a handful of berries under his nose.
"Eat up," he told Sheamus. "You're leading the search party soon. Randy, Zack, and Kane are going with you."
Sheamus accepted the food and wolfed it down hungrily before standing up and rallying his group together.
"Christian, I'm leaving you in charge. Stay on the bus until we get back."
Sheamus didn't wait to see Christian nod in approval. He hopped off the bus steps and found two big sticks. He handed one to Kane and kept one for himself.
"I'm going to lead," Sheamus spoke. "Kane will take up the rear. We'll leave two trails behind so that hopefully the rain doesn't wash both of them away."
Sheamus dug his stick into the ground and started walking while making sure it remained deep in the ground as he walked on.
"You don't think they'd just be running amok out here, do you?" Kane piped up from the back of the group. "I'd think they'd try to find some shelter from this torrential rain."
"You're right," Sheamus agreed, stopping in his tracks. "I think we should be looking for areas they could be hiding. Think overhanging rocks, small caves, or something else like that."
A shrill noise rang throughout the woods. The men froze to listen. It sounded like somebody yelling or crying, and was definitely not an animal.
"Sounds like it's coming from further ahead," Randy whispered, still listening for any other noises. The noise repeated itself a few times before stopping.
Slowly and quietly, Sheamus lead the four men towards where they heard the noise. The undergrowth was thick there, and burrs and thorns scratched at their exposed skin painfully.
"Fuck!" Zack hissed quietly. "I've got a thorn right near my damn eye!"
While Randy and Kane stayed there to remove the thorn, Sheamus eyed a small, narrow cave among thickly-growing trees. He made his way through the vines and leaves until he could kneel down and peer inside. His eyes met with CM Punk's startled olive eyes.
"The rain…" Punk coughed out, shivering madly. "Washed away the trail…"
"Shh," Sheamus told the tattooed superstar. To the rest of the search party, he yelled, "Guys, come quickly!"
Kane, Randy, and Zack ran over to where Sheamus was kneeling. CM Punk sat crossed-legged with his head slightly bowed down in the cave. Jericho's still body was wrapped around his, and the two shivered violently.
"Are you going to help us?" Punk whispered before coughing harshly. Jericho stirred in his arms and looked up at the search party.
"I'm so cold," he whispered with teeth chattering.
"Come here," Sheamus said, reaching for Chris. He shook his head quickly and held onto Punk tighter.
"No!"
Sheamus sighed with frustration and managed to pull both men out of the cave together. Punk looked up at the men with tired eyes. His lips were blue and his skin was pale. Jericho didn't look too much better.
"Randy, take Jericho and carry him. Kane, take Punk. We have to get them back to the bus now."
Sheamus waited for Randy to pry Jericho away from Punk and hold him in his arms, and Kane to secure Punk in his. He started back on the trail they left until they reached the bus again.
"Zack, pound on the doors until someone opens them!" Sheamus instructed, watching the Broski slam his fists against the doors until Big Show butted them open with his shoulders.
"Show, go grab Zack's blanket, and round up as many spare shirts as you can," Sheamus spoke, ushering the near hypothermic men onto seats next to each other. As soon as they were released, they grasped onto each other in an attempt to warm themselves. Big Show returned with three t-shirts and Zack's blanket in hand. Sheamus used one of the shirts to rub the men down and dry them off, and then put a t-shirt on both of them before wrapping them with the blanket tightly. Their noses ran like two leaky faucets.
Seeing Cody at first glance, Sheamus waved him over. "Go get the First Aid kit."
"We're in the middle of nowhere. There's no First Aid kit," Cody spoke with his slight lisp, putting his hands on his hips.
Sheamus stared at Cody briefly before pointing towards the front of the bus. He watched as Cody's eyes followed his finger to see where he was pointing. "Oh."
Cody ran up to the front of the bus and unhooked the First Aid kit from the wall. He thrust it into Sheamus' face, but the Irish man waved it away.
"I want to keep an eye on these two," Sheamus explained. "Pull out the Basic Emergency Care sheet in there and tell me what to do for hypothermia."
Sheamus kept his eyes on the shivering men as he listened to Cody rustle with paper until he found what he was looking for.
"First Aid for hypothermia," Cody began. "Step one is to eliminate the cause. Remove victim from cold and slowly warm to prevent dangerous heart arrhythmias. Watch for signs of shock and treat for shock if applicable. Obtain professional medical help as soon as possible."
Sheamus removed the blanket from around the two men and ignored the quiet complaints he received. "Sorry, fellas, but I can't warm you too quickly or it will cause problems, not solve them. Now that you're back in the bus and the temperature in here is constant and warm, we can wait until later to give you the blanket."
Making sure the men were alright, he got to his feet and went to the front of the bus. A small box of tissues was wedged into one of the many cup holders. Sheamus tugged it out and brought it to Chris and Punk. Too weak to reach for them on their own, Sheamus handed both of the men a tissue. They wiped their noses and balled the material into their fists.
"I'm going to leave that there," Sheamus said, sticking it between the two. He sighed tiredly as he crossed the aisle and sat down himself. Christian approached him from behind and tapped his shoulder lightly. He turned around to face the slender man.
"Want me to boil some water for them?" he asked. Sheamus looked up at him in confusion.
"The whole reason they're in this mess is because they were trying to find fire starters and failed," Sheamus mumbled. Christian held up a lighter.
"You can thank Daniel later for smoking," Christian joked lightly. "And we have the toilet paper in the bathroom. If he hadn't have double checked his empty cigarette package for a smoke, we never would have known it was there."
Sheamus gave him a brief nod. "Yeah, bring them some warm water. I think, but I'm not sure, that there's a thermos at the front of the bus. I may or may not have seen one when I found the tissues."
Christian left Sheamus and he finally allowed himself to fall asleep.
CM Punk's POV
"Son of a bitch, there were matches in this fucking thing the whole time."
Phil opened his tired eyes slowly and tried to make sense of what was going on. He felt warmer and wasn't shivering as violently anymore, but his head throbbed and his nose still ran like Niagara Falls. Jericho's sleeping body leaned against his, and their arms intertwined slightly. He took a quick look at the clock on the bus and noted briefly that it was 7:39 pm. They had been stranded out in some abandoned woods for nearly a day now, but it felt like so much longer. A loud sneeze overtook his tired body, which only served to make his nose run more. He brought the soiled tissue he still clutched in his fist up to his nose and wiped away the leaking fluids slowly. His eyes focused on Christian, who was coming back with a thermos again.
"I know you had some a little while ago, but Sheamus told me to give you some more," Christian said, handing the travel mug over to the Straight Edge Superstar. He grasped it in his hands, his slender fingers gripping it tightly, and brought it towards his mouth. The steam made his nose leak faster, and he hurried to take a warming sip before the mucous dripped down to his mouth. He wiped his nose again and nudged Chris with the mug, making him take a sip. He tiredly did so before curling back up against the tattooed man and drifting off again. Before Jericho had the chance to get too comfortable, Phil blew his nose a few times in the hopes that the mucous would hold off before draining down his face again. He took the mug from Chris and took a few plentiful sips. The warmth spread from his stomach and to his entire body.
"How are you feeling?" Randy asked, plopping down in the seat in front of him.
"Like shit," Phil murmured. All he wanted to do was sleep, but damn it, insomnia is a royal bitch.
The Viper chuckled. "You look it."
"What, are you calling me ugly?" Phil accused, humor laced in his voice.
Phil watched as Orton's eyes narrowed playfully. "Watch it, Punk. I don't want to RKO such a sick man."
What a tool. "Don't think I can't put your baby-oiled ass to sleep just 'cause I'm sick," Phil shot back with a smile creeping on his face.
The comment about the baby oil sent the Apex Predator into hysterics. At least he was aware of the excess amount of oil he drenched his skin with.
"Now, go away, Randy," Phil murmured, waving his hand in the air. "I'm tired."
"Sure thing," Randy spoke, taking the mug from Phil's hands. "Don't get sick on us, okay? There's only a small amount of Tylenol in that First Aid kit."
"Yeah, yeah," Phil said, shutting his eyes and wrapping his sore arms around the Lionheart. A slight chuckle came from the Viper before he heard him walking away. Pulling Chris closer, he succumbed to his exhaustion.
A/N: Fufufu, and it only gets more interesting from here... Hope you enjoyed this chapter - early update in honor of Father's Day!* Please Review!
*(Completely unrelated to this fic, but I didn't recognize the holiday for Chris/Phil in Oh, Baby!)