Author's note: I'm sorry for the time it takes to get these out. It's been worse emotionally lately, but I won't bore you with it. At least I got this out now.
And there Dean left again. Seth felt bad for it to happen. Twice. And he was the reason for it, both times… He didn't mean for it to be like this. He knew he could have expected some resistance from him… but for him to be so upset and leave, and come back hurt. That made Seth feel very uneasy. Well, he could have done a Seth and just tripped but considering Dean's state… he feared Dean did other sorts of things to deal with his emotions. He just hoped his fears of self-harm wasn't one of them. Dean was a fighter… so he hoped he'd just been busted up during a fight.
Seth just had wanted to help… try to do his best for his new team in this training. So when Dean became pissed, Seth had just mirrored his emotion, letting his frustrations out when he had tried so hard but been given nothing back. He didn't mean to. But Dean had just behaved like an ass. Not that it was an excuse…
Dean's words still bounced in his head. He hated mages because of his mother? What had he been through to be feeling like that for his own mom? He was not the best with his own family right now, obviously, but it wasn't like he disliked a certain kind of people because of it. Thinking about it, he felt really bad for Dean. He wanted to know what had happened, but just from Dean's reaction before, it clearly wasn't anything he wanted to talk about.
"Just leave him for now", Roman said and put a hand on Seth's shoulder. Was it so obvious he was thinking about going after him? Mostly to apologize actually. And to see if he was okay. Funny that he seemed to care about someone that didn't give a crap about him. Or cared… did he care? Maybe. Dean was his team mate now, so. Yeah…
"I guess this will conclude the training", Mr Helmsley said. "I'll let you know your next move."
"How did we do?" Seth quickly said, surprising himself with that question. But it had seemed so final; that Mr Helmsley was about to leave.
"You're rough", he just got as an answer. "But with some experience, you'll make it work."
Seth figured Mr Helmsley was disappointed in them. Maybe they didn't meet his expectations. But Seth had a feeling it wouldn't have worked out any other way considering the vibes from Dean earlier. And it didn't help that Seth was very awkward during this first training. He had tried being of help and of support but again, Dean had made it really hard for him. But Seth wasn't the one to give up. This was just training, and training was for failing and getting experience from learning. It was in missions stuff counted anyway. They clearly weren't ready for those yet, but with more training, he hoped they could make it work. The first training wasn't the marker for how their team work was anyway.
"I've seen enough", Mr Helmsley continued. "You'll be summoned. Dismissed."
"Good work", Mr Cena said to his fellow Hunters. Even though Seth didn't agree with him, he nodded his acknowledgement.
Mr Swagger nodded towards them and the two Hunters left, together with Mr Helmsley and his men.
"I'm sorry, Roman", Seth said when they were alone.
"Hey, it was just training, and our first. It went well, considering. You should have seen mine and Dean's first practice together. Thought he was going to bite my head off and beat me senseless."
"Sounds like a really violent session."
"No kidding, and we were supposed to be on the same team."
Roman gave a short laugh but Seth just smiled awkwardly.
"So he was quite calm now, comparing."
Seth didn't know what to say to that, so he just nodded a little, his thoughts wandering to Dean again.
"Don't worry about him", Roman said, as if he was some kind of mind reader. "He's reckless, but he's not stupid."
Seth nodded a little again, feeling down. "But really… I didn't mean to make it worse by getting pissed… it's just…"
"You didn't get it worse. Dean's… just Dean… he's unpredictable and well…" Roman just let it trail off, giving him an apologetic smile. As if he had to apologize for Dean's behaviour?
"Even so… just my presence triggered him, didn't it… and he doesn't like change…"
"If anyone's to blame it's Triple H, he knows all too well how Dean is. He pushed his buttons."
At first Seth didn't know who Roman was talking about but it didn't take him long to put two and two together and realize Hunter Hearst Helmsley must be Triple H. "Why is that?" he asked. "If he knew Dean's reaction, why'd he do this on purpose?" He had been given the impression that Mr Helmsley was a fair man, but then again, he had had quite the unexplainable smirk when he told Seth about this morning.
"Because he can. I think he does that to Dean because he is Dean. Triple H is a decent man otherwise, always thinking what's best in the long run, you know."
That still left Seth with question marks. Roman confirmed his thoughts of Mr Helmsley being a very well-prepared man, and something about the presentation and the talk about compatibility just gave him the impression that Mr Helmsley had some ulterior motives. But it still didn't explain why he was like that to Dean. Did he test his limits? It didn't seem right to be asking Roman about it though, and he seemed kind of vague on purpose.
"You call Mr Helmsley Triple H?" he just asked instead, kind of giving himself some confirmation and the end of the thought.
"Yeah. Everyone does."
"And he knows you call him that?"
"Yup", Roman smiled. It was a little lopsided. "But Dean calls him Trips sometimes. Triple H isn't quite as fond of that."
"That's why Dean does it", Seth concluded, half smiling. Then another thought hit him. "Then what's up with 'Sethie'?"
"I don't know. He just randomly called you that." Another of those apologetic smiles.
Seth got a feeling he didn't call him that to be nice. Especially not having confirmed how Dean used nicknames.
"Don't wanna come between you though", Seth said, feeling a little saddened again by the thought of their lost team mate, and what Dean had said when he had referred to Seth as 'Sethie'.
Roman took a while before he said something. Seth wasn't sure if that was good or not. Dean seemed to think Seth was a threat to him; to be pointing out that Roman could team up with him instead.
"Dean…" Roman began. "Dean is complicated. He's a lone wolf that doesn't let many people in. And you already know his dislike for Rune Bearers."
"You know why?" Seth asked before able to filter himself.
"He never talks about his past."
"So the thing he said about his mother…?"
"All I know is that he had a rough childhood. What happened… I know as much as you."
Seth knew he had gone too far by asking Roman this, but he just couldn't help himself. He still wanted to know… "But you're a Rune Bearer", he said instead, changing the path of the conversation slightly but not making it super obvious he was still asking about Dean, turning it around to Roman instead. Kind of.
"Yeah, but I'm not a mage. I can use some Magic but I'm foremost a warrior."
Seth didn't pry more. He wanted to know more but he didn't dare venture further now, not with how short Roman's answers were. That didn't stop his thoughts to continue on; Dean had come to accept Roman even though he had Runes. But maybe it was the warrior aspect that was the main reason for that. Seth's asset was his Magic… He felt like he by default could never be in Dean's good books… He had been talking about Magic, and how mages used Magic to hurt people. Had he been hurt by Magic? Had his mother hurt him with Magic and that's the reason for his trust issues? It would make some major sense though. A mother is the one closest to you from birth, and if that bond's broken… It would probably have a fatal impact on future relations. But he didn't know. He only speculated. Which he probably shouldn't do. He didn't know, so he shouldn't try to analyze Dean just from his own thoughts and theories. But he couldn't help it, his mind travelled there anyway.
"You really don't think we should go after him? To see he's okay? You did before…", Seth said instead, tracing back to where they had started.
"Last time was different. This time… I think we should just leave him alone this time, call it the big brother hunch."
Seth couldn't help but smile a little at that. It really fitted, Roman sure was the big brother type. But then it faded again. "But really, you came back with him hurt."
"You sound like I had something to do with it."
That gave Seth a unpleasant jerk in his gut. He didn't mean it like that…! "I-it wasn't like…! I didn't…!" He felt so embarrassed, he didn't know what to phrase his explanation.
"Chill, man, I was just messing with you", Roman laughed and Seth calmed down a little. But he still felt a little bad for making it sound bad. "He had been beating up a horde of jawks, guess they put up quite a fight for him."
So Dean took out his emotions on monsters? That's a little calming. Dean was a good fighter but to be going out alone… Seth just couldn't help but worry a little.
He was glad he had been there to have been able to Heal Dean. Those wounds had been pretty severe. Good he had gotten his Recovery done in time for their return. Thinking of the Recovery. It had been his normal two hours. That was kind of lame, he had thought he had developed it, but no, it was the same again. Why was that? Was it really because he had been so stressed out, panicked and adrenaline rushed at that time? Okay so maybe that could serve a purpose, being in that mode and Recover faster, but it was still disappointing.
It was probably the same with the Re-Set. It had been as it always was when Roman had been kind enough to help him. That electric unpleasant feeling. It stung and hurt. It was like you didn't know what to do with yourself, just feeling like you're getting needle pricked from the inside. When being Re-Set before the Trial, it wasn't like that, it was… he didn't know exactly right now but it hadn't hurt. But he had probably been so high on panic and adrenaline so he just saw past that.
At least he still had a good stable level of Magic so he wouldn't need another Re-Set soon. He used his Magic efficiently, reserving his Runes.
"So… what do we do now?" he asked.
"Should get back to town."
"Shouldn't we wait for Dean?"
"He'll find his way home. He knows these whereabouts like the back of his own hand. If someone moved a rock in these woods, he'd notice it."
That's impressive. Seth still could get lost in town even though he'd lived there for all his life.
They walked in silence. Seth couldn't help keeping a look out for Dean as they walked. His mind raced again, going through today's events over and over. And he always wandered back to how bad he felt for Dean. He said he didn't want his pity, but he still couldn't shake that feeling off. Dean's reasons for being like that… and he still wanted to try to apologize and explain himself… try to make him understand he meant him no harm. No matter what had happened to him in his past and whatever Magic users had done to him. Seth wasn't like that. He felt like… Dean needed some mage kindness. Maybe then he'd see not every mage was like he thought they were. It was a really weird thought, crazy even.
He didn't like the feeling of being hated… Did he really hate him…? The thought made him sad. Dean had yelled it to his face. He hated mages…
"I can show you around the Guild if you want?" Roman interrupted his thoughts, catching Seth off guard.
"Uh… yeah… sure", he nodded. That would be nice of him.
They soon reached Authority and Roman led them towards the Guild. He showed him the courtyard where people just hanged, as Seth had already suspected as he had passed there previously. They walked through the corridors, Roman pointing out several types of rooms, some that Seth didn't even need to know but got to know anyway; storage rooms, some kind of armoury (but it was mainly equipment for trainees and stuff, not so much suitable for the real deal out there), broom closets (even though those were probably just for shows), archives and trophy rooms, and even more storage rooms for mission items that hadn't been picked up by the requester. There were a lot of those, it seemed.
"Here's the cafeteria", Roman said, pointing towards a big hall with some counters before a wide kitchen area. There were several long tables with a lot of benches along them. A couple of hundred people could easily be seated here at the same time. "We get one hot meal a day here and it's often two choices. We can get food here between 4 and 7.30, but it's best to go around 6 because people are often here around 4, wanting to be the first to eat. But most are often finished by 6, making everything easier and less crowded. If it's not like some fish ragu or pancakes, then there are few people anytime. It's weird, I thought everyone liked pancakes, and that fish ragu is great. Even Dean likes it."
Seth liked fish too and he loved pancakes. So yeah, he really couldn't understand why there would be less people here at those nights. He appreciated Roman's inside info about the cafeteria; the best time to go to eat and such. They soon continued their tour. Leaving the cafeteria, Seth noticed the menu board said noodles and beef and bread wraps. Whatever that was. Would be interesting to find out.
"This is the Guild's agency, you see that lady over there?"
Seth saw the lower middle-aged woman. She had quite a rough look, like she'd been a Hunter herself before this.
"She, or some other lady, will take our mission reports. Just present your Rune stone or mission items and you'll get your payment."
"Yeah, Mr Triple H had said something about that. I don't have a Rune stone though, have never heard of it. Just thought people could have Runes. He said I didn't need one though because I already have Runes."
"Well… Rune stones are like Magical stones in people's preferred weapons, that record kills and the type of monsters. I'm not too sure how it works exactly though, you know the technicalities behind it. But I guess the Runes on the stones are like our Runes, they keep the Magic that keep tracks on whatever energies monsters may send out. You activate them, a little like a Re-Set giving it some energy, and while it's active it does the counting for you."
"Neat." It made sense though, considering the vibes people were talking about during the Trial, especially. So monsters probably also had vibes that these Runes could register.
"Yup, makes stuff around here much easier. I think the first Hunters had to count for themselves and people cheated, saying they had killed X amount of monsters even though they had been chilling in the forest for three days.
Oh, and you have to deactivate it, or else you're gonna be drained."
"Yeah, you mentioned it was like a Re-Set. The Runes need their energy from somewhere", Seth caught on.
"Yeah, it's not as fatiguing as the Re-Set, but it steals a little of your energy while in use, not much but you're gonna feel it if you have it activated like several days in a row, you know."
"Okay", Seth just nodded before he got back to his first issue: "But… how do I do it? I don't have a weapon or a Rune stone."
"People with Runes don't need them."
"But you have Runes."
"I just prefer the Rune stone, I usually use my spear during hunts anyway. For Rune Bearers, they just present their Runes, and they read it from there. I have never done it since I've always used my stone. But that's the procedure, as I've seen it. Sorry for not being a greater help."
"No no, thank you for your input." Seth gave him a small smile.
"We could always find another Rune Bearer and ask him if there's anything in particular needed to be done. Or ask the lady at the counter there."
Seth looked at the lady, there was a line of Hunters there too. "Maybe not now, but I'll be sure to ask her before our first mission", he said, not wanting to have to wait just to ask, and make Roman wait.
Roman smiled and nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
As they left the agency area, Roman pointed towards another part of the building. "That's the living quarters, where the Hunters have their rooms. You wanna see our room?"
"Yeah, sure", Seth nodded. That would be interesting to see how they lived. He followed Roman to the pointed out wing and the bigger Hunter opened the doors leading to a whole lot of corridors. It felt like a maze before Roman stopped at one of the doors, opening it.
"It may look messy", he said letting Seth in.
The room was modest, even though clothes and equipment were scattered all over the furniture and floors. It wasn't that bad though, it looked like any teenager's room. There were some chests and cupboards around the walls (did they even use them considering all the items everywhere?). There was a table and a couple of chairs at the short wall leading in to a very simple kitchen area. At another wall there was a small door leading somewhere, maybe a closet? And he noticed the two beds; bunk beds.
"So yeah… this is our room, you have a kitchen and a bathroom and some places to put your stuff. This is where we'll be staying."
That's nice. And having a small kitchen and bathroom. That's convenient. A very nice room indeed. Wait what? "Where we'll be staying?" he asked aloud, stunned by his own realization.
"Yeah… the procedure is that Hunter teams live together, sharing rooms."
That's right… Mr Triple H had mentioned that during the briefing that Hunters lived together.
"There are only two beds…" Seth stated the obvious.
"There's still time, I'm sure Triple H has arranged something", Roman said reassuringly. "Otherwise I'll just go talk to someone at the agency about it."
Seth nodded, shy all of a sudden. He couldn't help welcoming this arrangement, how odd it may seem. But he didn't want to be home. He didn't feel welcome there, not after yesterday… He still worried about Dean and his feelings about it though, but… his feeling about his parents' house, especially while his aunt was still there, was worse. And that said a lot. He noticed Roman looking at him. "Hm?" he said, in an asking manner.
"What?" Roman said, acting like he was caught staring or mid-thought. "Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about your outfit."
"What's wrong with my outfit?" Seth said, looking down at himself, lifting his arms and half turning around to try to figure out what Roman meant.
"Nothing wrong with it, I was just thinking that you might be wanting some armour now when you're a Hunter. You know some light protection for your arms and legs or something since you're a mage, you know."
Seth looked at his wrists, considering having some leather for some protection.
"Yeah, I think it may be a good idea", he nodded. "May not be a front liner like you, but yeah, some protection would be good."
"We can go get some if you want? I can show you the place where we get our gear."
"Thank you."
"No problem", Roman smiled.
The store had all kinds of stuff that a Hunter or warrior would need, with all the medicinal stuff and clothes, armour and other equipment. It was hard to know what to get; he had never needed to think about it before. He didn't want to change his outfit too much though, especially not the coat and shirt since those were custom made for him. But bracers seemed like a good idea and he found a pair that had its binding strings on the inside of the wrist, if he just altered the cross threading on the left one he'd be able to access his wrist Rune easily. And he could have a glove on the hand he didn't need for his Rune, because he needed skin to Rune contact for his catalyst to work. Maybe some greaves would work too, having some shin protection. Other than that, he felt like the armour would become more bulky than useful. He was supposed to be in the background and he had to rely on his Magic and agility to move around easily. So he settled on the bracers, a pair of gloves (even though he'd only use one of them) and a pair of greaves. The equipment was very nice. And very pricy… He used more or less all his saved up money on them. But seeing the quality, he knew it was worth it. Even Roman said so, being his help and advisor on this.
They had a simple design, with seams as decorations around the armour area. No engravings or anything. He liked it simple. It made it look more exclusive or something. Less is more and all that.
On the way back, Seth made sure to pass the agency again to ask them about the Runes and the missions. Turned out he had nothing to worry about. His Runes automatically picked up the monsters vibes from his beaten monsters and was then read from any Rune, it didn't have to be his Re-Set one. And compared to the stones that needed activation and deactivation, his Runes were always active, if he wasn't Exhausted of course. So nothing had to be done on his part and nothing weird about the reading either. As he was already there, they made notes or registered his name as part of The Shield. They already knew he was from Mr Triple H, but they appreciated seeing the face to that name as a kind of a confirmation. Seth was just happy to be of help and relieved that he didn't need to get a stone or a weapon.
Even though he'd already received some of the info from Mr Triple H, it was nice with a reminder as well as some more detailed explanation.
After their finished errands, they could soon return back to the room.
Seth tried on his new arm armour as Roman was just taking it easy. They looked good, he felt. If he may say so himself.
"Roman", he began, wanting to bring up a thought of his.
"Yeah?"
"If the beaten monsters are automatically registered in the Runes, I mean… how come you chose to have the stone?"
Roman just shrugged. "I used my spear while being a ranger, so I'm very comfortable with it. Again, I'm not a mage like you, I have some enhancing Magic, nothing for attack or anything like that. I just like the feeling of it. I can't quite explain it. Yeah, I guess just reading the Runes is more convenient. But sometimes what's more comfortable is more important than convenience."
"I see. Sorry, I'm just curious after hearing about it at the agency."
"Don't worry about it", another of Roman's friendly smiles.
Seth just smiled back as the door opened. Dean returned. Relief poured over him seeing him, and he didn't seem hurt this time, from a first glance.
Dean barely looked around the room at first but then he lifted his gaze and locked eyes with Seth. Seth had no idea what he was thinking.
"What is he doing here?" he said after looking away again.
"Roman invited me", Seth said, not taking it that he was just referred as "he". "And, I'm glad you're safe."
"As if you care", Dean muttered.
"I do care…" Seth mumbled, feeling a little hurt by his attitude. "Dean… I'm… I'm…" He didn't know how to phrase it. And Dean didn't look at him. "Dean…"
"I don't wanna hear it."
"Guys…" Roman interfered. "Dean, good to have you back and yeah, Seth's part of our team and that means we're roomies, alright?"
"I'm not sharing my bunk", Dean quickly said.
"I didn't expect you to, but-"
"It's okay, I can sleep on the floor", Seth said. He wanted to be as a small inconvenience as possible.
"Shouldn't you be with mommy and daddy?" Dean cut in, still not looking at him.
"That's… no, I rather not go home", he said insecurely. He glanced at Dean, deciding if he'd continue or not. He'd had another confrontation with his aunt last night after the talk with his parents. And that had not ended well. As it never did lately… "My aunt's there, and we… well… we don't get along… so I'd rather stay here and sleep on the floor than having to face her and my parents at home." He didn't know how much he'd tell them. "So yeah… if I may…"
"Of course, man", Roman said. "You wanna tell what happened?"
"I don't know… it's just…" he sighed. "It's just… I thought they were on my side you know…? But turns out they're just like everybody else. You know about the Wind…"
"Oh… the Wind as the weakest element?"
Seth just nodded. It wasn't like he didn't trust them with his story. He just didn't know where to start and what to say.
"I'm sorry, man… but you know, if there's any consolation, I've always thought that all Magic is equal."
"Thanks, Roman…"
"Still not sharing my bunk", Dean just said again.
"I know… and I don't want your bunk", Seth said. He couldn't help thinking it was a big deal Dean hadn't said something about Seth sharing the room. He was just protective of his bed. "I'm cool with the floor." He tried to analyze Dean again before he continued. "Dean… about before… I didn't mean to upset you… and I'm really sorry. I… I just hope we'll be able to co-exist at least, you know. I don't expect you to like or even… not disliking me. I may be a Magic user… but my Magic is for helping and defending people." He knew he'd said it before, but he hoped that Dean was in another state of mind right now. "I'm sorry for whatever happened to you… but I'm Seth, okay? My Magic does not define me… I'm Seth."
Dean actually turned and looked at him for a moment, having that completely unreadable expression. Maybe it was good? At least he didn't rage at him.
"Yeah whatever, kid", he said, throwing his stuff on an already occupied chair and hopped up onto the bottom bunk, lying down with his arms behind his head.
Seth was just happy things didn't get worse. They were on seemingly neutral grounds.
"I'll go see if I can find someone to get us some spare mattress and some blankets", Roman said. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, okay?"
Seth nodded, Dean just made a sound, something that didn't sound like he could promise that. Some moments passed and Seth just stood awkwardly where he was, looking around.
"Dean…?" he said after a while, not even sure why. And he didn't get an answer.
"You seem fine… physically I mean. I mean you're not hurt… or like injured." Gah, why was it so hard getting the words out?
Still no reply.
"Glad you're unharmed…"
Dean just repositioned a little.
"Um… yeah… uh… Roman gave me a tour around the area. It's still a lot to take in but it's some nice facilities. And the architecture's nice. You know the clean style of the buildings. He even showed me the equipment store and I got myself some armour. See?" He showed him the bracers but Dean still refused to give him anything in return. "They are pretty nice." He awkwardly put his blonde hair behind his ear, trying to think of something else to say.
"I… uh…"
"Do you ever shut up?"
"What?"
"All you do is talking."
"I-I'm sorry… just trying to have a conversation."
"Why would you wanna do that?"
"Because… I don't know… maybe I wanna get to know my partners."
"You're not my partner."
"But I'm on your team."
"Doesn't mean we're partners."
"Then what does it mean?"
"It means you're a intruding brat."
Another punch in the stomach. "You know… it hurts me when you say that", he finally said. "I'm sorry you feel like so. I really mean it. And I really meant it when I said that I hoped to be on your team when I got this opportunity to be a Hunter. Even though I figured you wouldn't like it… But I still didn't want to mention it to Mr Triple H in fear of him changing his mind and putting me somewhere else." He wasn't sure why he even told him all this, maybe it was just his nervous rambling. But to his surprise Dean actually looked at him while he talked. Seemingly listening. "I get you see me as an intruder and again, I'm sorry you feel like so. I'm not here to take someone's place… I'm here to… to you know… just be here… beside you… or behind you… I don't know", he made a nervous chuckle.
"Listen", Dean sat up, slouching over. "I don't like you, alright? Never did, never will. Yeah, I helped you before your test or whatever, but we owe each other nothing. I have no idea why you're being like this; wanting to get to know me and be my partner. I'm an ass, a bastard and a scumbag. I don't like people and I don't like mages. Reason enough for not liking you?"
Seth felt another sting hearing Dean. But then he started thinking that maybe Dean was like that just to protect himself. Maybe he drove people away, not letting people drive him away, hurting him?
"You know…" he started. "I was always alone as a kid. There are a lot of Rune Bearers in my family, having this… connection because of it. I had a late Rune appearance, making people think I was the failure of the family, not having any Runes. I got mine just a couple of months ago. Wind. The 'weakest' element as people say. But they seemed happy about me being a Healer. Real honour", he gave an unamused smile. "I thought they accepted me. But I was wrong. Turned out my family was just like everybody else. They're disappointed in me for having Wind. Everybody says I'm weak and can't do shit. But they're wrong. And I'm gonna prove them wrong.
I didn't ask for my Runes… but I'm gonna make the best use of them I can. To help people, and yeah, even if that means hurting monsters because of it.
Yeah, I've wanted to be a Hunter for a very long time, but I'm not built for it", he gestured at his form.
"You think I care?"
Seth was taken aback. "No… just wanted to share something with you", he said.
"You think I'd open up to you because of it?"
"I don't know. Maybe?"
"Not happening. You know what you need to know about me."
"Maybe I want to know more."
"You don't. Listen. I don't care about you or your freaking mage problem. We're stuck here because Triple H makes the stupid rules. And I don't wanna end up with a Wyatt."
"I appreciate that."
"Don't. I'm still not accepting you. You're an intruder."
Seth fell silent for a while. Dean sure had some really tough walls and vicious defence mechanisms. He really wanted to keep Seth out. He sat down on the floor, bringing his skinny knees to his chin. He felt defeated. Everything he said was just thrown back at him. He probably tried too hard, but he just had this unexplainable drive to. He sighed.
"You're wrong", he said eventually. "You're not a bastard or a scumbag. You're an ass, yes, but you're honest and loyal. And even if you're not realizing it, you're caring. You just don't want to admit it. Because you're stubborn."
Dean actually turned to look at him, having his blank face, or it wasn't blank, just… unreadable. He kept his gaze longer than ever before. He noticed his eyes were more baby blue than the grey blues he'd seen before. Seth meant everything he'd said, and hoped Dean would see that.
"Shut up, you don't know me. Don't pretend like you do", he finally said and turned over, facing the wall.
Seth couldn't help but smile at that. He had broken something in Dean's walls. He stubbornly wanted to keep this bastard/scumbag image, but just the fact that he just now had turned his back on Seth; he couldn't be all untrusting, otherwise he would never turn his back on a stranger. It was meant as an insult but from what he knew about Dean, it was the opposite. Whether he was aware of it himself or not.
Roman returned a little bit later, seemingly happy to find his team and room as he left them. He had been promised a spare bed but didn't know when they would arrange it but he thought it would be done by the evening. He got a thick blanket and a couple of thinner ones. Seth was happy about that, and the effort he put into arranging this. Roman didn't mind. They were on the same team, so. To him, it seemed that said everything.
They shared each other's silent company before deciding to get to the cafeteria.
The eating quarters were almost deserted, only a few groups of men were occupying the tables. He didn't recognize anyone except Mr Cena and Mr Swagger. They gave a wave as they entered. Only Roman and Seth waved back.
Both Dean and Roman got the noodles but Seth wasn't sure what to try. The noodles and beef looked good but the bread wraps seemed interesting too. It was like flatbread that was filled with some creamy stuff. But he liked noodles… He looked over his choices and went with the noodles. It was the safest choice, he thought.
He noticed the cafeteria people gave him less than Dean and Roman. Was it because of his built? That he was skinnier than his team mates? It still looked like it would be enough for him though, but maybe not fill him up completely. But maybe it was good it was lesser food since he didn't know if he liked it or not. He doubted it, because he liked food and to eat; even though it didn't show on him, because he had hollow legs or something.
He decided to sit next to Roman at the table, didn't dare to challenge fate by sitting next to Dean, across from him was probably safer.
They ate in silence. And the food was good, well cooked and seasoned.
Dean quickly finished his food. Did he even chew it? It seemed he had just inhaled it. Seth continued eating his noodles, finding some weird half green, half yellow veggies. They didn't taste weird though, just sweet. As he was chewing his food, he felt something bounce off his cheek. He touched the spot, seeing some sauce on his palm. Where did that come from? Another bounce. But this time he noticed Dean flicking his finger. "Hey!" he said.
Dean just made some uncaring mocking expression and just flicked another veggie. Seth avoided it by leaning away. "Don't throw those veggies at me…!"
"Not throwing", Dean said and picked up one and actually threw it at him. It hit his face.
"Dean…!"
"That's a throw", Dean just grinned mischievously.
Seth wasn't amused. Was he like, five? But Seth wouldn't stoop to his level. Another veggie bounced off him. He was just about to tell him off when Roman spoke up:
"Dean, come on, don't play with your food. Don't flick, throw or anything else at Seth, okay?" He gave Dean a very stern look, like a fatherly one. Dean looked defiant though, as if he was going to send another veggie flying but it was just a fake hand manoeuvre before leaning back to his seat. He really looked like a kid like that.
Seth appreciated Roman's defence there, even though he'd been about to tell him his mind anyway. He noticed some glances from the swordsman even though he looked away every time Seth looked up. And he didn't even look up every time he sensed Dean's eyes on him.
The rest of the dinner went by peacefully though. At least no more food was flying or harsh words spat around.
After he finished his plate, Seth still felt like he could have some more. It wasn't like he was still hungry, he just felt like he wanted some more just because it was good. But he played nicely for now. It was his first time there, and he didn't dare asking for seconds.
They returned to the room where they more or less just minded their own business. Seth took the opportunity to change the string binding on his left bracer so that his Rune wouldn't be covered. It wasn't that big of a deal, just removing one of them to make a convenient gap on his wrist. He put them away on a less occupied chair and tried to suppress a yawn. It wasn't that late, but he already felt drained.
"You tired?" Roman asked.
"Shouldn't be", Seth replied, trying to hinder another yawn.
"Being tired doesn't follow the time of the day. If you're tired, you can nap on my bunk."
Dean gave him a glare at that.
"No… no, I can't take your bed. And I'm sure it wouldn't just be a nap if I try to sleep… I should try to stay up a bit longer…" but quite frankly, he just wanted to sleep… he was so tired…
"You've had a long day, just go to sleep, kid", Roman said shooting him another one of his reassuring smiles.
"… okay…" He looked around the room to see where he should make his bed. Roman helped him clear an area next to the wall, slightly across the bunk beds. They folded the thicker blanket to use as a mattress. Roman expressed his concerns about him having to sleep on the floor, but Seth was completely positive he'd manage. It was enough with the stuff he'd gotten and it wasn't Roman's fault they hadn't fixed a bed for him yet.
He visited the bathroom on the other side of that mystery door. It had a toilet, sink and shower. He fixed what he needed to do before he crawled into bed. He felt randomly uncomfortable getting undressed with the others in the room so he had taken off his outer clothes in the bathroom but he left his thinner clothes on until he was under the covers, where he removed them. Except his undies.
Dean looked like he was going to say something but he closed his mouth again when he got another stern look from Roman. Heh, Roman sure had Dean well-trained like that.
Seth cuddled up into his blankets, breathing in the unfamiliar but clean scents. It didn't take him long to go out like a candle.
All of his body ached when he woke up the next morning. He hadn't woken up once during the whole night. Seems like he had really slept like the dead.
He stretched his protesting back and reached for his bag to check the time. Around 8. He had been sleeping for around 13 hours. Dude… He still felt tired though and just wanted to go back to sleep but he knew it was a bad idea considering the amount of hours he had already slept.
And he needed to go to the bathroom…
He grabbed his clothes and got himself ready. Back out again he collected his armour and put them on. He still thought they looked good on him. He smiled. He turned his left bracer up and was shocked to see it was marked. At first he thought it was ink but then he saw they were cuts. Two X's were carved into the leather. Why was that…? They hadn't been there before. Did someone…? He stopped himself. He already knew who. He took the bracer off and looked it over. Two clean X's. He looked at the other one, nothing was done to that, thankfully.
For some reason, he felt sad about it, not like he was going to cry but the tingling was there. Why'd he cry over some stupid bracers? But why had Dean done that…? It must have been, Roman wouldn't have done it and Dean was the hostile one. It wasn't like ruined or destroyed, the carvings were just on the top layer. He wanted to confront him about it. But he was sleeping. But Dean didn't respect his stuff. But he shouldn't get down to his level.
To hell with it.
He threw the bracer on Dean, making sure it hit the back of his head.
"Why'd you do this!?" he demanded.
"Wasn't me…" Dean said, not even fully awake.
"I know it was you."
Dean groggily tried to focus on him, stiffening when he realized Seth was talking to him. Seth wouldn't have it, he reclaimed the piece of armour and shoved it into his chest. "This is my armour, why'd you carve those X's on it?"
"Come on man, take a joke", Dean said, seemingly just wanting to turn over and get back to sleep.
"Do I look like I'm laughing? It's not funny, alright! You took and vandalized my armour, you bastard!"
"It's just a couple of X's, don't get your panties all twisted."
"I don't care! It's my stuff and you have no right doing that to it! They were brand new! Why'd you do it!?" It wasn't just the armour. It was yesterday and the last few days' events that seeped through. Even though he had mirrored Dean the previous day, it hadn't been enough for him to vent his own feelings.
"You've been like a shit to me from day one! And now you're just being a big bully! You're just like everyone else! Maybe you're right, maybe I am wrong about you. But I really thought you were a decent guy. You freaking helped me back then but ever since you've just been a total asshole! I've done everything I can to be nice to you, because… I thought I saw something under that tough exterior you have going.
But you're just an ass judging me before you even know me! Maybe I should just ask Mr Helmsley for a transfer. And we haven't been on a damn mission yet!"
"Maybe you should then", Dean just snapped back.
Seth just stared at him, feeling something break in him. The tears no longer just threatened to spill. "You damn asshole…" He quickly left the room, not even bothering taking his coat.
He couldn't read Dean at all… he had really seemed to have some nice points but this was all too much. Maybe he was still affected by the feelings of betrayal from his own family and this was just the final straw.
He was seriously hurt by all the actions combined from Dean since they had met again. He couldn't believe this was the same man that had gone beyond his principles and helped him with the Re-Set… He didn't want him on his team… he was shouting at him… hating him… and then these more petty stuff… but they weren't petty. Not to him. It made him very sad. He didn't even know him, but he still managed to affect him so deeply emotionally.
He really had thought Dean was good… Frustrated, he wiped the tears from his face as he walked on. Damn Ambrose…
It's not easy being Seth (probably not easy being Dean either). Again, I hope to get the continuation up as soon as I can. Thank you~
