Chapter Six: Tryouts

A/N: Okay, I lied. I don't know how I spun out a chapter with all these constant headaches, but I did. And it's early. Holy crap. This sort of sets up part of the story I'm really anxious to write. This picks up directly after the end of last chapter. I don't actually know how this works because my parents have refused to let me try out for my school's wrestling team for THREE YEARS STRAIGHT. Apparently, a little nerd girl like me is too fragile to wrestle. *bleep censors next few paragraphs of thoughts* Let's just pretend that this is how tryouts go. Read and enjoy!

Well, that could've gone better. That was the first thing Shane thought when he returned to his house at 3 in the morning. Maria, much to his dismay, had completely forgotten about meeting him, using the excuse that she was working on a case that just couldn't wait. He'd been patient, sitting in the office chair opposite her for a few minutes before she finished typing up a paper and shut off her computer. They'd gone out to dinner and made small talk before Shane brought up the issue at hand. He thought he could at least get through to her. Maybe she'd come home, if only for a little while, for her family's sake. No such luck.

XxX

"Seth misses you, you know." She froze, a forkful of cake halfway to her mouth. She gulped and set it back down on her plate. She avoided his gaze. Maria was a beautiful woman. Her bronze skin, dark hair and eyes, and smooth voice with a hint of a Spanish accent so did not make her look like a lawyer. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"And not a day goes by when I don't miss the both of you. You know that," she retorted. "You have to understand, with me always being at work-"

"You didn't have to take the all day position. You chose to. You could've taken the night position so that you could see Seth. All you ever tell us is that you're too caught up with work to come home. It's been, what, over three months now? Where do you go, if you ever leave the office?"

"I don't leave! I just said that! Can't you understand I'm doing this for the both of you?!" She pulls out her purse and throws bundles of cash and multiple checks on the table, moving plates and dishes out of the way. She crosses her arms and stares at him, scowling. "That's my last three paychecks and then some. About $66,000. Take it." Shane is flabbergasted. He shakes his head at her.

"No. I can't accept this. How will you-"

"I have a makeshift bed and plenty of food in my office. I practically live there these days. If I make this much money in a few months, obviously I have enough leftover to take care of myself. Take it all and go. You always said you felt horrible for never making enough money for us. There's your solution." Again, he refuses. She flares her nostrils and shouts at him, accusing him of wanting their baby to starve because he had no guts to get a better job. Everyone's eyes were on him as he tried to calm her down. They'd worked together at that firm because it was their passion. Lately, it's become his wife's obsession, which is why he didn't take the last promotion, no matter how much he needed it. Skeptically, and reluctantly, he stuffs the money and checks into his pockets and jacket. She gets up and pays for their food, leaving a generous tip. She's bristly walking out, leaving him to jog to catch up with her.

"Maria, love, wait!" She's calling a cab. "Will you at least come home and stay? For just one day? If not for me or yourself, then for our son?" She looks at him sadly, a flicker of remorse in her eyes. Gently, she brushes a finger across his cheek, not meeting his eyes. Shane takes her face gently in his hands. He leans in and kisses her softly. She kisses him back before quickly pulling away.

"I don't know, my heart. I love you, both of you, but I just don't know." She looks away from him. Part of her longed to be back with her family, to rest in Shane's arms, to see her handsome son smile at her every day, to be a normal mom. Another part of her wanted to work as hard as possible to make sure they both had the best life possible. It meant not seeing them as much, but money would never again be a problem for them, especially since Shane made less than half of what she did, which didn't make sense at all. She couldn't afford to be soft, not at a time like this. She got into the cab and all the emotion disappeared from her voice. "I have to get back to work. Goodbye, Shane," she said to him. He stood there and watched her go, wondering where the women he'd fallen head over heels with years ago had gone.

XxX

Shane turned off his car, unlocked his front door, and softly closed it behind him. He set his briefcase down and put up his keys in the tray by the door. He looked around. Seth had cooked earlier, the smell of the brownies almost impossible to miss. A very delicious smelling soup's scent was also noticeable. The couch wasn't as neat as he left it, there was sugar spilled on the kitchen counter, someone's jacket was on a chair. And he knew Seth didn't wear leather jackets. Knowing just who it belonged to, Shane made his way upstairs to the guest room. Dean had been over earlier, meaning two things: he'd left his jacket here, or he was sleeping over. He checked the room and found it empty. Weird. He then peeked into Seth's room, not expecting what he saw.

Seth, two toned hair splayed out around his face, was clinging to Dean in his sleep. His arms were around his waist, head in the crook of Dean's neck, legs tangled together. Most noticeable of all is that both of them were smiling peacefully. They looked… happy. It brought a smile to his face as well. 'Not boyfriends, huh?' he thought to himself. He tiptoed over and pressed a kiss to his son's forehead. Seth mumbled in his sleep, pressing a light kiss to Dean's neck. Shane had to hold back a chuckle. If the two could see themselves now… He's pretty sure the brunette would be mortified and Seth would be all different shades of red in the face, both of them denying everything. Shane walked out the door and closed it silently, making it into his room before collapsing onto his bed and burying himself under the covers. His last thought was of the life they could've had if Maria had just said yes…

XxX

Dean's internal clock woke him up at six o'clock. The first thing he noticed was that he actually slept, his usual insomniac or nightmare aftermath headache not there. The second thing he noticed was that he was not in his bedroom. He'd hoped yesterday wasn't a dream and he's kind of glad it wasn't. The third thing was the warm, comforting embrace at his back. He stiffened when he tried to move and heard a grumble of complaint. He slowly turned around in the person's arms and found himself face to face with Seth. His breathing quickened, panic starting to overwhelm him. Seth rested his head on his chest, mumbling his name. Dean once again tried to get up, but Seth spoke this time.

"Why're you up so early?" he mumbled, voice full of tiredness. "Go back to bed." Did he even know who he was talking to? Did he know what he was saying. He started to try and pry Seth's arms from around him. "Jon!" he protested. He would not be able to get to work with Seth clinging to him. He sighed. He actually kind of liked having someone who didn't want him to leave his side. In all honesty, he didn't want to leave either. He needed the money though, so…

"C'mon, pretty boy. You gotta let go o' me. C'mon." His voice was deeper and more gruff when he'd just woken up. He continued trying to break free of Seth's iron grip.

"Just call in sick." Dean snorted. Who in their right mind would believe him? Dean Ambrose did not get sick. "Don't leave. Stay with me." Dean's breath caught in his throat. Okay, now he was definitely sure he was dreaming. If only he could pinch himself awake. He didn't realize he'd said that out loud. " 'S not a dream," he heard Seth utter before he saw beautiful brown eyes slowly open and stare at him. Seth's eyes were still hazy with sleep, but he could still make out Dean's face, just barely, in the dark room. His sparkling blue eyes were confused.

"Can I at least shower first before you tie us together for the rest of the morning?" the brunette asked. Seth whined, but nodded anyway. He slowly unwrapped his arms from around Dean, who did not whimper from the loss of contact. Who's spreading those rumors? Seth threw him a dark shirt that didn't have a rock band's logo printed on it and a pair of loose jeans. Dean nodded gratefully to him and headed inside his room's bathroom. Seth's head fell back on his pillow, but sleep refused to return. His cheeks heated up when he realized what he had done. He'd slept in the same bed as a guy he was pretty sure he had feelings for. What's worse, he had clung to him in his sleep and refused to let go of him when he awoke. He had told Dean to stay with him. The younger teen groaned in embarrassment. If things were awkward before, they were even worse now. 'I don't have a crush on-' You know what? Fuck it.

"I have a crush on Jonathan Good," he whispered to himself incredulously. Good Lord, how would he deal with this? Now was not a good time. Was he just falling for every good guy he met or something? Was it so bad to think that it felt so right? To have Dean in his arms? To cuddle up next to him in bed and not have a worry in the world? Was it so bad? Yes, it was. Dean's life was crazy enough without his closest friend making googoo eyes at him all the time. He had feelings. He would accept that. He would not express them. As he waged a war with his emotions in his head, Dean emerged from his bathroom a few minutes later, shiny brown hair in his eyes, shirtless with a towel around his neck. Seth looked once again at his chest and quickly averted his gaze when he felt Dean's eyes on him.

"See something you like?" Seth blushed. They were 14 for God's sake! Seth ignored the comment, getting up and fixing his hair a bit.

"I'm gonna go make us some breakfast," Seth replied instead. Dean nodded and watched his friend walk away. Get it together. Seth was confusing him on so many different levels, or maybe he was confusing himself. Seth trusted him, cared about him, enjoyed his company, was a good friend to him. Why then, were alarm bells going off in his head? Seth liked him, he could see that. Did he like him back? Yes, but not in that way. He didn't want to bring it up, especially since this was all new to him. He also liked what they had, this friendship. He didn't want to put it in jeopardy and make things awkward between them. What were his… feelings… doing? He pushed the thought away and finished getting dressed. He walked quietly down the stairs and saw Seth and Shane both cooking. Seth had bacon and eggs on one side while Shane had pancakes, toast, and waffles on the other. His growling stomach alerted them of his presence. Shane looked up and smiled.

"Good morning, Jonathan," he said, tone light yet exhausted. Dean nodded to him nervously. He met Seth's also nervous gaze. Shane looked between them. "Oh, I'm not mad, just curious. Why couldn't Dean sleep in his own house?"

"My mom's outta town and I left my keys in my room. Don't got a way of getting back in. Couldn't find the spare."

"And I wasn't about to let him sleep outside in the cold and the rain," Seth interjected. Shane nodded, still smiling and held out a fully loaded plate to Dean, who walked into the kitchen and took it.

"Thank you," he mumbled. Seth grabbed him and his dad some plates and set them down on the table. The three took their seats and started eating. It was a mostly silent meal, some small talk here and there. Eventually, they settled into a comfortable silence, the clanking of silverware and chewing the only noises filling the silence. When everyone had finished, Seth cleaned off the table while Dean tried to, and was once again stopped by Seth, to clean the dishes. This was getting ridiculous, so Dean took a bowl, making sure Seth's head was over the sink, filled it to the brim with water, and emptied it on top of Seth's head. The two toned teen froze, staring at Dean in disbelief. Dean just continued washing the dishes while Shane snickered at his son.

"Oh, thanks, dad. It's good to know you'll always side with me in everything," he said sarcastically. Shane just laughed louder, making Dean, and eventually Seth, join in. A few minutes later, Dean is grabbing a set of keys and his jacket, heading out the door. He stops and turns back to them.

"Thank you, for letting me stay here," he said again.

"You're always welcome to come by if you need a place to go," Shane told him. "Do you need a ride?"

"No, sir. *holds up his keys* I've got one." He heads out the door and across the street. Shane turns to his son in bewilderment.

"Does he mean-?"

"Yep." They watch him drive off, heading back inside.

XxX

After an uneventful Sunday, and an exhausting Monday during school, it was finally time for wrestling tryouts. Dean didn't know why they did them now, they just did. His mom had gotten back with Roy a few minutes after he got home from work yesterday. She apologized profusely to him, saying that they'd been busy and out of town. He honestly didn't care, just glad to be back in her arms if only for a moment. Roy gave him an all too innocent smile. Dean didn't believe his façade for a second. The school day had left him and Seth drained mentally, brains like wrung sponges. A few chocolate bars fixed that. Neither talked about or mentioned Saturday morning. They walked into the gym, seeing a few guys, a girl or two, and…

"Joe?" Dean asked. The Samoan turned around and beamed at them, though it looked like it pained him to do so.

"Hey, guys. You tryin' out too?" Seth nervously nodded while Dean just grinned.

"I'm already on the team. I'm just supporting pretty boy over here." Seth slapped his arm softly, mumbling something about not needing support. "So you worrying about how sloppy your snapmare and dropkicks looked and almost having a full blown panic attack doesn't give me the right to say I'm giving you some support?" Seth felt embarrassment creep up in his face. "Trust me, you will blow everyone away. Ya know, just no hitting or kicking. This is still high school wrestling after all." Seth nodded. Les Thatcher, the coach, walked in and observed the group who'd gathered. Three boys caught his eye. There's that Jonathan boy, who could probably out wrestle the rest of the team, the Anoa'i boy, who's parents he'd met, and that Lopez kid. Just what was he doing here?

"Good!" Thatcher shouted at Dean. The brunette turned and smiled, waving to the coach. He beckoned him, which essentially meant the three, over. "Why are you even at tryouts? You don't need to be here." Dean grabbed Seth's shoulder.

"I'm supportin' my buddy, Colby, here. He's almost as good as I am." Les looked the young boy up and down, clearly not impressed.

"We'll see," he said in a bored voice. "Mr. Anoa'i, so glad you could join us today." He shook Roman's hand, who looked apologetically at his two friends. The coach left them to it, going over to the rest of the students. Roman glared at the back if the man's head.

"I don't like him already," the Samoan said. Seth seemed to agree while Dean looked indifferent.

"He'll come around," Dean told them. "I couldn't stand his damn face last year either. One look at me and he said go home. I kept coming to practice after I blew everyone away at tryouts last year. Hasn't looked at me the same since. Don't worry 'bout it."

"Well, we all know Joe doesn't have anything to worry about." Seth mumbled. Roman groaned.

"Just because of my heritage people assume I'm a great wrestler. I don't even want to be a wrestler! I just want to kick start my football career!" He threw his hands up in exasperation. Seth looked at him quizzically and Dean had an eyebrow raised.

"Then why are you here?" They asked him at the same time, smiling at each other. Roman looked back and forth between them.

"… Because my dad thought I should tryout anyway, see if I have some potential. And that's just creepy, guys." The two looked at each other with mischievous grins on their faces, about to say something, before the coach got everyone's attention.

"Alright, listen up! My name is Les Thatcher, and I am your wrestling coach. Now, today is tryouts and…" As he explained things to everyone else, Dean carried on a conversation.

"Basically, he's saying that training for actual wrestling out in the real world makes training for this look like learning to ride a bike. It's not easy, and if you think it is then you should leave right now, especially if you're not gonna commit. Practice is Monday through Thursday, yada yada, other bullshit no one cares about. These first few months'll just be, like, conditioning and learning holds and stuff. You should see the newbies who think they're all that. Pfft. Gone within the end of the week. Long story short, he means try, kick everyone's ass, and aim to be the best. Shouldn't be too hard for us." Seth visibly relaxed some. Okay, it didn't seem too difficult. Roman just looked bored and pissed off.

"… With that being said," He looked around at all the people who thought they were tough enough to make it on his team. "Let's begin." The first thing they did was warmups. Laps around the gym, stretches, different exercises that stretched muscles most people didn't know existed. Seth led in the laps with Dean and Roman close behind him. Dean led in the exercises that a lot of people couldn't finish. Roman was surprisingly flexible during the stretches. Color the coach impressed as they were three of the seven or eight people who finished everything. It would take a lot more than being able to run laps and touch your toes to get onto the team though. "Partner up with someone around your size." was the next set of instructions after people stopped making a beeline for the water fountains. Seth immediately stood next to Dean, who laughed at him. Roman was a different size from everyone else all on his own. He was still 15 and not super huge, but he was still bigger than most guys there. He got stuck next to an upperclassman.

"Good! You're not even trying out. You don't get to be a partner." Dean looked around the gym and found no one without a person to stand next to.

"Hmm… I don't see anyone else he could lock up with," Dean replied, arms crossed and his trademark grin on his face. That was before someone left their partner and ran out the door crying. What the actual…? Thatcher smirked at him.

"You sure about that, son?" Dean scowled while Seth just gaped at him. The two toned teen reluctantly joined his new partner, some kid who looked like he belonged on a football field and not a wrestling mat. "Now," he says, directing his words mostly towards Seth, "Show me what you can do." He walked out of the mass of people who,for the most part, stood there dumbly, staring at the person they got stuck with. Seth had his partner in a collar and elbow tieup, a test of strength that he was winning, while Roman had his in a standing side headlock. "Are those two rookies the only ones listening? Don't just stand there!" That's when everyone finally got the message and began trying to impress. Dean walked over to his coach, the two sharing a one armed hug. Dean knew his coach was hard on people for a reason, it's why he liked him. Kind of.

"You're wrong about Colby," the brunette said, watching everyone alongside his coach. "He gives me a run for my money. I was one of the youngest guys on the team last year and I out wrestled the whole team, almost made it to the national level. As a freshman. If that kid gives me a challenge, how talented do you think he really is?" The man observed Seth for a while. Every move looked natural to him, like he did them without a thought. There was no hesitation in his movements. He caught Dean's eye after a particularly hard takedown. He smiled and continued on. A few others, mainly people from last year's team, had some luck against their partner who didn't know what the heck they were doing. Roman, with the few holds he did know, executed them pretty well. Some were still rough around the edges (Was that supposed to ba a German suplex or him tossing someone?), but his work wasn't too bad. The look of pain on their partners' faces told you just how effective the moves were.

"Like I said before, we'll see. I will admit, he does interest me. He looks like he knows what he's doing." A few more minutes went by before he called for everyone to stop. "Careful, Good. Someone might actually take your top spot this year," he warned over his shoulder. "Well, that was certainly… entertaining…" he yelled, addressing the rest of the students. "There are, of course, forms and a physical to turn back in if you want to be a part of the team. I hand you the papers on the way out, it's a done deal. If not, well, there's always next year." He handed Dean the papers first. Everyone grabbed their stuff and headed for the door. Dean waited on Seth and Roman, who were the last two out. He handed papers to Roman without hesitation. He looked at Seth for a moment, contemplating something, before breaking out a smile and handing him some papers. "The most impressive work I've seen in years. I look forward to seeing you next practice, Mr. Lopez."

"Well?" Roman asked when Seth finally left. Seth held up some papers, a disbelieving look on his face. Dean beamed at him, giving him a crushing hug for a few seconds. Roman high river him with a pat on the back. Seth looked to Dean.

"And you thought you'd do horribly. You two were pretty much the only ones that stood out from everyone else. I mean, some of the other people knew what they were doing, but you guys were just…" He makes weird hand gestures, trying to explain it all. They walk around to the front of the school, still conversing, where all three of their parents were waiting. Patricia stood by her car, telling something to Angie, who was standing by Dean's Camaro and laughing with Shane. The three look at their children. Dean was animatedly explaining something, Seth was saying something back to him, and Roman just listened, interjecting every now and then. Oh how familiar this scene of them would be in the future. They went their separate ways to their parents, not knowing that they'd just changed their lives forever.