Chapter Eight: What Happens Now?

A/N: She's a band geek, a mighty band geek, a piccolo for life… Don't know where that came from. This'll be a jumbled up mess probably, but here's the next chapter. Sorry that it's late! Also, special thanks to AngelOfDeathOfWrestling for being the first reviewer! Reviews on stories are pretty rare for me, so thanks! Even more special thanks to minimary16 and KillerKaiju for inspiring me to write on days where I just felt like doing nothing, reading, or being glued to my PS3. Your kind words keep me motivated and it means a lot! More author's notes at the end.

Seth woke up warm, well rested, and curled up beside Dean. He smiled and snuggled in closer to the brunette. It was a little after six in the morning according to Roman's alarm clock. Dean groaned, shifting and turning to meet Seth's soft gaze. He leaned forward, letting their foreheads touch, letting his eyes fall shut again. They stayed there for a while, sharing the same air, focusing on the other's breathing, faces mere centimeters away. Seth didn't know why, but he had the strange urge to close the distance between their lips, as did Dean. Instead, the two toned teen settled for a peck on the nose, making the brunette smile warmly at him and return the gesture. "Gonna let go of me now, pretty boy?" he asked, barely above a whisper. Seth groaned softly in protest.

"Do I have to?" he returned, making Dean snicker and kiss his nose again, trying to pry the younger teen's hands from around him. After about a minute of struggling, Seth finally let go, though he rested his head on Dean's chest next, listening to his heartbeat. It was thudding at a fast pace, and fluttered when Seth took his hand. He could just make out the nervous smile on his friend's face in the dark room.

"No," Dean replied. 'I don't really want you to,' he thought. "But, I kinda have to help pay for bills and food and stuff, pretty boy, so…" Seth squeezed his hand gently and gave him some room. Dean stood up and quietly made his way out of the room. He took a quick warm shower, walking out of the bathroom shirtless and toweling his hair. He started making his way back to Roman's room when he sniffed the air. Food, and good food too. Shirt in hand, he made his way downstairs and saw Patricia setting plates of waffles and fresh fruit on the table next to glasses of orange juice. Seth, still awake and also hungry, sidled up behind him silently. She looked up and smiled at them.

"I was hoping you were awake. I made you breakfast. Help yourselves, dears," she told them quietly. Dean eagerly made his way into the kitchen, still not used to having a decent meal. Seth and Patricia laughed softly at his enthusiasm. Seth walked over and took the seat beside him.

"Thanks, Mama Reigns," the two toned teen told her. She told him that it was no problem and that there was more food by the stove if they wanted seconds. She went back upstairs, leaving the two alone in the kitchen. Seth observed Dean drowning his waffles in butter and maple syrup, taking huge bites, but slowly chewing them, as if savoring the taste. Maybe he was. The two looked up at the sound of footsteps. Roman joined them at the table, fixing himself a plate.

"So, have you finally discovered the wonder that is my mom's cooking?" he asked his friends drowsily. Roman was wearing a pair of plain sweatpants and it looked as if he'd brushed his hair as soon as he'd gotten up. Seth nodded with a smile. Dean hummed his agreement, proceeding to lick his plate clean. Seth and Roman chuckled quietly at him.

"Dude, you can get seconds!" Seth told him gladly. Dean wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and took a swig of orange juice.

"I know," he replied, getting up for just that. Roman and Seth couldn't help but stare. Just a few months ago, he'd been skinnier, thinner, because he wasn't used to eating an actual meal. Looking at him now, it looked as if he'd been well fed his whole life. Dean felt pairs of eyes boring through the back of his head and turned to see his two good friends staring at him. "What?" he asked confused.

"Nothing, it's just… You look good, man," Roman told him. Seth agreed. Dean gave a half smile of sorts.

"Don't look too bad yourself, Joe." He threw a few pieces of bacon up in the air and caught them in his mouth before rejoining his friends at the table. They made small talk for a while, about all sorts of things. Roman talked about the football team, Seth mentioned student council and the gaming club, and Dean talked about When he finished eating, he dumped his dishes in the sink and thanked Roman for letting him stay over.

"No problem. Anytime, really." After a quick trip upstairs, Dean nodded before checking his car keys were in his jacket pockets and almost walking out the front door. He stopped and turned around hugging the other two briefly before leaving. It brought smiles to both their faces to see Dean not hide his emotions and affection as much as he used to. They finished eating and headed back upstairs, intending to enjoy the day until Dean returned.

XxX

"The Shield?" Galina questioned her boyfriend. She was hanging out with the boys on a Sunday afternoon. As promised, Roman was explaining what had happened Friday at school. He talked about the incident in the classroom with Seth, how people teased him. Seth explained the situation that started the rumor that Roman had kissed a boy.

"That night, my mom called. She's never home and she usually never talks to us, not anymore at least. She decided to call and ask how everyone was doing. She asked me how I was fitting in at school if I had any "friends". I told her I had two really close friends that would do anything for me and I would do anything for them. Then, she asked if I'd listened to common sense and gotten myself a girlfriend." Seth had made sure to tell them early on that his sexuality had driven him and his mother further apart. She couldn't look at him the same way, as if he was some stranger in her son's body. "We, uh, got into a fight. We were yelling at each other. I was the one who ended the conversation though. I said to her, "Well, maybe if you weren't such a judgmental, uncaring bitch, we wouldn't have issues and you'd still love dad!" I… I slammed the phone down and hung up. I felt so horrible. I couldn't look my dad in the eye all day, couldn't focus in class."

"That's when I tried cheering him up," Roman continued. "No matter what I said, I couldn't get him to smile. Jokes wouldn't work, conversations couldn't distract him, even Jon couldn't cheer him up that day."

"May I remind you that I hate emotions and feelings with a passion," Dean butted in. Roman rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, I pulled him aside after the last class of the day and I made him tell me what was bothering him. He refused to talk at first, saying that it was none of my business and asking why I cared. I told him because I thought of him as a little brother and that I cared too much to see him hurting. After that, he started talking. When he was finished, he was damn near in tears. I hugged him and did this." Roman pulled Seth into a hug and let their foreheads touch, both of them closing their eyes and matching their breathing. Galina observed the two for a second.

"I can see why they thought you kissed. You two just look so… You know! It looks kind of natural if that makes sense," she told them. Dean had a small smile on his face. It was almost sweet, the sight before him. He almost walked over to join them. Almost. "So, the fight?"

"I was trying to get out of the classroom before everyone else because I didn't feel like hearing people talk about me behind my back. I'm walking to the cafeteria when the idiot who insulted me in homeroom decided to mess with me. Him and a couple of buddies decided to take my stuff, push me around, call me every name in the book. Outta nowhere, Jon just starts beating the shit out of them. Joe's takin' out everyone trying to get near us with, like, spears and tackles and stuff. Jon's doing every move in the book. I'm throwing around kicks and tryin' to get them outta my face. Jon starts talking and-"

"Some dipshit decided they weren't done takin' punishment, so I put him out of his misery, ya know what I'm sayin'? Probably broke something too. Heard a crack when he landed. I announce that we're the Shield and that no one should mess with us, yada yada, tough guy stuff. We get lunch, get through the rest of the day no problem. Aaaand then you slap the big guy over there and I'm laughin' my ass off in my head." Seth tries stifling a laugh while Roman glares at him.

"You wanna say something else, smart mouth?" Roman asks him. Dean simply sticks his tongue out and runs. Roman lets go of Seth. "Okay, that's it!" He chases after the brunette, leaving Seth and Galina to try and catch up with him.

XxX

It had been a few days since Halloween and it was finally Monday. Dean was sitting in his usual spot on the benches out front, accompanied by Seth, waiting for Roman to arrive. His car pulled up and he got out, slowly strolling over to them after kissing his mom goodbye. He sat on the other side of Dean, the three making small talk before an uncomfortable silence settled between them. Seth looked at his two close friends, taking in their facial expressions. Roman looked worried while Dean seemed lost in thought, tapping his fingers against his collarbone. Seth had his hands clasped together in his lap, head down and eyes staring at the gum on the sidewalk beside his sneakers. After what seemed like years, Roman finally spoke and broke the silence.

"So… what happens now?" None of their parents knew about the fight at school, which was weird considering it was all over the news and that people wouldn't shut up about it. After their little declaration, they couldn't go on with their lives pretending nothing had happened.

"We play our characters. Someone's wrestling persona is usually an extension of that person. Be yourself, but add a few twists and spins to your personality. 'S not that hard," Dean said out of the blue. He was kind of an expert on this sort of thing anyway.

"So the school is like the WWE of all this and we're wrestlers?" Seth asked.

"More or less." Roman nodded, putting his fist out much like last week. Dean's and Seth's joined his as the bell rang, signalling for students to head for homeroom. "Let's do this." They headed into their homeroom classroom and waited for their teacher to take attendance. When she said Roman's name, he simply raised his hand. He was being a lot more quiet than usual, she observed. His face was devoid of any emotion, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking and if he was being serious. When she got to Dean's name, he didn't respond. Seth and Roman stared at him. "What're you doing?"

"That's not my name," Dean voiced aloud, answering both his friends and his teacher. Seth grinned while Roman shook his head and tried, failing successfully, to hide a smile. "The name's Moxley."

"Don't be ridiculous, boy," she said to him, marking him present with a scowl at his behavior. Dean simply kicked back and put his feet on the table. Everyone else rolled their eyes at him. Typical Jon Good behavior. When she got to Seth's name, he said here, but corrected her.

"My name is Tyler Black by the way," he told her. She looked at him as if he'd just threatened to kill her in a million gory, grisly ways. Not him too? She finished attendance and ignored the boys for the rest of class. The three shared a look. So far, so good. The rest of the day went by just like homeroom. They refused to respond to anything but their Shield names. Dean was a bit more angry and aggressive than usual, his words more threatening than teasing. Seth was a lot more confident, a bit cocky at times, a little less nerdy than usual. Roman hardly said a word, hardly expressed emotion, watched his two brothers' backs like a hawk. He was living up to his role as a sort of protector. Everyone was baffled at how the three who called themselves the Shield seemed like three totally different people now. Even coach Thatcher noticed their behavior at practice as they basically nailed every move and finished every exercise he threw at them, even the extras.

The boys decided to walk home so that they could have a little more time to talk. They could be themselves now that school was over. Dean wore his leather jacket, Seth had his dark rock band hoodie, and Roman had on a jacket with some NBA team logo on it. The shivered as they conversed on a windy November afternoon. "So?" Dean asked. "First day bein' your characters. How was it?" Seth beamed at him.

"It's nice not having to be the goody two shoes kid for once. I like being myself." Dean ruffled Seth's hair, to which Seth replied with a light shove.

"I don't see why you're not yourself all the time. I love being around you when you're being a dork." Seth frowned.

"I am not a dork!"

"Are too."

"No, I'm not!"

"Are too."

"D-2," Roman said breaking up their little argument. "You guys done yet?" Seth scowled at Dean, who gave him a smirk.

"Yep. How 'bout you, big dog? Ya have fun? Was it all good today?" Roman nodded.

"I'm not the best talker anyway. It's good to just be able to sit back and listen to everyone else talk instead of everyone expecting you to carry on a conversation. Besides, it makes it easier for me to watch you guys' backs." Dean continued to smirk.

"You sure that's all you're watching?" he asked suggestively. Seth blushed, and gave Dean a look. As did Roman, whose eyes then lingered briefly on Seth.

"I have a girlfriend and she's the love of my life. I don't think so." Their street came into view as the conversation turned to more casual things. "I'll see you later, brothers," Roman told the two, hugging both of them before disappearing into his house. Seth turned turned to Dean.

"So, since we were at Roman's house all weekend, how about dinner at my place tonight?" Dean glanced at his driveway and saw a blue Camry parked there. Roy. Great. Seth's face fell a bit when he noticed. "It's cool. Maybe another day…" There was an awkward silence when neither looked at the other before the two toned teen sighed and turned towards his house. Before he could take a step, the brunette grabbed his arm and pulled him into a tight embrace that Seth immediately returned. Just being close to Seth could calm Dean down, but a hug? What worries? Dean reluctantly let go, hand lingering on Seth's arm for a second. "Hey, if you're not comfortable around him, I'm just across the street."

Dean replied, "I know. I'll catch you later, alright?"

Seth nodded. "Be safe, brother," he said and turned back towards his house, where his father stood in the doorway smiling at him. "Don't start. Don't give me that look!" he told his dad, who held his hands up in defense.

"I didn't say a thing." Seth looked at him disbelievingly.

"Nah, but I know what you were thinking. We're just friends, dad. How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Enough times until I start to believe you," Shane responded. Across the street, Dean entered his house to see his mom and Roy chatting away in the living room. He planted a kiss on the top of her head before heading upstairs and flopping down on his rickety bed. 'Brother, huh?' he thought. Sibling were never something he considered, but he guessed that it wouldn't be such a bad thing. In an alternate universe maybe. 'I like the sound of that,' he thought as he took out an English assignment and looked over the questions. It was kind of hard to focus when the only thing that went through his mind was, 'I have brothers.' The thought brought a smile to his face. He put his homework down and laid back. It could always wait until later anyway.

A/N: I've been and camp and cross country practice for the last two weeks. Not to mention trying to keep up with each show after the brand split, TNA, WCPW, and Lucha Underground. Add in summer reading projects, writer's block, and working on multiple little one-shots when you should be writing the next chapter and you've got ZERO TIME. And I now have a newfound obsession with Fallout Shelter. Oh, and before I forget, my school year starts on Wednesday, so updates are going to take a while. I'll warn you in advance. Basically, I'm a procrastinator who should've updated this on Sunday. Sorry…!