A Light In the Dark
Chapter 9
Vince looked back and forth between the two, then looked back down at his list. "Now... I have a couple of things I wanted to go over with the two of you before the show..."
Shawn and Randy glanced over at one another, then looked back at Vince. The older man was rattling off ideas that varied from Shawn starting off on commentary and running to aid Randy after a three-on-one attack to Shawn being lowered from the rafters and calling Randy out, only to announce he was going to be the younger man's manager.
When silence was the only thing Vince heard, he looked up at Randy and Shawn and saw how confused the two looked. Their mouths were gaped open ever so slightly and their eyebrows were raised in amusement.
"Dad is amazing at delivering monologues."
"What's the matter..?" Vince asked.
Glancing over at Shawn again, Randy chuckled and looked back at his boss. "Your ideas."
"What? We have to give them a show! This is Shawn we're talking about! We need outrageous!"
"Well... They range from doable to batshit crazy." Randy replied.
"And there is no way in hell I'm getting lowered from the rafters." Shawn stated, narrowing his eyes at Vince.
"You've done it before!" Vince shouted.
"Yeah, but that was before Owen..."
Vince remained silent for a moment, then sighed. "Fine, we won't involve the rafters."
Shawn huffed something that sounded like 'good,' and Randy chuckled. "Any other ideas?"
Vince sighed. "No, not really... All the good ones were mentioned already... Do you two have a favorite?"
"What's wrong with me announcing that I have a new manager?"
Vince huffed in annoyance. "Randy, we just had this conversation... Shawn needs more flare. He can't just walk out and be all 'hi, I'm Randy's new manager.' He has to do something awesome."
"I could very well just walk down the ramp and announce I'm Randy's manager." Shawn grumbled.
"No, Shawn. You deserve more than that."
"What difference does it make!?"
"Dad loves you, idiot."
Is there a mute button..?
"I would actually prefer just announcing him as my manager." Randy stated.
Vince grumbled angrily. "But I want to do something special."
"Define 'special.'"
"Well... Something not so... Normal."
Randy groaned. "Vince... We can do something simple. Sometimes... Sometimes less is more."
"Do you have any input, Shawn?"
"He already said he would rather walk down the ramp!" Randy shouted.
"If you don't talk, they're going to know something is wrong."
Go away. Please, go away.
"Still. I want to hear if he has any input." Vince stated.
"But..."
"Quiet, Orton! What do you have to say, Shawn? ...Shawn?"
"Say something!"
"Shut the fuck up!" Shawn shouted.
It took a moment or two, but Shawn eventually looked up at Vince and Randy, who were staring at Shawn in shock, although their eyes were full of concern.
"...I told you to leave him alone." Randy stated, elbowing Vince in the side.
Vince, however, took a step closer to Shawn to look him in the eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Fine."
"Are you sure you're up to this?"
"Yes."
"Fine. We'll do it your way, Orton. You two talk amongst yourselves about this." Vince stated, then turned and left the two alone.
Randy watched Vince leave, then turned to look at Shawn. "What the hell was that about?"
"What?" Shawn asked.
Randy blinked, then gestured wildly. "That! You snapped at Vince! We weren't even being annoying enough to deserve you screaming at us to shut the fuck up!"
Shawn shrugged. "I thought you deserved it."
"Oh, you lying bastard."
Quiet.
"Don't you dare... Shawn, are you serious right now? That was downright rude! Vince loves you and he's trying to look out for you and he deserves more respect than that!"
"I realize that."
Randy studied Shawn closely for a few moments, then sighed. "Why don't you just tell me the truth..?"
Shawn quirked an eyebrow. "Which is?"
"You weren't yelling at me. You weren't yelling at Vince."
"Then who the hell was I yelling at?" Shawn asked.
"The voices." Randy replied.
"I don't hear voices."
Randy huffed in annoyance. "Maybe a single voice, then?"
"...I don't hear anything."
"You hesitated."
"I swear to God, Shane..." Shawn cut himself off and went incredibly wide-eyed as he looked at Randy once again. The younger man had a certain look on his face that Shawn couldn't quite place.
"Shane is dead, Shawn..." Randy stated.
Shawn blinked at the younger man. "I know."
"You can try to cover up all you want, Shawn... It isn't going to work with Randy. He's smarter than you think he is. He knows. He. Knows."
Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. You've made an ass out of me enough today.
"You didn't need help with that, Shawn."
I swear to God-
"Shawn?"
Shawn looked Randy in the eyes. "Yeah?"
"Just... Listen, in order for this to work... I need to know what you're hiding. It's okay. I won't judge you. If you're having a hard time accepting what happened last year, that's fine. I just need to hear the truth. Do you... Or do you not... See and hear Shane?"
"Tell him the truth."
Shawn closed his eyes and sighed, then looked Randy in the eyes. "Do... I..? Yeah. I do."
Randy sighed in relief. "Thank you for the honesty. Now, when did it start?"
"During the funeral."
Randy's eyes went wide. "What?! You've been hiding it for that fucking long!?"
"Yeah... I guess."
"How?"
"...I don't know... At first... It wasn't... I mean... It didn't bother me. Now... I can't even think right."
"Good boy."
Taking notice of how Shawn bit his cheek, Randy sighed. "He talks more now, doesn't he?"
"Yeah."
"When did it start getting unbearable?"
"A year to the day I was kidnapped."
"Jesus, Shawn."
"What?" Shawn asked.
Randy put a hand on Shawn's shoulder, tried to avoid looking surprised when Shawn didn't shrug it away, and smiled sadly at him. "I'm always here if you need to talk to someone... Please understand that... And I want to say thank you for being open with me."
"You weren't giving me much of a choice."
"I know, and I'm sorry. But I wanted to clear the air before we go out there tonight."
"I understand."
"Good. Now that that's over... Let's start planning your return."
Shawn sighed. "I really don't care. Just call me down to the ring."
Randy would have pouted if he didn't understand how Shawn must be feeling. It's the first time in ages since Shawn was returning to the company he loved without two of his closest friends there to support him. Hell, he couldn't even compete anymore. The realization of Shawn never competing again made Randy upset. He knew how bad Shawn wanted to get back into the ring... Hell, wrestling was Shawn's first love. The man never gave up the opportunity to hop in the ring, even when he was recuperating from back surgery.
Now? Any time a stranger so much as glanced at him, Shawn went stiff and edged further away.
The action, whether subconscious or not, made Randy want to cry. He had grown up watching Shawn compete, after all. Seeing him that way made him more upset than anyone would ever know.
"So it's just going to be as simple as me calling you down to the ring?"
"Yep."
Before either man knew it, it was time for the show to start. Randy had kept a close eye on Shawn to see if he was agitated at all, especially now that he knew the truth. Well, he had known the truth for about a week or so, but it wasn't official to Randy unless Shawn told him. There seemed to be no snide comments from "Shane," as Shawn was calmer than Randy had seen him in a year and change. It was good to see Shawn that way, but Randy knew it was only the calm before the storm.
Vince walked up to them right before Randy's music was supposed to cue. "Break a leg, boys."
"Yeah." Randy stated, then walked down the ramp to a cheering crowd.
"Hey... Vin Man..?"
Vince quirked an eyebrow, then turned to look at Shawn with a large smile on his face. It had been awhile since Shawn called him that. "Yeah?"
"I... I'm sorry... I mean... I know I've been acting like a jerk and all..."
"Don't worry about it, Shawn."
"Hug it out, man."
Without hesitation, Shawn leaned forward and hugged Vince, who was so shocked at the action that it took him several moments to return the hug.
"I would like to introduce everyone to my new manager, even though he doesn't need an introduction... Please put your hands together... For The Headliner! The Showstopper! The Main Event! The Icon! Mr. WrestleMania! The Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels!"
Vince pulled away from Shawn once he heard Randy's voice and the deafening roar of the crowd. "You hear that, Shawn," He turned to look at the curtains, then back at the younger man. "Those are your fans trying to deafen us, and they'll always love you."
"I know." Shawn chuckled at the older man, turned to face the curtain and stepped through it, making the crowd scream louder, if humanly possible.
Shawn couldn't put his feelings into words as he stopped at the top of the ramp and looked around the arena. Every single person in the audience was on their feet making noise. A quick glance at the commentating booth let him know Jerry Lawler and J.R. were on their feet, as well.
Once he realized it wasn't a dream and he was actually in an arena, Shawn made his way down the ramp the same way he did a year or so prior. It looked like nothing had changed with him. Shawn took a deep breath and slid into the ring, then hugged Randy.
"I didn't expect that." Randy mumbled.
"You know me. I'm full of surprises."