Fastest update in a long time. Hope this is ok.
Thank you to Idcam and Morrowsong for the reviews
Reves stared at her sister as she came out from the bathroom and sat down on the bed across from her. Her icy blues regarded the younger girl for a few moments. "Are you okay?" She knew it was a stupid thing to ask. Her sister was never okay, in this type of circumstance. The incident she endured just made things all the worse.
Heather glanced apprehensively at her sister's abnormally concerned state. "I'm fine," she squeaked, casting her eyes downward.
"Heather," Reves cut right through the bullshit to call her sister's bluff.
"What would you like me to say?"
"A little more than 'I'm fine' when that's clearly not the case."
Heather paused, not meeting her sister's scrutiny. That was the only acceptable response. It was the only explanation that kept her from being poked and prodded. It was the only answer that people didn't tire of hearing despite the fact that they had inquired to her in the first place. She learned that last fall.
Tonight, the man followed her into the restroom. He must have assumed that she would willingly submit to whatever it was he commanded because he only spoke to her at first, attempting to direct her. Her thoughts were transported back to the girl's locker room and girls who had assaulted and attacked her. Like a reflex, she screamed and called out for the only person whom she knew was within earshot that could assist her. When she did so, the infuriated man lunged at her like a rabid dog. Grabbing her, he forced her hard against the wall. The terror had consumed her and some deep survival instinct, saw her rake her nail sharply across the fiend's eye in an attempt to thwart his onslaught. It was something she hadn't seem to possess against the pack of alpha females that ran the high school. Then Kevin had burst into the stall like some avenging angel and beaten the man into a nearly unrecognizable pulp. Witnessing his unbridled rage and brute strength had admittedly been a bit disturbing for her. Yet, it was better than the alternative.
"Forgive me, but at what point did you choose to show such concern?" Heather questioned shortly.
"Are you fucking serious?" Reves snapped, unable to stifle her fury towards her sister's accusation.
Flinching, Heather frowned at her outburst. "Not quite as serious as you, it would appear. I believe we are both due for a decent night's sleep," Heather mumbled as she took off her glasses. She wasn't prepared for a confrontation and she was certain the lack of proper sleep made them argumentative.
"Fine," Reves grumbled as she reached over and turned out the light.
With a loud thud, Kevin flopped down on the bed as he expelled a rumbling groan. He pushed his long hair aside as he stretched out, thankful to have a bed to himself. It was usually common for him and his travel buddies to shack up in the same bed back in the day to save money. These days it wasn't so much necessary as everyone made a lot better money. Even so, he wouldn't have minded so much sharing a bed with Scotty or Kid, but he was fucking beat and he wasn't really feeling scrunching up in a tiny bed with another man or being whacked in the face by a rogue arm in the middle of the night. He had gotten a room with two queens, the biggest they had to offer. The two men didn't object when he told them he'd be taking one bed all to himself. He had gotten the same for the young ladies despite being certain that they shared a bed while traveling with Mark.
All three men settled into bed and the lights were turned out. Kevin released a sigh. Finally, he could get some shut-eye - that was if his knees or his neck didn't decide to fuck with him. He closed his eyes, letting the darkness envelop him further. Mercifully, he could feel himself gradually start to drift off.
Just as sleep was about to take him under, a pair of high pitched shrieks rang through the paper-thin walls. Jolting awake, Nash's heart nearly leaped from his chest as he shot up like a bullet. "What the fuck was that?" he questioned the other two men who were roused in the same manner. Kevin's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach as the men scrambled out of bed and ran next door to the girl's room. Not again. Could that fucker have found them? Impossible. He thought to himself as they made haste to their room.
He grabbed the door handle and it didn't budge. "Open the door!" he yelled from the other side. His panic began to run deeper when he was only met with shrill screeching. Trying to maintain a clear head, he remembered the extra key card he had for their room and ran to grab it off the other dresser. Opening the door, the three men burst into the room ready to bash in any assholes who were stupid enough to be inside.
"What the hell's going on in here?" Kevin demanded with urgency. It was good to know he was probably going to die of a heart attack before the sun rose.
"That's rich coming from you. I didn't know the damn room was already occupied! " Reves shouted.
"What the fuck you talking about?" Looking around they saw no one else, only the two young women standing up at the head to the bed huddled together as if their lives depended on one another. Scanning the room again, they gawked at the girls in bewilderment.
"Awesome fucking job booking a motel with a rat infestation," Reves explained, spewing sarcasm like venom.
"There's rats in here? Sick!" Kid piped up with a shudder.
They then heard a scratching noise and Scott shushed everyone. It sounded as if it was coming from under the long dresser. He and Kevin got on either side, although it wasn't heavy in the slightest as it was just cheap particle board, and pulled it out. As they did, a gigantic rat scurried out from underneath it which made the two men jump as it sought shelter under the bed which the girls were standing on. That led to more ridiculous screaming and they flung themselves to the opposite bed.
"Alright. It's fine. Will you just calm down?" Kevin scolded the two irrational females.
"Calm down? You expect us to calm down when there are filthy vermin running around in here? I want to go somewhere else. Now!" Reves hollered.
"Well, you're welcome to go sleep in the van again," Kevin deadpanned.
"Screw you. This is your fault. You better do something," Reeves demanded.
"Fine," Kevin said glowering at her. He remembered seeing a tire iron in the back of the van. It was inconvenient that he hadn't seen it until unpacking the luggage. It would have come in handy against that scumbag earlier that night. He ran down to get it and when he came back the younger girl stared incredulously at him with her doe eyes.
"Y-you aren't going to hurt it, are you?" Heather questioned meekly.
"Of course not. He's going to tickle the damn thing with it," Reves retorted, furrowing her eyebrows at her sister.
"It's okay, Little One," he told her with the straightest face he could muster. He resented that he was essentially lying to her because it was most definitely not okay. Here he was about to bash the rodent's head in just like that jabroni previously. He could only imagine what sort of effects this night was going to have on her psyche. He exhaled deeply and motioned for Scott to move the bed.
"Hey Kev, can I take a shot at that thing?" Kid asked.
Kevin paused for a moment, just looking at his friend. What the hell did he mean, take a shot at it? This wasn't Goddamn Whack-A-Mole. He shook his head. "Sure thing, Kid," he said surrendering the weapon.
After a few moments of searching, Sean exclaimed, "There it is!" as it was running along the wall where the bed had been dragged away. Drawing back, Sean lost his grip on the iron tool as he was swinging it forward and it flew from his hand, lodging itself right into the drywall. "Oh fuck!"
"Way to go, Kid," Scott congratulated him sarcastically as he walked over and yanked the object out of the wall, some plaster falling to the floor.
"Oh, hell. You moron." Reves had no qualms about berating him.
"Lord, we are going to be in such trouble," Heather clucked, bringing her hands to both sides of her face.
"No, no. It's fine," Kevin assured her. He took an awful looking waxy, faux tree that happened to be in the room and moved it in front of the offending gap. It looked absolutely ridiculous there, but it hid the opening in the meantime.
"Yeah, that looks fucking awesome," Reves snipped.
"I didn't mean to. Fuck. It slipped from my hand, okay," Sean defended himself.
That started a frenzy of bickering back and forth, with Scott trying to mediate between the two.
There was a dull ache pulsing in Kevin's temple as he listened to the squabbling. He raked both hands through his long hair in frustration. "All of you, just shut the fuck up!" his bass voice echoed in the room like booming thunder, forcing everyone to fall silent. The ebony-haired girl's frightened gaze was the only thing that caused him to settle his rage a bit before speaking again. "Everyone, in the other room, right now. I'm tired as a motherfucker and I don't give a flying fuck what ya got to say. I'm going to bed and if anyone wants to stand up here pissing and moaning be my guest. But I better not hear a peep from one of you." The giant glowered down at them, rebuking them like naughty children.
No one spoke but began to file out of the room one by one. Kevin took up the end after turning off the lamp and shutting the door, leaving the rat to its own devices. "I must be frank in admitting that I am contented no harm befell that poor creature," he heard the bashful girl mumble as they entered the other room. Undoubtedly, Kevin was mildly shocked. Although she was nearly inaudible, it was the first time she had ever made an unsolicited statement directed at the entire group, without being addressed first.
"I understand," Kevin cooed sympathetically to her. Her compassion and demur sensibility had a soothing effect on his overly intense deportment. He hadn't intended on everyone bunking together any more than he had intended on having the two young women traveling with them, but now there was the matter of sleeping arrangements. His little motley crew was gawking up at him expectantly – save for Reves who was glowering at him with her trademark scowl. He knew what provisions would like to be made by Scott and Reves as they stood mere inches apart. He even allowed the fleeting thought of how satisfying it would feel to have the Little One entangled in his arms flash through his skull, although he knew that would never fly.
As the commotion had begun to subside Heather couldn't prevent herself from stealing subtle glimpses at the behemoth. She flushed at the notion of how enamored she was with his golden tresses, disheveled and falling over his brawny shoulders. She dropped her head when her observation drifted to the tight muscles of his broad chest, but not before he caught her eyes, intensifying the hue on her cheeks.
An impatient scoff from Reves drew Heather's attention to her sister. She took in her sister's willowy, yet lush frame, readily on display in her microscopic shorts and form-fitting cropped tank top. For the first time that she could recall, she cursed her sister for her keen sense of style, even with her sleepwear. She felt positively drab in her baggy, oversized Undertaker tee shirt and long sweatpants that dragged the ground. The negative emotion caused her to feel absolutely dreadful.
Scott sat down on one of the beds and Reves sat beside him, seeming to be making herself comfortable.
"Nice try," Nash told her as he motioned for her to get up and move to the opposite bed. She sneered at him but did as she was instructed, plopping down on the creaky mattress with her arms folded over her chest.
It was decided the most logical arrangement was for the sisters to share a bed, while Hall and Nash shacked up together and they called down to have a cot brought up for Kid as he had the most erratic sleeping patterns.
The manager that had delivered the cot mentioned a noise complaint from the neighboring room. "We haven't heard anything," Nash told the man, shrugging his burly shoulders before shutting the door in his face.
Eventually, they were all settling down once again, to sleep. "Oh, Kev. It's been so long," Scott snickered as the larger man was slipping into bed beside him. "I better not feel any foreign objects poking my sacred area or I'm gonna slug you," Scott announced in a more serious tone.
"Don't lie, Scotty. You'll take it and you'll like it," Kevin smirked as his body molded around the smaller man in a spooning position.
"Fu-" Scott's voice dropped off when he realized he would only be opening himself up for another rib with that phrase.
To most, it may have been odd for two hulking men to share a cramped bed, but back in the early days of their careers, when pay was utter shit, it was essential to save as much money as possible. A lot of that came with not only room sharing, but bed-sharing as well, so it was something they were basically used to but was not necessary in recent years.
Despite her tantrum in regard to sleeping in that filthy, fleabag motel, Reves was quickly overtaken by a deep slumber. It was Heather who was left staring at the ceiling surrounded by darkness and her sister's steady breathing beside her.
A shadow caught her attention and she peered across the room to the enormous figure lifting itself off the bed. Laying still, her eyes followed the towering silhouette as it exited through the doorway. Heather sighed to herself and shifted onto her side praying sleep would take her, but after a few minutes, it was clear the rest she pursued would continue to elude her. Pulling the covers back, she crawled to the foot of the bed and stretched her feet onto the floor.
Kevin stood just outside the room, leaning against the metal railing. He looked out towards the horizon that would begin to resonate with a crimson hue in just a couple of hours, signaling the sunrise. Behind him, he heard the gentle groan of the door as it opened. It wasn't required of him to turn around because none of the others would carry such a subtle and mild disposition while exiting the room. "You should be asleep, Little One," he addressed her in a firm, yet placid tone while keeping his back to her.
His utterance caused her to halt briefly, before she appeared at his side, propping herself against the cool metal of the railing. "So should you. You had driven half the night," her voice was docile, but missing none of the concern.
He was taken back slightly by her comment. No one ever conveyed concern or looked after his wellbeing. That's not to say his friends didn't show care for him, but he was the mother hen, looking out for everyone's welfare and keeping them out of trouble – to the best of his ability, anyway. He supposed when one was bordering on seven-foot-tall and built like a tank, it was assumed there wasn't much need for consideration of his state. "Truth be told, my buddy doesn't make the best bedfellow." Straightening to his full stature, he turned to look at her with a hypnotizing grin.
It caused her breath to hitch and when she could no longer hold his gaze, she averted her eyes, dawning her usual mantle of scarlet. After several moments, she spoke, breaking the silence, "Once I had nearly fallen asleep, I saw that odious man's belligerent and ireful visage before my eyes," she confided in him. Her voice was somber and a glassy reflection overtook her eyes.
The smile faded from Kevin's lips as he listened to her. It made him want to go back and find that bastard and bash him in all over again. For her sake he kept his rage bubbling underneath the surface as he stared down at her with empathy. "I'm so sorry, Little One. That never should have happened," he grasped her tiny hand in his as he repeated what he had told her earlier in the parking lot. He held her hand, in fear that had he taken her into his arms like he had longed to do, he would have no control over his rampant emotions.
With her free hand, she nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. He noticed her wince slightly as her delicate fingers grazed her cheekbone and it called attention to the blackish-purple mark that had begun to form underneath her left eye. His hand came under her chin, raising her pale countenance towards him in a gentle yet abrupt manner. He had been wrong about the bruise and the sight of it only served to ignite his fury all the more. Sadly, he was powerless to do anything more than he already had. He let out a noise akin to a growl. He should have kept pounding that fucker until he was within an inch of his life – or less.
Pulling her into his arms, Kevin abandoned his previous reservations. Had it been possible to cradle the bashful creature in his embrace as they drifted off, he was certain neither of them would have a challenging time finding a peaceful rest. He knew it was futile to allow his musings to travel to such a place, but he stood there at that moment permitting any emotions that came over him, even if they only offered support to her.
Caught unaware, Heather stood with her arms dangling at her side. After a moment she instinctively pressed into him. The top of her head had barely reached to his firm chest and she couldn't distinguish if it was his heartbeat or that of her own, pulsating in her ears. Or perhaps the pair of them in unison?
Before she could ponder any further, the latch on the door clicked and the goliath separated himself from her, leaving only his lingering warmth and comfort which she instantly mourned.
Sean had stepped over the threshold while releasing a huge yawn. He glanced at Heather, but gave her no further acknowledgment, then directed his words to his mammoth friend, "Kev, I'm starving. Is it almost time to go eat?"
He had truly approached him like a child coming to a parent to fulfill his needs. As silly as it was, Nash would ordinarily find it mildly endearing as he was the protector of all of his friends. At this moment, however, he was trying his darndest to exercise patience towards the one they all referred to as Kid. He had prevented his handsome features from twisting into an ugly grimace, but the agitation was still ablaze within his sharp hazel eyes. This had been the second instance that night where his friend had unknowingly thwarted his intimate encounter with the raven-haired beauty. "Not yet. It's barely past five a.m. When the other two wake up we can all take showers and get ready and go," Nash informed him, keeping his tenor as even as possible. Nash had long resolved that he would get no sleep on this leg of their journey.
"Okay." That answer was good enough for Kid.
Although the sun had yet to rise, Heather prayed that Hall and her sister would wake soon. She felt awkward and too bashful to make conversation with the two men. They all stood there in relative silence when an obnoxiously blaring rumble emitted from the girl's stomach. With a tiny gasp, her visage illuminated in mortification. "S-s-sorry," she offered up her apology.
Kevin chuckled at her wide-eyed expression while the color in her cheeks urged him to pluck her up and perform every unsuitable act he had conspired since he had haplessly fallen under her charms. Desiring that neither individual witness him with an accidental erection, he attempted to shift his thought process. "Maybe we should wake up those two lazy bones so this little girl doesn't eat herself alive," he suggested. Never mind that he itched to do that himself, and then some, given the chance.
They enter the room and Nash called out waking them up in a harsh and abrupt manner. This did not please Reves in the slightest. She glowered and hurled obscenities at him which he ignored despite the irritation being visibly etched on his face. Reves stretched and ran her fingers through her matted ashy hair. "What the fuck do you want?" she demanded, bleary-eyed; last night's makeup smeared and streaked on her face.
Nash told them to get their asses up; that they were going to get themselves ready and blow this pop stand. He wanted to be long gone before housekeeping came in and discovered the hole in the wall inside the other room anyway. He spoke sternly. That was an order, not a request. He always got stuck being the chauffeur and he was the one that had not gotten to sleep a wink. He dared any dumb fuck to argue with him at this point.
He had gotten the message across as the two grudgingly crawled out of bed and everyone set about preparing for the day. The girls' luggage was still in the other room and they needed to make use of the shower as it were. The rat would simply have to tolerate them using its space for a little while – much to their chagrin.
When Heather emerged from the bathroom, hair damp after her shower, Reves was applying her eyeliner in the mirror that hung on the wall. Locating her glasses that had been abandoned on the nightstand earlier, Heather put them on and observed her sister's appearance. Their attires were similar in a rudimentary sense, but Heather analyzed the way Reves's low-rise jeans sat on her curved hips. The hem of her tee-shirt hit just at her naval, revealing the taut midriff of her lower abdomen. She also noted the manner in which the material stretched across her bosom, certainly more ample than her own.
Heather reprimanded herself. She had previously never harbored resentment towards her sister for her choice of cosmetics or her style of dress. She had no desire to dress like her sister or assimilate to her appearance, but her oversized tee shirts and faded jeans with the worn and frayed pant legs made her feel invisible. Yet, she had wanted to be invisible, she reminded herself. Drawing attention to herself meant that she became more convenient prey. She questioned then, why she would foolishly paint streaks of violet in her hair or wear some of the outlandish pieces she would once in a while? Her inquiry was merely a diversion to the greater matter. She hid beneath her clothes to escape the body shaming and the humiliation she endured at the hands of her peers.
Heather was pulled from her self-loathing by her sister impatiently demanding, "Are we ready or what?"
"Of course," she replied meekly and her eyes roamed the room, ensuring they hadn't forgotten anything.
The five individuals made their way down the stairs to the van. They packed up the luggage and proceeded to file into the vehicle. The convenience of visiting a city multiple times was having some idea of which establishments were located where.
Kevin had a relatively strong idea of the location he sought. He dragged himself into the driver's seat, muttering curses under his breath. He leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes for a few moments. He was exhausted and the day had yet to even truly begin. He knew Vince would want them there extra early to get everything down pat for Raw tonight. Vince didn't mention it, but he knew they would get chewed out for not allowing sufficient time for the girls to practice their angle. With a heavy sigh, he opened his eyes and put the van in Drive.
The group entered a small diner and a wave of apprehension came over Heather. What if someone were to witness all of them together? Her jade eyes scanned the establishment. It was primarily empty save a few early bird seniors and a middle-aged man sitting at the counter who was likely a truck driver. She endeavored to place her concerns aside and they were led to their seats. The waitress greeted them and asked what they would like to drink.
"Coffee. Strong," Kevin emphasized as they piled into the cramped booth.
"I'll take the same," Scott added and Kid nodded in agreeance.
The sisters ordered hot tea and everyone thanked the server as she left to put it in.
Heather glanced across the table at her sister, paired up with Scott. She could feel the heat emanating from her cheeks as she was flanked by Kevin on her left and Sean on her right, who was placed on the inside near the wall. She felt somewhat skittish sitting in such proximity to Sean. It wasn't that she believed he was a terrible person, but she had her obvious reservations when it came to physical contact with others. She inched away, attempting to create a gap between the two of them. Consequently, her efforts to distance herself from Sean resulted in her tiny frame meshing into the blonde goliath beside her. A glow came to her face as she felt the firm muscle of his thigh against hers.
Kevin gave a sideways glance down at her but said nothing. If she felt content to be pressed up against him, far be it from him to spoil that.
Sean's eyes shifted back and forth between the two sisters as if just now seeing them for the first time. "So like, what are they doing here?" he finally thought to ask after the flurry of happenings that the past few hours had brought.
"Mark went to the hospital last night and they needed a ride," Kevin said only giving a half-hearted stab at masking his irritation. He gave the shortest, simplest explanation possible and that was really all when it boiled down to it anyway.
"Jeesh, Kid. Way to be up to speed. I mean shit," Scott taunted him.
"Oh, okay," Sean said, looking vaguely wounded.
Kevin saw the expression on his friend's mug and the guilt set in. "It's okay, Kid. We're all out of sorts right now," he assured his friend with a crooked grin and that did the job to perk him up.
Like an answer to a prayer, he didn't know he had made, their meal finished off without a hitch or a load of childish squabbling. He was even shocked as he watched Little One finish every scrap of food on her plate. It was a pleasant sight compared to the last time they had dined together and she hardly touched a bite. Kevin looked at this band of misfits, and for some bizarre reason having them all together strangely felt right. At least it did at this moment. Knowing things would never be as such under normal circumstances, he relaxed, determined to go with the flow. When he shifted his gaze towards the tiny creature beside him, smiling shyly at a silly joke that Kid told, it was evident she just may have felt the same.