I CAN SEE YOU
CHAPTER III: TRYING NOT TO FEEL IT
seth rollins x fem!writer+producer reader
word count: [9.6K]
warnings: no use of y/n, mild cursing, slight mention of anxiety, pining and two idiots flirting not so subtly <3
🎧 the soundtrack
summary: You and Seth's paths are intersecting deeper than any of you anticipated. With a new storyline set to begin, it leaves you both filled with a yearning to know if it only ever will be platonic, even if biting the forbidden fruit is only just mindless dreaming.
Another week came with another Monday, and this time for you it meant not just being on screen, but finally getting the chance to work behind the scenes with one of your storylines being rolled out on Raw.
You were mentally ecstatic, finally getting a chance to be in your own element behind the camera, but your body told an entirely different story.
Exhaustion infested your bones, and the last thing on your mind was getting to TV, because all you wanted to do was sleep the day away. Your body was facing the consequences of the constant travel combined with jet lag that you were positive you’d never get used to.
Getting directly off a red eye only made matters worse, muscles aching with heaviness and longing desperately for your bed to make it all go away. The drive to the hotel offered limited solace, especially with the hustle and bustle of the city—road rage and honking keeping you up through the morning traffic jam during the stretch of time where you wanted to cram in more sleep.
Instead, you found yourself staring mindlessly out the window, taking in New York city through the tinted pane, zoning off into secret gardens in your mind, escaping into your thoughts, trying to get away from the chaos pulling you back.
And then, suddenly, everything shifted. The noise of the city seeming to fading into silence as a familiar name cut through the stereo’s hum.
“Welcome to the morning show. We’re joined by none other than the man and my personal favorite wrestler, Seth Rollins. How you doing, man?”
You perked up in your seat, a small smile becoming evident across your sleepy features, when his voice finally hit your ears.
“I’m doing great, looking forward to sight seeing the big apple after this. Thanks for having me.”
His voice sounded a little hoarse, fatigued from matches, the grueling travel schedule, and on top of that, having to do media in the early hours—nevertheless, it seemed as though he was championing it a lot better than you were. Clearly he was a veteran of the fast life already and you desperately needed to play catch up.
For the rest of the drive, you found yourself not only wide awake, but clinging to his voice as if he was the stimulant keeping you up. His laughter and quick wit filling the car, making you giggle despite his physical absence, that felt as if he was right there next to you all along.
You laid back, listening intently to the rest of the radio show. Eyes half closed as Seth talked about his run with Dean and Roman, his favorite matches he’s had, and some of the memorable cities he’s visited. He had so many stories to tell, and you surely wanted to pick his brain apart just so you could hear all of them and get to know him a little better.
“One last question before we let you go: Triple H’s daughter…” the radio host started curiously.
Seth hummed pleasantly, and you swore you could practically hear the smile in his voice.
“What a debut am I right?” He spoke with a mixture of pride and affection.
Your stomach twisted into knots, teeth digging softly into your bottom lip as you tried to hold back a smile that you didn’t even realize was creeping upon you so feverishly.
“The pop she got was insane! What do you think about her so far?” The interviewer pressed for more, and suddenly you felt yourself becoming interested as you waited for Seth’s response.
“I mean other than being extremely impressed, I think the company is going to be in good hands when Triple H feels ready to pass the torch onto her.” Seth’s voice softening with sincerity as he went on.
“She’s a hard worker, and she’s hilarious, and she’s completely selfless.” Seth said, honestly.
“Any chance we can see you two working together?” The interviewer prodded, a teasing tone in his voice.
Seth laughed lightly. “Oh man, I don’t know what the future holds, but if there ever comes an opportunity, I would love to work with her.” He admitted, making you feel giddy all over as you hung your head and tried to fight the smile.
“You heard it here first, ladies and gents…”
His voice was like a looped track echoing over and over again in your mind—the cadence of every answer memorized like the melody to your favorite song.
And even then, when hours passed, you couldn’t help but still feel warm all over just thinking about all the generous things he had to say about you. It was one of the qualities you admired about him the most despite the short measure of time you knew him for. All of things he said to your face, was the same things he said when you weren’t around—a kind of authenticity that was rare to come across.
Music blared through your phone speakers, resounding off the bathroom walls where you found yourself conflicted as to why you still couldn’t shake Seth’s kind words even after the time had passed. Everyone else had met you with the same kindness that he showed you, but not in the way that left you reeling the way Seth did.
But before you could ponder it any longer and get too in your head than you already were, a knock echoed against your hotel door, prompting you to pull back from the bathroom mirror and hit pause on your phone’s music, strolling over and taking a peak through the peephole to see who it was.
You grinned, unlocking the door and opening it wide to reveal your dad on the other side, already dressed in his suit ready to head out to the arena.
“Hey honey,” He embraced you in a hug before you stepped aside, letting him step into your room, “What time did you get in?”
“A little after nine,” you replied, retreating back to the bathroom to finish up your makeup and you continued to talk, “I checked in and decided to nap. I nearly slept through my alarm, but I’m all rested now.”
Originally, you both had planned to travel together, as you often did when arriving in new cities. But your dad had to cut his weekend short, heading out the morning after your sister’s birthday to join the crew because they were short a producer for the local house show. Knowing your dad, you had mentally begun preparing for more solo trips, seeing as though he was always prone to travel changes now that he was the big boss in charge.
“I forgot to ask, how was dinner last Friday?” He leaned against the doorframe, changing the subject after realizing over the weekend you hadn’t talked about work at all.
You barked out a laugh, trying not to poke your eye out while you combed the mascara through your lashes.
“The food was delicious, and everyone was great. They’re all really nice and welcoming—I even told them about the whole ‘suck it!’ car gate situation.”
Your dad smiled upon hearing you talk about the night so up beat, relieved that you were making friends with everyone since you were going to start seeing them more often than not.
He knew that being on the road meant the constant change of scenery, which in some ways were great for your writing process, but it also brought a certain kind of loneliness with not having any established friends around to keep you company—but thankfully that was all starting to change.
“That’s nice. I’m glad you’re feeling a bit settled.” He chuckled with satisfaction, happy that you weren’t miserable on the road after all the convincing he had to do to get you on board.
“Nepotism apparently makes great conversation starters.” You quipped finished up your mascara.
Sure, you loved being in the comfort of your hometown where you grew up and where all of your family and friends were just a drive away when you needed to see them most. And it certainly wasn’t easy coming to terms that your new job meant a lack of permanence but you knew you could adjust with the more time that went on, and you were positive that you could balance your home and the town you were a guest in.
“I actually wanted to talk about your final storyline,” He paused for a moment, catching your eyes in the mirror’s reflection as you stared anxiously.
“I read through it and man…it’s good.”
Your dad smiled proudly, prompting you to squeal mainly out of relief and clapped your hands frantically. He didn’t know why you were so nervous when he was constantly in awe of everything you created, even since you were a child with a rapid imagination that he couldn’t even keep up with.
“I honestly thought you’d hate it because it’s so work.” You whispered, reaching for your powder compact and a brush, beginning to swirl the bristles into the product and tapping the excess off.
“Does it require me to do a little more work? Yeah.” He laughed, as you half rolled your eyes, gliding the brush across your face as he went on.
“But I think if we do some chemistry reads with the superstars we can find the right fit. And if not, then we’ll put a pin in it. It’s still a good script. We just need the right people to play it out.”
You were pleased with his feedback, and if anyone knew creative direction as well as you did, it was your father. You trusted him enough with your ideas, and he respected them all to want to ensure they were brought to life as vividly as they could be.
You both were like the perfect little dream team, and you couldn’t have been happier to have the best boss and father in one person.
“Look at you using my director lingo.” You mocked with a smirk, tipping the brush at him while he rolled his eyes.
“Hurry up and a pin in this,” He retorted, gesturing to the messy bathroom counter, “We’ll drive down to the arena together.”
“Sounds good. I’ll meet you in the lobby?” You replied, getting up close in the mirror to see if you needed any last touch ups.
“Preferably in the next ten minutes.” He scoffed, shooting you a knowing look as he pressed off the door frame.
“Shoo!” You waved him off with a grunt, and he snickered his way out the door, leaving you to it.
Arriving at the arena a few hours early was far better than the early morning drive that consisted of bumper to bumper traffic, but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t miss Seth’s voice over the radio to listen to throughout the way.
You guessed it was just you being a little self absorbed, loving the way he spoke about you, but you decided to steer clear of thinking too much of it because no way did it mean anything deeper than him just being a kind person.
As you and your dad pulled up to the arena, you both rolled down the windows of the car, waving hello and smiling for pictures with fans who waited outside the parking garage gates. Heading inside, you and your dad went separate ways, you dropping your stuff off into your office and heading to set where you were going to be working behind the camera.
The camera crew and sound engineers were already getting set up in a quiet hallway, where the lights were purposely dimmed for dramatic effect. You took it upon yourself to say hello and catch up with everyone as you got mic’d up and helped frame the shot for the pre-recorded promo that would air later in the show.
Soon after, you felt a tap on your shoulder, and there towered over you the one and only Braun Strowman.
“Hey! You excited?” You said eagerly, removing the headsets from over your ears and letting them rest around your neck.
“You know I am.” He rubbed his hands together before giving you a small side hug.
Braun was still fairly new to the main roster with no big storyline or arch that truly set him apart from everyone else except his stature and strength. But ever since you had been tuning into the show for your storyline research, you knew wanted to develop him into a more prominent character and you were glad your dad approved of what you thought up for him.
“Did you want to change anything about the promo?” You asked, grabbing your binder to pull up his script.
He flipped through his copy, looking at you skeptically with a shrug as he pointed to a specific section.
“I’m sorta confused about how I should play this part.” He confessed, hoping you wouldn’t take his critique the wrong way.
You nodded, flipping to the same page as him and reading it to yourself to refresh your memory of what you had planned. You reassured him with another nod, retrieving a red ballpoint pen for edits as you waved him over to a nereby cart where you two could go over what he wanted to change.
“Do you want to go through it and then we can feel out what you want to change?” You suggested, already beginning to make notes in the margins of the script.
“You sure?” He rose his brow, expecting you to tell him to do what he was asked, instead of trying to wiggle his way into the writer’s room.
“Of course!” You nodded, and he began to get into the parts he required more clarity on and the suggestions he had for his character.
You two spent a total of fifteen minutes, revising and going over the script, and much to his surprise, and the entire crew who were listening in, you took every single suggestion with stride and trusted Braun completely to do what he felt resonated with his character and the overall promo. All the edits and suggestions he made were approved, and you were happy he felt comfortable enough to come and tell you why he felt it was right to do so.
You watched closely on the monitors as Braun stood in front of the camera, situatating himself on his mark, before you peered past the lens and counted him down.
“Okay, we’re rolling in 3…2…” your voice died out, giving him the thumbs up and he began his promo.
Seth watched from the opposite end of the hallway, not paying too much attention to the words leaving Braun’s mouth, but more so the sight of you looking as if you were in your natural habitat. You silently helped the camera man pan in different directions as you followed Braun’s movement and gave him cues to speak louder or pause.
Usually in pre-taped segments or promos there were a lot of stopping and reshooting, most times because the producers wanted it absolutely perfect. However with you the process seemed a lot more laid back. A less stressful environment that they were used to back when Vince was around constantly picking apart everything to the point where everyone felt like they didn’t have any say whatsoever.
“And cut!” You announced out, clapping your hands as Braun relaxed up and came back around the camera to see what you thought.
Seth watched as you two exchanged a few words and nods, happy with the product that it didn’t need another take, so the crew began to clear out. You embraced in a quick hug, patting his back, before you spun around to get your mic and ear piece removed.
Seth then made his way to you, brushing past Braun in the process and giving each other a handshake before the giant went down another turn in the hallway.
“Hey, hey Ms. Director.” He chirped happily, getting your attention.
A smile immediately crossed your features, looking over your shoulder while your fingers fidgeted behind your back removing your mic and handing it off to a stagehand.
“Hey you,” you grinned, arms crossing over your chest, glad that he was stopping by to say hello.
“How was the sightseeing?” You eyed the wristband wrapped around his joint, the same one you recognized from the other superstars you ran into who had the pleasure of sightseeing the Statue Of Liberty after media this morning.
Seth rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, frowning somewhat, “Gotta be honest with you, it was pretty anticlimactic.” He confessed, causing you to laugh lightly with a scorn.
“You didn’t happen to get one of those ‘I Heart New York’ shirts did you?” You joked, and he chuckled, shaking his head.
“They did try to sell me one.” He retorted with a point of his finger.
In some odd way, the familiar knots that formed in your stomach when you listened to his voice over the radio were back again, only this time they kept you grounded, beaming warmly at him as warmth flushed over your skin. You knew it was nothing other than pure appreciation, guessing that if it was anyone else who said the things he did about you, you would be feeling the exact same emotions.
“Thanks for putting me over this morning.” You finally broke the momentary silence, politely reaching out to rest a cordial hand over his arm before dropping it back to your sides swiftly.
He thought for a moment, lifting his brows unknowingly not knowing what you were talking about before realization crossed his face. “You heard that?”
You giggled, nodding as you tucked your cheek into your shoulder. “It helps when you have a driver who only ever listens to the local radio.”
“Well, I meant what I said.” He said sweetly, watching you nod, before looking down the hall.
“Your dad wants to see me in his office. It’s about some chemistry read?” He supposed curiously, wondering if you knew what it was about.
You tilted your head, surprised for a quick second that your dad thought of him for the male lead, but you understood why—especially when he possessed the talent for it.
“It’s my final assignment storyline.” You revealed, wringing your hands together nervously, hoping he would like the script when he read over it himself.
“Really?” He was stunned, thrilled to read what you had after learning about it last week. “ I guess I really gotta nail it.” He cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck comically.
“I’ll see you, Seth.” You waved.
“See you,” He nodded, heading in the opposite direction.
You thanked the crew who were still hanging around, before setting off to your office to relax and answer some emails prior to the show starting. To your surprise, when you got there Xavier and his buddies Big E and Kofi were lingering around and immediately perked up when they saw you coming around the corner.
“Ah, Ms. Levesque! I’ve been searching for you,” Xavier stood, holding his arms out excitedly as he did a curtsy.
“What can I do for you Mr. Woods?” You said in your best English accent, bowing slightly making them laugh.
“So I don’t know if you know, but I run a YouTube channel called UpUpDownDown.” He explained, and you nodded enthusiastically, pointing to him.
“Yeah! You had my mom and dad on there, right?” You laughed to yourself, remembering the time you stumbled upon the videos and proceeded to tease them about how not so tech savvy they were these days.
“Oh, man, you really did do your research.” He complimented, happy that you had a jist of what he did outside of the ring.
“Anyway, I was wondering if you’d be interested in coming on the show? I think the fans would really love it, plus I’m always looking for new people to game with.” He shimmied his shoulders, hoping you would be down for the opportunity.
You grinned, immediately nodding, “Do you have Mario Kart?”
“You know I do.”
“Then I’ll be there!”
You invited them into your office so that you and Xavier could sit down and go over a day to film the content. You both settled for the upcoming week during on an off day where there weren’t any scheduled house shows or media to get in the way and cut the day short. The three were incredibly funny and made you feel extra included which was great because you wanted to form friendships and bonds, not just soley being the new writer or boss’s daughter.
You were thankful that Xavier thought about you for his side hobby that he was incredibly passionate about, and it gave you the perfect excuse to sit back and relax without worrying about work. Soon after they said their goodbye’s, a knock echoed on your door and the familiar voice rang through on the other side.
“Ms. Levesque?” It was Eddie.
You went to open it, smiling when you saw him. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Your dad wants to see you in his office.” He informed you, pointing down one side of the hallway as you stuck your head out.
“Did he say why?” You peered over at him and he shook his head with a shrug.
“Apparently, it has something to do with the chemistry reads, but that’s about all I know.”
“Okay, thank you.” You figured it’d be best to head to your father’s office first to see what he needed then get changed for the show.
“When you’re done, meet me in catering. You have some posters that need autographs, and we can catch up.” He offered with a smile, and you nodded.
Coming across your father’s office, you turned the knob, letting yourself in, assuming it must have been urgent if he sent Eddie as opposed to shooting you a text.
“Are we putting a pin in—hey!” You greeted, suddenly taken aback, with the setup in front of you.
A few creative members and producers sat along the elongated table with a camcorder set up on a tripod facing the opposite wall where none other than Seth sat, passing you a welcoming smile as he looked up from the script in his hands.
You smiled tightly, giving him a timid wave before peering over at your dad.
“You really weren’t joking when you said chemistry reads were you?”
He chuckled, shaking his head as he handed you another copy of the script.
“Have a seat, sweetheart.”
Your dad pointed you towards the empty chair next to Seth and with everything happening so abruptly, you didn’t question his instruction and went right ahead and made yourself cozy next to the superstar.
“I want you to read from the first page to right about halfway through the second.” Your dad directed you, and you nodded, beginning to go through the lines that were practically seared into your brain from all the proofreading.
You and Seth both gawked over at your dad, waiting for his cue as he fidgeted with the camcorder, hitting the red button before giving you both a silent nod and a thumbs up.
“Isn’t there something bigger you should be chasing after? Like WWE Championship for instance?” You began, eyes looking up to meet Seth’s.
He chuckled, shaking his head, wearing a maniacal grin. “If you have already forgotten, let me remind you…I’ve already held the most prestigious championship in this company. I’ve carried this company on my back, and even when my knee gave out, I came back to reclaim what I never lost, and now I want something else.”
You narrowed your eyes at him, trying to decode what he meant. “I can’t give you what you won’t say.”
“I’m looking at her.” He whispered, staring at you deeply as if you were the only person around.
Before you could get lost, a look of disgust covered your face, as you pulled back from him scoffing begrudgingly.
“You don’t possibly think I would want anything to do with you do you? I have my priorities straight and I don’t need you getting in the way of them.”
As Seth’s lips parted, getting ready to read the next line, your father cleared his throat, holding his palm up in the air and stopping you both as you looked in his direction.
“Now I want you both to improvise. Keep it rolling…” Your dad declared, guiding his hands in a tumbling motion and you both nodded getting ready to proceed.
Seth tsk’ed, fingers rolling up the script, as he tapped it against his leg.
“Haven’t you ever thought about it? The prodigy of Triple H, myself, and his genius daughter. What’s not to like about that?”
He smirked, looking you up and down before you promptly cut in, trying not to feel the warmth of your blood seizing in your veins. It was just improvising.
“You’re power hungry. Need I remind you this time that my father only did what he did because he wanted what was best for business? And sure, it might have gotten you high up that mountain, but it came crashing down just as fast when your loyalty meant nothing to him.” You retorted sharply, watching his smirk fall into a hurt expression.
“What makes you think I’m still that man? I changed, I became better, and I am better than I ever was before.” His voice suddenly held a gentleness, as if he was trying to prove himself to you.
You stayed indifferent, pressing yourself forward as you spoke with a sternness he couldn’t look away from.
“You’ll get clouded by that same power hungry haze sooner or later. You’ll never be able to outgrow the man that stabbed your bothers in the back with a steel chair, the man that sold out for his own success, and the man who reclaimed it all not because he was destined to, but because you care all too much about proving you aren’t who people think you are because you’re scared it might truer than you think.”
You both held eye contact, searching each other’s eyes for a fleeting moment all before a faint applaud broke the scene and caused you both to grin and look over at the table and your father who seemed rather fascinated with the chemistry you had.
“Was that any good?” You bit down on your lip anxiously, hoping their applause wasn’t strictly out of pity for your mediocre acting.
Your father stopped the recording, passing you a sly and proud nod.
“If I say ‘yes’ does it mean that you’re okay with starring in your own storyline with Seth?” He responded with a convincing expression.
Your eyes widened. “Seriously?”
He nodded and chuckled, walking around to stand in front of you both.
“We couldn’t find anyone who meshed well with the script playing opposite of Seth. Originally, I was going to put a pin in it, but I figured I might as well give you a shot before I called it off.” He explained.
“I mean, if it’s okay with you then I’d be glad to do it.” You sputtered, looking over at Seth with a mix of uncertainty and excitement.
The superstar immediately nodded, washing away your initial worry about him needing to work with a rookie like you. It was safe to say that you were clearly still getting used to be on camera, and you didn’t want to hinder the path of Seth’s career that was on a steady incline.
“I’d be dumb to turn this down. I would love to work with you on your very own storyline.” He grinned, your knees knocking into one another when he reached out for you to shake his hand as if you both were sealing the deal.
You clutched his softly, his hands giving yours a tender yet encouraging squeeze before you released at the sound of your father clapping his hands.
“Well, it’s settled…do you guys want to start tonight?”
Your eyes widened, looking at him in disbelief “T-tonight?”
“Yeah,” He shrugged, knowing you and Seth’s characters needed a little revamp, a different storyline would help a ton, “A little run in segment in the middle of the show. It’ll be great for your character and we can get the ball rolling on this thing.”
“We can work something out before the show,” Seth suggested, pulling out his phone to check the time, flashing it to you, “We have plenty of time.”
“Yeah, okay, that sounds somewhat reassuring.” You gave him a small smile, turning to your dad. “Do we have to hit anything specific?”
“The audience should know you know about him and his history, and that you aren’t too fond. That’s about it.” He looked back at the table of producers and writers who agreed.
“Wanna meet in my office in like ten minutes? I just have to get changed.” You looked down at yourself, still dressed in jeans and a fitted tee, plus some sneakers.
Seth nodded, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “I’m gonna head to catering for a little and I’ll come right over.”
You both got up, taking a moment to say thank you to everyone who approved of your script to get it this far this early. Seth took an extra moment to give his thanks to your dad who picked him out of the many superstars that could’ve fulfilled the role instead. As you exited his office, you pointed Seth down to where he could find you before you both waved a quick goodbye.
Seth had a smile glued to his face on the walk to catering, pleased that it was you who he was working with on a storyline that frankly was entirely different from any other he worked on in the past.
He certainly didn’t expect himself to be picked for the role, and to be fair he was a bit hesitant to take it because he knew your script deserved the utmost justice being served to it.
But when your dad called for Eddie to find you for the read, he just knew there was no way he would be able to let anyone else play the part beside himself if it meant getting to work with you.
It was safe to say Seth was in good spirits, honored that it was him getting to work with you for your first big storyline. And while he couldn’t take you on a proper coffee outing to thank you for last week, and now the storyline under his belt—he could totally try to make you the best cup of instant coffee to make up for it.
He walked through catering doors, making a beeline for the beverage table and retrieving two cups as he got to work.
“Did you get cut too?” Finn called out to him from the table nearby.
Seth chuckled, shaking his head as he twisted the spigot of the jug to dispense some of the coffee into the cups.
“Actually, no.”
“So who are they pairing you with?” Renee suspected, keeping her eyes on him curiously.
“Nattie?” Charlotte wondered, knowing she was also called in for the chemistry read earlier in the day.
“Over my dead body.” TJ called out from another table, causing them all to laugh.
“Sasha?” Finn pressed once again.
“Nope.” Seth said quickly, ripping two sugar packets and pouring it into your cup.
“Boss lady?” Roman called out jokingly.
Seth’s silence was all they needed to hear and before he could even tell them the good news, the entire room was filled with “oh’s” and “ah’s” coming from left and right.
“No fucking way.” Dean hailed, pressing his hands against the table, sitting up straighter in his seat.
“How in the hell did you manage to get paired up with her?” Renee choked, perplexed and entertained by the sudden news.
“Paul, made the call,” Seth exhaled annoyingly, turning to them as he stirred the contents of your cup. “He called her in to read and it just felt natural. We meshed and now we’re working together.”
The group of wrestlers whistled like a bunch of high schoolers struck with the fact that their very own friend was getting closer and closer to the principal’s daughter—or at least that’s how Seth saw it. Sure, they were all grown adults, but his friends especially were guilty of their childish play and this was one of those moments he wished ended sooner, but they were only getting started.
“Maybe Paul knew all along he wanted you and her together, and he held that meeting last week mostly for you.” Kofi quipped and everyone laughed, making him roll his eyes.
“Yeah, right, are you getting paid for these conspiracy theories?” Seth scoffed, shooting them all a glare.
“No, but I do know I’m not the one who’s potentially going to get his ass fired by Triple H if I get too cozy with his daughter!” He boosted, as everyone shook his hand and laughed cheekily.
“You wanna know what I think?” Seth got ready to leave, wrapping his hands around the warm cups.
“Please enlighten us Mr. Monday Night.” Renee grinned, propping her chin up on her fist.
Seth scanned the entire room with a smug smirk on his face. “That you guys are jealous that I’m the first one out of all of us to get a script written by her and I get to work with her.”
“Oh, shut it!” Charlotte rolled her eyes as everyone boo’d him out.
“Catch you losers later.” He singsonged, strolling over to your office with a victorious smile on his face.
Stopping in front of your office, he balanced his coffee against his chest, knocking firmly on the door, letting you know it was him. There was some shuffling and mumbling coming from the inside, smoothing out your skirt and top before you pulled the door open and met him with a smile as you tossed your hair over your shoulder.
“Hey, come in.” You opened the door wider, making room for him to pass, before shutting it behind him.
Seth stepped in further into your office, holding out one of the cups towards you, “It’s not the best coffee but I did promise you some last time.”
You pressed your lips into a thankful pout, taking it from him.
“I did need an extra buzz to get through the show, so thank you.” You laughed.
He watched as you took a sip, concern muddled in his orbs, hoping you’d like it, and if you didn’t, then he’d have to hope the sugar packets hidden in his pocket could solve the problem.
“Not too bitter is it?” Seth rose his brow skeptically, and you went in for another sip before shaking your head.
“It’s actually just right.” You swirled the cup in your palm, running your tongue over your lips.
“If we’re ever in Iowa, I’ll take you to a better coffee spot.” He offered, following your lead to the couch getting comfortable.
“You know a place?” You lifted your brow, falling onto the cushions, and hit him right beside you not a second later.
“I own it.” He said proudly, containing a chuckle when you snapped your head at him in awe.
“No way, you don’t.” You gasped, poking his arm thinking that he was just messing with you.
He shook his head, holding his hands up in defense. “Believe it or not, I’m a coffee connoisseur myself and decided to open up a little shop in my hometown.”
“Okay now you legitimately need to take me out for coffee.” You insisted with a stern point, the two of you began laughing.
“You have my word.” He promised, tipping his cup into the air towards you.
Sure it was a gamble to make such a promise, especially considering everyone’s concern about him getting in trouble with Paul for getting too close, but it also came with the territory of the business and if anyone knew what that was like then it was certainly your father.
You and him were strictly business…and friends. But nothing more than that. The way that you two smiled and held conversations with each other was strictly platonic—at least that’s what he was trying to convince himself as he stared at you tenderly.
He didn’t understand why his friends were causing such a ruckus between you and him, because surely they all thought that he was better than that, right? There wasn’t any plausible way that you or he could fall into something deeper than platonic friends…right?
“Oh! Let me grab my laptop.” You remembered getting off the couch, causing Seth to blink wildly, shaking his head at himself for getting caught up in his thoughts.
You sat beside him once more, this time with your laptop in hand as you set your coffee down on the ground before lifting the screen and typing your password in. He grinned behind his cup as he took a sip, eyes trained on the wallpaper of you and your sisters, plus a few dogs that he assumed were a part of the family.
“So, how should we do this?” You puffed out a breath of air through your nose, opening an application from the toolbar, causing another screen to pop up, an empty document.
You typed your name and Seth’s in the same line, followed by ‘backstage segment’ before assigning two different colors for your lines.
Seth slanted closer to you, and you looked up at him for a quick second, doing the same so you could tilt the laptop towards him, giving him a better view of the screen.
“Why don’t I come in looking for your dad, but it’s actually you I run into?” He suggested, looking at you for approval.
You thought for a second, eyes trained up to the ceiling, trying to paint the picture in your head, and before you knew it, there was a certain twinkle in your eye, suddenly looking at him with a thoughtful grin.
“Yeah, I like that.” You nodded, getting to typing away.
Effortless was the best way to describe the time that passed as you and Seth bounced ideas off one another. In fact, your office was filled with laughter, “oh’s” and “ah’s” that reflected the ease that came with the process that most times were filled with silence and pondering. He made it all feel easy, even with the worry that lingered in the back of your mind about being on live TV again.
You bit down on your lip, fingers working across the keyboard thoughtfully as you typed.
“Why don’t you do what your mother did and be gone witch?” Seth read it aloud as you typed and he covered his mouth, and you threw your head back laughing.
“No way! Your mom would kill, then your dad.” He grimaced lightly, causing you to giggle uncontrollably, sliding your laptop off your lap as you hunched over your legs.
“I personally think the crowd would pop over it.” You caught your breath laying back against the cushions.
“I like what we have so far. Usually sitting in script writing isn’t this fun,” Seth admitted, watching as you reached for your laptop and deleted the last line.
You hummed, tilting your head, “Writing has never not been fun for me. Sure, sometimes there’s writer’s block, but I always find that jumping from script to script can help.”
You saved the script to your laptop, pulling up your emails and sending it to Eddie with ‘please print’ in the subject line followed by a smiley face. He grinned, shaking his head as he sipped his coffee, watching you hit the send button before closing your laptop.
He swallowed the bitter liquid, the two of you sitting in short silence before he nudged your side with his elbow, getting you to meet his eyes.
“I’m lucky, really. There’s no one I would rather work with.” He spoke with a sincerity that made those knots loop and tighten in your stomach all over again.
It tugged inside of you in a way that you could not even begin to pinpoint. The idea of it being because you were starting to form a little crush on him just didn’t seem fathomable for reasons that you knew were obvious. He would never go after his boss’s daughter. You were the forbidden fruit he couldn’t have, and you were positive it was just you misinterpreting his kindness so foolishly.
Before you could even thank him, a heavy knock sounded on the other side of the door, causing you both to whip your head in its direction.
“Come in!” You called out, immediately standing and brushing your palms against your skirt.
It was a camera crew and sound techs lugging their equipment, as one of them spoke.
“Is it okay if we set up?” They proposed, looking between you and Seth.
You nodded, glancing over at the superstar who stood upright beside you.
“Yeah, of course, we were just wrapping up.”
They all nodded, letting themselves in to prepare for the segment tonight.
“I’ll meet you here okay?” Seth held his arm out, letting you walk into a small hug.
“Sounds like a plan.” You murmured, rubbing his back, watching him leave, hoping time would go by faster.
As if you manifested it, time certainly did pass by quicker than you anticipated and Seth was already changed into a fitted tee and black skinny jeans. His hair tugged out of the low bun he had been wearing and misted with leave in conditioner. He was reading over the copy of his script while you got your hair and makeup touched up and the camera crew began framing the shot.
One of the producers instructed you both to get into places, anticipating the end of the second match of the night where directly after the cameras would cut to backstage. You stood off camera, shooting Seth a thumbs up and a big ole smile, while a stage hand counted down and the cameras were live.
“Hello hello, is anyone here?” He tapped on the already cracked door, pushing against it and letting himself in, looking around.
You snuck in from the opposite side of the camera, revealing yourself.
“Can I help you?”
Seth stared at you surprised, for a split second before giving you a tense nod and looking past you.
“Actually, you can’t, but if you could get me your dad, then I think I’ll be able to get my issue resolved.”
You rolled your eyes, hands resting on your hips, “Well my dad’s actually a little busy right now, but I can assure you, whatever it is you need, I can assist.”
“Yeah?” Seth crossed his arms over his chest, meeting your eyes skeptically.
“Come on, hit me.” You nodded with a smile, feigning assurance as you guided him to tell you what he so desperately wanted.
“A match against—”
“Yeah no,” You cut him off, dropping the smile on your face and causing Seth to furrow his brows perplexed.
“Excuse me?” He spoke taken aback by your harshness.
“You don’t think I’m stupid do you? I know your history, Seth, and to be quite frank, I’m not the fondest of you. To be honest, I don’t even like you all that much.”
“Look lady, I did nothing to you, so I don’t see why you’re treating me the way you are right now.”
“It’s not about what you did to me, Seth. It’s about what you did to other people. What you did to your brothers, Roman and Dean. What you did to my dad after everything he did for you. And right now, I have my guard up because I don’t know what you’ll do to me.”
“I’ll have you know that I apologized to my brothers. We’ve moved on and they’ve forgiven me. As for your dad,” Seth paused, looking at you, “He got what he had coming…and so did you mom.”
You gritted your teeth, palm lifting up as if you were going to slap him before your dad, cleared his throat, entering the frame and you hurriedly lowered your hand and shot him a sweet smile.
“Hi dad!” You beamed, attempting to cut the tension in the small space.
“Hey sweetie,” He greeted you with a hug, ignoring Seth for a moment, before turning to face him finally, “You met my daughter I see.”
“She’s a real delight.” Seth faked a smile, and you rolled your eyes when your dad wasn’t looking.
“Was there something you needed?” Hunter requested, and Seth’s mouth opened about to speak.
“He was actually just leaving dad.” You interjected, shaking your head and gesturing Seth out the door.
But he stood in place, glaring at you until you hardened your gaze and pointed him out once more.
“Bye-bye now.” You twiddled your fingers, smiling evilly when he turned his back and walked out.
The camera cut back to the ring, and you immediately broke character with a giggle relieved that it went better than you had planned, and to your surprise you and Seth worked effortlessly. Your father shook his head, impressed by how good you were at playing the bad guy, even after you were initially opposed to being a heel because you didn’t know if you possessed any of the bad guy qualities.
“I’m sure everyone is now officially going to call me mom’s mini me.” You joked, meeting your father’s palm with a high five.
“You sure are.” Your dad grinned, ruffling the top of your head, a warm gesture of his approval that you always had.
The two of you moved towards your desk, allowing the crew to clear out with all their equipment, and it wasn’t long before Seth had made his way back in, wearing the same grin that you had glued onto your face even after the cameras called cut.
“For a second, I thought you really were going to hit me.” Seth shook his head playfully, rubbing his hand over his cheek where you were going to hit him.
You gasped dramatically, holding a hand over your heart, “I would never!” You insisted, the two of you laughing as your dad watched on.
He was well aware that the decision to have you and Seth work together was the best one he could have made, despite the oppositions who argued otherwise. Sure, many of the producers and writers were weary of Paul allowing his daughter to act in her very own script, especially a romantic one, but Paul knew better than anyone that you were the perfect fit, and Seth was the perfect partner to make it all happen.
While Seth was the one who named Paul one of his biggest mentors, Paul trusted Seth with not just his creative take on wrestling, but the ability to work with new talent not just to put them over, but to make him better in the process. It was no different from trusting Seth with you, knowing he would help you develop your character for the long run while also getting the chance to explore a creative direction that the fans had never seen from him before.
Your father knew you and Seth were the perfect match for TV and that was it.
“Wanna go to catering?” Seth suggested, hoping you’d tag along since he had virtually nothing else to do for the night.
You nodded, retrieving your phone off your desk. “Yeah, I’m actually meting Eddie there. I have a few posters to sign and he wants to catch up.” You shot Eddie a quick text that you would be there soon.
“Well, great job you two.” Your dad spoke, giving you both a pat on the back, content with how the segment went and hoping the fans would be excited for next week where they got to see more of you two together.
“Fun weekend?” Seth asked, falling into step beside you, walking through the hallways.
You nodded enthusiastically, retelling what you and your family had been up to.
“It was actually really fun and relaxing at the same time. Plus, I really hit a home run when my sister opened the present I got her.”
You unlocked your phone, opening the photos app, and scrolling to find the photo your mom snapped of you and your sister as she ripped open her present.
“What’d you get her?” He stared, watching as you slid through some images before finally finding the one and passing it over to him.
“It’s one of those vintagey polaroid cameras.” You explained, excitement woven into your voice, “And it’s not the modern ones they brought back into style. It’s like an actual one from the 80s I think? I found it at consignment store and picked up some film to go along with it.”
Seth laughed, fingers scrolling through the play-by-play photos which revealed your sisters surprised expression the more she got through the wrapping paper and realized what she got. It ended with you two embracing in a hug, and Seth smiled warmly at the thought you put in, making sure you got her something that was worth a reaction like that.
“She looks super stoked.” Seth chuckled, passing the phone back to you.
You hummed, pouting slightly at the screen a little at the screen and locking it. “I’m a little jealous because I’ve been wanting one myself.” You admitted with a laugh, shaking your head at your own wistfulness.
Seth smirked, opening the catering doors for you, letting you walk in first.
“You should get one. It’ll complete the whole director look you got going on.” He spoke, walking in behind you and gesturing his hand in the air over your silhouette.
You giggled softly, looking towards the table in the back of the room where Eddie was waving you over.
“I’ll be over there.” You pointed, and Seth nodded, giving Eddie a little wave before turning his attention back to you.
“Stop by if you have time.” Seth replied, tone inviting, tilting his head towards the table where all of his friends were seated waiting for him to join them.
“I will.” You assured him with a smile, heading to Eddie while Seth went to grab food.
The fine tip sharpie was nestled into your hand and you began the time consuming and finger cramping process of getting the stack of posters signed for the beloved WWE fans. Thankfully, you and Eddie both created an efficient rhythm where you would sign and he would stack them, keeping to process going smoothly.
“How was your sister’s birthday?” He swiped away another poster into the growing signed pile.
“Adorable! She had a few friends over for her birthday party, and she was surprised my dad and I flew down in time.” You gushed, hand working overtime to get everything done in one sitting.
“That’s nice. Why didn’t I see you Friday, by the way?” He was too busy with your father’s tasks for him to find you or shoot you a text last week.
“I got dinner with Seth and a few other people, and I caught a ride with them back to the hotel.” You stopped for a moment, looking at him with a soft smile. “Thanks for sending my stuff to the suite by the way.”
Eddie nodded, keeping the posters going, but not without a little laugh getting caught in his throat before he spoke, “Seth, huh?”
You furrowed your brows, the pen still working against the glossy photos.
“What about him?” You pressed, wondering what he was getting at.
Eddie shrugged, his knowing eyes avoided with yours trained on the photos in front of you. “Nothing, he just seems to cozy up to you that’s all.”
“Oh, come on, that’s not true.” You argued, shaking your head dismissively.
“You ran into each other like a billion times on your first day—two of which I was there to see with my own eyes.” He retorted, as if it meant something deeper than two people coincidentally bumping into each other.
“Well, we work together now, and now with the new storyline expect to see more of us together.” You replied, attempting to brush off any implications that it was deeper than surface level.
“In a cozy way or?” Eddie teased, knocking his foot lightly into your calves under the table.
“Oh my god, stop.” You groaned, rolling your eyes at his childish behavior that was borderline schoolgirl like.
“I’m messing with you,” Eddie eased up with a chuckle, “Plus, your dad already made it clear that talent is off limits.” He admitted, sucking in a sharp breath at the memory of the tense meeting just a few days ago.
“He’s not actually serious about that.” You countered with a huff, defiance creeping into your voice.
Eddie deadpanned, staring at you in disbelief, “What do you mean ‘not serious’? He is totally absolutely serious about it.”
You shrugged, not understanding what the big deal was anyway.
“Well for one, I am a grown woman who gets to decide what I want, and two, he and my mom literally did what he’s now tell me not to do, which is very hypocritical if you ask me.”
Eddie nodded, understanding your point, but at the same time weary of what your father was capable of if anyone thought about pursing you.
“No I know that, but…wouldn’t he like absolutely freak out if you went against him?”
“This is all hypothetical you know that, right? I’m not actually going to go after Seth.” You laughed lightly, shaking your head at him, hoping he knew you weren’t being actually serious about you and your new on-screen interest.
“What if Seth wants to go after you?” Eddie’s tone was suddenly a lot less teasing and more so serious.
“He’d be out of his mind.” You sighed, waving off the thought of that even happening.
“He already is.” Eddie muttered under his breath, eyes catching the sigh of Seth staring at you from across the room while you tried not to feel it.
Seth settled his eyes back on his plate of salad and grilled chicken, seated between Dean and Kofi as everyone began talking about the elephant in the room, which was you and Seth—of course.
“Nice segment,” Dean patted him on the back with a smirk. “You guys have chemistry.” He added, and the table agreed with hums and smiles.
Seth chewed his food and swallowed, nodding his head thankfully, “Well I mean, that’s why Paul picked her and I.”
Dean snorted, shaking his head with a lopsided grin. “I mean, romantic sexual chemistry.”
“Oh, fuck off.” Seth cursed, shaking his head in disagreement.
The table giggled and failed to hide their growing smirks, knowing damn well there was an unspoken chemistry between you both no matter how hard Seth tried to deny it.
“It’s no surprise when we were practically barging in on your date last week.” Charlotte piped with a soft whistle, sipping her energy drink through a straw.
“Hold up what?” Xavier’s eyes shot towards Seth, lifting a troubling brow.
Seth sighed, forking pieces of dressed lettuce onto the prongs as he spoke.
“We just went out to dinner and I walked her up to her hotel room. We were on the same floor, so it was just coincidence.”
“Chivalry, my man!” Big E hooted.
“Thank you.” Seth looked over at him with an empathetic expression, knowing at least he understood what it meant to be a courteous person.
But Kofi piped in, shaking his head. “Oh, it wasn’t a compliment. You’re down bad dude.” He corrected with a laughed, reaching across the table to give Big E a fist bump.
“What does that even mean?” Seth furrowed his brows confused, before ultimately shaking his head not wanting to hear it.
“We’re friends. And you guys have to drop this, we’re gonna be working together a lot and the last thing—”
Before he could even finish his statement, he felt a hand slide across the slope of his shoulder, causing him to look behind him, only to be met by you. Your stood above him, wearing your infectious smile as your hand remained on his clothed shoulder.
“I gotta run, but I’ll try to find you later if I have time.” You told him, eyes darting quickly to Eddie who was waiting up for you near the catering doors.
Seth nodded, immediately smiling, “Yeah, of course,” He replied.
He dropped the fork onto his plate, hand reaching up to cover yours. “Good job earlier by the way.”
You squeezed his skin tenderly, his rough fingertips grazing over your knuckles as you two smiled idiotically at each other. Everyone catching the way you both acted as if you were the only two people in the room—as if it really was just an innocent start of a friendship.
“Thanks. It always helps when you have a good scene partner to work with.” You spoke softly with another gracious nod.
With that, Seth let his hand fall off yours, and you brought your arm back to your side, finally tearing your eyes away from solely his and finally acknowledging everyone else with a wave.
“Bye guys,” you chorused, looking at Seth once more, mouthing “bye” and spinning on your heel, leaving with Eddie.
“That’s what it is.” Kofi muttered, draping his arm across Seth’s shoulder.
“What?” Seth finally tore his eyes from the catering door and his smile gradually dropped.
“That look on your face.” He pointed, gesturing a finger in a circular motion over his face.
“You being so gushy mushy over her? That’s being down bad my friend.”
Seth didn’t entertain the accusation, not even in the slightest convinced as he continued to eat his food and his friends went on with their badgering. He wasn’t down bad or whatever it was they were claiming.
All of it was completely and utterly foolish—he just wondered if you thought so too.
💌 reblogs, tags, comments, + likes are greatly appreciated! leave a comment and let me know if want to be added to my taglist!! 💌
a/n: i hope you guys like chapter three of icsy!!! i had been working on this chapter for awhile and it is longer than i expected it to be, but thats just me being a typical yappersorous (my bad). let me know what you thing!!! seems like reader and seth are down bad and they don't even know it just yet 😜
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this now exist. it's a silly little drabble to put my heart at ease. it had been rattling in my brain ever since WM thanks to @hirunoka and now here we are - it was ofc supposed to come out like weeks ago but I'm a busy bitch lmaooo.
I leave and breathe for the shield, always have, always will. they are the reason why I got back into wrestling the first time 10 years ago and why I got back into it again almost 2 years ago now. I will always be grateful to everything they gave me and everything they always meant to me, so I needed to write this.
please, enjoy.
also, for anyone interested, I wrote this thinking about this song in particular, which to me will always represent the shield shipping party
masterlist
It had been a hot minute since Dean stepped foot in WWE. He was done. He had been done a long time. For more reasons than he could ever explain, the fight got finally taken out of him five years ago and he hanged his boots for good.
Fighting had been his life for so long that he had to learn to exist without it. He had to rewire himself to be mundane and to deal with emotions in healthy ways. And it had been mostly difficult. Hell even. Dean had never felt as out of place as he did in those past five years. Even now, he couldn’t consider himself quite settled.
But it wasn’t enough for him to come back. There were monsters, waiting for him in those fights he craved that he never wanted to meet again.
He couldn’t say he didn’t miss it. Some things he missed every day. Some people he missed like he would with parts of himself. But, no matter how much the melancholy gnawed on his bones or the old habits whispered in the back of his mind, he was certain he would never come back to WWE.
Until Seth called.
It wasn’t the first time that someone from inside the company tried to get him to come back. Not that Dean spoke with many people from that old life anymore. Only Seth remained a constant in his life. And even though he had desperately tried to push him away multiple times, it always seemed like Dean could never entirely banish him. He wasn’t allowed to forget his past life.
“You need to be there,” Seth’s words still echoed in Dean’s mind, “I don’t care how. Leave that out to me, I’ll get you through. You can kick and cry about it, but you need to be there.”
For once, Dean hadn’t tried to fight him and simply agreed. He didn’t try to compromise or have things go his way. His defeated “Okay,” came as a surprise for him too, but he knew Seth spoke the truth. He needed to be there.
Something was pulling in his chest, a feeling not even he could ignore. It was something old, something almost forgotten, yet real. It tasted sour, like tears and sweat; hard, like heartbreak; but it was also encouraging and soft, like brotherhood. Dean had never been able to find his place in that world again because he had already found it before, and nothing would have ever compared to it. No one stood a chance to understand him, to love him, to deserve his trust, just as much as his brothers did.
And so, even though his biggest fight ever was to keep away from that world that almost ate him alive, Dean was set to be there tonight. For Seth. And, especially, for Roman.
Like never before in his career, Roman stood a good chance to lose everything tonight. His title, his empire, his sanity. And Dean wasn’t about to let him slip away. Both he and Seth knew what was at stake. And, even though they both hadn’t agreed to anything Roman did in the past few years and hardly recognised the man they considered a brother under that mask Roman liked to wear, leaving him alone as his world crumbled was out of the question.
It was needed. Roman had embarked on a dark road and it was time to stop him, but hell if Dean was going to leave him alone.
Now, Dean was watching it happening live in front of his eyes.
From backstage he could hear the crowd roar in response to everything happening in the ring. He remembered what it felt to hear them chant for him when he was their hero. He remembered how dangerously tempting it was to be on top of their world. But he had never liked the glory. Not truly. Not deep down. He wasn’t born to be a champion. His glory was born from the ashes of the biggest heartbreak of his life. It was still such a dark place he didn’t want to drift away to.
Dean fidgeted, switching his weight from one foot to the other, impatient and nervous. He didn’t feel at ease. He wasn’t supposed to be there. His past and present kept mixing in his thoughts and emotions, rattling his nerves. Even his clothes had started to itch on his skin.
Especially when Dean saw Seth going out in his S.H.I.E.L.D. attire; so much of their past just flooded through him, cancelling out the past ten years and mixing all his memories. Their first WrestleMania. Seth’s betrayal. Dean clinging for his life to their fight, spilling sweat and blood for it, unable to let go. Roman never left his side. The three of them disagreed but never lost each other completely for all the years to come; it was all there, still burning in his chest.
They exchanged a long look and a silent nod, acknowledging that they both were feeling the same things, as they crossed paths before Seth proceeded to go help Rhodes.
Seth had to do what he had to do. The right thing was to help Cody. Dean had no doubt about it and he wasn’t about to hold a grudge. In this match, in this feud, Cody Rhodes was the better man and he was the only one able to bring an end to Roman’s empire.
But just because Dean was aware of what was going on and supported Seth’s decision, knowing he would be distraction enough to Roman to give Cody a chance, it didn’t mean that it was any easier to watch Roman fall.
One. Two. Three.
Roman Reigns was defeated. His empire was over.
The crowd went wild. The American Nightmare song exploded into the stadium. The Lincoln Financial Field foundations shook.
Dean watched it as it happened but had nothing to celebrate for. If anything, he was ready to mourn, because Roman had just lost everything.
He then waited for what it felt like a lifetime. Seconds mixed with hours, it felt all the same and it didn’t matter, Dean’s heart was still about to explode.
No one was backstage waiting for Roman with him. None of his closest people. No friends. He had no one, but a ghost right out of his past there for him. That was probably the saddest thing of it all.
When Roman emerged from the curtains, he looked like hell. He looked exhausted. He had fought, Dean had no doubt he tried to defend his empire with everything he had in him and he was to be praised for that. He may have been wrong on many things recently, but he was still a gladiator.
However, it wasn’t how worn out Roman looked that moved Dean enough to take a step forward even before he could think about it. It was the fact that he was crying. Emotions streamed clear down his face, scarring his handsome features and crossing his face with pure pain. His mask was gone. He was only a man, now.
Roman gasped, looking at him in the eye. He was clearly surprised to see him. He was probably the last person Roman would expect to find there. Dean couldn’t blame him. After all, they haven’t spoken in years by now. But he wondered whether or not Roman hoped to find someone else.
If that was the case, Dean felt his fragile heart already creaking under the pressure. But again, he wasn’t there for himself. If Roman hoped for someone else to be there, then tough shit because he had only him left. And Seth. In the end, it kept coming back to the three of them.
There was a pause as the air stood still between them.
Roman and Dean only looked at each other for a few moments, studying the men they became in the long time that divided the brothers they once were.
Dean saw something break inside Roman. It was like it fell right out of Roman’s chest and into his. And he was ready to catch it. He was ready to catch him.
Without anyone needing to speak one word, they both moved, attracted by a silent, invisible magnetism and embraced each other. Dean grabbed solidly on Roman’s big frame as the man let himself go against him, releasing a tired, broken sigh.
“I got you,” Dean whispered, and then said again, louder, over and over as he cradled Roman gently.
Roman cried into his shoulder. It took him a minute to react, but when he wrapped his arms around Dean, his hold was so strong he was almost squeezing the breath out of his chest. Roman’s fingers clawed on the material of his t-shirt, grasping at him like he was his only lifeline. So, he proceeded to squeeze him more, just to make him feel he was there.
“I got you. You are not alone.”
Later that night Dean and Roman sat on a couple of bleachers on one of the higher rings, from where they had a pretty good view of the empty stadium. It was still completely lit by the powerful white lights, making it look melancholic and uncanny.
Roman was calmer now. He was still defeated, losing took everything out of him. Dean suspected he had cried all his tears out and had nothing else to give, now. He looked heartbroken; his pain still followed like a heavy shadow. He was empty now. Which was a good thing, Dean thought, at least Roman wouldn’t have been consumed by his own anger or gone into self-destruction mode. Not just yet, at least.
They sat quietly, shoulder to shoulder, sharing a pack of non-alcoholic beer as they looked at the stage and the ring being dismantled.
“You know,” Roman started, he had been quiet for so long that suddenly hearing his thunderous voice startled Dean, “for a moment, out there, when I saw Seth, I didn’t know what year it was anymore. I wasn’t sure what had happened and what had been a dream.”
“I know,” Dean nodded, thinking long and hard about his words, “I am afraid all of it happened. Not much was a dream.”
“I am sorry,”
“Don’t be. We all make mistakes.”
“I gave everything to that championship. I fought like hell. I-”
Dean shook his head, willingly interrupting Roman before he’d spiral into his own darkest place. “You did. And you had one of the longest reigns in history. No matter what, you can always be proud of that,”
“It was just so easy to lose, you know?”
“I know,” Dean released a sigh, still remembering so well how hard it was to have it taken away, “That’s how things go though. Championships are meant to be won and to be lost.”
Roman didn’t reply. He just looked in the distance, releasing a tired, sad sigh.
“Now, we rebuild,” Dean dared, still trying his best to pull Roman away from throwing himself off the edge of some dark thoughts and spiral in his own head.
Roman paused, hanging onto Dean’s words. “Do you want to know something?”
“Tell me,”
“I feel free,” the timid smile that popped on Roman’s lips was a surprise that made Dean release a relieved sigh.
“I bet you do, big boy,” he patted heavily the man’s shoulder and then left his hanging on Roman’s shoulders, “I bet you do.”
“You couldn’t have picked a better place to reach for a motherfucker with a shattered knee,” Seth’s sudden snigger surprised both Dean and Roman. Especially Roman, who froze in his seat and simply glared at him.
Dean ignored Roman and stood up, welcoming Seth with a hug. “How are you feeling?”
“All things considered alright, thanks,” he explained looking down at his now wrapped-up leg. He was leaning on a crutch, underlining how bad his condition really was. Despite the possible pain involved and an injury that would have taken Seth out, he didn’t seem to have any resentment.
Roman, on the other hand, was still frozen and the more seconds passed, the more Dean thought he could feel him getting lost in his own demons.
Seth costed him everything, after all.
Not only he had decided to go out there and fight for Cody, quite literally shielding him from Roman’s wrath. But he did it in the only way he knew would take Roman’s attention off Cody for long enough to grant him the win, using the SHIELD attire wasn’t only theatrics, it was a tactic and it worked.
“Are the celebrations still going?” Dean wondered quietly. There was a reason why they had decided to come hang out up there and it was to get Roman as far as possible from everyone welcoming Cody.
Protecting Roman had become Dean’s only priority.
Seth nodded. “People are starting to leave though; we could be in the clear soon.”
“We?” Roman wondered coldly, breaking through their conversation.
Both Seth and Dean looked back, only to find the big Samoan looking back into the middle of the stadium where the stripped rind still stood.
“Yes, we.” Seth started, he seemed too tired to pick a fight and yet he was ready to confront Roman, fearlessly raising his chin. “You know why I was fighting with Cody, we talked about this countless of times. But hell, if I’m gonna turn my back on you again.” The three of them all looked like they went through enough shit to just hold a grudge anymore. “If you don’t like it, tough, that’s what you get,”
Dean rolled his eyes, hoping he wouldn’t find himself in the middle of another pointless fight. He wasn’t there to fight, after all. And he had no intention to get stuck in the middle between the two.
Roman sealed his lips and simply released a sigh, emptying his large chest of any emotion. After a long pause, he finally leaned in and grabbed a can of beer passing it over to Seth. He didn’t look at him, but that was enough of a peace offering.
Both Seth and Dean sat back down, next to Roman and they all just looked down to the ring.
“Thank you, boys.” Roman said after some time, “I appreciate you being here.” He still wasn’t looking at them and fell into another long silence right after, but both Dean and Seth were just as grateful, both welcoming his words with soft smiles and nods. They got into that world together. They fought so many battles together. And now, it was time for the curtain to fall. But they were still together.
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