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majesticwren · 1 day

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awwww thanks 💕 this was purely comfort ahahaha loved it though

Also the shield to us i feel is that much more special if it makes sense? So I'm so glad I've done it it makes me feel so happy

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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