Post by Dean Harper on Jul 25, 2018 23:56:50 GMT
Dean adjusted his position while he caught his breath, taking in every detail. The way his skin flushed, the way his breath caught, the sounds, the feel of Warren’s body. Some part of him wanted to memorize it as if it was the last time he was ever going to see it. As if tonight was the last time. As if he was never going to be able to have Warren like this again.
Dean couldn’t think of the right words. He was sure there were words one was meant to say when they were comforting their partner when they found out someone they had complicated feelings for was dying. The only thing he had was a woman he barely knew who had died before he even remembered her. It wasn’t comparable. He had no frame of reference.
You ruin everything you touch, Dean Harper. You don’t deserve happiness. his Grandmother’s voice reminded him.
“I love you.”
“Love you too.” Warren kissed the side of his neck.
“Would you tell me to spare him?” Dean asked, running his fingers through Warren’s hair. “Would you tell me to stop? Like, if I loved you I’d stop?”
Warren moved back slightly looking at Dean. “What’s going on?”
“I want to do what makes you happy.”
“What brings this up?”
“You got bad news. Bad enough news you went to see him...” Dean sighs. “I don’t know if I’m making things better or worse.”
Warren smiled, “You think what we just did doesn’t help? Maybe not a healthy coping mechanism but its helping.”
Dean kissed Warren softly. “So I should just fuck you until the bed breaks?”
“We could certainly give that a try but I can barely feel my legs.” Warren grinned back. He paused for a moment, his face becoming serious for a moment once more... "But... no. I wouldn't."
Dean let out a breath and nodded, more to himself than anyone else. "Okay."
The camera comes on to Dean sitting on an altar of a run-down church where there is a faded mark in the background of where the cross might have been. The stain glass windows have holes in them that you can see the billowing smoke and the night sky through.
“Lineage.”
Dean smirks into the camera.
“The Pack has three title matches this week. Brooklyn gets to defend her belt against Pandora and Charity Crowne. I have no doubt she will put them both down where they deserve to be. I know she will bring that belt home to us. Jayson Matthews fights God for the Extreme Belt. I know it’s not really about the belt to him so much as battling the lies and pain he was put through. But I know he will not disappoint with the wrath he will unleash onto God. Can’t wait to see it.”
Dean takes a deep breath.
“I worked my ass off to get a shot at the world title. I came in second in Heir to the Throne last year. I fought Devlin to get the Man of Steel belt. I defended it with my all. I beat Chris Card with a bat. I licked Mason’s skull. I knocked Cross out of active competition for a few months. I came in second in the roulette. I won Joker in the Pack. A year’s journey to get this shot at the big belt around here.”
Dean drums his fingers on the alter.
“My Lady asked one thing of me. To show her works to the entire men’s division. In a year this is the progress I have achieved but for some reason, everyone seems to deny her good works. They are dismissive. They reject everything we can offer. There is no better way to show her success then holding that belt above my head by the end of Lineage.”
Dean winks at the camera.
“Don’t worry, Pet, I’ll take good care of it.”
Dean glanced over at Max as they drove around the dark road. “You okay?”
“Just surprised is all.” Max shrugged.
“I’m not saying I want to have a threesome.”
“I didn’t accuse you of wanting one.”
“I just thought maybe a double date might be fun again.”
“We’ve done that before. I don’t object.” Max looked over at him as he turned off the main road into the hospital turn off. “Are we digging up bodies again?”
“No. No, nothing like that. Just thought maybe it might be fun.” Dean moved the Friendship Smuggler into a parking spot out of the view of the cameras of the hospital. “Just the three of us. Dinner, maybe a movie or something?”
“Any specific reason you want to do that?” Max asked. “Did something happen?”
“I just want to make sure both of you feel wanted and valued.” Dean shrugged. “I don’t want it to feel like I’m splitting your attention.”
“I don’t think either of us feels like you aren’t valuing us.” Max unbuckled herself.
“I just like checking.”
“Have you talked to Warren about this idea already?” Max asked.
“I wanted to check with you first. Your comfort levels are harder to guess.”
“That’s only because he never tells you no.”
“That’s not true.”
“Dean, ‘no, don’t stop’ doesn’t count.” Max teased.
Dean felt the back of his neck heat up. “We are not that loud.”
“You’re always loud.”
“I can be quiet if I wanted to be.” Dean pulled her close to him with a quick kiss.
“We are not having sex in front of the broken doll in a parking lot, so don’t start.” Max smirked at him pulling away.
“Tease.” Dean unbuckled his seatbelt before moving to the back of the ambulance and opening the backdoors.
“So what’s the plan here?” Max asked pulling the black bag off of the blank staring face of the girl. “She’s all broken anyways. What are we doing with her now?”
“Want to see a fun trick?” Dean winked at Max.
“I love tricks.” Max smiled sitting down on the ledge of the ambulance as Dean guided the deadeyed girl out.
“Duckling?” Dean asked in a firm voice, and she turned blankly towards him. “Be a dear and go inside the building. Quickly now before I change my mind.”
She didn’t move.
“So you want to go back to the room then?” Dean asked with a smirk as she started to walk shakily away from him.
Max was silent as they watched Duckling make it all the way over to the main entrance. “She waddles a bit.”
“You would too if you haven’t used your legs in months.” Dean grinned sitting next to Max.
“You’re not concerned she’s going to alert the authorities?”
“Just because I didn’t make her a full-fledged Thrall doesn’t mean I didn’t put some conditioning in.” Dean leaned his head on her shoulder. “Besides, she has no ID, no medical insurance. There’s a chance they’d just deport her again anyways.”
“So what’s the plan now?”
“Want to go grab some dinner?”
“I’m in the mood for some Greek.”
“Oh, that sounds wonderful.” Dean got off the end of the ambulance and offered her a hand up.
“I do feel valued, you know that, don’t you?”
“I worry sometimes.” Dean shrugged. “I love you, Max.”
“I love you Dean.” Max smiled. “If you want to try a double date we can try it.”
“Thank you.” Dean kissed her deeply.
“Come on, I’m hungry.” Max walked back into the ambulance.
“It’s funny that I was given this match for the World title at Lineage. This might even be considered a complicated situation from the outside. I’ve beaten you before. Multiple times. You’ve only beaten me twice. Once with a collar around my neck and the roulette. But I’ve beaten you. You don’t have the trust of a bunch of people wearing me down this time, Pet. You don’t get the advantage of keeping me close. Without those in the way, you have no advantage. You’ll lose, like you always do.”
Dean chuckles.
“Doesn’t mean you won’t try though, does it? Try for a different leg up then normal. Twisted, really. I almost have to applaud you.”
Dean shrugs.
“I know that you have gone out of your way to get Warren to see you. First, your daughter corners us after the show and then your wife comes to our home. Coincidently enough, as soon as I have the briefcase in my hands you want to mend fences with your son. You picked a good time to tug on those heartstrings. He might not see it that way but I see through your bullshit, Pet.”
Dean shakes his head.
“But let’s put aside your emotional manipulation of your son for a moment and focus on our match, right? Because maybe if you retain your belt against me it will make your life have some kind of value. That everything you’ve sacrificed in your life to keep chasing gold will be worth it if you keep it just a little longer, right?”
“I mean, you already believe this company wouldn’t survive without you, right? Oh, but what was it you said last time?”
Dean taps a finger against his chin.
“Oh right. I was prideful. That Leviathan fed my ego. That I was nothing to you. I was beneath you. That I meant nothing and you were going to smite me. I’m nothing but a jumped up rookie who is undeserving of your time and effort. That despite everything I’ve done, the careers I’ve ended, some how you’re better than me and you were going to put me down like the dog I was.”
Dean gestures to himself.
“And yet… Here we are. About to go into The Dragon’s Den. Your match. You created it. It’s practically your baby, you’ve certainly treated it better than you’ve ever treated any of your children. I’m going to beat you there. I’m going to end you there. I’m not leaving that ring until either you actually fulfil some of these promises you’ve been giving me these last few months or I take your belt.”
Dean crosses his legs.
“Between you and me though? I don’t think you want me to think you have what it takes, Pet. You are making a big production of it. How you’re in pain. You’re slower. You’re body doesn’t have what it takes anymore. What’s the matter Pet, is the old meat suit just not getting that fourth lease on life you hoped?”
Dean mockingly frowns.
“I mean, it can’t be that can it? What kind of man would keep pushing himself if that were truly the case? When he has a wife, lover, two grown children and another child on the way? What kind of self-centered asshole would keep throwing himself into the ring if his body couldn’t handle it when there were so many people depending on him? You’re not that much of a bastard are you Pet? It has to be a long con to get someone over confident in defeating you.”
Dean laughs.
“Why else would you be trying to bend fences with AJ and Nighthawk? It’s such an obvious ploy. Have you asked everyone you’ve ever wronged for forgiveness? I don’t see Devlin or Xavier on that list of people you publically gave the reach around to. Not even Gilmore has gotten that treatment.”
Dean rolls his eyes.
“I don’t buy it. I don’t buy your attempts to look like an injured puppy just in time for Joker in the Pack and Heir to the Throne to roll around. We already know you’re a liar, Pet. Lying about Cancer. Or lying about lying about Cancer. Whichever. You’re not fooling anyone.”
Dean pauses.
“Except maybe Trent Helms since he is too busy jerking off to hentai versions of himself to notice how obvious a lie it is. He might view himself as your once and future rival so maybe this is all for his benefit.”
Dean uncrosses his legs.
“But maybe I’m wrong. You wanted to win the roulette—just once. You wanted to hold the world title in your hands again, one more time. You are already a Hall of Famer. You’ve already broken records. Held more titles in this company than anyone else ever has. You brag about the matches you’ve been in. You brag about the accomplishments. You talk about how the new talent hasn’t earned its place and doesn’t deserve anything but to lick your boot. You’ve taken fingers, put nails through hands and shit all over anyone who hasn’t been doing this as long as you have.”
Dean leans back on the alter.
“Sometimes the best the best thing to do is to walk away, Pet.”
Dean licks his teeth.
“I did offer last time we fought that I would be more than willing to break you so you could retire with a bang, didn’t I?”
Dean blinks, his eyes shining in the low light.
“I’m going to take your title home with me. I’m going to leave your battered, broken and bloody body in the center of the ring. I’m going to put your throat under my boot and you’re going to submit to me. Because you lack the power to make me bow.”
Dean’s body language changes slightly.
“Abaddon wanted his Son, so I took him. She wanted victory in the Apocalypse match and I won that for her glory. Abaddon wants God’s favorite son out of the way and the World Title off his vessel and I aim to please.”
Dean blinks away the shine, sitting like himself again.
“Truth be told Pet, there is only one way this match is going down in The Dragon’s Den. You would have to utterly dominate me in order to walk out of that cage with the belt still in your hands. That isn’t going to happen.”
Dean smirks at the camera.
“So when we go into that cage and I say I’m going to fucking destroy you? I mean it. End of everything. Make your peace with that.”
Dean couldn’t think of the right words. He was sure there were words one was meant to say when they were comforting their partner when they found out someone they had complicated feelings for was dying. The only thing he had was a woman he barely knew who had died before he even remembered her. It wasn’t comparable. He had no frame of reference.
You ruin everything you touch, Dean Harper. You don’t deserve happiness. his Grandmother’s voice reminded him.
“I love you.”
“Love you too.” Warren kissed the side of his neck.
“Would you tell me to spare him?” Dean asked, running his fingers through Warren’s hair. “Would you tell me to stop? Like, if I loved you I’d stop?”
Warren moved back slightly looking at Dean. “What’s going on?”
“I want to do what makes you happy.”
“What brings this up?”
“You got bad news. Bad enough news you went to see him...” Dean sighs. “I don’t know if I’m making things better or worse.”
Warren smiled, “You think what we just did doesn’t help? Maybe not a healthy coping mechanism but its helping.”
Dean kissed Warren softly. “So I should just fuck you until the bed breaks?”
“We could certainly give that a try but I can barely feel my legs.” Warren grinned back. He paused for a moment, his face becoming serious for a moment once more... "But... no. I wouldn't."
Dean let out a breath and nodded, more to himself than anyone else. "Okay."
The camera comes on to Dean sitting on an altar of a run-down church where there is a faded mark in the background of where the cross might have been. The stain glass windows have holes in them that you can see the billowing smoke and the night sky through.
“Lineage.”
Dean smirks into the camera.
“The Pack has three title matches this week. Brooklyn gets to defend her belt against Pandora and Charity Crowne. I have no doubt she will put them both down where they deserve to be. I know she will bring that belt home to us. Jayson Matthews fights God for the Extreme Belt. I know it’s not really about the belt to him so much as battling the lies and pain he was put through. But I know he will not disappoint with the wrath he will unleash onto God. Can’t wait to see it.”
Dean takes a deep breath.
“I worked my ass off to get a shot at the world title. I came in second in Heir to the Throne last year. I fought Devlin to get the Man of Steel belt. I defended it with my all. I beat Chris Card with a bat. I licked Mason’s skull. I knocked Cross out of active competition for a few months. I came in second in the roulette. I won Joker in the Pack. A year’s journey to get this shot at the big belt around here.”
Dean drums his fingers on the alter.
“My Lady asked one thing of me. To show her works to the entire men’s division. In a year this is the progress I have achieved but for some reason, everyone seems to deny her good works. They are dismissive. They reject everything we can offer. There is no better way to show her success then holding that belt above my head by the end of Lineage.”
Dean winks at the camera.
“Don’t worry, Pet, I’ll take good care of it.”
Dean glanced over at Max as they drove around the dark road. “You okay?”
“Just surprised is all.” Max shrugged.
“I’m not saying I want to have a threesome.”
“I didn’t accuse you of wanting one.”
“I just thought maybe a double date might be fun again.”
“We’ve done that before. I don’t object.” Max looked over at him as he turned off the main road into the hospital turn off. “Are we digging up bodies again?”
“No. No, nothing like that. Just thought maybe it might be fun.” Dean moved the Friendship Smuggler into a parking spot out of the view of the cameras of the hospital. “Just the three of us. Dinner, maybe a movie or something?”
“Any specific reason you want to do that?” Max asked. “Did something happen?”
“I just want to make sure both of you feel wanted and valued.” Dean shrugged. “I don’t want it to feel like I’m splitting your attention.”
“I don’t think either of us feels like you aren’t valuing us.” Max unbuckled herself.
“I just like checking.”
“Have you talked to Warren about this idea already?” Max asked.
“I wanted to check with you first. Your comfort levels are harder to guess.”
“That’s only because he never tells you no.”
“That’s not true.”
“Dean, ‘no, don’t stop’ doesn’t count.” Max teased.
Dean felt the back of his neck heat up. “We are not that loud.”
“You’re always loud.”
“I can be quiet if I wanted to be.” Dean pulled her close to him with a quick kiss.
“We are not having sex in front of the broken doll in a parking lot, so don’t start.” Max smirked at him pulling away.
“Tease.” Dean unbuckled his seatbelt before moving to the back of the ambulance and opening the backdoors.
“So what’s the plan here?” Max asked pulling the black bag off of the blank staring face of the girl. “She’s all broken anyways. What are we doing with her now?”
“Want to see a fun trick?” Dean winked at Max.
“I love tricks.” Max smiled sitting down on the ledge of the ambulance as Dean guided the deadeyed girl out.
“Duckling?” Dean asked in a firm voice, and she turned blankly towards him. “Be a dear and go inside the building. Quickly now before I change my mind.”
She didn’t move.
“So you want to go back to the room then?” Dean asked with a smirk as she started to walk shakily away from him.
Max was silent as they watched Duckling make it all the way over to the main entrance. “She waddles a bit.”
“You would too if you haven’t used your legs in months.” Dean grinned sitting next to Max.
“You’re not concerned she’s going to alert the authorities?”
“Just because I didn’t make her a full-fledged Thrall doesn’t mean I didn’t put some conditioning in.” Dean leaned his head on her shoulder. “Besides, she has no ID, no medical insurance. There’s a chance they’d just deport her again anyways.”
“So what’s the plan now?”
“Want to go grab some dinner?”
“I’m in the mood for some Greek.”
“Oh, that sounds wonderful.” Dean got off the end of the ambulance and offered her a hand up.
“I do feel valued, you know that, don’t you?”
“I worry sometimes.” Dean shrugged. “I love you, Max.”
“I love you Dean.” Max smiled. “If you want to try a double date we can try it.”
“Thank you.” Dean kissed her deeply.
“Come on, I’m hungry.” Max walked back into the ambulance.
“It’s funny that I was given this match for the World title at Lineage. This might even be considered a complicated situation from the outside. I’ve beaten you before. Multiple times. You’ve only beaten me twice. Once with a collar around my neck and the roulette. But I’ve beaten you. You don’t have the trust of a bunch of people wearing me down this time, Pet. You don’t get the advantage of keeping me close. Without those in the way, you have no advantage. You’ll lose, like you always do.”
Dean chuckles.
“Doesn’t mean you won’t try though, does it? Try for a different leg up then normal. Twisted, really. I almost have to applaud you.”
Dean shrugs.
“I know that you have gone out of your way to get Warren to see you. First, your daughter corners us after the show and then your wife comes to our home. Coincidently enough, as soon as I have the briefcase in my hands you want to mend fences with your son. You picked a good time to tug on those heartstrings. He might not see it that way but I see through your bullshit, Pet.”
Dean shakes his head.
“But let’s put aside your emotional manipulation of your son for a moment and focus on our match, right? Because maybe if you retain your belt against me it will make your life have some kind of value. That everything you’ve sacrificed in your life to keep chasing gold will be worth it if you keep it just a little longer, right?”
“I mean, you already believe this company wouldn’t survive without you, right? Oh, but what was it you said last time?”
Dean taps a finger against his chin.
“Oh right. I was prideful. That Leviathan fed my ego. That I was nothing to you. I was beneath you. That I meant nothing and you were going to smite me. I’m nothing but a jumped up rookie who is undeserving of your time and effort. That despite everything I’ve done, the careers I’ve ended, some how you’re better than me and you were going to put me down like the dog I was.”
Dean gestures to himself.
“And yet… Here we are. About to go into The Dragon’s Den. Your match. You created it. It’s practically your baby, you’ve certainly treated it better than you’ve ever treated any of your children. I’m going to beat you there. I’m going to end you there. I’m not leaving that ring until either you actually fulfil some of these promises you’ve been giving me these last few months or I take your belt.”
Dean crosses his legs.
“Between you and me though? I don’t think you want me to think you have what it takes, Pet. You are making a big production of it. How you’re in pain. You’re slower. You’re body doesn’t have what it takes anymore. What’s the matter Pet, is the old meat suit just not getting that fourth lease on life you hoped?”
Dean mockingly frowns.
“I mean, it can’t be that can it? What kind of man would keep pushing himself if that were truly the case? When he has a wife, lover, two grown children and another child on the way? What kind of self-centered asshole would keep throwing himself into the ring if his body couldn’t handle it when there were so many people depending on him? You’re not that much of a bastard are you Pet? It has to be a long con to get someone over confident in defeating you.”
Dean laughs.
“Why else would you be trying to bend fences with AJ and Nighthawk? It’s such an obvious ploy. Have you asked everyone you’ve ever wronged for forgiveness? I don’t see Devlin or Xavier on that list of people you publically gave the reach around to. Not even Gilmore has gotten that treatment.”
Dean rolls his eyes.
“I don’t buy it. I don’t buy your attempts to look like an injured puppy just in time for Joker in the Pack and Heir to the Throne to roll around. We already know you’re a liar, Pet. Lying about Cancer. Or lying about lying about Cancer. Whichever. You’re not fooling anyone.”
Dean pauses.
“Except maybe Trent Helms since he is too busy jerking off to hentai versions of himself to notice how obvious a lie it is. He might view himself as your once and future rival so maybe this is all for his benefit.”
Dean uncrosses his legs.
“But maybe I’m wrong. You wanted to win the roulette—just once. You wanted to hold the world title in your hands again, one more time. You are already a Hall of Famer. You’ve already broken records. Held more titles in this company than anyone else ever has. You brag about the matches you’ve been in. You brag about the accomplishments. You talk about how the new talent hasn’t earned its place and doesn’t deserve anything but to lick your boot. You’ve taken fingers, put nails through hands and shit all over anyone who hasn’t been doing this as long as you have.”
Dean leans back on the alter.
“Sometimes the best the best thing to do is to walk away, Pet.”
Dean licks his teeth.
“I did offer last time we fought that I would be more than willing to break you so you could retire with a bang, didn’t I?”
Dean blinks, his eyes shining in the low light.
“I’m going to take your title home with me. I’m going to leave your battered, broken and bloody body in the center of the ring. I’m going to put your throat under my boot and you’re going to submit to me. Because you lack the power to make me bow.”
Dean’s body language changes slightly.
“Abaddon wanted his Son, so I took him. She wanted victory in the Apocalypse match and I won that for her glory. Abaddon wants God’s favorite son out of the way and the World Title off his vessel and I aim to please.”
Dean blinks away the shine, sitting like himself again.
“Truth be told Pet, there is only one way this match is going down in The Dragon’s Den. You would have to utterly dominate me in order to walk out of that cage with the belt still in your hands. That isn’t going to happen.”
Dean smirks at the camera.
“So when we go into that cage and I say I’m going to fucking destroy you? I mean it. End of everything. Make your peace with that.”
Well howdy there pardner.