Post by Dean Harper on Sept 14, 2021 15:52:04 GMT
The camera comes on to Dean sitting on a wooden bridge over a pond.
“You know there are a lot of great date ideas out there. Going to the movies. Going on a romantic trip. Fancy dinner. Getting a hotel. Hot air balloons. Camping or hiking. Apple picking. You know, the classics.”
Dean grins.
“Personally, I’ve always been a fan of beating the shi’t out off someone, together, as a team. So thank you Boss, for the great date night. Really. Love this for us.”
Dean winks.
“Warren is one of the few people on this planet I would do anything for. Putting him on my side of a match? Oh, that’s not going to end well for anyone else. Doesn’t matter who’s on the other side of the ring. We’re going to destroy something beautiful tonight.”
Dean was pretending to be cleaning the kitchen. He was trying not to let his mood effect the rest of the house. Angel was unhappy. How unhappy Dean wasn’t sure of. Damien was already upset, been putting up a bit of a tantrum since Edward was dropped off with his mother. A suitcase full of clothes and his switch and games. Things he might miss that weren’t people. There were a couple photos of their time at the beach, pictures of the whole family plus Warren. Warren was kind of family…in a way.
He tried not to think about how much this hurt. How much letting Edward go hurt, a lot more than he expected it to. He’d grown attached to his little brother. He loved the little kid. He liked how he fit into the family so perfectly. He’d spent so much of his life wanting this, a full family. And he’d risked a lot to get Edward here. And it wasn’t enough.
Didn’t understand the mother-son relationship. Sure, there was a part of him that would always yearn to go back to Rowan. To the simplicity of doing just what she wanted, of the ultimate way she stepped into the way of a mother to him. He knew it was a lie. She didn’t love him like that. He was a pet, at best. If he ever returned to her it would be a lifetime of pain, not just for himself but it would hurt Angel. And he couldn’t do that to him.
She was a lie. Maybe that’s all mothers were?
But Tara seemed to care about Edward. Maybe they could make this work. At least they still had Edward most of the time. Maybe he could be protected and not end up like Dean had. Maybe twice the family made him safer, made him better. Dean still considered breaking Edward’s other brother…but that was more of a private task to focus on.
Dean set the mop back in the bucket as he sighed, glanced up to see Warren sitting on the counter, clearly trying not to interrupt the manic cleaning Dean had gotten into.
“Been there long?” Dean asked.
“A bit. Seemed you needed company.”
“Just trying to give …space.”
“You know it’s not your fault, right?” Warren asked. “I mean, I don’t know everything going on … but it’s actually good for him to have access to Tara.”
“I wouldn’t know.” Dean shrugged.
“Okay.” Warren dropped down from the counter and pulled Dean close, wrapping his arms around him. “We’re going to talk about your feelings.”
“Hard pass.” Dean tried to step away from him, but Warren held him hard. “I’ll bite you.”
“Rational.” Warren laughed.
“I’m allowed.”
“Is this missing Edward, feeling like you let down Angel, your abandonment issues or your mommy issues?” Warren kissed his nose.
“Little of column B little of column A.”
“Medication?” Warren let Dean go but kissed his forehead.
“I took it.”
“Today?” Warren asked.
Dean sighed and shrugged, “I think so.”
“I’m going to go check. Then we are going to go out to eat with your family. Something nice and easy. Something with cheesecake.” Warren gave him a hopeful smile. “And hey, maybe you can reach out to Tara and get some time to check in on your brother?”
“I don’t want to go out.” Dean grumbled.
“It’ll be good for you. Good for your Dad too. Damien could use the distraction. Trust me.” Warren kissed him softly, but Dean pulled him closer to get another kiss.
“Do you ever look at a situation and wonder if you’ve already done it? Like the definition of insanity. Repeatedly doing the same thing. It’s barely exciting. It’s like a spoiler.”
Dean sighs.
“I can already predict what the other side is going to say. How I’m mad and I need to stop living in someone else’s shadow. Also, I’m evil and I need to be stopped. Blah, blah, blah.”
Dean leans back holding the bars of the bridge.
“That’s what Rising Dragons are. It’s a song on repeat. At least for me. Two cardboard cut outs of men saying the same thing over and over again.”
Dean smirks.
“You think I’m being overly simplistic?”
Dean licks his teeth.
“I could literally re-record the same lines I said to either in a promo from months ago and it would still be just as relevant. Because Nick and James don’t change. Don’t grow. Don’t evolve.”
Dean gestures around.
“Nick Danger is still the same guy he was when he entered the company. He has these grand views of himself but nothing he does backs those up. Before Draco Wolfe was dragging him around and now like a sucker fish, he’s launched himself onto Gilmore. And it’s had the same result. You are dead weight. A parasite. A fungus with delusions of grandeur. You are not the savior of even catering, much less wrestling.”
Dean drums his fingers on the iron.
“It’s pathetic. And I see them trying to help you. I see them trying to get you to be more then you are. And you do nothing. You are incapable of change, but demand people help you. You disgust me. There is being a pathetic leech and then there is being a pathetic leech who refuses to try swimming on their own.”
“But don’t worry. I’m going to rip you off Gilmore and you’ll have to go back to flopping uselessly in the mud on your own soon enough.”
“Jimmy. Fu’ck. What can I even say to you that I haven’t said a billion times at this point? Doesn’t matter what happens. Doesn’t matter what matches you lose. You never take any information in. I guess it’s fitting you have the leech connected to you. What is it like being partnered with someone who has all your worst qualities reflected back at you?”
“But I don’t think you see it. I don’t think you can be self-reflective. You don’t even can understand the complicated nature and history of your heroes. You have been showing that for a while but nothing more obvious with the naming of your children. Not that I have a leg to stand on. My kid is named either after the kid from the omen or the littlest Robin. I don’t really know; it was Maxine’s idea. But you have to acknowledge your flaws and problems.”
Dean kicks his legs above the water.
“But you never do. You are not capable. And honestly? It bores me.”
Dean shrugs.
“Doesn’t matter what I say or do. I could carve out your kidney in the middle of the ring and you would show up the next week talking about how it’s not fair that people with kids are getting tax credits and it’s turning America into a welfare state or how Biden stole the election or whatever newest fox new headline caught your attention.”
Dean rolls his eyes.
“But it’s okay. I’m going to beat you blood. I’m going to bash your head against the mat. You’ve been whining about wanting to retire right? I could give you the Dean Harper Special. Break you head open so you have to retire. What do you think, Jimmy? Sound fun? Spike Kane not withstanding, everyone else has moved on to being there for their kids.”
Dean blows a kiss.
“Regardless of anything else, I’m going to have a good time. I’m going to destroy someone’s faith in themselves or some bones. Either way, it sounds like a nice evening with Warren.”
The feed ends.
“You know there are a lot of great date ideas out there. Going to the movies. Going on a romantic trip. Fancy dinner. Getting a hotel. Hot air balloons. Camping or hiking. Apple picking. You know, the classics.”
Dean grins.
“Personally, I’ve always been a fan of beating the shi’t out off someone, together, as a team. So thank you Boss, for the great date night. Really. Love this for us.”
Dean winks.
“Warren is one of the few people on this planet I would do anything for. Putting him on my side of a match? Oh, that’s not going to end well for anyone else. Doesn’t matter who’s on the other side of the ring. We’re going to destroy something beautiful tonight.”
Dean was pretending to be cleaning the kitchen. He was trying not to let his mood effect the rest of the house. Angel was unhappy. How unhappy Dean wasn’t sure of. Damien was already upset, been putting up a bit of a tantrum since Edward was dropped off with his mother. A suitcase full of clothes and his switch and games. Things he might miss that weren’t people. There were a couple photos of their time at the beach, pictures of the whole family plus Warren. Warren was kind of family…in a way.
He tried not to think about how much this hurt. How much letting Edward go hurt, a lot more than he expected it to. He’d grown attached to his little brother. He loved the little kid. He liked how he fit into the family so perfectly. He’d spent so much of his life wanting this, a full family. And he’d risked a lot to get Edward here. And it wasn’t enough.
Didn’t understand the mother-son relationship. Sure, there was a part of him that would always yearn to go back to Rowan. To the simplicity of doing just what she wanted, of the ultimate way she stepped into the way of a mother to him. He knew it was a lie. She didn’t love him like that. He was a pet, at best. If he ever returned to her it would be a lifetime of pain, not just for himself but it would hurt Angel. And he couldn’t do that to him.
She was a lie. Maybe that’s all mothers were?
But Tara seemed to care about Edward. Maybe they could make this work. At least they still had Edward most of the time. Maybe he could be protected and not end up like Dean had. Maybe twice the family made him safer, made him better. Dean still considered breaking Edward’s other brother…but that was more of a private task to focus on.
Dean set the mop back in the bucket as he sighed, glanced up to see Warren sitting on the counter, clearly trying not to interrupt the manic cleaning Dean had gotten into.
“Been there long?” Dean asked.
“A bit. Seemed you needed company.”
“Just trying to give …space.”
“You know it’s not your fault, right?” Warren asked. “I mean, I don’t know everything going on … but it’s actually good for him to have access to Tara.”
“I wouldn’t know.” Dean shrugged.
“Okay.” Warren dropped down from the counter and pulled Dean close, wrapping his arms around him. “We’re going to talk about your feelings.”
“Hard pass.” Dean tried to step away from him, but Warren held him hard. “I’ll bite you.”
“Rational.” Warren laughed.
“I’m allowed.”
“Is this missing Edward, feeling like you let down Angel, your abandonment issues or your mommy issues?” Warren kissed his nose.
“Little of column B little of column A.”
“Medication?” Warren let Dean go but kissed his forehead.
“I took it.”
“Today?” Warren asked.
Dean sighed and shrugged, “I think so.”
“I’m going to go check. Then we are going to go out to eat with your family. Something nice and easy. Something with cheesecake.” Warren gave him a hopeful smile. “And hey, maybe you can reach out to Tara and get some time to check in on your brother?”
“I don’t want to go out.” Dean grumbled.
“It’ll be good for you. Good for your Dad too. Damien could use the distraction. Trust me.” Warren kissed him softly, but Dean pulled him closer to get another kiss.
“Do you ever look at a situation and wonder if you’ve already done it? Like the definition of insanity. Repeatedly doing the same thing. It’s barely exciting. It’s like a spoiler.”
Dean sighs.
“I can already predict what the other side is going to say. How I’m mad and I need to stop living in someone else’s shadow. Also, I’m evil and I need to be stopped. Blah, blah, blah.”
Dean leans back holding the bars of the bridge.
“That’s what Rising Dragons are. It’s a song on repeat. At least for me. Two cardboard cut outs of men saying the same thing over and over again.”
Dean smirks.
“You think I’m being overly simplistic?”
Dean licks his teeth.
“I could literally re-record the same lines I said to either in a promo from months ago and it would still be just as relevant. Because Nick and James don’t change. Don’t grow. Don’t evolve.”
Dean gestures around.
“Nick Danger is still the same guy he was when he entered the company. He has these grand views of himself but nothing he does backs those up. Before Draco Wolfe was dragging him around and now like a sucker fish, he’s launched himself onto Gilmore. And it’s had the same result. You are dead weight. A parasite. A fungus with delusions of grandeur. You are not the savior of even catering, much less wrestling.”
Dean drums his fingers on the iron.
“It’s pathetic. And I see them trying to help you. I see them trying to get you to be more then you are. And you do nothing. You are incapable of change, but demand people help you. You disgust me. There is being a pathetic leech and then there is being a pathetic leech who refuses to try swimming on their own.”
“But don’t worry. I’m going to rip you off Gilmore and you’ll have to go back to flopping uselessly in the mud on your own soon enough.”
“Jimmy. Fu’ck. What can I even say to you that I haven’t said a billion times at this point? Doesn’t matter what happens. Doesn’t matter what matches you lose. You never take any information in. I guess it’s fitting you have the leech connected to you. What is it like being partnered with someone who has all your worst qualities reflected back at you?”
“But I don’t think you see it. I don’t think you can be self-reflective. You don’t even can understand the complicated nature and history of your heroes. You have been showing that for a while but nothing more obvious with the naming of your children. Not that I have a leg to stand on. My kid is named either after the kid from the omen or the littlest Robin. I don’t really know; it was Maxine’s idea. But you have to acknowledge your flaws and problems.”
Dean kicks his legs above the water.
“But you never do. You are not capable. And honestly? It bores me.”
Dean shrugs.
“Doesn’t matter what I say or do. I could carve out your kidney in the middle of the ring and you would show up the next week talking about how it’s not fair that people with kids are getting tax credits and it’s turning America into a welfare state or how Biden stole the election or whatever newest fox new headline caught your attention.”
Dean rolls his eyes.
“But it’s okay. I’m going to beat you blood. I’m going to bash your head against the mat. You’ve been whining about wanting to retire right? I could give you the Dean Harper Special. Break you head open so you have to retire. What do you think, Jimmy? Sound fun? Spike Kane not withstanding, everyone else has moved on to being there for their kids.”
Dean blows a kiss.
“Regardless of anything else, I’m going to have a good time. I’m going to destroy someone’s faith in themselves or some bones. Either way, it sounds like a nice evening with Warren.”
The feed ends.