I posted this a while back and after re-reading it decided I didn't like the way I had written it. So, I've re-written, re-booted it and reposted 😊

'Jesus, Canadas' cold.' Pulling his backpack further onto his shoulder in a fainted attempted to keep the icy wind off his back he walked the length of the Air Canada Centre's parking lot. The large signage above the main doors repeatedly flashing 'Tonight: WWE Survivor Series,' but that's not where Dean Ambrose was heading. He took a swift left turn down a ramp to the underbelly of the arena, waving to the small gathering of fans behind a security rail all calling and screaming his name. "Dean we love you! Dean, are the Shield getting back together?" Heading towards a large white fire door with the words "Staff Entrance" inscribed across the middle, a large stocky guy dressed all in black stood aside from the entrance. He looked pretty menacing in his blacked-out shades and army style crew cut. Flashing him a sideward smile, and making a gun gesture he clicked his tongue and winked at him. Without hesitation, he stepped aside and opened the door.

Feeling pretty cocky, convincing himself that it was his boyish good looks and mystical charm that made the security guard open the door and ignoring the fact that he probably just read the lanyard that hung around his neck with 'BackStage Pass' written across it.

The Arena was crazy busy, stagehands with headsets on running backwards and forwards studying their clipboards, stage crew carrying extra lighting, cables and fancy electronic stuff that he probably wasn't allowed to touch, "Mr Ambrose" one of them came jogging over to him "here's the Match set up for tonight" and he handed him a sheet of paper.

"Thanks." Rolling it into a tube he slid it into his back-pocket sidestepping a guy pushing a very large heavy looking production crate. Spotting the guy's locker rooms, he made a b-line for the two identical doors. Team Raw to the right, Team Smackdown Live's to the left. Pushing team blues' door open he was greeted with the sights of a crowded room. A sea of blue Smackdown Live t-shirts and a low hum of a room in deep conversation. There was an empty locker at the far side of the room, he snapped it up before anyone else had a chance. His bag landed on the wooden bench with a soft thud, quickly unzipped the backpack and unloading his wrestling gear.

"Hey Dean" he groaned inwardly knowing exactly who was standing next to him. Turning his head lazily to the left he was met with the slicked back blond hair and stupid puppy dog expression on James Ellsworth face.

"Jimmy my boy" clapping his arm a little harder than he probably should have, giving the fact that he flinched "how's it going?"

"It's going great, I'm so –" turning back to his bag, not really paying any attention to what the little guy was saying. "– Oh, yeah and this is for you."

A folded up blue t-shirt suddenly appeared under his nose. Taking and unfolding, the words SmackDown Live printed across the front, just like the rest of the roster was wearing. Only this particular shirt had the sleeves cut off.

"You like it? I cut the sleeves off myself"

"It's awesome buddy, thanks" and Dean actually meant it, he hated wearing sleeves. "Hey, could you run and grab me a coffee, while I get ready?"

"sure thing" he smiled and disappeared into the crowd of cerulean shirts, he didn't really want a coffee, he just wanted to get rid of him. James was a good kid, not all that bright but his heart was in the right place. Changing quickly into his usual jeans and wrestling boots combo he slipped on the new shirt. It was a bit of a snug fit, probably a size too small, but for one night it would do. Reaching across into his bag he retrieves his wrist tape but accidentally knocked the rolled-up agenda sheet for tonight's show to the ground. Tutting, he bends down to pick it up un-ravelling it as he did so. It wasn't a very exciting read, just listing of the matches and who was involved, skim reading the names he came across one in particular. Seth Rollins. Staring at the name for a good few seconds he snarled at the piece of paper. It had been 2 years since that night and still to this day made Dean's blood run cold. Colder than the steel chair that he wrapped around his and Romans back. He betrayed and turned on his brothers in an attempt to get ahead in the game and make it to the top of the company.

He attacked them, humiliated them and worst of all broke Deans heart. He and Seth had a unique friendship, a chemistry like he had never felt before. Right from the beginning they were inseparable, so in sync with one another it was scary. Roman would joke on a regular basis "will you two just fuck already!" Dean loved how embarrassed it would make Seth, and how terrible he was at hiding it. His cheeks would burn bright pink every time and tried his hardest to look anywhere but at Dean.

But any of that love, the friendship he once felt was long gone. He couldn't even bear to be in the same room as him. At least when he was forced to share a ring with him he could just beat the crap out of him, that always made him feel better. However, the best revenge he got was taking that precious title off him at Money in the Bank. 'Oh, that felt so sweet. What's the old saying, an Eye for an eye?'

Dean scoffed at the thought of the last time they had crossed paths and how he wanted "to make amends." Dean Ambrose Doesn't forgive and forget so easily like Roman had. "Once a scum bag, always a scum bag" he had told him. He wanted nothing to do with him, not after everything he had been put through by his hands.

"Ellsworth is taking his sweet ass time." He mumbled scrunching up the agenda. Striding across the locker room he peaked his head out the door scanning the corridor, but someone else caught his eye. The massive physique overshadowing everyone who passed him, catching just a small glimpse of the large tattoo that covered his entire right arm, he stood out like a sore thumb. His cheeks hurt he was smiling so hard, not even registering that his feet were already running towards him. He leapt and clung to his back like a squirrel monkey to a tree. His knees buckled under the sudden extra 225lbs weight gain, "Reigns you big Samoan bastard! I missed ya!" Ruffling his neat tied back hair and kissing the top of his best friend's head.

"Get the fuck off me Ambrose" he bellowed with the hint of amusement in his tone, sliding down of his giant structure he scooped him up into a Roman Reigns bear hug lifting him off the floor and shaking him like a rag doll "It's good to see you, man, it's been way too long." Dropping him to the floor he asked "where's your little buddy? Been dying to meet him,"

"Don't even go there Rome" he said gesturing with his hands which made him laugh

"Speaking of sidekicks, I see you and Scumbag are best buddies again"

Roman laughed nervously "Yeah. He's changed you know, you should try talking to him you'd see-"

"Not interested" Dean interrupted

"Will you at least try-"

"Nope" he cut him off again

"Dean, come on man, he's trying. Just give him a chance"

"Why Roman? Why should I do anything he wants"

"ok, don't do it for him. Do it for me." Deans baby blue eyes met Romans large pleading brown ones "It would mean a lot to me if you guys would at least talk" Damn loopholes, how could he resist that face?

"Fine, for you, I'll try." Roman scooped him up into another big bear hug "but I'm not making any promises" Deans mumbled, his cheek scrunched up against Romans large Samoan chest.

"You agreed to talk to him, that's progress in my book." Letting go of his friend he rested two large hands on his shoulders. But his attention wasn't on him. He cast his gaze over Deans shoulder "well, now's a good chance if any." Following his, he locked eyes with him. He froze mid-step as he stared into his dark chocolate eyes. They reminded him of a rabbit in headlights, wide and frightened. Feeling every muscle physically tense as he turned his whole body to face him. It was like a wild west film, guns at high noon on the O'Coral as they stared each other down. His hair was fashioned in the same style as Romans, slicked back into a ponytail. He wore an oddly designed t-shirt, two different shirts sewn together, the Red Raw branded one side and his Seth freakin' Rollins the other, he had obviously been working out as he was looking a lot buffer than Dean remembered.

"Hi" he finally managed to say.

Roman nudged him in the back as a prompt "Hey" Dean croaked back.

…::::::…::::::...::::::…::::::…

"Seth cut it out, you're making me nervous"

Flicking the hair out his eyes and fastening it back into a ponytail. He looked across the table at Roman, his broad stature towering over him as he approached the table. He had been doing that nervous twitch again, bouncing his leg on the spot rapidly, physically forced his leg to stop by holding it in place.

"Sorry" Seth mumbled

"just relax brother," he slid the clear bottle of water across the smooth surface towards him after cracking the seal on his own. They sat at a long table in catering a mixture of Red and Blue t-shirts filing in and out of the small room helping themselves to food and drink. A gentle buzz about the room as friends from the two different brands reunited, the drone of the crowd echoing as the arena began to fill up for the evening show.

"easy for you to say, he doesn't hate you" Seth muttered head down rolling the bottle between his hands.

It was hard to admit. The guilt of what he did to his brothers played heavily on his mind and every time it tugged at his insides as a sickening knot would form in the pit of his stomach. Dean had every right to hate him. Hell, they both did. Seth was just grateful for Roman giving him a second chance. He just wished Dean was as forgiving. Ambrose was stubborn, his 'never say die' attitude is what made him, him. Seth was in love with that damn lunatic, but he couldn't let anyone know, not even him, he had to keep things professional. They were all close but he and Dean shared this profound bond, nothing he had ever experienced before, it was intense. There was one question that rolled around his head time and time again. "What if he knew the truth?" It plagued his mind and wondered if Dean had ever felt the same way, he was always flirting with Seth even if he had never meant to. It was just how he was. Adorable, stubborn and goofy. He knew in his heart that chapter was closed, but they could still be friends, right?

Seth approached Roman in a vain attempt to make amends shortly after Money in the Bank. Roman had hit some hard times, and- well, if anyone knows what it's like to be sidelined and have nobody around, it was Seth. Sure, he was sceptical at first and who could blame him but he soon warmed up and now they were closer than they were before. Dean, however, was a different story.

"You're an idiot!" he yelled at Roman "he'll just do it again!" They stood in the middle of the locker room at Summer Slam, shortly after him rubbing in the fact that he still had his belt.

"Just hear him out" Roman pleaded

"Nah man. Once a scum bag, always a scum bag" he said with such hatred in his voice, such venom. It was like a knife right through his chest. Here was the man he once loved that now wouldn't even look at him. Guess you could say it was his love for him was what got him in this mess in the first place.

They had been to a bar, they were wasted and after trying to help a drunk Dean to bed they kissed, it was quick but incredible, like a weight lifted off Seth's shoulders knowing how he finally felt. Then the next morning he didn't even mention it, not once. Acted like nothing had ever happened, and spent the entire day avoiding him. He was angry. 'How dare he play with my emotions like that!' That was a complete and utter dick move even for him. When they arrived at the show that day, that was when Triple H approached him about his plan, and like a love score idiot, he took it.

"Do you think I'm wasting my time?" Seth sighed dropping his cheek into his upturned hand, elbow resting on the plastic surface of the table as he stared at Roman. He shrugged as he sipped from his bottle again.

"He didn't exactly welcome you with open arms last time"

"I just- I want to make things right y'know." Leaning back now to survey the room, tightening his ponytail and letting his hands rest on the top of his head.

"Maybe you just got to face the facts, there might be too much water under the bridge"

'Yeah like a friggin' Oceans worth!'

Roman disappeared sometime later leaving Seth alone with his thoughts and the fast-emptying catering room. The sound of fireworks echoed around the arena it was deafening and a clear indication the show had started. Pushing his chair back it scraped across the floor making a hideous metallic grating sound taking one last sip from his bottle he threw it in the nearby trash can narrowly missing the small blond guy at the coffee machine and headed back towards the Raw locker room. Walking down the near-empty halls he replayed what he would say to him repeatedly in his head, "what's the point?" he sighed as Seth rounded the corner.

He stood rigid, frozen in place, but his brain started racing. Standing outside the locker room in a deep hug with Roman, Dean stood. His brown scruffy hair looked soft and its usual unkempt state, he hadn't thrown his usual bottle of water over it yet, the blue Smackdown Live t-shirt top matched his eyes perfectly as they glared at him. Feeling trapped in his stare all he could do was freeze as he waited for the onslaught of abuse he would usually receive.

His lips and throat were suddenly dry and all he could manage to croak out was "Hi." Awkwardly staring towards the ground rubbing his hand up the back of his neck.

"Hey." Surprised by the calmness of his voice. Flashing a look to Roman, he beamed like the Cheshire cat and flipped Seth a thumbs up.

"h- how you been?" he took a tentative step forward him and Dean mimicked his motion, he nodded pouting out his lips

"I'm good, you?"

"Yeah, I'm -er- great" it was impossible to hide his smile,

"This is great!" Roman yelled wrapping an arm around mine and Deans shoulder pulling us in towards him "My best buddies are finally talking again! I'm going to leave you two to it –

"wait Roman" Dean protested

"you'll be great, just- don't kill each other ok?" flashing them another thumbs up he disappeared into the Raw locker-room. They stood where Roman had left them, the awkward silence between them stretching out for what seemed like an eternity,

"I should probably-" Dean began guesting to his brands' locker room and took a step or two towards the door. When finally, Seths' brain kicked into gear. Panicked that he was going to leave without Seth saying anything remotely helpful.

"Wait" he called after him and to his surprise, he stopped. His heart racing and couldn't stop the words from falling from his mouth "I just- I know what I did was- I am truly sorry. I know I don't deserve it and I don't expect it but-"

"Why the sudden change of heart?" he interrupted him that same calm cool tone as before. Catching Seth of guard, he wasn't sure how to answer, all he could do was tell him the truth. "I missed you guys. It sucked being out injured and not having anyone there, I guess I had a kind of an epiphany of how much of a jackass I'd been to my brothers-"

"bull shit!" he spat, there was the Ambrose temper he had come to expect "We were never brothers. A brother would never do that!"

"I know. What I did is unforgivable"

"Damn right it is"

"But I've changed Dean-"

"Save it Davenport, I'm done." 'Davenport?' His heart skipped a beat, he hadn't been called by his nickname in years. Dean turned sharply on his heel and headed towards the SmackDown locker room.

"Dean" Seth reached his hand out and grabbed his firm bicep, the muscle tensed under his touch and he stopped, turning his head to look at his tanned hand on his pale skin,

"Get, your hand, off me." He said slowly through gritted teeth and Seth dropped his hold, he stormed off slamming the locker room door behind him. 'Well, at least he didn't hit me this time.'