Chapter Text
Marty tried to apologize the next morning, which normally worked after a particularly bad argument, but Shawn wanted no part of it. He’d reached his breaking point, no longer willing to allow himself to continue the cycle of their failing relationship.
With Shawn’s mind made up, he and Marty met with a very concerned-looking Vince McMahon that morning to discuss the offer.
Upon laying eyes on the two, Vince asked lightheartedly, “You two get into a bar fight?”
The question came after Vince noticed the poor condition the two were in. Shawn had a bruised cheek and a cut on his lip, while Marty had a slightly discolored nose and a black eye.
Shawn ignored the question, no longer wanting to reflect on the events of last night. Instead, he explained to Vince that the tag team was over, and they would wrestle as singles.
That was all Vince needed to hear, his concern quickly melting away as he beamed at the news. He had so many great things planned for Shawn that he knew would pay off if Shawn were allowed to shine on his own.
Marty was quiet the whole meeting, seething in his seat as it became apparent that Vince only saw a future for Shawn. Under any other circumstances, Shawn would feel bad and ask Vince what his plans were for Marty. But after what had transpired between the two, Shawn couldn’t care less.
Marty left in a huff as the meeting concluded, storming off somewhere backstage to brood. Shawn gave Vince a grateful smile and a firm handshake, thanking him for the opportunity before picking up his gym bag and leaving the office.
He wandered aimlessly down the hall, lost in his thoughts as he brainstormed what his next steps should be. Unaware of his surroundings, he accidentally bumped into someone coming from the opposite direction.
“Oh, sorry,” he muttered before looking up to see that it was Bret.
Shawn nearly blushed, averting his eyes as he was reminded of what he’d said about the man during his heated argument with Marty.
“If he asked to fuck me now, I’d probably let him!”
Shawn had shocked even himself when he said it. Bret was his friend, and that certainly wasn’t something normal to say about a friend. Did he mean it? He didn’t know. He hadn’t really had much time to think about it due to dealing with his Marty issues.
So for his sanity, he’d convinced himself that he’d only said it out of spite. It was just to get under Marty’s skin. Totally.
A friendly smile spread across Bret’s face, a greeting on the tip of his tongue until he noticed the bruises on Shawn’s face. He lifted a worried brow, wondering what could have caused such an appearance.
Before Bret could say anything, he was cut off by Shawn saying desperately, “Don’t ask.”
Shawn had barely come to terms with what happened to him. He definitely wasn’t ready to be questioned about it.
Bret still couldn’t get past the bruises sitting on Shawn’s beautiful face. But he didn’t want to pry, the young man looking like he could break at any moment. He instead asked, “You ok?”
It was obvious that Shawn wasn’t ok, but Shawn appreciated the concern. “I’m alright.”
“Are you going somewhere,” Bret asked, eying the gym bag Shawn was toting.
Shawn gave a tired smile before saying, “Home.”
Bret tilted his head slightly asking, “Home?”
“Yeah. I need a few weeks off TV to heal,” Shawn said, bringing a hand up to gesture to his face.
It was then that Bret noticed that the hand no longer sported the silver ring that usually rested there. Why wasn’t he wearing his ring?
Bret glanced down the hallway, also noting that Marty wasn’t anywhere in sight, which was odd.
He turned his attention back to Shawn asking, “How long will you be away?”
Shawn shrugged. “I have no idea.”
The truth was that Shawn needed space from Marty. It would be nearly impossible to do that with them both working in the same company, sharing in the same locker room, walking the same halls, and staying at the same hotels.
Shawn’s injuries provided him with a good enough excuse for some time off the road.
Bret deflated a little, realizing that Shawn probably wouldn’t be around for a while. He shook his head to himself in disapproval. “Well, it’s going to be a hell of a lot more boring without you here.”
That managed to get a genuine smile from Shawn. “Well, it’s a hell of a lot of guys who’ll be happy that I’m gone.”
“Screw them,” said Bret which got a chuckle out of the two of them. “It’s their loss.”
“I guarantee that you’re the only one that thinks so. But thanks.”
Bret nodded, a brief awkward silence passing between the two before he said, “Well, if you ever find yourself looking for some company when you get back, you should come by that Harts’ dressing room.”
“Come by? Like use your locker room?”
Shawn’s puzzled look caused Bret to quickly stammer, “I mean that’s if you want to. Just thought you could use company other than Marty.”
Bret intended for it to be a light comment, but Marty’s name was all it took for a small grimace to make its way onto Shawn’s face.
Not wanting to get emotional, Shawn decided to end the conversation, putting on a bright smile as he nodded before saying, “I gotta go. See you later, Bret.”
Bret watched on dreadfully as the blond walked away, uncertain on when he’d get a chance to see Shawn again.
Shawn decided to spend his break in Texas with his parents. With the type of thoughts he had swirling around in his head, he didn’t trust being alone at the moment. Plus, he could really use his family’s support.
His parents were beyond excited at the news of their youngest child returning home. It’d been only a few months since they’d last seen him, but it felt like years. His last visit was very brief, only two days before he was back on the road. So when Shawn told them that he’d be staying for a few weeks, they were ecstatic.
However, their excitement was soon overshadowed by worry once they laid eyes on Shawn’s face.
Their immediate thought was that his bruises were wrestling-related, but when Shawn struggled to give a clear answer on how he’d gotten his injuries, supported by the fact that Shawn hadn’t returned home with Marty who was basically attached at their son’s hip, it became pretty apparent who was responsible for Shawn’s condition.
“I never liked him,” his mother ranted, huffing as she examined Shawn’s face. He sat on the living room couch, both parents hovering over him with troubled looks. “I could never put my finger on it, but something always seemed off about him! A mother knows!”
Shawn’s dad chipped in, “Where the hell does he get at thinking he can put hands on my son?! After all of the empty promises that asshole made about loving and protecting you, this is how he treats you?!”
Needless to say, his parents were pissed. And rightfully so.
Shawn was their baby boy. With him being the youngest and the last to leave the house, they treated him like precious cargo, especially his dad. It was safe to say his dad spoiled him even more than his mom as a kid. Shawn had always been appreciative of how loving and supportive his parents were, and he knew he was lucky to have them.
However, their support could be a bit much.
“That son of a bitch better hope I don’t ever see him! Because when I do-”
“Dad,” Shawn stressed, closing his eyes in exhaustion. He whispered, “Please.”
He appreciated his parents’ concern, but he was so drained. He’d spent the whole plane ride and the drive home thinking about what happened, and he was mentally spent. He didn’t want to think about it anymore, at least for the time being.
His parents shared a knowing look with each other before looking back at Shawn. There was plenty more they wanted to get off their chest about Marty, but Shawn was their main priority.
They spent the rest of the night trying their best to cheer up Shawn, hoping that they could help him forget about what happened, if only for the night.
Shawn ended up spending a month at his parents’ house, which was longer than he’d intended.
The first week of that month was spent holed up in his childhood bedroom, crying his eyes out as he grieved over the end of the relationship. As brave as he tried to be the first night he’d arrived, he couldn’t keep up the facade.
He was no longer in an arena, forced to put on a careless persona around his fans and colleagues. He was with his parents, the people who really knew him, who really loved him unconditionally. With them, he was safe to be vulnerable, to be emotional, to comfortably express himself.
So that’s what he did. Unfortunately, his form of expression often came in waves of emotional breakdowns.
It broke his parents to see Shawn so upset. Their upbeat son they were usually greeted by was nowhere in sight. He was now a shell of a person, the only emotions displayed being pain and heartbreak.
They were at a loss on what to do to fix the situation, especially since Shawn still didn’t want to talk about what really happened. They’d known that things had gotten physical, only because of Shawn’s bruises. Anything beyond that was left to speculation which served no one any good.
After the first week of nonstop tears from their son, they’d enlisted the help of their other kids, hoping that Shawn being surrounded by his siblings would help him open up and feel better.
Fortunately, they were right. They planned a family dinner, and with Shawn being surrounded by the comfort of his whole family, he decided to tell them everything.
The family sat at the dining table, food going untouched as all eyes were on Shawn. They waited anxiously as Shawn breathed deeply, tears welling up in his eyes as he struggled to find the right words.
His sister sat to the right of him, rubbing his arm in comfort as his brother sat to the left of him, a light hand placed on Shawn’s shoulder in encouragement.
Deciding there was no right way to start the conversation, Shawn decided to just come out with it. He stared at his hands as he said flatly, “He cheated on me.”
The whole room went quiet, everyone in disbelief at what Shawn had just said. “We argued about it, and when I said something he didn’t like, that’s when…that’s when he hit me. I...I panicked. I didn’t know what else he would do to me. I had to stand up for myself. I-”
He broke down as memories of that night flashed before his eyes.
A loud sob escaped his lips as he brought his hands up to his face, shielding himself from the remorseful looks he knew his family was throwing his way.
“Oh, Shawn,” his brother said.
“That’s horrible,” another brother added. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
“We’re proud of you, Shawn. We didn’t raise you to take shit like that,” his dad said as softly as he could muster. He really wanted to go haunt Marty down, but Shawn needed his family right now.
“You deserve better than that,” his sister said before bringing him into a hug.
The family gathered around Shawn as best as they could in a group hug, and it was everything he needed. His family had never seen him so upset, and it angered them all that it was at the hands of someone they trusted would never hurt Shawn.
Things got a little better for Shawn after he’d told his family.
He felt like a huge weight was lifted off of his shoulders. Bit by bit, and week by week, he was able to genuinely smile and laugh for the first time since he’d arrived in Texas.
However, as was common in his life, the good times never lasted.
Things took a turn for the worse during the third week of his stay when Shawn decided to get the last of his things from Marty’s house. Marty was still on the road, so it was the perfect time for Shawn to get his belongings without Marty getting in the way.
Shawn thought he was ready, that he was strong, that he could handle it. Initially, he was.
He was fine when he walked into the house. He was fine when he packed up his boxes. But it was when he saw their pictures hanging on the wall, reminding him of how happy he and Marty used to be, and how Marty threw it all away, that the empty void within him only grew bigger.
After loading the last box in his dad’s truck, sealing his fate, that’s when Shawn finally lost it, breaking down as he looked up at the house that he used to call a home.
“Oh, it’s ok, sweetheart,” his mother soothed as she gave him a warm hug, gently rubbing at his back. “Shh, I know. It’s all over now. You can finally move on. You’ll be ok.”
But he wasn’t ok.
His parents found him later that night, strung out from the last few pills he’d kept in his bag. It was such a scary moment, Shawn barely responding to their panicked calls as he groaned incoherently to their pleas.
He didn’t mean to worry his parents. He just wanted the pain to stop, wanted to forget about his problems. But unfortunately, he’d just caused an even bigger mess.
His parents stayed up with him all night, feeding him water and making sure he was still breathing, assuring to him that everything would be ok.
Shawn spent the last week finally accepting that the relationship was over, that he’d never go back, and that things would never be the same again.
He was starting over.
As much as it hurt him, as much as he still had love for Marty, he knew that he would be a fool to go back.
He’d already given Marty a second chance after he cheated on him the first time. There was even a small moment where Shawn considered staying with him after the second time. But the fact that Marty would not only cheat, but also hit him was the final nail in the coffin.
His family was right. He did deserve better. But he also deserved to be able to take a moment to mourn the death of the 7-year relationship he’d lost.
Shawn was in better spirits by the last few days of his stay. He wasn’t over the heartbreak yet by any means. But he didn’t cry at the drop of a hat anymore, and his mind was finally starting to become occupied by thoughts other than Marty.
Despite how unstable he’d been for the past month, he’d kept in contact with Vince in preparation for his return to the ring as the Heartbreak Kid.
Shawn thought that the name itself was quite ironic given that he’d just gotten his very own heart broken in the process of pursuing the angle. But Shawn was also excited. He was finally being given the opportunity to show what he was truly capable of, no longer being held back by Marty, and he had no doubt in his mind that he could pull it off.
The moment was bittersweet when Shawn had to hit the road again. As excited as he was to get back wrestling, he unfortunately had to leave the comfort of his family again.
“If he fucks with you, you let us know,” Shawn’s dad warned before pulling Shawn into a tight hug.
Shawn chuckled, hugging back just as tightly as he said, “Sure, Dad.”
“I’m serious! Your brothers and I will make the trip to kick his ass no matter where you are.” Shawn certainly had no doubt about that. “So you let me know if things get out of hand with him again, ok?”
Shawn pulled back, nodding as he said, “I will. I love you, guys.”
His mom pulled him into a hug as well as she said, “We love you too, honey. Drive safe.”
After his final goodbyes, Shawn was back on the road, eager but also anxious on what’s to come.