Chapter Text
Shawn was a nervous wreck the entire way to the arena.
It was a big night – the night that The Rockers would officially end as a tag team. The plan was for Shawn to turn on Marty during a barbershop segment, which would begin Shawn’s heel run as the Heartbreak Kid.
As excited as Shawn was, he was also anxious to see Marty face-to-face. The two hadn’t seen or spoken to each other since their meeting with Vince, not that Marty hadn’t tried.
For the first few days of Shawn’s break, Marty had called Shawn’s parents, demanding to speak to Shawn. However, the threats from Shawn’s dad were enough to convince Marty to give Shawn the space he needed.
As Shawn approached the arena, the only thing he looked forward to was throwing Marty through a glass window at the end of the planned segment.
After parking his car, his nerves hit an all-time high as he realized that he’d have to use the general locker room – the same locker room that Marty would likely be in as well.
It had been a whole month and Shawn still wasn’t ready to see him, at least not before his segment. He had no idea what state of mind Marty would be in. As much as Shawn hoped Marty would ignore him, he knew there was a chance that the man would cause a scene once laying eyes on Shawn.
Shawn groaned, resting his head on the steering wheel as he contemplated what to do. It was then that he remembered what Bret had said to him the day he left.
“If you ever find yourself looking for some company when you get back, you should come by that Harts’ dressing room.”
Had Bret meant it? Was the offer even still on the table?
Shawn wasn’t sure. But he had to at least try. Anything would be better than being forced to be anywhere near his boyfrie-, ex-boyfriend. He still had to get used to saying that.
So it was settled.
After gathering his belongings, Shawn walked into the arena, scouring the backstage area in hopes of finding the Harts’ locker room before running into someone he didn’t want to see. Luckily for him, he didn’t have to look too far.
Shawn knocked lightly on the solid door, tightly gripping his gym bag in anticipation. It was only a few moments that he stood there staring at the door, but it felt like minutes. As soon as he began to second-guess himself, the door slightly opened to reveal a surprised-looking Owen Hart who gave the biggest grin once he saw that it was Shawn.
“Hey, Shawn,” he cheerfully greeted.
“Uh, hey,” Shawn said. He looked awkwardly down the hall over his shoulder before turning back to Owen. “Mind if I hang out in here?”
Shawn didn’t know a grin could get any wider.
Owen answered, “Oh, of course! I was just leaving, but Bret’s in here to keep you company.” Owen turned his head back into the room, giving Bret a wink and a thumbs up before turning back to Shawn, widening the door to let him in as he exited the room.
Shawn entered the locker room cautiously, a small smile settling on his lips as his eyes met Bret’s who was sitting on a bench across the room.
Bret’s heart nearly skipped a beat when he saw Shawn. Because of the blond’s abrupt exit a month ago, Bret had no idea when he would be returning. So he was shocked yet pleased to see Shawn’s beautiful face once again.
Shawn was just as relieved to see a friendly face, his nerves instantly melting away as he laid eyes on Bret.
Bret was the first to break the silence between them, standing up hastily from his seat as he said, “Hey. You’re back.”
Shawn nodded, his smile widening as he said, “Yep.”
“For good?”
“Yeah, for good.”
“Good,” said Bret, genuinely thankful that Shawn was here to stay. “Here, have a seat. I’ll take this for you,” Bret said as he took Shawn’s bag before the blond could protest.
Shawn stood there, watching as Bret put his bag in the corner of the room, before deciding to take a seat on the bench. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it,” Bret said as he made his way back over to Shawn before taking a seat next to the blond. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
Shawn raised a brow as if not believing Bret. “Really?”
Bret chuckled, “Yeah. It was weird not seeing you walking these halls.”
Shawn could only smile, not sure how to respond, but it did feel good knowing that someone appreciated his presence. “Well, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of me for a while now, so I don’t want to hear you complaining that you’re sick of me,” Shawn joked.
“Not a chance,” Bret snickered. “So what brings you by?”
“Well,” Shawn trailed, “You said I could swing by if I ever needed company. And, well, I could really use a distraction right now. I mean, that’s unless you don’t want-”
“No, no,” Bret said quickly. “You’re welcome here anytime. I’m…happy you’re here,” he ended with a reassuring smile. And that was all Shawn needed to ease his worries.
Bret cleared his throat before saying, “You look a lot…better. Healthier.”
And he really did. Shawn’s bruises were mostly healed, the only one remaining being a faint mark on his cheek that was only noticeable if you looked too closely.
Bret also noticed that Shawn looked a lot less…sad? Stressed? He couldn’t put a finger on it, but leading up to Shawn’s break, the blond constantly looked like he was on the verge of breaking down. But not now.
It looked like his break really did him some good.
“I feel a lot better too,” said Shawn.
Bret leaned back, getting more comfortable in his seat asking, “So, how was your break?”
Shawn took a moment to respond, answering slowly, “It was…eventful, to say the least.”
Bret tilted his head inquisitively. “Did you enjoy yourself?”
Shawn thought carefully on the question. To say he enjoyed himself would be a stretch. Although he did enjoy being around his family, much of his break was spent dealing with heartbreak.
Not his ideal vacation.
Shawn shrugged, “It was fine.”
Bret easily picked up on Shawn’s mood, the blond looking spaced out as he stared ahead of him. Bret sat up, leaning closer to Shawn as he asked earnestly, “Hey, are you doing alright?”
“Yes,” Shawn said immediately, as if he were programmed to say so. In a sense, he was.
Not buying it, Bret emphasized, “Are you sure?”
Shawn slowly turned his head to look at Bret, and it was then that he deflated, leaning against the wall behind them as he stared at the floor. “No.”
Just like the night they met at the bar, Bret always had a way of making Shawn feel comfortable enough to let down his guard and open up to him. Shawn often wondered if it was secretly one of the reasons why Marty didn’t like him talking to Bret, paranoid that with just one concerned look from Bret, Shawn would go spilling all of their secrets.
However, with Marty no longer around to be a thorn in his side, Shawn decided to be honest with one of the closest friends he’d made at the company.
“No?” Bret raised a brow as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Shawn shifted his eyes to Bret asking, “Honest?”
Bret nodded and that’s when Shawn decided to come clean with everything.
“Marty and I are done.”
Bret blinked a few times, wondering if he’d heard right. Not wanting to misinterpret, Bret asked for clarity, “Done? As a tag team?”
Shawn nodded, resting his head against the wall as he blankly stared up at the ceiling. “Yeah. We’re filming the breakup tonight. I’ll be wrestling singles going forward.”
Bret looked on at Shawn, truly surprised at the news. With how attached at the hip Shawn and Marty were, it seemed like there was no possibility that the duo would ever split. But Bret also knew that Shawn was too talented to only wrestle in the tag team division.
This was great news. Or at least it should be. Bret was about to congratulate Shawn, but stopped himself as he took note of Shawn’s gloomy expression.
“You’re not happy about it?”
“No, no. I’m ecstatic. It’s just,” Shawn sat up again, shifting more towards Bret. “That’s not it. The…the relationship is done as well.”
Bret had to do a double take. The relationship was over? As in no more Marty? As in Shawn’s single?
Bret was ashamed to admit that a small part of him was a bit relieved. Despite his crush on the younger man, Bret had yet to make a move out of respect for Shawn’s relationship.
However, instead of harping on his relief, Shawn’s painful expression instantly made Bret sympathize with Shawn. It was obvious to Bret that Marty meant a lot to Shawn and the blond was taking the breakup hard.
“Really?” Bret said in almost a whisper.
Shawn shrugged as nonchalantly as he could muster. He cleared his throat, feeling it start to close up, before saying, “I should have seen it coming.”
“Why do you say that?”
Shawn mulled over the question, answering honestly, “It’s been toxic between us for a while now, but it’s been so bad these past few months. There was a brief moment where things were getting better, where I had hope. I thought we could work it out like we always did but-,” his voice cracked, cutting himself off as tears pooled at his eyes.
Shawn rubbed at his eyes frustratedly, pissed at himself because swore he was done crying over that asshole.
Bret was stunned as he watched Shawn get emotional. It was the first time he’d ever seen the man so vulnerable. He was used to seeing Shawn gallivanting backstage, displaying a cocky, overconfident persona.
However, the man in front of him wasn’t putting on some façade. He was hurting.
Not knowing the right words to say, Bret placed a comforting hand on Shawn’s shoulder as he said, “I’m sorry, man. Are you ok?”
Shawn nodded, staring blankly at the floor again as he tried to calm himself down. “Yeah, I’m doing better now. As much as it hurts, it was for the best.”
“How did he take it?”
Shawn froze, not going unnoticed by Bret, before he answered with a sigh, “Not good. The breakup was really bad. I mean really bad. Hence the bruises on my face a month ago.”
Bret’s brows almost flew off his face. “He did that?” Bret had wondered where the bruises came from the last time he’d seen Shawn, but he didn’t want to pry at the time.
“Yeah,” Shawn said emotionlessly, completely disconnected from the situation. “He cheated so… yeah. I’d just had enough.”
Bret remained calm on the outside, but he was seething on the inside. The fact that anyone, especially a lover, would attack Shawn pissed him off. It didn’t matter that the two were men. It never should have happened.
That on top of the fact that Marty cheated was pretty damning to Bret.
“Shit, Shawn.” Bret said, truly taken aback.
“Yeah,” Shawn said again, dejectedly.
“I’m so sorry you went through that. No one deserves that, Shawn,” said Bret as he gently rubbed his hand on Shawn’s shoulder.
Although it was comforting, it didn’t stop more tears from pooling in Shawn’s eyes, the younger man one step away from breaking down. He whispered, “I know.”
His family had drilled it into his head enough that it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t do anything wrong. And he certainly didn’t deserve the way Marty treated him. But there was still a part of him that needed to be reminded of that.
Seeing Shawn so shaken up brought an anger to Bret that he couldn’t even describe. “ What a dick. That motherfucker. If only I were around to-”
Bret was cut off by something he wasn’t expecting. A short laugh escaped Shawn’s lips as a lone tear escaped down his cheek. There wasn’t a smile on his face, but there was no doubt he found humor in what Bret had said.
The blond said, “You sound just like my dad,” Shawn being reminded of the same threatening statement his dad had made about Marty.
“Sounds like a good dad to me.”
And that was enough to cause the corner of Shawn’s lips to tug upwards. He took a deep breath, wiping his eyes in hope that his tears wouldn’t be replaced. “I’ll be ok. Marty and I are done for good, so I’m just trying to move forward.”
Bret nodded, bringing his hand down to rub comfortingly on Shawn’s back. “Yeah, I get that.”
There was a quiet moment between them, the two letting the silence linger, before Shawn said, “Sorry that I’m unloading so much on you. I know it’s a lot. Didn’t mean to kill the vibe,” he said in attempted humor. “It’s just that aside from Scott, I don’t have many people here to talk to. Everyone else either doesn’t like me, or they’re friends with Marty, and I’d rather not be associated with them."
Bret could only imagine how tough of a situation that must be for Shawn. He couldn’t imagine being forced to work around his ex. When Bret was going through his divorce, work was his escape. And seeing that Shawn didn’t have an escape, Bret was more than happy to be Shawn’s shoulder to lean on.
Bret said softly, “Don’t worry. You can always talk to me, Shawn. About anything.”
To be honest, this was the most he and Shawn had talked to each other in one sitting since their time at the bar years ago. Marty was usually around to make sure their conversations didn’t last longer than a few minutes.
Shawn was put at ease at Bret’s reassurance, taking it as an open invitation to be as vulnerable as he’s been with anyone aside from Marty or his family.
Shawn shifted to lean back against the wall, Bret’s hand still firmly pressed against his lower back in encouragement. “As dramatic as it sounds, I feel like I’m starting my life all over again, like I have to relearn how to go about my daily life without it involving Marty.”
Bret knew that feeling all too well. “I get it. He’s been such a huge part of your life, it’s going to take some getting used to.”
“Yeah,” Shawn said in deep thought. “Holidays are certainly going to suck now. I mean, I’ve always been with him through it all. Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays. Not to mention Valentine’s Day. It’s going to be my first time spending it alone since high school and I don’t know how to feel about it. I-” Shawn was cut off by an unexpected sob as his emotions came crashing down, quickly leaning forward to place his head in his hands as tears pricked at his eyes.
He knew he shouldn’t feel embarrassed, especially talking to Bret, but he was getting annoyed with himself at how emotional he still was over this. The fact that he couldn’t just talk about it without feeling like he was going to have a mental breakdown was too much.
The only thing seeming to hold him together was the hand that was still placed on his back.
He took a deep breath, sniffing before wiping the tears from his cheeks, whispering, “Sorry.”
“No, don’t apologize. It’s ok. Take your time.” Shawn nearly cried just at how gentle Bret was being with him.
Shawn took a moment to collect himself, letting out slow deep breaths until he felt like he was calm enough to talk through it. “It’s…I just can’t believe it’s over, you know? It’s crazy to think you can spend 7 years with a person and still don’t know them. It’s just so surreal.”
Bret could definitely relate to that feeling. He experienced the same wave of emotions before getting divorced.
“I understand how you feel more than you know. Trust me.”
Shawn turned his head to look at Bret. “What do you mean?”
Bret took in a breath, letting it out before saying, “Remember when I told you I’m happily divorced?” Shawn nodded. “Well, a few months before filing, I found out my ex-wife was having an affair. She had been having sex with a childhood ‘friend’ of hers for almost a year before I found out. I should’ve known to trust my instincts that the man was anything more than a friend. But I trusted her. What a mistake that was.”
Shawn was stunned, his eyes widening at the revelation. It was hard to believe that someone as nice and sweet as Bret could go through a situation so similar to his own.
“I’m sorry, Bret,” Shawn whispered in disbelief. He knew more than anyone how painful that experience could be.
Bret gave a shrug saying, “It’s fine. Don’t get me wrong. It tore me up at first. We’d been married for 9 years.”
“Really?!” Shawn never thought to ask Bret about his ex or the divorce, assuming that the topic was off limits. But it was a complete shock to him how someone would be willing to ruin their marriage after being together for so long, much like his situation with Marty.
“Yeah, I never imagined being with anyone else but her. But when trust is broken like that, there’s no going back. Our relationship was already pretty rocky, but that was the cherry on top. In hindsight, it was really a blessing in disguise. I probably would’ve never left if it hadn’t happened.”
“That’s a…different way of looking at it,” Shawn pondered, wondering if he would have stayed in his unstable relationship if Marty hadn’t cheated.
“It’s easy to harp on the negative, but the only way I’ve been able to cope is by focusing on the positive.”
That was easier said than done, thought Shawn.
Out of curiosity, Shawn asked, “Are you happy?”
“I’m much happier now. It took some time, but that’s ok. These feelings, these emotions that you’re experiencing are ok, Shawn. It’s normal. Allow yourself to feel them but know that brighter days are ahead if you allow them to be. You’ll find someone more deserving, but in the meantime, try to use this as a time to focus on yourself. Be kinder to yourself.”
Tears welled up in Shawn’s eyes again, but not because he was upset. He was simply touched by Bret’s kind words. Bret had no idea how much Shawn needed to hear them, to know that everything was going to be ok.
Shawn swiftly pulled Bret into a hug, burying his head into Bret’s neck as he said, “Thank you, Bret.”
Bret relished in the embrace, tightening his hold on Shawn in hope that his comfort was enough for the blond.
Shawn was the first to pull away, looking up at Bret before noticing how close they were. He moved away from Bret as he said jokingly, “You must think I’m a trainwreck.”
Bret grabbed one of Shawn’s hands, squeezing gently as he shook his head, “No. No, you’re not, Shawn. Remember what I said. Be kinder to yourself.”
That would take a lot of effort on Shawn’s part, but he decided not to voice that.
The blond nodded as he looked down at Bret’s hand on his own, thinking to himself how perfectly their hands fit together. Shawn then closed his eyes, shaking his head to get the thought out of his head.
A moment passed until Shawn said, “I guess the only good thing that came out of this whole shitshow was that I got to spend some time with my family. Dealing with the breakup was difficult even with their help. I can only imagine how I would have been if they weren’t around.”
“Family is really important in a time like this.” It put Bret a little at ease knowing that Shawn was getting the support he needed from his family.
“Yeah, they’re great. But now that I’m away from them again…I don’t know. It’s going to be so hard seeing him in the locker room now. I don’t trust myself not to do anything reckless.”
That was concerning to Bret. He didn’t know what ‘reckless’ fully entailed with Shawn, but he wanted to prevent it from ever having to get to that point.
“Hey,” he said, fully getting the blond’s attention. “No need to be reckless. You can use our locker room whenever you want. ”
Shawn asked slowly, “Like…use the Harts’ locker room?” Although Bret’s invited Shawn to their locker room before, he never thought Bret would offer to make it a permanent thing.
“Yeah,” Bret said, squeezing Shawn’s hand comfortingly. “Why not?”
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to be, like, in the way.”
“You wouldn’t be,” Bret answered quickly, wanting to dispel any worries Shawn had.
“Really? The other guys wouldn’t mind?”
Bret shook his head. “No, they’re barely in here anyway. It’s really ok, Shawn. You should hang with the Harts. We’ll make sure you’re taken care of, and that Marty doesn’t bother you.”
As tempting as the offer was, Shawn didn’t want to be a burden. He didn’t need the Harts playing as his bodyguards. He was a grown man, and if there came a time where he had to face Marty, he could do it on his own. But just the mere thought of it was making him anxious again.
He was conflicted.
He flashed Bret an appreciative smile saying, “I’ll think about it. Anyway, I should get going. I need to meet with Vince about my angle tonight,” Shawn said, detaching his hand from Bret as he shifted away, the older man already missing his warmth.
Bret nodded reluctantly, standing up and handing Shawn his bag before walking him to the door. “Good luck tonight. I’ll be cheering you on from the back.”
Shawn smiled fondly saying, “Thanks, Bret. See you later.”
Bret leaned against the doorway, watching longingly as Shawn walked down the hallway towards Vince’s office, still processing the conversation they’d just had.
Bret’s thoughts were cut short when Owen snuck up behind him, startling the older man when he whispered, “So, how’d it go?”
Bret jumped at Owen’s unannounced presence, turning to see a mischievous grin on his brother’s face. He gave an annoyed look, asking “How long have you been waiting by the door?”
Flustered, Owen quickly stammered, “Hey, I asked you a question first.”
Bret rolled his eyes, turning to walk back into the locker room as he said, “Not talking about it. Get ready for your match.”
Owen smacked his lips, whining as he followed Bret, “Come on, man!”