{Ambrollins}

(13) In Recovery

Seth's P.O.V

~~~

"Seth? This isn't funny anymore, where are ya?" Dean's nervous laughter filled the empty street. A small groan escaped my parted lips as I attempted to call out his name. "There you are, what're you doing down- Fuck!"

Dean sprinted the rest of the way and collapsed to his knees. Two shaky hands wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me into his lap. I settled with my head on his chest.

"Shit. Shit, I'm sorry, Seth. Fuck, I'm so sorry." Dean spoke again and again. Any of my attempts to reassure him that it wasn't his fault were sorely prevented by my swollen mouth. It was difficult to make out the details of Dean's face, but a shimmer in his eyes suggested he was crying.

I pushed onto Dean's legs to sit myself up and assessed that I had several broken ribs. The pain must've been clear on my face as Dean quickly outstretched his arms to help me.

"Do you wanna try and stand?" He asked with a raspy voice. I nodded slowly and was pulled to my feet by Dean. Once up, I stumbled slightly. Dean wrapped an arm around my waist and led me to Roman's truck which was parked on the other side of the lot.

He struggled to pull open the backseat door whilst supporting me but eventually managed and pushed me in. He stood at the open door, looking down at me with sorrow-filled eyes.

"What happened?" Dean had the same expression on his face as he did the night he beat up Randy, somewhere between being ashamed and angry. I took a minute to prepare my throat before speaking. It still came out hoarse.

"I followed Sheamus. He said he'd beaten you up before and that he'd do it again, so..." I trailed off and breathed heavily, "I punched him and maybe broke his nose."
Dean let out a shocked laugh and placed his hand on my head.

"You shouldn't have done that." His thumb rubbed my forehead soothingly. "Don't get me wrong, you could definitely give Sheamus a run for his money, but he doesn't fight fairly. He relies on those other fuckers to do his work for him." He scowled towards the end of his words, his voice growing angry.

I nudged my head against his hand and he snapped out of his trance. He sighed and smiled,
"So apparently over-protective-boyfriend syndrome is contagious, huh?"

I turned my head slightly to look him in the eyes.
"Boyfriend?" My eyes creased as I smiled and attempted to raise an eyebrow. Dean's eyes widened and he glanced at the floor and back up, frowning and tilting his head to the right quickly.

"I wasn't sure where we were at, so I threw it in there to see how you'd react. Unfortunately the state of your face is making it hard to read your expression." He bit his bottom lip and ran his thumb across my cheek. Some dried blood flaked away.

I relaxed into his touch, comforted by the contact. Dean's face softened as he leaned forward to press his lips against my forehead. When he pulled away, he remained an inch away from me to study my injuries.
"You feel you need to go to the hospital?" His eyebrows furrowed.

I shook my head and breathed sharply through my nose.
"I'd rather just go home." I croaked. Dean nodded and closed the door, moving to the front of the car. He slipped into the driver's seat and revved the engine.
"Let's get home then, boyfriend." He piped. I caught his grin in the mirror.

~~

After Dean helped me hobble into Roman's house, he immediately demanded I removed my shirt. And for the first time, he didn't sound suggestive. I did as told and rested back onto the table.

My chest was peppered with purple and black bruises and splatters of dark red. Dean appeared in the doorway with a bowl of steaming water. His jaw clenched and his eyes were sad as he observed my injuries.

"It doesn't hurt as bad as it looks, honestly." I attempted to convince either him or myself, I wasn't sure which. He placed the bowl beside me and rang out a cloth before raising it to my stomach.

Dean was hesitant to apply any pressure.
"Tell me if it hurts." He stammered. I nodded and watched his hands carefully. He pressed the hot material against a stained-red patch of skin. I tensed my muscles and attempted to hide my agony.

His worried eyes shot up to study my face. I smiled assuringly,
"I'm fine, Dean."

After several minutes, my chest was left with only bruises and bandages and the bowl of clear water was now a deep red. Dean had bandaged my sides and gave me a detailed description on my broken ribs healing, suggesting he'd gone through it several times.

I stood up from the table and made my way to the sofa. Dean grabbed the waistband of my trousers to stop me. They snapped back and I yelped.

"Uh, uh, you're not sitting around moping all night." His eyes were mischievous. I motioned to my bandaged side and gave him an incredulous look. "Yeah, I know. But still..." His voice trailed off as he reached for the iPod which sat on the docking station.

He squinted his eyes and scrolled through several songs. Once satisfied, he placed it back in the speaker and pressed play.

'Roxanne' by The Police blared lowly before building in volume and engulfing the two of us. Dean did a ridiculous dance towards me, throwing his arms around and pushing out his lips. I laughed loudly despite not being able to hear myself over the music and felt a pain in my chest.

I shook it off and faced Dean who had snaked an arm around my waist and taken my hand in his. He swayed back and forth and kept his lips puckered whilst nodding his head in time with the music. I watched him with a wide smile and threw my head back laughing when he started singing.

The song simmered to a close after another couple of minutes. Dean glanced over at the speaker with a look of anticipation plastered on his face. I was confused until 'Pony' by Ginuwine* filled the room.

(*a song from Magic Mike, which you should check out)

My face dropped as I glared at Dean who was playing dumb. He shrugged his shoulders and raised an eyebrow quickly. He then stalked over to me and grasped lowly at my waist. My cheeks burnt up as Dean danced close to me.

His hand reached up to cup my face as he leaned in to kiss me. He moved his mouth carefully, as if afraid of hurting me. I deepened the kiss, allowing him to be a little rougher.

His tongue fought with mine as his hand ran through my hair. I breathed into the kiss and placed a hand on his hip.

Before I knew it, the song had finished and we stood in silence. Dean pulled away and let his eyes fall to watch my mouth. He kept them there as he spoke.

"Maybe you should rest, now." His mouth curled up into a smile. I stuck out a pet lip and stepped carefully over to the sofa, lowering myself down with difficulty. Dean appeared beside me and helped me get comfortable.
"You need anything?" He sat back on his feet beside the chair.

"Yeah." I answered. He smiled and grasped my forearm,
"What would that b-" I cut him off by pulling him into another kiss. His mouth widened with a smile as he hovered over me slightly. When he moved away, he looked into my eyes.

"You need anything that isn't on my face?" He chuckled. I raised an eyebrow as my eyes flickered to his crotch. He laughed loudly and bit his tongue. "We'll see how you are tomorrow. For now, please get some rest."
~~~