Victim Of Love [On-going]

Panic

Seth flinched as Randy's fist came in contact with his face, his eyes shut tight as he took another beating from the man who had proclaimed to love him. They'd been happy once until Randy ruined it all one day when he took his frustrations out on him. After that day, Randy's beatings became a regular occurrence and Seth was so tired. Tired not just physically, but mentally. He was tired of the pain, tired of the mental and physical abuse, tired of crying. He was tired, right down to his bones. Seth was done with Randy. He'd mentally checked out of the relationship. He'd reached his limit, but despite all this, he couldn't make himself walk away. Seth had convinced himself that things would change, that he and Randy were just going through a rough patch and that things would eventually get better, that somewhere, deep down beneath all the anger and hate, Randy still loved him and if that was true then maybe he wouldn't have to leave.

So, for the time being, Seth masked everything. His body was a map of bruises and scars, but he'd learnt to hide every blemish. At work, he hid the pain he was in with a smile, acting like everything was fine when, in reality, he was barely keeping himself together. Whenever he was alone, he would cry, cry so much sometimes that his eyes burned. He was in a vicious circle of pain, unhappiness, fakery and loneliness and he couldn't see a way out. He used to find happiness with his former teammates, but since The Shield disbanded, he had lost the two people that truly made him feel safe and happy. They were more than just friends; they were like family and he cared about them both a lot. Seth had joined The Authority on Randy's orders. He did it to make Randy happy, but he soon grew to regret his decision because it caused him to become more secluded than he had ever been in his entire life. Randy had made it clear early on that he didn't approve of Seth seeing or even talking to his former teammates and in order to keep the peace, Seth had agreed to Randy's demands. In just a few years, Randy had successfully cut Seth off from not only his friends but his family, too. This resulted in Seth being completely reliant on Randy for his every need, and that's exactly what Randy wanted. Without outside distractions and interference, Randy could do whatever he wanted; whenever he wanted and no one could stop him. Seth had surrendered to his fate. Every ounce of determination, self pride and defiance had been beaten out of him and he had slowly accepted that Randy was it for him. This was as good as his life would ever get. Love had imprisoned him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Roman sat back and observed the scene in front of him, just like he had done for weeks now, an unpleasant sensation settling in his stomach as he watched Seth cower away from Randy. At first, he thought he was just imagining things, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right between them. He knew Seth well and he could tell that something was seriously wrong with his and Randy's relationship. Seth had become increasingly distant and when they crossed paths, he couldn't even get Seth to look at him, let alone speak to him. He desperately wanted to help him, but in order to do so, he would have to get his facts straight. If he was wrong, he'd only cause trouble between the two of them. He had to get Seth alone so he could find out what was going on, but Seth was rarely alone as of late. When he wasn't with Randy, he'd have J&J flanking him, so he simply bided his time and finally got his chance a week later.

The first thing Roman noticed when he walked into the hotel gym was that the place was empty, which was strange. The gym was never empty, especially with a hotel booked full of wrestlers. As Roman made his way to the lockers, he looked around the room and heard the distant sound of crying coming from one of the changing rooms. He followed the sound and was confronted by the sight that made his heart sink. Seth was huddled up on a bench with his knees brought up to his chest. He was rocking back and forth, and his head was buried between his legs.

Roman pushed against the half-open door. ''Seth?''

Seth's head shot up at the sound of Roman's voice and he quickly stood to his feet, wiping his face with the sleeve of his shirt

He grabbed his bag and moved past Roman, but the older man grabbed his arm. ''Hey wait a second''

Seth tensed up like he'd been electric shocked and Roman quickly let go of him

''You can't be in here Ro, no one is supposed to be in here but me...you can't''

Seth wouldn't look at him but Roman could see he was distressed

"Randy will be here any second. If he catches you, he'll...please just leave.''

Roman gently took hold of Seth's chin, titling it upwards. ''Talk to me, tell me what's wrong''

Panic set in and for a moment, Seth completely froze. He couldn't remember the last time someone had touched him so gently, the last time someone cared about how he felt. He'd almost forgot what it felt like.

''Seth?'' Roman whispered as one of his fingers lightly caressed Seth's cheek

Seth's eyes closed at the sensation and he leant into the touch before he caught a hold of himself and backed away. ''There's nothing to tell''

Roman followed behind Seth as he made his way past him towards the exit. "I know you, Seth, and I know that something's wrong.''

''You know nothing," Seth argued. "You haven't got the slightest clue what I'm going through.''

''Then tell me'' Roman said, almost begging as he placed a hand on the door, blocking Seth's path

Do you actually think he cares? He doesn't care about you. Why would he?

Seth's mind loved to provoke him and his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest. His breath quickened, and he was getting more anxious by the second. ''You can't''

''I can't what?'' Roman's response came out a little harsher than he wanted it to and he instantly regretted it when Seth flinched at his tone of voice

''You can't be around me'' Seth answered before pushing his way out of the room