#someone get Owen the best wingman award

[tameodesza]

Love’s Maze (BretShawn)

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Shawn is comforted by Bret after getting into a heated argument with Marty

Bret intended on ending his interest in Shawn after seeing him leave with Marty that night. He wasn’t a home wrecker, and he definitely didn’t want to be someone’s second choice.

Even if he did want to still pursue Shawn, he found out pretty quickly backstage that wherever Shawn went, Marty followed. It never failed. So it was highly unlikely that he’d get a moment alone with the man, which is probably a blessing in disguise. 

So to avoid temptation, he planned on ignoring Shawn, purposely avoiding the blond whenever he could. 

Or at least that was the plan. 

A few days later after another house show, Bret agreed to go out drinking again at the hotel bar. He’d convinced himself that he just needed to unwind, but the truth was that he needed something to take his mind off of a certain blond, not that he’d ever admit it. 

Unfortunately for Bret, the man that he wanted to take his mind off of was directly in his line of sight, sitting across the bar with Marty again.

Bret let out a breath as he shook his head, planning to look elsewhere to spare himself of the pair’s PDA. That was until he noticed something different about the two. 

Instead of the light touches and intimate glances they’d given each other a few nights ago, it seemed like the two were in the midst of a heated exchange of words. Marty appeared to be doing most of the yelling while Shawn more so reacted with furrowed brows, delivering sharp responses of his own. 

There was a short moment where Bret was getting a little concerned with how close Marty was getting as he yelled in Shawn’s face, but the younger man didn’t seem too fazed, as if he were used to the behavior.

“Uh oh, trouble in paradise,” said Owen as he watched on with Bret. 

The argument had gained quite a few spectators – Bret and Owen included. Bret didn’t know how long he’d been watching, but thought it’d be best to give them some privacy. 

As soon as he made the decision to turn away, that’s when Marty stormed off, knocking Shawn’s drink over in the process. Shawn mouthed the words ‘fucking asshole’ at Marty’s retreating back before turning around to ask the bartender for another drink. 

Bret’s attention was pulled from the blond when Owen gave an encouraging pat on his shoulder saying, “It’s your time to shine, Prince Charming!” 

Bret shoved him off as he said in irritation, “Will you give it a rest?”

“Dude, come on. This is the only time we’ve seen the guy alone all week. Here’s your chance!”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s taken.”

“You don’t even know that for sure! Are you really not even going to try?”

Owen brought up a good point. Bret still didn’t know the depths of Shawn and Marty’s situation. He assumed they were together, but maybe they weren’t. Maybe they were friends. Or friends with benefits. Maybe they weren’t even exclusive.

There was only one way to find out. 

Realizing that he finally had Bret where he wanted him, Owen emphasized, “Just talk to him.”

“I’m not hitting on him, Owen.”

“I’m not saying to do that. But I know you want to talk to him. And he looks like he could use a good conversation right about now. Don’t let your opportunity go to waste.”

“Why do you even care?”

“Because I don’t want to hear you bitching later on about what you should’ve done. Just do it! If it doesn’t work out, then at least you tried.”

Bret hated admitting when Owen was right, and there were very few times that he was. This seemed to be one of those times.

“Fine.”

Owen clapped his hands in celebration. “Woo! There you go, brother. Good luck! And if you do end up getting lucky, please let me know if I need to sleep in Davey’s room tonight. I’d rather not walk in on you fuc-”

“Yeah, yeah, bye Owen!”

Bret left in a haste, no longer being able to stand Owen commenting on him potentially getting laid. He hadn’t even had a conversation with the blond man yet, so talks of sex was a bit premature to say the least.

Not that he was opposed to it either. Shawn was without a doubt the most beautiful man Bret had ever laid eyes on. If he indeed did end up getting lucky that night, that would just be the cherry on top.

However, all thoughts of potentially getting Shawn in bed went away once Bret walked a little closer to him, seeing a silver band shining from Shawn’s ring finger. Bret hadn’t noticed the ring before anytime he’d briefly seen the man at the arena. But it was shining proudly in the bar lights for everyone to see.

Bret almost turned around in that moment. What was the point? He’d be wasting his time and probably make Shawn feel uncomfortable, the blond probably having to think of a way to turn down Bret’s advances gently. Bret still had pride, you know?

But when he looked back to see Owen flashing a bright smile his way as he gave two thumbs up, Bret knew there was no going back. So he decided to just use the moment to talk to Shawn, nothing more. He was still curious about the man, so it was the perfect opportunity to get to know him.

Shawn was unaware of Bret standing a few feet behind him, the blond having his own internal battle going on. He stared gloomily into his half empty cocktail as he thought about the fight he and Marty had just gotten into.

The night had been going so well until a few moments ago. Marty was drunk off his ass and got pissed that Shawn didn’t want to go back to the hotel yet. Shawn knew all Marty wanted to do was leave to go have sex and he just didn’t feel like it. He wanted to enjoy himself and get to know some of his new colleagues. He barely had the chance to do so with Marty hovering around him all the time.

After standing his ground and telling Marty he could go back to the hotel himself, that’s when Marty flipped out, not used to Shawn telling him ‘no.’

 ‘Why the fuck would you want to stay here without me?!’

‘Oh, I don’t know! Maybe to introduce myself to some of the guys we’ll be working with?! Maybe because I need a little me time?! God, I feel like I haven’t had a moment alone since we got here!’

 And apparently that was the wrong thing to say because it only seemed to further fuel Marty, the man calling Shawn every name in the book and alluding that the real reason Shawn wanted to fuck someone else instead. It was stupid, but there was no reasoning with Marty when he was like that.

So when Marty stormed off, Shawn was honestly relieved. He’d usually chase after Marty, which was no doubt what the older man probably expected, but Shawn was tired. He just needed to breathe and take his mind off of Marty for a moment.

Too engrossed in his own thoughts, Shawn barely realized that Bret had sat next to him. That was until he saw the bartender coming over his way. “I’m good. I don’t want to get anything else.”

The bartender gave a confused look before pointing a finger in the direction of the chair next to Shawn. That’s when Shawn looked and nearly froze when he saw Bret Hart.

“I’ll take a gin and tonic,” he said to the bartender. “You want anything?”

And it took a slight second for Shawn to realize that Bret was asking him the question. “Oh, no I’m good,” he said as he lifted the drink in his hand.

At that, the bartender walked away to work on Bret’s drink, leaving the two men to sit in silence amongst the loud environment of the bar.

Bret was the first to speak up saying, “Hey, I never got a chance to introduce myself.” He held out his hand. “I’m Bret.”

Oh, Shawn knew exactly who he was. He had a huge amount of respect for him as a wrestler. The fact that he was talking to Shawn right now seemed unreal. But he had to play it cool.

Shawn shook his hand saying, “Hey, I’m Shawn. Nice to meet you.”

“You as well. Sorry I’m just now getting around to meeting you. I know you’ve been here for a few days.”

Shawn gave a soft smile, a smile that Bret knew he wanted to see more often.

“It’s ok. Don’t worry about it. I’ve been a bit…occupied anyway. I haven’t had a chance to meet everyone yet.” Shawn’s smile slightly faltered as he was reminded that the reason he hadn’t been able to meet everyone was because of Marty.

“You came as a tag team or are you wrestling singles?”

“Tagging. Marty’s my partner. We’ve been tagging ever since we broke into the business.”

“I see.” There was a short pause before Bret decided to ask. “Is he always like that?”

Shawn didn’t need an explanation to know what Bret was talking about.

It was embarrassing that Marty behaved like that in public, airing out their dirty laundry for everyone to see. But Shawn also wasn’t one to back down from a confrontation. They were like oil and fire when they argued, and if they happened to have an argument in public, it wasn’t going to stop them from standing their ground.

Shawn sighed as he sank lower into his seat, staring into his glass. “So you saw that.” Bret nodded prompting Shawn to say, “He’s not like that all the time, no. Most days, he’s the more levelheaded one out of the two of us. But when he drinks… I don’t know. He can be pretty hard to deal with. But he’ll be fine in the morning, though. It’s just… it’s complicated.”

Shawn really didn’t want to talk about Marty, but who was he to tell Bret Hart what to talk about?

The bartender then brought Bret his drink before leaving the two alone again. Bret took a sip, sighing as the familiar burn of the alcohol traveled down his throat. “Yeah, marriages can be tough.”

Shawn tilted his head in confusion, furrowing his brows as he looked up at Bret. “Marriage?”

Shawn’s reaction threw Bret off as well. He gave a nod as he pointed at the ring on Shawn’s finger.

Shawn looked down at the ring, chuckling lightly as he held out his hand to examine the silver band. “Oh, this? Trust me, it’s not a wedding ring.”

Oh? Bret perked up, interested in the possibility of Shawn being single. Unfortunately for him, Shawn hadn’t stopped there.

The blond continued, “Marty gave it to me a few years ago. He likes it when I wear it out so people know I’m taken.”

And just like that, Bret’s excitement went down the drain, Shawn confirming that he’s off limits.

Bret took another sip of his drink, using it as an excuse to collect himself before asking, “Oh, you two are…,” he trailed.

“Together,” Shawn said with a nod. “High school sweethearts, actually,” he said as another smile made its way onto his face.

Genuinely curious, Bret asked, “If that’s the case, why not replace the promise ring with a real wedding ring?”

Shawn’s smile slowly faded away as he went quiet, his eyes focusing back onto the cup in his hand.

He was hesitant to answer, unsure how much of his personal life he should divulge to Bret. Was it wise to delve into his relationship problems with a guy he’d just met? Probably not.

But he’d be lying if he said it didn’t feel good to talk to someone that wasn’t Marty or Marty’s friends. He’d been holding in so much for so long, and Bret’s questions seemed to open the floodgates.

Bret noticed the shift in the blond’s mood, making him wish he hadn’t opened his mouth. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that,” he rushed out.

Shawn shook his head as he looked back up at Bret. “No, no, it’s fine. I sometimes ask myself the same thing. To be honest, I think it’ll be a cold day in hell the day Marty proposes, if ever,” he said before finally downing the rest of his drink.

That certainly wasn’t the response Bret was expecting. He didn’t want to pry any further, but now he was interested. “What makes you say that?”

Shawn shrugged. “I think the idea of marriage scares him, which I can understand to a certain extent. But we’ve been together for so long. I don’t think getting married would be too far-fetched for us.”

Bret took another sip, finishing off his drink before asking, “In that case, what is he waiting on?”

It was more of a question to himself. Maybe it’s because he was envious, but Bret couldn’t understand how Marty could have gone this long without marrying the blond. He was sure if he’d been in Marty’s position, Shawn would be sporting something nicer than the promise ring that was on his finger.

Shawn ran a hand through his hair as he answered, “It’s hard to make sense of that man. But he’s not going anywhere, so it is what it is, I guess.” Another dagger to Bret’s heart. “But thanks for listening to me rant. You must be dying to talk about something else.”

Bret gave a gentle smile to ease Shawn’s worries. “No, it’s fine. I’m not bothered.” Maybe he was bummed that Shawn was off limits, but that didn’t mean that he wanted to stop talking to the man.

Shawn sighed saying, “I hope everyone else here is as nice as you. Marty and I haven’t had the greatest luck in the past, especially with us being a couple. You couldn’t even imagine the homophobic remarks we’ve had to deal with since getting into this business.”

And that made Bret’s skin crawl. One thing he couldn’t stand was judging a person because of their sexuality. He was bi himself, but even before figuring that out about himself, he’d never felt the need to belittle someone because of their sexuality.

He said seriously, “You won’t have to worry about that here. Vince has a strict policy against shit like that. I mean yeah, there are some people who are ignorant of that type of stuff, but most people here don’t care. I surely don’t.”

Shawn felt a sense of relief wash over him. “Really?”

“Yeah. And if anyone does mess with you, you let me know. I’ll take care of it.” And he meant it.

Shawn smiled appreciatively, truly thankful that someone not only accepted him, but was willing to stand up for him should the time arise.

Feeling guilty for taking over the conversation, Shawn decided to switch topics. “So, you’ve learned a little about me. What about you? You married?”

Bret raised his left hand, displaying no ring in sight. “Happily divorced.”

“Oh,” Shawn said awkwardly, “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Trust me, I’m much happier now.”

“Still… getting divorced couldn’t have been fun. Do you…do you think you’d ever get married again?”

Bret thought it over briefly. During the divorce process, he swore he’d never get married again. It had been a messy divorce, his ex-wife attempting to milk him for every penny he had.

But after the divorce was finalized, Bret felt rejuvenated. Instead of being put off by the thought of love or marriage, he was eager to get it right the second time around.

Bret answered assuredly, “If I meet the right person,” his gaze lingering on Shawn.

The moment was brief, barely lasting a couple seconds, but there was an unexplainable connection felt between the two. Shawn was the first to break eye contact, looking off to the side as he felt his cheeks heating up. That’s when he caught sight of Marty stumbling and pushing his way through the bar in his direction.

Shawn let out a dreadful sigh, not wanting his conversation with Bret to end, but knowing he needed to talk Marty. “I should go check on him.”

Shawn pulled out his wallet to cover his tab, but came to a halt when Bret said, “I got it.”

Shawn looked on in surprise. “Really?” Bret nodded, but Shawn still wasn’t convinced. “Are you sure?”

Bret nodded again as he slapped a few bills on the table. “Yeah, it’s fine. Think of it as a welcome gift.”

Shawn wanted to protest further, but he really needed to get to Marty. He put away his wallet saying, “Thanks, Bret. I owe you one. See you around.”

Before Bret could tell the blond that he didn’t have to repay him, Shawn was off to find Marty.

Bret said to himself, “Yeah, see you later.”

Bret slumped in his chair as he watched Shawn walk away to meet Marty halfway across the bar. Part of him expected the couple to start arguing again, but once they were within each other’s reach, Marty pulled Shawn into a hug, burying his face into the younger man’s neck. All seemed forgiven as Shawn rubbed the man’s lower back in comfort before guiding them both out of the bar, further digging the knife into Bret’s chest.