A Family Of Their Own

by Strength_in_pain

Summary:

Rhea had been in and out of foster homes her whole life so she knew the drill.
But this time she had the system rigged.
OR
Rhea wasn’t waiting around for her forever family. She decided to create her own, and now she’s doing whatever she can to keep them together. (A Judgement Day Group Home AU.)

Notes:

In this story, they’re not wrestlers. But they are a family. Featuring highlights of Rhea, Dom, Damian, and Finn’s best moments from the 2022-2023 era only in the form of kids in a group home.

It’s wild, but it might just be crazy enough to work.

Enjoy! ☺️

Chapter 1: Have a Brutal Day

The feel of Dom’s hand in hers, sweaty but firm, kept Rhea grounded. 

It helped her remember the plan. A foolproof plan which worked every time they used it, and yet Dom was still shaking. 

She couldn’t blame him for being nervous. It was a gamble every time they did one of these placement interviews. If it was up to Rhea, she would never do another. 

But the group home manager, Adam Pearce, was insistent upon ruining Rhea’s life. He despised her for some reason (maybe it had something to do with the fights she caused or the trouble she got into), and he didn’t want her in his home anymore. 

Rhea had been in and out of foster homes her whole life so she knew the drill. Keep a suitcase packed. Don’t get too comfortable. Nothing lasts forever. 

But this time she had the system rigged. 

This time she had a plan and was in complete control of her fate. So yes, Pearce might want to kill them afterwards, but at least they wouldn’t be fostered by a stranger or worse, separated.

“Hey,” she said, squeezing Dom’s hand a little tighter. “We’re gonna be fine, okay? You know what to do.” 

He nodded, ever quiet in situations like these, and chewed his bottom lip. 

Dom was Rhea’s boy. He was her ride or die. Her first love. Her family. He was the one who had her back when no one else did. The one who saved her life once. They were attached at the hip most days. Dom was Rhea’s best friend, and even though he was only a year younger, she felt like it was her sole responsibility to keep him safe — a responsibility she took very seriously. 

That’s why this interview had to go according to plan. If not, she risked being separated from Dom and that just wasn’t an option. 

After what felt like an eternity, Adam Pearce returned to the meeting room with a young couple. The woman had straight blonde hair parted down the middle and perfect white teeth. She also wore expensive pearls around her neck. And the man had a cashmere zip sweater with a polo underneath. 

This was going to be too easy. 

“Hi there,” the woman said, over-the-top bubbly. 

Rhea chose to ignore her, and stared at her black fingernails instead. 

Dom was swimming in his black t-shirt, the one with the skeleton, but his brown eyes were on the verge of tears beneath his freshly trimmed mullet. 

The hairstyle and dark clothes were supposed to make him look intimidating. But Dom was about as frightening as growling puppy on his angriest day. 

Rhea, on the other hand, could look downright menacing; spiked collar around her neck, multiple piercing up her ear, heavy black makeup. She had this insane stare that could send shivers down the spine of her victim with just the slightest glance. 

It took years to perfect; but she had the look mastered. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Roth. It’s a pleasure to have you with us. Do you have any questions before we begin?” Pearce asked as he directed them to sit in a pair of plastic chairs.

Rhea scoffed at his fake smile. Everything about these placement interviews were fake. 

“If at any time you do have a question, just let me know.” 

“I have a question,” the husband said. “Why are there two kids in here? We only wanted one.” 

Of course you do, Rhea thought, already dreading the next ten minutes with these people. When was Pearce going to learn, Rhea was never going to let anyone separate her from Dom? 

Pearce drew his lips into a tight smile. “Yes. I know. But these munchkins refused to do an interview alone,” he forced out a laugh. “No worries. They’re not a package deal. You can have one without the other. It’s not like they’re brother and sister.”

Dom fisted the hem of the Rhea’s black shirt, and shifted closer to her — so close, he was practically sitting in her lap. Rhea welcomed the contact. Don’t worry, Dom. Just stick to the plan. 

Pearce handed both Mr. and Mrs. Roth a piece of paper with basic information on it. From what Rhea could tell, it mentioned their age, their history, likes and dislikes. Boring things. 

“Why don’t we get started. Let’s go in a circle and share our names.”

Mrs. Roth grinned from ear to ear. “Hi, I’m Ashley.”

“And I’m Henry.” 

While the couple was rather enthusiastic with their greeting, they were met with stone cold silence from Rhea and Dom. After a minute of glaring, Rhea leaned over and whispered something into Dom’s ear and he grinned. 

“They’re a little shy,” Pearce chuckled nervously. “Rhea, how about you introduce yourself.”

“How about I not.” 

Another nervous laugh from Pearce, followed by a harsh glare in her direction. Then, in a sing-song voice he uttered, “You’re not doing this again. We talked about this.” 

Rhea turned her cold blue eyes towards Ashley, willing to play Pearce’s game for the time being.

“What do you want to know?” she asked, thrusting a sharp chin at her.  

“Oh! Um, let’s see.” She consulted the paper in her hands. “I notice you have a lot of foster homes in your case file.”

“So? What about it?” 

“Is there a reason for that?”

Rhea kept her eyes unblinking and trained on Ashley. 

Pearce cleared his throat after a moment of awkward silence. “Rhea. Do you want to tell Mrs. Roth why you ran away from your previous foster homes?” 

“That depends, Pearce. Do you want to tell me why you’re wasting your bloody time with this interview?” She turned her attention to the blonde, “Ashley, is it? Look Ashley, I’m not interested in getting placed into a foster home and neither is my Latino Heat. So I suggest you back off and go find someone else to bother.”

Adam Pearce ran a hand over his face. 

“I’m so sorry,” he muttered. “They’re good kids. Really. They just have a slight attitude problem. But don’t all pre-teens.”

Henry did not join in on the nervous chuckles that Pearce and Ashley were sharing. 

“Let’s cut right to the chase,” he grumbled. “We’re looking to foster someone for a month, and my heart’s been set on a boy. He has to be willing to work because I have a lot of cars that need fixing and I could use some help.” 

The shit some people say. Rhea had to look away, she was so disgusted at his words. Has to be willing to work. Dom wasn’t a servant. He was a child in need of a home. This is why she hated foster homes. She wasn’t doing it anymore.

Rhea worried Ashley may have caught a glimmer of fear hidden behind her dark mascara but Rhea couldn’t help it. Why did they have to want a boy? Now her intimidation tactics would be useless because they didn’t want her. Dom was going to have to pipe in and fight for himself and that was... scary. He didn’t always have the same bite Rhea had. 

“Dominik. What would you say your work ethic is like?” Mr. Roth asked.

The boy looked between Rhea and the Roth’s as if he didn’t know what he was supposed to say. Damn it, Dom. Come on.

Rhea squeezed his hand.

“Or you could tell us what your expectations are for living in a foster home,” Ashley offered, as if she felt like that question might be more appropriate to help him develop trust with them. It was always psychological warfare with these people. They liked to lure Rhea and Dom into a false sense of security before showing their true colors. 

“Dom has zero expectations because he isn’t being fostered,” Rhea said, folding her arms. 

Idiot. 

“How about we let Dominik tell us how he feels,” Ashley suggested and Rhea nearly growled at her.  How dare this woman try to act like her mother already — correcting her attitude. She was the worst.

“I agree with Mami,” Dom said.

There we go. Rhea leaned back in her seat and grinned at the horrified expressions on the young couple’s faces. 

“Wh-what did he just say?” 

“I — I don’t know. I think he just called her Mommy,” Ashley whispered.  

Pearce smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Dominik, why don’t you tell these nice lovely people what your favorite food is, and how about you keep that other word out of your mouth from now on, okay?” 

There was a hint of warning behind Pearce’s tone. They had been warned a bunch of times to stop scaring the potential families away. In all fairness, Rhea had warned Pearce to stop scheduling her the damn interviews. So really, this was his fault. 

“Hey, Adam. Stop telling me what to do,” Dom said. 

“Yeah. Exactly. And Dom Dom can call me whatever he wants.” Rhea explained. 

“Is discipline not a thing here or…?” Ashley lightly stepped on her husband’s foot. 

“No, it is,” Pearce shot Rhea and Dominik a dark scowl. “Believe me. It is.” 

The tension between them crackled in the air. Pearce was going to kill them for this. Rhea was sure of it. But that was far less terrifying than the thought of losing Dom to a person who wanted to make him into a workhorse. She wasn’t scared of being locked in a room, but losing her best friends, the only people she had that were like her family, that terrified her. 

Pearce could threaten her all he wanted. She didn’t care. At the end of the day, she would fight to keep her family together. 

“Do you think you could tell us a fun fact about yourself?” Ashley asked, trying to keep the conversation on track.

But Dom shook his head no. He couldn’t. 

“Alrighty then. What is your relationship like with your biological parents?” 

“Keep askin’ stupid questions and you’re gonna find out what I did to people who talked too much when I was in the yard.” 

“Dom!” Pearce screeched, swatting the back of his head. 

“The yard?” Ashley pressed, confused. 

“Yeah. Locked up,” Dom clarified despite Pearce trying to cover his mouth with his hands. The rest of his words were coming out muffled. 

“Locked up?” Henry raised a skeptical eyebrow. 

“DomDom’s been to Juvie.” Rhea clarified for them, smirking in delight.

There it was. The foolproof plan. No one has ever been willing to foster Dom with that type of a record.

“Juvie? Now wait a minute,” Ashely began shaking her head, “We never agreed to foster a child that was troubled.” 

The woman looked to Pearce, unable to believe that he would keep such a huge thing from her. “Is this true? Was he in a juvenile detention center?” 

With a heavy sigh, Pearce nodded. “But! Dom’s not dangerous. Look at him. Does he look dangerous to you?” 

There was something innocent in the way Dom was trying to copy Rhea’s posture, and failing to do so. He had everything down from the arms crossed, to the jaw jutting out. But he wasn’t matching her level of confidence. 

“What did he do?” Henry asked, easing up a little in his skeptical tone. 

Pearce’s face tightened in pain. “It’s not worth mentioning.”

“I think we deserve to know if we’re going to let this child into our home.” 

Rhea snickered, loving every second of this. “Yeah, Pearce. Tell ‘em what he did.”

Remaining composed despite the vein throbbing in his neck, Pearce gave a taunt smile and muttered begrudgingly, “He attacked his foster parents.” 

The Roth’s stood to their feet. “Well. Thank you for your time.”

“Yeah…” Pearce said miserably. “I understand.” 

He reached his hand out for a shake. 

“Aww,” Rhea cooed. “Bye-bye, Ashley. Hope you have a brutal day. Remember, you’re nothing.”

That was just an extra nail in the coffin to make sure they never came back. Worked every time. 

Chapter 2: Their Judgement Day

Pearce swung the door shut behind him with a volatile slam. 

Rhea licked her lips. She had been standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Dom in Pearce’s office while they waited for him to finish saying goodbye to the Roths. 

This was their judgment day — the price they had to pay for ruining their placement interview, and it was going to suck. But it was worth it. At the end of the day, Rhea had her family, and that was all that mattered. 

Pearce stopped pacing in front of Dom and looked him up and down. 

“Got anything to say for yourself?”

Dom shrugged and shook his head. 

“No? Okay. Rhea. Got anything to say?”

There was a beat of silence as she contemplated  telling him how this was entirely his own fault. How if he had just listened to them, and stopped scheduling placement interviews, then none of this would have happened. But she learned a long time ago to pick and choose her battles, and this didn’t feel like a necessary battle, so she stayed quiet. 

“Nothing?” Pearce raised an eyebrow. “Really? Because you sure had a lot to say out there.” 

She could argue that Ashley had more to say when she stormed out of the room in a fit, cursing colorfully at a couple of impressionable children, calling them demons. It was quite rude. Rhea and Dom were not demons, they were mischievous gremlins. 

A piece of chewing gum popped. Pearce turned his eyes onto Dom. 

“You,” he let out a snarl. “What the hell am I going to do with you?”

Rhea glanced in Dom’s direction to gauge his mood, but his posture was relaxed. They both knew Pearce wouldn’t actually do anything to hurt them. Not if he valued his health, anyways. 

“You know what? I’m not even going to yell,” Pearce declared at long last. “No. I’m not going to waste my breath on you two anymore. I am so done yelling at you.” 

He took a dangerous step forward. “I’m just gonna to tell you how it’s going to be.”

Another step into Rhea’s personal space. She really had to refrain from backing up.  

“You’re going to sit quietly in your next interview and answer every question politely, and you will not mention the words Mami, Latino Heat, or Juvie ever again. If you do, you will spend the next month sleeping on your stomach, do you hear me?”

“Yeah mate,” Rhea said, leveling him with a glare. “It’s kind of hard not to, when you’re this close to my face.” 

Pearce’s eye twitched. 

“Dominik, repeat it back to me.”

“Why?” Dom muttered, “You forget what you said already?” 

Pearce’s jaw visibly clenched. Rhea felt like she was watching him age right before her eyes. The stubble in his beard was turning even more grey. Good thing he was bald or else his hair might be a mix of salt and pepper. 

“I think I have made it pretty clear how I feel about you sabotaging every opportunity to get placed. It wastes time and resources.” 

Rhea picked at her nails, chipping away at the black paint. 

He had brought it to their attention a few times, sure. 

“So I think we can all agree that you are very lucky children to have people that want to foster you. Most kids would beg to be in your shoes.” 

Dom looked over at Rhea and whispered, “I don’t agree.”

She shook her head. “I don’t agree either.” 

“Alright, smart-asses,” Pearce snapped. “Tomorrow I have two interviews scheduled. I’m putting you in after Tiffany and Nia. Got it?”

Again? Really? Was he unable to comprehend the simple fact that they did not want to be fostered? Just give the placement interviews to the other kids in the home. 

“We don’t want to be fostered,” she explained slowly so he would understand. How many times was she going to have to tell him this. 

“Frankly, my dear, I do not give a damn what you want. I want you out of here!” Pearce shouted, his voice raising in both volume and pitch. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused me? How many fights I had to break up because of you? How many inquires I’ve receive from the state because of you? I almost lost my job!” 

“It’s not our fault.”

“It is your fault! When you cause fights, I have to report it. The state thinks I’m not fit for this job since I can’t control the four of you.” 

“Hey. Everyone we’ve ever attacked deserved it,” Rhea declared. 

“That right there,” he said, pointing a trembling finger at her, “is what gets you in trouble every single time. That attitude of yours.” 

It was evident from this conversation that Pearce had no idea what it was actually like to live inside this group home he was running. 

What he didn’t realize was how similar to prison this place was; not because of the bars on the windows, but because there were too many people crammed into a small space with little authority. They needed someone to run the show. They needed order. Really, Pearce should be thanking Rhea for doing his job for him. She had vastly improved the majority of everyone’s behavior. She had the girl’s room on lockdown. And her boys were getting things under control in their own room.

People feared them. They feared them so much they started calling them “the judgement day.” 

“You do not run this institution,” Pearce yelled. 

Rhea’s nose twitched. Actually; she did. 

“I run this institution. This is mine. Do you understand? Mine. I will not have you ruining my career!” 

Dom tugged at the hem of Rhea’s shirt. “Remember when he said he wasn’t going to yell?”

Pearce slapped his hand down on his desk. 

“This ends soon. You will be fostered this month because I want you gone.” 

Hell no. Rhea was staying right here. 

She wished he’d hurry up and dish out their punishment already. She had other matters to attend to, like making sure that Finn and Priest were safe. Every second apart was risky. The numbers was what kept them safe in here. 

Rhea’s little group was small, a tiny foursome, but it was enough. Every week they were getting stronger and stronger, meanwhile the other kids were lose their protection because their allies were be shipped into new foster homes. Their rise to dominance came from sticking together. She couldn’t afford to be ripped away from them for more than a few hours or that power could fade. Luckily the fear they instilled in others is what bought them time.

“I’m going to give you one month to find a new home. After that, if you’re still here, I’m calling DCS and requesting to remove all four of you from my care.”

Rhea stomach dropped like she was on a rollercoaster. Remove them? Could he do that? 

“It would require a lot of paperwork on my part, but I’d be willing to put in the effort if it means getting rid of you thugs.” 

Rhea balled her hands into fists, “This is absolute crap, Pearce. We did nothing wrong! You can’t just threaten to kick us out.” 

“Hey, I’m giving you a month, that’s pretty generous considering all the crap you’ve pulled. You have one month to find a good home, again, you should be thanking me. I could have you sent to a much stricter group home. I suggest you sit down during your next interview and try. But if you wanna blow it off, that’s cool. All you’re doing is delaying the inevitable.” 

She found herself subconsciously wrapping an arm around Dom, seeking that contact, that reassurance that he was still there. 

Pearce sighed heavily at the gesture. “Look. I’m not trying to be a monster. Maybe you can find someone who will take in all four of you. That would be great. But if you can’t, you need to go with whatever good home you can find.” 

Rhea wanted to scream but it was stuck in her throat, the unexpected harshness had caught her off guard. She wasn’t sure if she could even believe what she was hearing or if this was just a scare tactic. 

“Who knows, maybe you will find a forever home.” 

~~~

 

Rhea Ripley had a forever home once. At least, she thought she did. 

They were Australians living in the states, fun and loving; full of life. 

To Rhea, they were her parents. 

She never knew her biological parents — too young to remember what had happened to them. They could have died in an accident or abandoned her on the side of the road for all she knew. Sometimes Rhea liked to think they were foreign spies and they gave her up to keep her safe. But most of the time, she didn’t like to think about them at all. 

They were merely a concept. Her first foster parents, the Australians, they were the ones who raised her from infancy to early childhood. They were the ones that taught her how to read and write. They smothered her with love and she had memories of that. 

They were the reason she had an Australian accent to this day. 

Rhea thought they were going to keep her forever. 

But life happened. Her Dad was injured in a motorcycle accident. Hospital bills needed to be paid, and her Mum was pregnant with a child of her own. 

Money was tight, and they couldn’t afford to raise two kids, so they chose to keep their own flesh and blood, and gave Rhea back to the state. 

After that, goodbyes became a regular part of Rhea’s life, and she was certain forever homes did not exist. 

~~~

 

Pearce’s ultimatum had left Rhea shaken.

In desperate need for reassurance, she found herself in the boys room searching for Finn and Priest. They were older, and they both knew things about the system that Rhea didn’t know yet. 

As always, Dom followed closely behind her, never too far away. Although, this time he had to walk a little faster to keep up with her pace. She could tell he was a bit confused by Pearce’s threat. 

Deeper and deeper they walked, passing numerous bunk beds as they went straight to the back of the room. 

Faint clamoring voices swirled around them like the gentle breeze from the vents. A few older boys were playing cards on the top bunk, and they groaned at the sight of Rhea and Dom. 

“Oh great, the emo goths are still here.” 

Rhea flashed them an evil grin. 

“Have a cry,” she laughed, and Dom stuck his tongue out. 

At the very end of the room, Rhea found Finn exactly where she left him; perched on the edge of the narrow bed, reading a book. Priest was doing a couple of sit-ups on the ground, his abs on full display underneath his too tight of a tank top. 

He noticed them, flashing a toothy grin.  

“Hey, look who’s back.” 

At his words, Finn peered up over his book. “Ah! Rhea, Dom. How’d it go, mates? You give ‘em hell?” 

Before Rhea could answer, another kid right next to them said, “Please tell me you’re just here to gather your suitcases. I really want someone to adopt you so you can go away.” 

Anger flared in her chest. The amount of disrespect was overwhelming. She snatched a pillow off Finn’s bed and whacked the kid across the head. 

“Hey, take it easy,” Priest said, his New York accent coming through. “Don’t let them get to you like that. Remember, we stopped caring what they thought a long time ago. Just ignore them.” 

“I know, I know. I’m sorry,” she said, running her fingers through her jet black hair. The weight of Pearce’s threat was weighing on her heavily. 

Dom didn’t seem nearly as affected as she was. He climbed on the bed, and snuggled into Finn’s side. 

“What are you reading?” he asked. 

Finn closed the book and showed him the cover. The words Last Summer Boys was written in big block letters. 

“It’s about a family, er, two brothers. The main character is trying to save his older brother from being drafted to the war,” Finn explained, ruffling Dom’s hair. “Just like we’re gonna save each other from being separated.” 

“About that…”

Finn blinked, suddenly alarmed. He pulled away from Dom side and stood to his feet. 

“What happened? The plan worked, didn’t it?”  

Someone nearby crossed their fingers and whispered. “Please say no.”

Priest went over there and beat him with the pillows. 

“The plan worked. But we need to talk. Somewhere private.” 

~~~

 

Dom picked the lock on the bathroom door while the rest of them stood guard.

A steady spray of water could be heard from behind the door. Based on the chart, it looked like it was Johnny Gargano’s shower time. Too bad for him. 

The second the door was unlocked, they slithered inside. Finn tore open the white shower curtain without hesitation. 

“Get out,” he spat.

Johnny leaped three feet in the air. “What the hell?!” He instinctively tried to cover himself.

“Go.” 

Dom turned the shower nozzle off, and Rhea threw a towel at Johnny’s chest. 

“What — hey! This is my shower time. You guys get lost.” 

Priest took two dangerous steps toward the kid. “The last time I saw you, I laid you out. I’m getting this urge that I’ma lay you out again.”  

“Bye-bye.” Rhea waved after Johnny scrambled out the door. 

Finally, some privacy. 

“Okay, sis. What’s this all about?” Finn asked, sitting on the edge of the tub.

 

Notes:

Hopefully this wasn’t too much plot and not enough fun. I’m trying to find that sweet balance.

I’m still trying to figure this out but I’m getting super excited about some ideas. Let me know what you liked or didn’t. Or anything you might be excited about. :)

(Also last time I edited a few things, and I think it messed up some of the comments somehow. I don’t even know what I did, but I believe the guest comments were turned off. They look like they are turned back on now.)

Chapter 3: Purple Lava Lamp

Summary:

They’re planning things. Rhea and Dom are spending time together. 😌😙🥰

Finn sat motionless on the edge of the bathtub. He hadn’t said a word since Rhea explained the news. 

The four of them were crammed inside this small bathroom listening to the gentle drip of water for a long time. Rhea sat on the counter, Dom between her legs, and dangled her purple sneakers, tapping her heels against the cabinets idly. 

“So…” Priest began, bracing himself against the sink, “You’re saying we have one month before Pearce kicks us out?”

“Basically, yeah.” Rhea didn’t like it anymore than they did, but what could she do? Pearce called the shots. 

Priest let out a yell; it was primal, a sudden rush of blood flowing to his head. He swatted a tissue box off the counter and started rambling in Spanish. She imagined he was cursing a lot.

“Whoa, big man, tranquilo,” Finn said, holding up his hands. 

“Who the hell does Pearce think he is?!” Damian roared. “He can’t separate us.”

“It’s a bluff. He’s not gonna to do anything,” Finn assured him, ever the calm one. He was the oldest. The wisest. The one who had all the answers. 

“How do you know?” 

Finn’s eyes flickered towards Rhea, staring at her in disbelief, like ‘how could you question me’. 

“Cause he’s just trying to scare us. Trust me, sis. I’ve been down this road before.” 

She did trust Finn, and his judgement on all things Adam Pearce. But Finn wasn’t in the room with Rhea and Dom this afternoon; he didn’t hear the tone or see the look on Pearce’s face. It was too serious to ignore. 

“Is it even possible?” Dom asked.

Rhea nodded sharply, happy to have some backup from her Dom-Dom. 

The look shared between Finn and Priest said everything. Still, Rhea held her breath, and waited for them to put words to their worries. 

Priest spoke first. “Yeah, technically, it is possible.”

“But highly unlikely,” Finn added, as if to placate this bubbling fear rising in them. 

It was not working — not for Rhea anyway. She draped a protective arm around her Dom, her mind spinning. What did this mean? Should they start trying during the placement interviews? Should they start looking for foster parents? She really didn’t want anyone to foster her ever again.

Priest adjusted his tank top and stretched out his arms. “I think we need a new plan.” 

Rhea agreed. It was time to re-group and re-strategize. They could take back control. They just needed a well thought out plan. 

“Lads,” Finn said in a huff. “He’s bluffing. It’s fine. We should stick with what we’re doing.” 

“But Finn,” Dom whined, and Finn shot him a glare. 

“Well what do you want to do?”

Rhea glanced over at Damian, hoping he would have an idea. Between the four of them, someone was bound to come up with something. Usually it was Finn who had the ideas, but they all pitched in once in a while. 

For instance, a while back, it was Priest who came up with the idea for Dom to call Rhea “Mami” to scare off potential foster parents. Rhea decided they should all wear black and purple clothes, and Dom was the one who thought about using his time in Juvie to his advantage. 

Between the four of them, they were pure geniuses. 

Damian crossed his arms over his chest. 

“I think we need to consider ditching this place and living on our own. We’ve talked about it before.”

Oh, shit. Running away was a drastic step.

Finn scratched his light stubble. “Yeah we have, and we all agreed that running away would be a really bad idea.” 

“It would beat living here. Don’t you miss your freedom?” Priest argued. 

“This isn’t a prison, Damian. I go out. I saw JD the other day. I’m gonna see him again tomorrow.” 

“Even that’s a battle. We have to fight just to go out and check on your friend. You had to sneak out last time.” 

Priest had a point. Every day they had to fight to get what they wanted. But Finn had a point too. At least they had the ability to fight. Anywhere else, and that might not be the case. Living on the streets wouldn’t be a cake walk either. But Priest survived, and he was convinced he could do it again. Rhea trusted his judgement. If he thought they could do it, then they could do it. 

“I think Priest is right,” she said after a minute. “I mean, what other choice do we have? He’s threatening to separate us. At least if we run away, we can be together.” 

Finn shook his head. “No. No. No. The second we get caught, we’re going to Juvie and then do you think we’ll be together?” 

Rhea glanced at Dom. He was so relaxed right now. So quiet. She couldn’t imagine a world where he went back to Juvie. It really scared him the last time he went, and he was only in the holding cell for a few hours. 

Priest faltered, momentarily flustered by the fact that Finn was right. 

“I-I can’t go back, guys,” Dom stammered. 

“Then it’s settled. We won’t run,” Finn stood from the edge of the tub. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve come too far to risk what we built. I’m getting outta this place in a year. I’d like my last year to be a peaceful one. I’ve never been fostered and I don’t intend to start now. We stick with the plan, and we’ll be fine.”  

“Finn, man, I know you don’t want to leave this place because we got a good thing going here. But you’re wrong about this.”

Priest’s words hung icily in the air. No one had to say anything. They knew both options had their pros and cons.

“If i’m wrong about this, then we do it your way. Then we run.” 

Rhea tilted her head, and pondered the idea. 

Fair enough. Finn had worked his ass off to make sure they were on top in this home, the least they could do was try it his way. They were safe with the original plan. It was foolproof. Rhea had to keep reminding herself of that. It never failed. Not once.

 

~~~

 

Damain had a purple lava lamp illuminating his side of the room. He loved the color purple. It was his favorite, so naturally half of everything he owned was some random shade of grape, violet, or plum. 

On days when Rhea was bored, she would cut up pieces of Priest’s old purple clothes and use the thread to make new designs for the rest of them, sewing the purple into black jeans or black t-shirts. 

She wanted them to have matching colors so everyone knew they were a team.

She liked creating things like clothes and art. They didn’t have much, but they kept busy with what they did have: a few books, some cards, a black pen. Rhea used the black pen to draw on her face daily. She liked writing the letters R+D on her cheekbone. She also liked to draw pictures of animals around Dom’s scars. 

Dom claimed his scars were tattoos. It helped him pretend they were something cool. Rhea would play along, asking him what he was going for, oh a lion? I see it, and then she would proceed to draw a picture of a lion over the white jagged indents of fingernails around Dom’s forearm so he could wear it proudly like a real tattoo. 

“Mami.”

Rhea tore her gaze away from Finn’s cell phone (which was strictly forbidden in here), and glanced at Dom. He looked other-worldly in the purple light, sitting cross-legged on the bed, waiting patiently.

“Yeah? What’s up?” 

“I’m tired.” 

He said it loud enough for the others to hear. 

Finn and Priest were currently whisper-shouting at the forbidden cell phone as they knocked their heads together to watch a football game.

Rhea hummed softly. “Do you want chocolate milk? Or do you want to go to my room?” 

“Your room.”

She tried to appear less excited than she felt. If Dom truly felt tired, he would have wanted the milk to help him sleep. But if he wanted to hang out in Rhea’s room… then he wanted to have some fun. 

“See you tomorrow boys,” she said, hopping off the bed.

“Yeah,” Damian snorted, “with a new hickey.” 

She smacked his arm. “Shut up.”

 

 ~~~

 

The girls room was just as cold as the boys room. 

Except some of the girls had the audacity to boo them as they walked through the row of beds.

They wanted her gone because they wish they were her. Rhea was living in the lap of luxury; she didn’t have to do a single chore. She could relax all day with her boys, and she could watch television any time she wanted because Finn stole a phone with the Netflix app. She was simply untouchable in this place. 

And she wasn’t leaving anytime soon. 

Rhea flipped them all the middle finger while Dom covered his sensitive ears, trying to ignore the shouts and taunts. 

“Ew, Dom. You suck. Go back to your room,” Maxine said. 

“Yeah and go with him, Rhea,” Nia Jax added.

Dom squeezed his ears tighter. She felt sorry for him, their previous foster parent used to box his ears. Fortunately, it never caused any serious damage, but he was a little sensitive. 

“Shut up and show some damn respect,” Rhea hissed as a girl threw a pillow in her direction. The jealousy was disgusting. 

“You okay, Dom?” 

He nodded and took her hand.

They finally made it to her ratty mattress and when Rhea pulled back the sheets, which were tied to the top bunk and draped around the bottom, she found a lilac haired girl sitting on her bed: Candice LeRae. 

Rhea lifted her eyebrows up to the sky because really? She disappeared in the boys room for two days, and they stole her bed? 

Candice gulped. Meekly, she stood to her feet, bravely meeting Rhea’s eye for two seconds before scrambling away. 

Just when Rhea thought she was going to have to start beating a few girls up, her DomDom climbed on the bed, and Rhea stopped thinking about everyone else.

He was staring at her with those needy eyes.

When they first met, she noticed those eyes before the bright colors of his clothes, or the timidness to his smile — his yearning dark irises were infectious. They were so brown, they almost looked black. Rhea loved that the most because when she put on enough dark makeup, she liked to think her eyes looked black too. A pair of black eyes for a pair of gremlins. 

She straddled him on the bed, and his hand made its way Rhea’s hip, making them both laugh. They were just a couple of kids, and they liked spending time together. They liked kissing. 

Their kisses were familiar at this point, but the rush it gave Rhea was something new every time. Dom sucked on her neck, and Priest was right, it was going to leave a mark. But her hair would cover it. It was long enough to touch the tip of her neck. 

Dom caressed her cheek as she scraped her fingers under his shirt and slid them down his spine. She pulled him closer until there was no space left between them and she could feel the beating of his heart. 

“Dom, I —“ 

The blankets ripped open before Rhea could tell Dom how much she cared about him. 

“Again?” One of the staff members asked, shaking his head in disappointment. 

They pulled apart, lazily. Unhappy with the interruption.

Dom pinned Mr. Byron with a sharp stare. “Don’t you have anything better to do?” 

“No, Dominik. I’m afraid I’m being paid to make sure you follow the rules.” 

Rhea slid off the bed. “Relax, dude. We’re going to get something to eat. Come on, Dom-Dom.” 

They sat in the kitchen until Byron switched shifts with another staff member, and then they headed back into Rhea’s bed. 

By that point, Dom had already drank his chocolate milk, and he was just about to fall asleep. 

Rhea fluffed one of the pillows next to him when her Motionless in White poster fell down. The tape she had used did not want to stick to the stone brick wall. She had to keep re-tapping her favorite band’s poster every night. 

“I wish I had a hammer and a nail,” she grumbled, using her fist to try and pound it into place. 

Dom held the covers open for her. Rhea finished propping the poster up against her bed, and crawled underneath. Once she was settled, Rhea let out a breath of relief, glad to be done with the day. When she shut her eyes, her mind started to replay Pearce’s threat. 

“Good night, Mami,” Dom yawned, pulling her out of her thoughts. She envied him sometimes. Nothing ever seemed to bother Dom the way it bothered Rhea. He trusted people, trusted Rhea, to keep him safe. It was hard to believe after what happened to him that he had any trust left in his being, but Dom was built that way. Maybe it was his faith that kept him from worrying. Or maybe he was a little naive. Whether it was faith or youthful innocence, Dom was able to sleep soundly and Rhea wished she could do the same. 

“G’night, Dom.” 

He was holding her stuffed animal, a Koala named Kip — the only piece of Rhea’s childhood she had left. 

She wrapped an arm around Dom’s waist, felt Kip’s fur between her fingers, and willed herself to have a peaceful sleep too. 

Instead, she dreamed they were all separated, and somehow that felt like an ominous sign. 

 

Notes:

This just keeps getting longer. I wrote more, but I had to cut this chapter in half and make it two parts because it would have been insanely long.
Good news is, that means the next chapter should be posted soon!

Chapter 4: Monday Night Arrivals

Summary:

Oi Mondays.

Inspired by Nov 14th 2022 episode of Raw.

On Monday night, the group home received new arrivals. 

This was a big deal, new kids arriving. It meant a fresh start for some. For others it was a chance to make new friends. And then there were the assholes who wanted to play games at the expense of the newbies. 

“Look at him sitting all alone. I’ll bet you he cries first,” Angelo Dawkins said, bouncing a basketball to his friend, Montez Ford. 

“Him? Cry before the red head?” The ball bounced back to Dawkins, “You’re on.”

Rhea ignored them, currently on her tippy-toes in the kitchen, searching for a cardboard box of Kraft macaroni and cheese. Damian should be the one searching the high shelves, but he was a little preoccupied arguing with Dom. 

“Take that back,” she heard Damian say. 

“No way. You don’t even have an In-N-Out Burger on the East Coast,” Dom said, folding his hands over his chest. “Just admit it, the West Coast is the best coast.” 

Finn was at least trying to help look. He would check a drawer, and then two seconds later, he would pull out his forbidden cellphone and check his messages.

A bunch of people passed in and out of the kitchen, snickering and talking crap about the new kids, as if they hadn’t been exactly like them once. Rhea rolled up her sleeves aggressively and slammed the pot onto the stove.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a new kid sitting at the table all by himself. His hair was dark and curly, and Rhea noticed a semi-mullet going on, it reminded her of Dom. He was dressed comfortably, jeans and a navy blue hoodie, the hood pulled over his head. But she saw his eyes darting around the room. They disarmed Rhea, a warm brown mixed with red blood vessels. He was trying to hide his face in the crook of his arm, to not let anyone see that he had been crying, and her heart cracked just a tad bit more than it probably should have for someone she didn’t even know. 

Oi, Mondays. 

She glanced over at Finn. He leaned against the refrigerator, texting. Once upon a time, Finn Balor used to recruit the lost kids. He was like Peter Pan, a shadow on the wall, willing to swoop in and save the day — for a price. He would keep the kids safe from the assholes in the home, and in return, the kids would ask for an interview and Finn would fly under the radar. It’s how he managed to never be fostered in the three years he was here. 

“No! Get down.”

Rhea turned her attention to Damian. He was pointing a warning finger at Dom, who was starting to climb up on top of the kitchen counter.

She watched as his big white boots slipped a few times, and resisted the urge to help him. It was an instinct she had to fight. Dom wasn’t a baby, he could take care of himself, but Rhea’s been protecting him since they first met. 

“I mean it, dawg. You get down from there right now.”

She smirked, knowing Dom like the back of her hand. He was going to attempt a frog splash on Damian. He absolutely loved that style of wrestling — the Lucha Libre style. He grew up in a Mexican household and had absorbed their culture even if his family didn’t keep him. 

“Imma let you fall on your face, bro.” 

Dom perched himself on the edge of the counter, bent into a frog position. He teased it for a minute: tongue out, little shimmy, and then he leaped. 

“Damn it.” 

Even though he just said he wouldn’t, Damian caught Dom on the way down, and took the brunt end of the fall, landing hard on his backside while Dom sat safely on top of his stomach. 

“Now admit it! The West Coast is the best coast!” Dom demanded, pinning Priest’s hands down. 

They were such a help when it came to making dinner.  

Rhea added the packet of noddles to the boiling water and stirred, ignoring the headlock and the struggling going on next to her.

“Priest,” she warned, half-heartedly, not really concerned. She knew Dom was safe in his hands but they were roughhousing a little too close to the stove for her comfort. 

“Kid’s gotta learn to respect - Ah!” 

“His elders?” Finn supplied, briefly looking up from his phone just in time to see Dom land another elbow to his gut. 

“No. The East Coast.” 

“No, you’re gonna learn — oww — that the West Coast —umf.” Dom bumped his hip off the counter. 

Finn slipped his cellphone into his pocket. “Easy lads, you’re gonna hit the stove.”

Rhea was worried about that too. She went back to draining the pot of hot water and then added a cup of milk while listening to her three boys squabble. Then, a buzzing sound erupted, startling the four of them. 

Finn tore his phone out of his pocket and silenced it, carefully glancing around the room to see if anyone else noticed. 

“What were you thinking?!” Rhea hissed, grabbing Finn’s wrist, “You can’t bring that out here.” 

He looked at the screen. “Sorry, sis. It’s just — I’m worried about JD.” 

To Finn, JD was family. He was a brother in every way except for blood. Their history stretched back to childhood, when JD was living in Finn’s home until they both ran away. Finn protected JD until a foster placement separated them. 

Rhea could respect wanting to keep a brother or sister safe. Her heart went out to Finn. If someone were to take Dom from her, she’d be beside herself, capable of stealing a phone too. But she knew Finn was already on thin ice and needed to be careful.

“I thought you said his foster Mom was cool,” Rhea mumbled. 

“I don’t know. She seemed fine. But then again, your foster Dad seemed fine too, right? And he was the worst.” 

Rhea might have stirred the mac ‘n cheese just a bit too aggressively. Finn noticed. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to —“

“Food’s done,” she said, abandoning the stove. She heard Finn’s heavy sigh, followed by a wooden spoon dropping into the cheesy noodles with a plop.

Thankfully Damian wasn’t one to let awkward silence linger. He struck up a conversation with Finn. “Pearce is going to go ballistic when he sees this mess.” 

Dom grabbed a bowl of cheesy noodles and claimed his spot at the small table. Rhea watched as he pushed his bowl closer to the new kid. 

“What’s your name?” 

A beat of silence and then the new kid grunted a soft, “Jey.” 

“Are you hungry?” 

The new kid, Jey, tugged his hoodie over his head further. 

“I’m fine. Thanks.” 

Dom hummed. “Are you sure? We made a whole bunch.” 

Jey opened his mouth and then shut it again, his eyes going to Shelton Benjamin, Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford. 

“Hey, new kid. How’s it going?” 

Jey let out a disgruntled sound and hid his face further under his hoodie. The trio looked so completely smug, Rhea had to grip the edge of the kitchen counter to keep herself from walking over there and shoving them. 

“Dude, I want my money,” Ford said to Dawkins. “He cried already, look at him.”  

“Nah, man. I’m gonna need proof before I give you my stash. Let’s see his face.” 

Dawkins grabbed the hood of Jey’s sweatshirt. Dom smacked his hand away.

“Oh shit.” He snickered. “It’s the little homie. Dawkins laughed, ruffling Dom’s hair in a mocking way. “Where’s your mommy, little homie? Did she wise-up and leave you?” 

“I’m right here,” Rhea snapped. Six sets of eyes landed on her at once. 

“Rhea. Perfect. Would you mind taking your lapdog back to his room. He’s getting in the way.”

Damain lowering his half-eaten spoonful of mac’n cheese. “I know you didn’t just say that.” 

They picked a bad day to be messing with Dom. It was never a good day to mess with him, but Rhea was still reeling over Finn’s comment, and if they thought they could call Dom her pet and get away with it, they had another thing coming. 

“Go on little boy,” Shelton taunted, getting involved now. “Go back to your room.” 

“Dom. Do not let him talk to you like that,” Rhea shouted. She was going to tear someone’s head off in the next two seconds. 

With her instructions, Dom faced Shelton head on. He stood to his feet and tilted his head back, glancing up at Benjamin Shelton. 

“I know you don’t understand what a family is, Shelton, but a family has each other’s backs. So why don’t you go run along and leave the new kid alone before my family kicks your ass.” 

Rhea nodded firm and proud. 

Shelton huffed out a laugh. “That’s pretty bold coming from someone as sensitive as you.” 

“What’d you just say to me?” Dom asked, lips pouting.

A smile twitched at Shelton’s lips. “I said, you’re sensitive. No wonder you cried when your Daddy beat your ass.”

Finn dropped his spoon against the bowl with a loud click and practically flung himself around the kitchen counter. But Damian was faster, he safely tucked Dom behind him, and stood forehead to forehead with Benjamin Shelton. 

“Hey, man. You need to calm down,” Priest said, never blinking once. 

“Oh yeah? Or what?” 

 

~~~

 

Rhea’s body collided with a vase of wilted flowers as she rolled across the dining room table.  

“Is that all you got—“ she gasped for air as Ford’s hand closed around her throat. 

Ford fell backwards, freeing Rhea. She coughed air into her lungs, and she looked up to find Priest hammering punches onto Ford’s curled up form. 

“You stay away from her!”

Rhea didn’t have time to thank him for the save. She had to get to Dom away from Shelton. He was twisting Dom’s his ankle backwards and her boy was screaming on the kitchen floor. 

Using the table as leverage, Rhea wrapped her legs around Shelton’s neck. He gasped at the lack of air flow, hands flying to untangle Rhea’s thighs from his throat. She was like a boa constrictor, tightening her thighs as he struggled. In the meantime, Dom scrambled to a safe corner in the kitchen and cradled his one leg to his chest. 

She squeezed her thighs even tighter, blood boiling at the sight of Dom curled up and hurt. 

Dawkins and Finn were using kitchen instruments like swords; battling each other with a spatula and a pan. 

At some point the security officers came barreling into the room and broke it up. 

~~~

 

“Chaos! Everywhere you go!”

“Pearce —“

“No, listen to me,” he pointed an angry finger at Finn’s chest. “I want you and your friends out of here.”

Rhea grimaced, stroking Dom’s shoulder-length hair between her fingers as he pressed an ice pack to his ankle. 

“No more excuses. No more sob stories. I want you gone.” 

It wasn’t fair for Pearce to hate them this much. They weren’t the ones bullying a new kid. That should count for something. 

“Yeah, about that,” Finn snarled, pointing a finger at Pearce’s chest. “I heard you threatened my family when I wasn’t around. What were you thinking, telling a couple a kids you were going to separate us.” 

“I’m giving you one month to find a new home and then I’m calling DCS.” 

“That’s not gonna happen, Adam. It’s bad enough you thought it was funny to scare Rhea and Dom, but if you actually go through with this threat —“ 

 “I am going through with it, Finn. I’m a man of my word, and I’ve had it up to here with your behavior.” Pearce held his hand way up in the air. 

Rhea saw the determination in Finn’s gaze, the unwillingness to waiver, and she felt some of the tension leave her spine. He would convince Pearce to relax. 

“Why a month?” Finn asked, throwing his arms out, animated. “Why not just do it right now?”

Rhea’s breath caught in her throat and she squeezed Dom tighter. 

“Because I wanted to give you a chance.” 

“Aww, that’s too sweet of ya,” Finn crooned. “Don’t lie to me, Adam. You said a month because you can’t do it. If you could, you would have done it already.” 

“Trust me, Finn. You and your friends have demonstrated enough behavioral issues, I could request your removal whenever I want.” 

Rhea took a deep breath, felt Dom go absolutely ridged in her hold. This was not making her feel better. 

“Ah-ha! You have to request our removal.” Finn turned to his friends. “See lads, Adam can’t send us away. All he can do is complain to an underpaid social worker, and hope that they agree with him. There would be a whole investigation, which we could swing just like we do with the placement interviews. No need to panic.” 

Rhea was starting to get the picture. If they were interviewed by DCS, they might be able to fake their responses to that too. 

Pearce took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“So go ahead and call them, Adam. We’re ready. We’re always ready. And if you do call them, I’m gonna make sure DCS knows exactly what happens behind closed doors in this place, because believe me, if we go down, we’re taking you with us.”

Rhea had to bite the inside of her cheek. She wasn’t sure if she was thrilled or terrified. Threatening the boss. This could either end very badly for them, or very well. 

Pearce stood in stone cold silence for a good fifteen minutes. He might lock Finn in the basement bathroom for talking like that. 

“You got a lot of nerve, Bàlor.” 

“I know. You think I’m a bad guy. But you’re wrong. I’m worse. I’ll do it. I’ll tell all, and you’ll be fired like…” Finn snapped his fingers. 

“Fine,” Pearce breathed. “But let me tell you something. I know someone who would be willing to take in the four of you. He’s an old friend of mine. He owns a group home for troubled teens an hour away. You could transfer to that institution and stay together.” 

“Dude, a group home for troubled teens? Yeah, we’ll pass,” Damian said. 

Finn patted Pearce’s shoulder. “We’re going to stay right here, thank you.” 

“Just think on it.”

 

Notes:

This was so difficult to write it’s not even funny. I fiddled and fiddled with it until I said to myself “just post it!” so I apologize for all the errors or if it doesn’t read smoothly. Hopefully it’s still fascinating enough.

We’re about to hit the quarter mark next chapter and then the real story can begin lol.

Chapter 5: …Until Now

Rhea breathed through her nose, stared at herself in the bathroom mirror as she wiped away her purple eyeshadow. 

They were so bloody lucky. 

Threatening their group home manager with blackmail was bold, even for them. She couldn’t believe Finn was willing to go there, and it somehow worked. 

It felt like they had miraculously survived a death sentence. When Pearce threatened to separate Rhea from the only real friends she’s ever had, it stirred something up inside her and she couldn’t relax. Finally, right now, she could breathe.  

“So now that we took care of business and Pearce has been dealt with, we should focus on Shelton. What he said to Dom was not okay.” 

Rhea locked eyes with Damian through the mirror. She couldn’t believe he was thinking of causing more trouble at this point. They should take the win and call it a night. 

“Yeah,” Finn said, clasping Damain’s hand into his own. “My man, Damian’s got a plan. I can feel it.” 

“Take it easy. It’s nothing big, but I think we should put a mouse in his bed. He called Dom our pet, so we might as well give him a real pet.” 

Finn chuckled from his gut, mixing with Damian’s gruff laughter. They were going power mad. Rhea was going to have to bring them back to earth. 

“And what is Pearce going to do when he finds out we caused more chaos?”

Finn leveled her a look of irritation. 

“We’re lucky our threat worked, mate. Pearce could easily change his mind. He might even call his friend and send us to that group home for troubled teens.” 

“Mami has a point. Isn’t the goal to stay together? Maybe we should cool it with the attitude and the general meanness,” Dom said through a mouth full of toothpaste, “Just in case.”

“Exactly.” She couldn't have said it better herself. 

Finn paused, his t-shirt bunched up around his neck, one arm in the sleeve, one are out.  

“If we let our guard down and start acting friendly, we are going to get walked on by our peers. Tonight was a prime example of that. You tried to be nice to Jey, and look what happened, Dom.” 

“I agree with Finn for once,” Damian said, and that wasn’t surprising, the two of them got along great in here. 

“Right.” Finn patted Damian’s chest in gratitude. “See Damian gets it. Now everybody relax. We have a plan that works, and as long as we keep doing what we’ve been doing, everything will be fine.”

Dom’s mouth was full of foamy mint toothpaste so it was a little hard to hear him. “He ke’ps sch’duling us interviews. I’m sick of it.”

Finn’s phone chimed before he had a chance to respond. 

“I need to check on JD soon.” 

Priest smacked the back of his head against the wall.  “¡¿Me estàs tripeando?!”

“I have to check on him. He’s my brother. I’d check on any of you three. Don’t you think I owe JD the same curtesy?” 

Dom spat in the sink. “Just don’t get caught.” 

 

~~~

                    

Rhea bounced her foot off the floor. 

All morning she was stuck doing interviews with potential foster parents. She barely had time for lunch. This was no doubt Pearce’s attempt to punish them for blackmailing him. She knew he would get back at them somehow. 

“What do you like to do for fun?” A lady with a fuzzy jacket asked. 

Rhea stopped looking at the ceiling and met the woman’s gaze head on. “I like beating the living crap out of people.”

~~~

 

“Oh great. The goths are still here,” Johnny whispered as Rhea walked in to the boys room. 

“Of course we are. We run things, remember? I mean, Shelton just found that out, didn’t he?” 

Shelton’s nose twitched, but he wisely turned away from Rhea and Dom, and focused on the card game in front of him. 

“Whatever,” Johnny mumbled. “Can’t you freaks just go back to the bathroom and make out with each other?” 

“Come on, Mami. Let’s go.” Dom took her trembling fist in his hand, and led her further down the room. Johnny was lucky her DomDom was there to keep her from attacking him. 

Turned out, Dom wanted to pay a visit to the new kid.

Jey was sitting on a ratty old mattress with headphones on. 

“They stuck you in the corner, huh?” Dom said as he approached. 

Jey kind of flinched. He reminded Rhea a lot of Dom, when Dom came back from Juvie. 

“I’m sorry you had to see us fight yesterday. I hope we didn’t scare you.” 

Rhea studied Jey, the tense shoulders and swirling hurt written all over his face. This kid was going through it, she wondered if this was his first time away from home? Newbies suffered a lot, understandably. 

“Are you okay?” 

A heartbeat of silence before the gut punching admission. 

“I miss my brother.”

Dom inhaled sharply like he hadn’t expected it. 

Rhea wanted to tell Jey that he would see his brother again someday. But giving false hope was worse than not saying anything at all, and so she chose to remain silent. Dom gave him a few hearty pats on the back. They all missed someone. 

Maybe they could include Jey in the group someday? Help him out? He seemed like a nice guy. Rhea would discuss the matter with Finn and Priest at their next meeting. 

 

~~~

 

Finn glanced at the clock in the office.

“How long have you been in foster care?” A man with white hair asked. 

“About two years, mate.”

The older gentleman fixed his tie. “Do you mind if I ask why you are in foster care?” 

Finn shrugged. “I don’t mind. Truth is, I ran away from home. I do mind if you ask me why I ran away from home.” 

They had a decent conversation, Finn tried to please Pearce for a while by being polite. He asked some questions, cracked a few jokes, but eventually, he knew he had to ruin this interview somehow. 

“Are you religious at all?” 

A perfect question to botch. 

“I am,” Finn said, “I like to light a few candles, recite ancient Latin, and summon my demons.” 

 

~~~

 

“What are you looking for in a family?”

Damian furrowed his eyebrows together. “¿Què dijiste?” 

The couple glanced at one another, then to Pearce. 

“Does he speak English?” 

Damian tilted his head to the side. “Inglès?” 

“Yes, English. Do you speak English?”

Pearce put a hand on Damian’s shoulder. “He does.”

“No hablo inglès.” 

The hand on his shoulder tightened. 

 

~~~

 

Dom kept Rhea grounded. He helped her remember the plan. A foolproof plan which worked every time…

Until now. 

“How much money would I get again?” A guy in a leather jacket asked. 

“It varies by state. But here you would get a monthly stipend of $980 for each child.”

“Alright. I’ll take them.”

Rhea turned to Dom so fast she nearly broke her neck. He had the same horrified expression as her. 

“Really?” Pearce couldn’t hide the smile in his voice. “Great! I’ll get the paperwork.” 

“No. You don’t want us,” Rhea said suddenly. Pearce practically ran out the door to grab the papers m. “Dom and I, we’re horrible.”

“Yeah. I’ve been to Juvie.”

“Exactly,” Rhea nodded, taking his hand into hers. “He’s — he’s the worst, and I’m no better.” 

The guy in the leather jacket shrugged. “I’ve been to prison once. I don’t care.” 

Rhea’s stomach hit the floor. Shouldn’t Pearce like being doing background checks on this people? Hopefully that was just a sick joke. 

“I - I beat up my foster parents.” The small stutter to Dom’s voice was not good for their image, but he was panicking. Rhea couldn’t fault him. She was panicking too. 

“I bite,” Rhea said, grasping for anything. 

“That’s okay, sweetheart. I bite too.” He winked and Rhea wanted to throw up. Gross, disgusting, eww. 

Dom hopped out of his seat, and stepped in front of Rhea so fast she could barely register what was happening. 

“Don’t you ever talk to her like that again,” he growled, and it was one of the most vicious tones Rhea had ever heard from Dom. She didn’t know he was capable of being that angry. 

The man snorted, looked Dom up and down, and then snatched his wrist in a vice like grip. 

“Who’s gonna make me? You?” 

Dom squeaked, startled. 

“Hey!” Rhea shouted, grabbing the sleeve of Dom’s flannel shirt, attempting to pull him back to safety. “Let go.” 

Where was Pearce when she needed him? Where were the security officers?! For once, she would actually welcome them. 

“You better learn to watch your mouth, boy. I won’t tolerate disrespect in my house.” 

He released his grip with a forceful shove. Dom went stumbling back into Rhea’s arms, hiding his face in her shoulder. 

“Rhea,” he said, and the fact that he used her real name instead of the familiar Mami sent Rhea into mild cardiac arrest. “It’s not working.” 

“It’s okay,” she told him, not believing a word of I what she was saying. “It’s okay, Dom. I’ll think of something.” 

She blinked furiously against the urge to cry, proud that she could at least control that part of her life even if nothing else was in her power.  

Dom eyes were that of a deers: wide, innocent, and afraid. She needed to keep him calm and safe, and she needed to stop this. 

The second Pearce returned with the paperwork, Rhea told him everything. How this person was a danger to their wellbeing, and he needed to be properly charged. But Pearce didn’t believe her. At this rate, she was the girl who cried wolf. He thought she was just trying to get out of being fostered. 

“No, Pearce! Look at Dom’s wrist! Look at what he did.”

Pearce rolled his eyes, but when he took a look, he frowned at the red marks, and casted a skeptical glance to the man sitting before him. 

“Did you grab him?” 

“The kid did that to himself. He said something about trying to trick you.” 

Rhea felt her blood pressure reach an all time high. 

“Liar!” she spat, ready to leap over the table and strangle him. 

Pearce held her shoulders gently. 

“Rhea, I know you’re scared to be fostered. But it’s going to be okay.” 

“No,” she shrieked, pulling her hands away from Pearce’s grasp. “It’s your job to listen to us. I’m telling you the truth. Just take my word for it.”

“I know this is a shock, but at least you and Dom will be together.” 

He slid a shiny pen over to… to… oh God, her new foster father. 

No. No. No. No. No.

 

No.

 

 

~~~

 

The wooden floor creaked in front of their bunks. 

“What’s wrong?” Finn asked, closing the cover of his book. He could see it on their faces. Could really see it on Dom’s. His wet lashes and red rimmed eyes gave it away. 

“Hey,” Damian pulled Dom next to him on the edge of the bed, and wrapped an arm around his neck. “Why you crying? Who do I have to smack around?” He ruffled Dom’s bangs. He didn’t say anything, he just leaned into the hug. 

Rhea’s eyes were big and sincere and brimming with tears. “I’m so sorry.” 

“Fuck, Rhea. It’s okay. Whatever happened, it’s going to be okay,” Damain said, pulling her close too. 

She threw herself at him. Damian and Finn embraced her with a strong protective hug and Dom was there too, tucking his chin on her shoulder. Just the four of them, safe and cocooned. 

“You’re scaring me.” 

“I’m sorry,” she repeated because as soon as she told them, they were going to hate her. “I didn’t have a choice. This guy was going to hurt Dom.”

“He was going to hurt, Mami,” Dom corrected. “He was a creep.”

Damian shushed him, whispered something in Spanish that only Dom understood and Finn drew in a ragged breath, he was shaking, Rhea could feel it. Because he knew. She could tell, he knew his life was about to change. 

“Did you stick with the plan. Scare the creep?”

“We tried. But it didn’t work.” 

“Please don’t hate us,” Rhea pleaded, tense even as Damian’s hand held the back of her head. 

“What did you do?” Finn asked, nervously. 

“I told Pearce that all four of us would go to the group home for troubled teens. That way, he could get rid of all four of us at once.” 

She expected to be thrown out of the hug, or at least some type of screaming to occur. But as Damian continued to rub her back gently, she realized her boys loved her no matter what. 

Finn took a deep breath, nodded a few times, before a grim look of acceptance settled over him. 

“I wouldn’t want anyone bad to get you or Dom. As much as I hate this… it’s my own fault. My plan failed. I’m the one who’s sorry, sis.” 

Rhea dropped her head on Finn’s shoulder and kept her arms wrapped around Damian and Dom. Waiting for the unknown was the worst part.

 

 

Notes:

I feel like this is a butchered mess.

I wanted them to have choices, you know? And Rhea chose this path for them. So every choice will have its consequence. But really, was there any other option?

Chapter 6: They Don’t Call Us SmackDown For Nothing

Summary:

Transitioning. 👉👈

Inspired by October 13th 2023 episode of SmackDown.

In his small stuffy office, Adam Pearce handed Nick Aldis a cup of steaming black coffee before turning his attention to his computer screen. 

Nick Aldis was a group manager himself so Adam knew he understood the daily grind. He realized paperwork could stack up and require immediate attention, and so he waited patiently for Pearce to finish answering an email before speaking. 

“I’ve got to admit, Adam. I was a little surprised when you called me. It’s not everyday my competition offers me four promising kids.” 

It was a healthy competition, Pearce mused. Both group homes were thriving, but Pearce’s home did receive less funding than Nick Aldis’ home, and that thought alone could drive him insane. 

 “Yeah, well. They’re not exactly the easiest kids to get along with. If you take them in, you’ll find out soon enough. I feel bad, in a way. I’m not sure if you can handle them.”

A chuckle escaped Nick’s lips at the absurdity. 

“Oh don’t worry about that. I’m used to troublemakers. Besides, my home wasn’t given the nickname smackdown for nothing.” 

It was a joke, apparently. A poor one. Adam forced a laugh. The sound rolled through the space, filling every corner before fading. Nick shifted in his seat for the fourth time, and straightened his blue blazer as a heavy silence descended upon the windowless office. Pearce reached for the folders, hesitated, and then pulled his hand back as if burned. 

“Perhaps you could… elaborate?” Pearce managed to ask, unhappy with Nick’s last comment. 

Pearce had every intention of getting rid of his problem children, but he did not wish them harm. He cared about all the kids under his care. He wouldn’t be a good group home manager if he didn’t. 

When Rhea first came to his home, she had a dislocated shoulder and a broken nose. She was inconsolable: screaming for Dom, and so Pearce was left with no choice but to bail Dom out of Juvie. The two of them were quiet once they were reunited, a stark contrast to what they have become now. Believe it or not, their brash, abrasive behavior was a good thing. It meant they were healing. They felt safe. Pearce was glad they felt safe, but they were out of control. He couldn’t stand the fighting — one more incident and he might lose his job. He was ready for them to become Nick Aldis’ problem, as long as his competitor would treat them well. 

“I — we’re not always strict. We believe in giving the kids choices. We use a privilege system. Earning rewards, things like that. We also use strategies like exercise and friendly competition.” 

Adam held up a hand. “You don’t have to sell me anything. They’re all yours.” 

Nick ran a hand through his hair. The hesitation was a bit odd. Pearce thought he would be thrilled to make this trade. 

“Hold on.” Nick held up a finger. “I haven’t decided if I want them yet.”

Pearce tightened his fist around his coffee cup. “What’s the problem?” 

“I’m having a little trouble with Dominik.” 

A sharp nod from Pearce. He knew Dom’s juvenile record would bite him in the ass before he even busted the kid out. 

“If it’s because of the Juvie thing, he was there for two hours. He was protecting Rhea, that’s the only reason he attacked his foster parents. He’s not dangerous, I promise. He’s actually incredibly sensitive. Don’t tell him I said that.” 

“It’s not about the criminal record. Plenty of my teens have far worse, trust me.”

So what then? Was it his atrocious haircut? 

“It’s his age.” 

“His age?”

“He’s too young,” Nick explained. “The cut off age in my home is thirteen, and Dom’s not quite there yet.” 

Pearce frowned. “His birthday is in a few months.” 

“Six months,” Nick corrected, having done his homework. “That’s a bit of a stretch, even for us.” 

“Hold on,” Adam said, and Nick paused, his coffee cup halfway to his lips. “Are you telling me you won’t take them just because Dom is a few months too young? Are you kidding me?” 

“I suppose I could make an exception…” He took a sip. “But I’m not supposed to do that. If they were siblings, sure. But I’m failing to see why we should keep them all together. On paper, they have nothing in common.” 

He pulled up the files up on his iPad. 

“Finn Balor. Seventeen. Born in Ireland. Mother moved to the U.S. when he was a kid, remarried, passed away a few years later. Finn was reported as a runaway along with his stepbrother two months after a teacher reported a black eye to DCS. Kid got into some trouble. Nicked a few items from a convenience store, and was sent to your group home instead of Juvenile hall.” 

Pearce didn’t need a summary, he knew what the case files said. “They became friends while they were living here. You’re not going to find any similarities.” 

“Damain Priest. Sixteen. Born in New York, spent several years in Puerto Rico before returning. His parents went missing when he was eleven. He lived on the streets for a year, bounced from couch to couch until DCS was called.” 

Pearce cleared his throat. This was unnecessary to rehash. He recoiled at a photo Nick held up, the one where Damian had a burn on his cheek. 

“He lived in some bad group homes before this one,” Pearce muttered, turning his cheek. 

“Rhea Ripley. Thirteen. Biological parents, unknown. Lived with an Australian family for the first six years of her life until she was placed into a children’s home. She bounced around a lot. Never could seem to find a permanent place.” 

Rhea had a lot more to her story than failing to secure a permanent home. 

“Dominik Mysterio. Twelve. Born in San Diego California. According to the file, his biological parents voluntarily placed him into foster care because they felt they were unable to — and I quote — ‘adequately care for him’ due to ‘behavioral issues.’” 

Pearce caught Nick’s eye for a fraction of a second, and the look on his face said it all. 

“Before you start thinking Dom’s father is some sort of a monster, just know, Dom has visitation rights and he never wants to visit his Dad. The bad blood goes both ways.” 

Nick rolled his eyes. “I don’t care about Dominik’s Daddy issues. My question remains. What’s the connection between them? They don’t have much in common: not their ages, not their background. How am I going to convince a judge to keep them together?” 

“Nick, you promised you’d take all four of them.”

“And I’m a man of my word.”

“Then find a way.”

He watched as Nick took a sip of coffee. 

“I need you to give me something I can use for Dom. Some connection that says he needs to stay with Rhea, Damian or Finn.”

“Can’t you just lie about his age?” 

Nick snorted. “Yeah, sure. I’ll just destroy his birth certificate and every online database pertaining to him too.” 

The sarcasm was not appreciated. Pearce gave him a sardonic smile. As close to the middle finger as he could professionally give. 

They sat in silence for a good ten minutes after that. Nick traced his finger along the oak line of Pearce’s desk.

Then, it hit him. 

“His father.”

“Excuse me?”

Nick snapped his fingers. “His father. I’ll tell them Dom wants to visit his father. Rey lives in San Diego, right?”

Pearce shrugged.

“My group home is closer. It would make sense for him to move. Problem solved. They’ll agree to that request, I’m sure of it.” 

Adam squeezed his coffee cup a little tighter. “I don’t think you understand the history between Rey and Dom. It’s not a good idea.” 

“Do you want him gone or not?” Nick interrupted.

Pearce did not feel great about this, but he needed a job and so he extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure doing business with you.” 

 

~~~

 

It didn’t take long for Pearce to get rid of them. 

Five days total. 

Rhea hoisted her battered suitcase off the ground, and reminded herself that this was the way life worked. She was just a chew toy to be discarded at random. It shouldn’t surprise her that Pearce wanted to get rid of her.

She should have known she couldn’t rig the system. It was always going to end this way. Now Finn, Damian, and Dom were paying the price for being her friend. 

A squeaky wheel caught her attention. Rhea looked up to see Dom standing by the doorway, two duffle bags wrapped around his shoulders and a suitcase lagging behind. 

He needed a new suitcase, but money and shopping were a luxury for normal kids. She was just glad Dom didn’t have to use a trash bag like so many others. 

“Got your toothbrush?” Dom asked.

Rhea’s black painted lips twitched ever so slightly. Did he think this was her first time packing? “Yeah, I got everything.” 

His eyes went wide. “What about Kip? Did you remember to pack him?” 

“Yes, I have Kip. I’ve done this a few times, y’know.” 

A slight bob of the head. Rhea sighed and walked over to him, grabbed the ends of his feathery long hair between her fingers, and stroked. She loved herself a boy with a mullet, especially her boy with the mullet.  

“We’ll be fine,” she reassured because she thought he needed someone to comfort him. Unlike Rhea, Dom wasn’t as used to this moving thing. 

He kissed her, then, on the cheek. And he was all dimples. Rhea thought perhaps the kiss was his way of giving her some comfort too. They bumped shoulders as they walked down the hall; Dom tugged at his suitcase forcefully since it kept getting stuck.

“Do you think they’ll do a strip search,” she teased. 

Dom hummed thoughtfully. “I hope they let you do the strip search on me, Mami.” 

Damn, he messed her up sometimes looking at her the way he was, and Rhea felt a warmth in her gut, an unexplainable feeling. It was sort of a stupid feeling. She wanted to tell him something. A word on the tip of her tongue. The right word refused to surface though, and so she scratched underneath his chin and hoped he understood what she wanted to say. 

They passed through the kitchen, an unfortunate obstacle on their way outside. The kids that were sitting at the table were rude, cheering and taunting. Rhea wanted to kick them in the teeth as she passed. 

“Bye, losers!”

“You suck!” 

 “Oh shut up,” she snarled. She wouldn’t miss them at all. 

“Hope they finally put you in your place over there.” 

“Càllate,” Dom screamed, his fists clenched. 

Her Latino Heat was getting hot again and the kids loved riling him up. They kept jeering and mocking. 

“Just ignore them,” Rhea said as Dom shifted from foot to foot, a serious pout on his face. “They wish they were us.” To the group, she shouted, “At least we get to leave this place!” 

As they made their way outside, Rhea sneezed in the sunlight, ignored Pearce’s stupid grinning face and stomped over to the ramp. All these peasants could kiss her ass. The only people that mattered were the ones coming with her.

                                                                            ~~~

 

They took their sweet time getting out of the car. 

Nick was going to have to learn that this was how things worked around here. Everything on their time. 

“Come on. Don’t be shy.” 

At that, Damian rolled his eyes and slipped out of the backseat. Rhea followed, and soon they were all standing beside one another on the gravel, taking in their surroundings. 

It was big, the house. Way bigger than Rhea expected. The bars on the doors and windows didn’t slip past her eye either, nor did the wire fence surrounding the property.

To an outsider, it looked like a normal, modern house. But Rhea knew she was going to learn the inner workings of this Brady Bunch façade. There had to be something devious about it, right? After all, every place had its demons.

“Ready for a tour?” Nick asked. 

Notes:

So there we have it. A shift in perspective. A look at the adults. Some backstory on where the kids came from, and some foreshadowing on what is to come.

I hope this one was a bit interesting and different. :) Thank you for reading. I love talking with you in the comments.

Chapter 7: We’ll show ‘em who is in charge

Summary:

🏀

Inspired by the July 11, 2023 episode of NXT. When the Judgement Day first appeared on NXT and targeted Trick and Melo.

Rhea hadn’t done much exploring outside of Dom’s bedroom. 

She knew there was a room for her somewhere in this new children’s home, but she didn’t see the point in going when she would clearly be staying with Dom, in his room, anyway. She had already dumped her suitcase on the floor. Unpacked Kip and put him on Dom’s bed. Clothes and books and make-up in Dom’s closet. Rhea Ripley was not about to be separated from her family. 

“This room is so big. I can’t touch the ceiling.” 

Rhea lifted her head from the suitcase. “That’s great, DomDom. Just be careful, okay?” 

She didn’t love the idea of him plunging to his death on the wooden floorboards below. At least he was having fun, though. Better than the alternative. 

He jumped higher on the bed, a good few inches in the air, and his fingers just missed the swirly paint pattern above.  

Another attempt and the lamp on the dresser wobbled. 

“Dom, come here.” 

Without a moments hesitation, he bounced off the bed and scurried to her side, crouching down on the floor next to the suitcase. 

“What if my roommate doesn’t like us?” 

Rhea pulled out a purple bandana and stuffed it in her back pocket. 

“Dom, we talked about this. Your roommate is not staying. I’m staying. We’re getting rid of him.” 

Dom nodded like he was pleased with this. Eyes trained on the clothes in Rhea’s suitcase. He gathered a handful of items and moved to the closet.

“Ugh. Whoever my roommate is, he needs to buy some deodorant.” Dom scrunched his face in mild disgust. 

“Wait, I have something.” She dug through her suitcase, shoved some socks and shoes out of the way. “Here.” Dom caught the little bottle of New Notes perfume with one hand. 

“Perfect. Now it will smell like you.” He beamed. 

The room was bland, but elegant. The colors were grey and white, walls bare, a white plush comforter neatly tucked into the full size mattress. Their side of the room was completely untouched, a stark contrast to Dom’s roommate who had clothes thrown all over his bed, bright greens and Yin Yang pillows everywhere. 

“I hate how divided we are,” Dom said, placing the only two shirts he owned on hangers. “Why do Damian and Finn have to be all the way on the sixth floor?” 

During the tour, Nick mentioned how the group home was divided by age. How the younger kids had bedrooms on the third floor meanwhile the older kids were on the sixth. Two kids per room meant more privacy but it also meant they were going to have a harder time sneaking into each other’s rooms. 

She missed the ease of having a boys and girls room. At least then it was straightforward. This home was too big, every hallway felt like a maze. That’s why people were escorting her and the boys around for the next few days, until they get comfortable — as if that’s even possible. 

“I wish the boys were closer to us too,” she said.

Dom shared a lopsided grin with her, as messy and relaxed as the rest of him, and the knot in her stomach untangled just a little bit. “It’s okay. We’ll make it work.” 

Of course they would make this work, Dom was right. They were incredibly skilled at getting what they wanted. And yet, Rhea couldn’t say anything in return. She couldn’t stop that whirlpool of fear that stubbornly ran through her head. Her heart softened when Dom hugged her, though. Even if she couldn’t relax because of the uncertainty of it all, at least she had her boy. 

Rhea was busy fixing her koala’s position on their bed when a boy with dreadlocks came waltzing into their room unannounced. His eyes darted back and forth between Rhea and Dom, and Rhea was way too tired to control the irritation on her face when she bluntly asked, “What?” 

“I’m sorry, I thought ya’ll were with Nick. I just wanted to grab my textbook.”

“Are you my roommate?” Dom asked curiously. 

“Yeah. I’m Wes Lee. Nice to meet you.” He held out his hand. 

“Yeah, whatever.”  

Rhea grinned wickedly at her Latino Heat’s abrasiveness, and Wes Lee’s hand dropped. 

“Get out.” 

Wes Lee’s face contorted, and he couldn’t seem to form a sentence. “Wha-What?”

Rhea placed her hand on Dom’s shoulder for support in case he needed it, but he was relaxed, hands held behind his back and a big old smile on his face. 

“You heard me. I said ‘get out’. This room belongs to me and Mami now.” 

Wes did a double take. 

“What?” 

“It’s our room. Pack your things and leave.” Dom turned to look at Rhea. “It’s not that hard to understand, is it?”

She shook her head no. 

“Dawg, you can’t just kick me out of my own room. We - we share.” 

“Oh I see. He still thinks this is his room,” Dom whispered to Rhea. 

“It is!”

“Not anymore.”  

“Yeah,” Rhea agreed. “I’m sharing this room with Dirty Dom. So go sleep somewhere else. You can have my room. It’s in the East Wing.” 

Wes chewed his bottom lip. “I can’t sleep in the girl’s side of the building. That’s against the rules.”  

“Then sleep on the floor in the hallway. I really don’t care,” Rhea barked. She grabbed his pillow off the bed and threw it at his chest. Wes barely knew what was happening as he fumbled to catch the pillow. She grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him around and pushed him out the door. 

“Hold on!” he screamed as the door slammed right in his face. 

~~~

 

A cool autumn breeze to knocked a few leaves off the nearby trees. 

Booker T. and Vic stood in the courtyard by the tire swings and watched over the group of teens on their scheduled shift. 

Booker T. had a baloney sandwich in his paper brown bag, ready for lunch. He wondered if he sat down for just a second if the boss man would notice. 

“Did you meet the new kids yet?” Vic asked him. 

“Nah, man. I’ve been out here all day.” 

Vic nodded at his shoes. “I have to admit, I’m curious.”

Nothing like a few new personalities to shake up things. 

“Wait. Is that them by the tree?” Booker T. pointed to the shaded area of an overarching tree, and sure enough, there in the darkness stood four looming figures. Their arms hung loose at their sides and they were holding their heads high, almost motionless, like they were waiting. 

“Yeah. I think so,” Vic remarked. A pause. “What are they doing?”

Booker T. shrugged. “I don’t know… maybe they are afraid to move?” 

They did not look afraid. If anything, they seemed overconfident. 

All at once, like a cohesive unit, they started roaming into the daylight. Black clothes, purple bandana’s, strange walks. It was a mix of sauntering and strutting as they made their way towards the basketball court. Who the hell did they think they were? Men in Black? 

“What odd looking kids,” Vic muttered under his breath. 

“Ohhh yeaaaah,” Booker T. laughed. This was fun. A great way to spice up the humdrum work day. “You feel that, Vic?”

“I’m feeling it, Book. I don’t know what it is. But I’m feeling it.” 

“Brother, you could cut this with a knife. It’s tension, man. That’s what it is.”

“I just hope we don’t have to break up a fight.” 

The kids were pacing around like they didn’t quite know what they were doing, circling each other like a pack of wolves. 

“Maybe they’re friendlier than they look?” Vic suggested. Maybe…

Two other boys were playing basketball on the court. Booker T. knew them as Trick and Carmelo. They had birth names, but they preferred to be called by their nicknames. 

“Oh no,” he whispered as the two stopped playing ball and approached the wolf pack. 

“Didn’t take long for this thing to pop off, did it?” Vic teased. 

~~~

 

“Dirty Dom. That’s what Wes told us you were called.” 

Rhea stepped in front of Dom, protectively, unsure of what these two clowns wanted. 

The only reason they were outside in the courtyard was because Nick wanted them to ‘get some fresh air’ before going over all the rules. He was being ridiculous about this whole process. None of them cared about the rules. The rules weren’t going to apply to them. 

“Yo, I wonder why they call him Dirty Dom,” the shorter guy said. “Maybe it’s cause of all the times he dropped the soap in —“

“Whoa. Easy, Melo, easy.” 

The shorter guy, Melo, was lucky to have his friend there to cut him off when he did, or Rhea would have shoved that basketball right down his throat. How did they even know about Dom and Juvie? And really, a don’t drop the soap reference? Pathetic. Weren’t the people here more creative than that? 

Dom shifted on his feet, and glanced heatedly at the two boys from the safety of standing behind Rhea. 

“Let me tell ya something. This is our house,” Melo said, bouncing the ball back to his shirtless friend. “And we don’t like when strangers tell our boy Wes he can’t sleep in his own room.”

So that was what this was all about? Wes Lee and his room accommodations? 

Melo wore cargo pants and an opened sports jacket. He kept talking, and Rhea wasn’t sure why he bothered to yap. None of them cared. 

“I must say, when they mentioned we were getting four new kids from Rolling Ash Woods, Finn, your name was the first on my mind. You have a reputation, man. I thought, no way is thee Finn Bàlor coming here. But here you are. I really thought you had the system rigged. Guess even the smartest fall eventually.” 

Dom stuck out his tongue and put his finger in his mouth. Meanwhile Finn just nodded his head along like keep talking and watch what happens. 

“And look, you helped out a bunch of kids, and that’s cool. That’s real cool. But if you look around, you ain’t in Rolling Ash Woods no more. You’re in our house now, and this place has Trick and Melo influence all over it, baby.”

“So don’t get cute and try to take over. We have our own system around here,” Trick said. 

Great, two egotistical pricks. 

“But most importantly, we’re gonna need you to let Wes back into his room.” 

“What’s it to you?” Rhea snapped. “This isn’t about you. It’s about Wes. What? Do you guys fight everyone’s battles around here?”  

“Like we been saying. We run this group home. So yeah. We fight for our own people and in return, we get what we want,” Trick said.

That sounded too familiar to what Rhea and her boys had been doing at Pearce’s home. 

Damian nodded at the pavement. “That’s fair. But guess what, you might have this place in your pocket, but that’s only because you didn’t have the four of us to deal with.” Rhea nodded proudly. Tell ‘em, Priest. “This, right here, is the Murderers Row of group homes. We never bow down to anyone and we get what we want. Every single time.” 

“Yo,” Trick said, “Sounds like your mouth is writing a check your ass can’t cash.” 

Damian’s face turned purple. “What the hell did you just say to me?!” 

“Tranquilo! Tranquilo!” Finn shouted, holding him back by the arm.

Trick snorted. “You heard me. I wanna see if you’re really ‘bout it ‘bout it.” 

“Oh I’m ‘bout it,” Damian snarled. “Let’s go. I’ll lay you out right now.” 

Melo chuckled bitterly. “No one wants to fight. Let’s settle this with a game. Two on two. We’ll play till one of us scores twelve. If we win, Dirty Dom gives Wes his room back. If we lose, you can keep the room. Fair enough?”

Damian glanced at his friends and Rhea knew exactly what he was going to say. It was less of a testament to how well Rhea knew Priest and more of  a reflection of what happened when people made Damian Priest angry. 

“You’re on.” 

 

~~~

 

Booker T. put down the binoculars. “No, it’s okay, Vic. They’re playing together.” 

Vic sighed, sinking down on the tire swing. He thought for sure he was going to have to get in the middle of this, and pull a bunch of enraged teens off of each other. Thank God. Nothing was on fire. Nobody was crying. Life was good. Twenty minutes more of this, and he could go home. Let the 3-11 staff handle this shit. 

“Oh, it’s a two on two game,” Booker T. explained as he continued to peer through the binoculars. 

Vic reached for his cellphone. “I have their names somewhere in here. It’s in the email Mr. Aldis sent.” 

Booker T. hasn’t checked his emails since he started this position. Call him old fashioned, but he liked to be told in person what he was doing. That could be why he was demoted to part-time but it also could be because of a lot of other things like getting distracted when one of the kids was cooking. He ended up needing stitches, and Booker T. was in deep water after that. If one of the kiddies gets hurt on your watch, it’s pretty much over for you. 

Carmelo handed the ball off to his partner, Trick. 

“Oh! Trick just attacked the rim. 3-point shot.”

Vic leaned next to him, “Okay, okay. Here are their names. We have pictures too.”

Booker T. crammed the last of his baloney sandwich in his mouth and glanced at the screen. He wasn’t sure what happened, but when he looked up, somehow Carmelo Hayes was on the pavement, and Finn Bàlor had the ball. 

Finn cut towards the rim, and then popped out, passing the ball to Damian Priest who executed a perfect layup. 

“That was a foul!” Trick shouted so loudly Booker T. could hear him from all the way across the courtyard. 

Damian passed the ball to Carmelo, giving Melo the chance to shoot a couple of free throws. But each time he threw the ball, Rhea and Dominik knocked the ball out of the way with their own shots. 

“You can’t do that?!” Trick shouted, nearly hysterical. “That’s cheating.” 

Rhea grinned. “Have a cry.” 

“Oh I don’t like this,” Vic said, shaking his head. “Things are starting to break down.” Couldn’t they wait 10 more minutes? His shift was almost over. 

“What the — oh. Oh, yes.” Booker loved the backbone in these kids. He loved to see the ruthless shoving. 

At one point in the game Dominik distracted Carmelo from his throw, and Damian was able to take the ball from him and make the shot. 

“They’re so terrible.” 

“What are you talking about, Vic? This is the best display of teamwork I’ve ever seen.” 

~~~

 

Each member of Damian’s team was a vital component to the outcome of this game. Dom was the distraction, the bait. He drew the opponents eyes away from the game. While Rhea was like a shadow, working behind the scenes magic while no one was looking. Finn was all about misdirection; a seemingly innocent comment which planted doubt in their opponents mind. 

It was all about the strategy. 

Damian took off his shirt. The sun was cooking him alive, even in the late September afternoon as he ran across the basketball court. 

From the corner of his eye, he glanced at his family. Rhea and Dom flashed him the signal and man he really loved these people. 

Rhea cut across the court, and Damian used this momentary distraction to slap the ball out of Trick’s hands. He ducked to get around him, made a top-shot but missed. Melo was there to steal the ball. But then Dom’s foot accidentally stepped where it shouldn’t. A small oof sound as Melo fell to his ass.

They go at it again, and Damain’s clipped in the rib so he passed it to Finn. Within seconds, Finn was taking a bank shot at the backboard and it sunk right in, causing Rhea and Dom to erupt in cheers. 

That was twelve. 

Finn jumped up and down, all revved up. Damian joined his crew a minute later, soaking in their excitement, getting in on giant group hug.

“We did it!” Finn yelled, smacking Damian’s chest couple of times, wrapping an arm around Rhea. 

“By the way, that’s why we call him Dirty Dom,” Rhea explained. “He never plays fair.” 

Melo’s mouth pinched tight like he couldn’t believe what just happened. 

“Okay. You know what. Fine. Enjoy your room. You’re gonna need to be together anyway considering the night staff are — well. Never mind. You’re smart kids. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” 

There was something dark underneath that statement. Damian was paralyzed by the indecision on whether or not he should ignore the comment, demand more of an explanation, or just lay the guy out right there for scaring him. He settled for shooting him a scornful glare and tried his best not to let the worry show on his face.

 

Notes:

This one was more light hearted and super fun to write.

At this rate, this story might be 400 chapters. I’m exaggerating, but I can’t believe how many words it’s taking to get across these ideas. When I was planning it, my dumb self thought this whole chapter could be conveyed in a paragraph. No. Just no, self. 😝

Chapter 8: Dorito Tacos

Summary:

🌮 Also know as everyone is mingling.

Finn knew this new home would be unsafe, and so he came prepared. 

Brass knuckles tucked up one sleeve, and a cell phone tucked up the other. It wasn’t the best of plans — to fight his way out of here, but really, what was he supposed to do? Sit back and wait to be attacked? According to Trick and Mello, the night staff were all kinds of wrong here, and Finn wasn’t about to let anything happen to him or his crew. 

The two staff members who were watching them with binoculars on the courtyard could be the creeps for all Finn knew. He followed them at a distance as they led him inside, making sure to keep Rhea, Damian, and Dom close just in case. 

They were taken to a dinning room, where they were told to eat lunch before the group home manager, Nick Aldis, would speak to them. 

Finn’s eyes scanned the room. There were at least ten kids seated at a long table, paper plates loaded with questionable taco meat and soggy tater tots. Voices mingled together, different conversations going on at once, and this reminded him of Pearce’s group home. 

“Watch out for the night staff? What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Damian asked as he found a spot in the back of the room, a place where they could see both exits, and dropped to the bench.

“Look lads,” Finn slung his leg over the bench with a heavy sigh. “I don’t know, okay? We can ask around, collect more information.” That was all he could think of for now. This was all new territory for him. 

Damian and Rhea glanced around the room scanning for people to question, preferably ones who would not return the favor. Dom stared miserably at the table, traced the white circular rings a mug made on the wooden surface and whined. 

“Hey, Dom. Why don’t you go get some food,” Finn suggested, “Bring me back something to drink, yeah?”  

Dom perked up. “Can I make a Dorito taco?” 

“Of course you can, Dom. You can do whatever you want.” 

Finn nodded to let the youngest know it was okay to run off. He didn’t need to be a part of this. 

“I say we beat up Trick and Mello to get more information,” Rhea said. 

Damian bit his tongue, poised to argue. “I say we take it easy.” 

Finn listened to Damian and Rhea bicker for a few minutes, agreeing that they both had valid points, but he had to agree with Damian more. 

Rhea slouched in her seat, ran a hand through her black hair, and sulked.

“Hey, you don’t have to participate in the conversation,” Finn said cheerfully, knowing that Rhea would have a hard time pretending to be friendly. “You can go hang with Dom. I’m pretty sure we lost him anyway.”  

Rhea spun around in her seat to look for him. 

“Shit.”

~~~

 

Picking the right person to talk to was a challenge. 

“What about that dude?” Damian asked. Finn followed his eyesight to a crewcut, army loving, stern face Austrian, who was sitting alone by the window.  

“Have you gone mad?” 

“What? He’s alone,” Damian said with a shrug.  

Finn honestly couldn’t believe Damian sometimes. 

“I’m sure he’s alone for a reason, mate.” 

The best way to do this would be to go after the leader. Despite their boasting, Trick and Mello did not run things around here. First of all they were too young, and second of all, the crowd wasn’t surrounding them. The crowd was the key. Whoever was running things was going to have a large group of people for protection. Finn knew as good any anybody that life in a group home was a numbers game. 

The crowd was gathered around this one guy with bleach blond hair. He was talking boisterously, engagingly, and people were holding onto his every word. That was the guy. 

“Where are you going? Yo! Finn.” Damian grabbed his arm. 

Finn gave Damian’s chest an enthusiastic pat. “Relax, big man. I know what I’m doing.” 

He didn’t miss the eye-roll, but agree or disagree, Damian followed him. 

The leader of the group (or the guy Finn presumed was the leader) was wearing a suit akin to the American flag: white collared shirt, dark blue blazer and a red tie. A lisp was noticeable in his speech. It was evident by the laughter surrounding him that he was well liked. A charmer. Finn couldn’t stand guys like him. They reminded him of this friend he made when he ran away from home. Ex-friend, he should say, because that lad ruined Finn’s life. 

“Sorry. I hate to break up the party.” The laugher died down as Finn slipped into a seat at the table, right next to the American Boy Scout. “Just wanted to introduce meself. I’m Finn Bàlor.”

He extended his hand and the American shook it firmly, introducing himself as Cody Rhodes. 

“This here’s me friend Damian. I got two others, Rhea and Dom over there.” 

Cody’s eyes drifted past, and he nodded slowly. “Yeah, I heard about them. They kicked Wes Lee out of his room.”

Word traveled fast around these parts.

“Well you see, Dom and Rhea are like that,” he linked his two fingers together, “And pulling them apart would be like pulling teeth. You don’t wanna do it. So they just had to share a room.” 

Cody leaned forward on his elbow. “Siblings?”

“Eh… not exactly.” 

“Oh.” Cody raised his eyebrows in understanding. “And they wanted the room so they could —“ He made a crude thrusting gesture. 

“No,” Finn shook his head, disgusted, until he thought it over. Maybe they were intimate? It didn't matter. “No, they just want to protect each other.” 

Cody’s expression softened. “They don’t have to worry. They’ll be okay here.”

At long last, Damian sat down and asked, “How do you know?” 

Cody lifted his chin in an air of confidence. 

“Cause I know. The people here are cool. Some more than others, but Wes wouldn’t have bothered Dom. I was worried it would have been the other way around with Dom being from Juvie.” 

How did he know that? Was Nick just walking around here spreading information about them? 

As if reading his mind, Cody said, “Guards talk.” 

“Speaking of the guards. Do any of them… you know?” Damian trailed off leaving Cody with a puzzled expression. 

“Do any of them what?” 

“Do any of them… come into the rooms unannounced? At night?” 

A guy sitting next to Cody snorted, “Yeah, all the time. Better lock your doors, man.” 

“Xavier,” Cody elbowed him in the ribs. Then, to Damain. “No, they don’t. I promise I’d tell you the truth if they did.” 

“What about other staff members?” Damian asked, a little too directly in Finn’s humble opinion.

A snicker from Xavier. “You should tell ‘em about Brent, or better yet, tell them about isolation.” 

“Don’t be a dick,” Cody scolded, giving Xavier a look that he just ignored.

“You’ll have to excuse my friend. We haven’t had anyone new in a long time.” Cody said politely, like a politician with the way he smoothed out his tie. 

Damian huffed. “That’s fine. We don’t scare easy. Just tell us who the night staff are, and we’ll leave you alone.”

Conflict was written all over Cody’s face, twitching between confusion and amusement.

“There is no night staff. I mean, they rotate shifts all the time… did someone say something to you?”

Finn shared a look with Damian and in that moment they knew, they had been fooled. Fucking Trick and Mello. He felt like such an idiot. 

“Thanks for your time,” Finn muttered, and he slid his watch over like a peace offering. He used to do it all the time. Give little gifts to build trust. 

Cody took it without hesitation. 

“You boys are welcome to stay. A watch this nice earns you at least three free questions.”

 

~~~

 

Dom loved Doritos and he loved tacos.

His father was the one who encouraged him to mix different foods. He made him tacos and enchiladas and wings and then he’d say “mix it all together.” 

They’d eat on the couch when Mom wasn’t home, turn on the T.V. and watch Lucha Libre. Sometimes they’d watch monster movies in Spanish, or turn on a Padres game. 

It hurt, now, thinking about the fun he used to have with his Dad, but Dom still liked mixing foods. He still loved his Mexican culture, and he absolutely adored baseball. He just wasn’t quite sure who he was anymore. 

He used to know, or at least he thought he knew, who he was as a person. 

So much of his identity was forged in the approval of others, mainly the approval of his parents. All he ever wanted was to make them proud. He thought a lot of kids wanted to make their parents proud, so it seemed normal, until one night he found out his father might not be his biological father, and everything stopped making sense. He had questions and he had anger. 

The old Dominik Mysterio would never get angry. But who was Dominik Mysterio really? Was he even a Mysterio? Was he supposed to like mixing foods, and Lucha Libre, and baseball? Or did he just like that stuff because his Dad liked it, and if his Dad was not his Dad, then what did that make Dominik? Was he supposed to be someone else? Maybe he should like mullets and lowriders like his uncle Eddie. Maybe he should like lying and cheating and stealing too. 

Most of the time, Dom tried not to think about himself at all. Selfishness and anger was what landed him in foster care in the first place. He had to be better for his new family now or they might get rid of him too.

“Watch it, kid.” 

Dom bumped into an older boy on his way to the paper plates, apologizing softly. The people in this group home were a lot bigger than he was. Most of them were Finn’s size. Some of them were even as tall as Damian which was crazy cause Damain was really tall. 

Dom just finished piling a bunch of meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions onto his plate— but only the thinly sliced onions because Dom was fussy when it came to his food— and then he added salsa. He wanted to add jalapeños too, but he didn’t see any of those in the refrigerator. Hopefully someday he can go grocery shopping like he used to with his Mom. He would pick out so many spicy things. 

He swore he saw a bag of Doritos on the counter which was what made him think of the idea of mixing foods, but he couldn’t find them. 

Dom glanced over at the table where Rhea, Damian, and Finn were at and it looked like they were busy talking. They were probably talking about ways to stay safe, and he knew not to bother them when they talked about staying safe. He got yelled at once, when he interrupted them. 

So Dom set off to find the Doritos all on his own. 

He started opening all sorts of cabinets and drawers and cupboards. He wasn’t sure why the Doritos would be under the sink, but he looked there anyway. Slightly discouraged, Dom stopped in front of a closet door. It was worth investigating. He twisted the knob and peeked inside. 

It was a huge pantry filled with food. 

He rushed inside, excited to explore. The further he went, the smaller the panty became. He felt like he was inside Wonka’s fun house. Cereal and PopTarts everywhere. Hot chocolate mix, that would taste so good. They had syrup too. Lots of boring canned foods. Vegetables, whatever. Crackers, whatever. But where were the Doritos? 

He turned a corner and he ran smack into a girl.

She jumped so high, she hit her head off of a shelf and a bag of blue pills spilled to the floor. 

“What are you doing in here?” She yelled, a Japanese accent to her voice. Dom had to admit, she had some good pipes. Very intimidating. Not as intimidating as Mami of course, but she had glowing eyes. Actually, her eyes were bloodshot more than glowing but same scary look. 

Her hair was split down the middle; half pink, half blue. Dom sort of liked it, except she was yelling at him and he did not like that at all.

“He’s just a little kid,” she mumbled to herself as she stuffed her blue pills inside the lima-beans. 

“You’re not supposed to be inside the pantry,” she scolded. “It’s my turn to work in the kitchen. Not yours.” 

He’s frowned. “I want Doritos.” 

He took a step back, wishing he had Rhea with him because this girl was stomping over to him and Mami would never let her touch him. 

“Hey,” he hissed as she grabbed his upper arm. 

“You saw nothing. You understand? Nothing.” 

“Okay!” Jeez. This girl needed to relax. Dom nodded his head because she was shaking him, hard. 

A pause. 

“Can you tell me where the Doritos are?”

 

~~~

 

Rhea saw an unattended plate with all the foods that Dom would throw together lying beside four glasses of iced tea. She knew it had to be his. But where was Dom? 

He knew better than to go wondering off in a new home especially when the staff members were dangerous. Rhea adored her Latino Heat but sometimes his carelessness for his own wellbeing drove her crazy. 

What if he was looking for the bathroom and one of the staff members cornered him? The first wave of panic hit her. She could go looking for him but then she would be alone, lost somewhere in this maze of a house and that wouldn’t be smart. Not without the brass knuckles or chains. 

By the refrigerator, three girls were giggling. Rhea locked eyes with one of them, and the girl quickly pulled her gaze away, snickering with her friends. 

“Look at her shoulders. No wonder she came with a bunch of boys. She looks like one.” 

Rhea felt her face heat. She knew she was different. Knew it from an early age when her foster parents would dress her in nice outfits and she’d destroy them by rolling around in the mud. She knew she was different when the girls in her school wanted to talk about boys and all she wanted to do was show off her bloody knees and bruised elbows.

Rhea knew she looked different than the typical thirteen-year-old girl, even though she couldn’t control the way her body developed; wide shoulders and tall legs. She didn’t need anyone else pointing it out. 

“Did you see that weird looking boy with her?” Another giggle from the girls. “He’s so dirty. His hair looks greasy. Does he not know how to bathe?” 

“Totally, and his hair is way too long. He needs a cut, desperately.” 

Screw being nice. That was Damian’s plan, not Rhea’s.

“Oh shit, she’s coming over here,” the tallest girl said, biting her lip and staring at her shoes like she wasn’t just glaring at Rhea. 

“Hey!” Rhea snapped. “If you have something to say. Say it to my face.” 

The girls disbanded after that, a few with apologies on their lips and others with dirty looks directed at her. It didn’t solve anything but it felt good to let them know she heard them. 

“Hey Mami.”

Rhea whipped her head around. “Dom. Where have you been?” 

“Gettin’ Doritos,” he said with his mouth full. 

Rhea ran her tongue over her teeth. This boy and his unhealthy eating habits. 

“Find them?” 

“Yeah, want some?”

She shrugged. “Alright, sure.” 

She grabbed a handful of broken triangle chips, crammed them in her mouth and then carried two iced teas over to Finn and Damian. Dom grabbed the other two cups while balancing his taco plate on his arms and stumbled his way over to the table. 

Finn and Priest were sitting in a crowded part of the room, talking to some guy named Cody Rhodes who knew a lot about the group home. Turned out the night staff did not exist, and Trick and Mello were assholes. 

Cody explained the point system. Participating in group therapy and physical activities earned them points, which in return, earned them rewards like going shopping or to the movies.

“Say you wanted to go visit someone.” Finn lifted his iced tea as if he were to give a toast before bringing it to his lips. “How would that work?” 

“Why, you got a girlfriend?” Xavier Woods snickered. 

Cody was the only one answering their questions, so Rhea was glad he existed. 

“You can sometimes choose where you want to go. But it’s going to be supervised, and it’s rare you get to choose. They like to be in control of where you go.”

“You would have better luck inviting your girlfriend to family day,” Xavier Woods said. 

“Family day?” 

“Nick didn’t tell you?”

 A shake of the head.

“On Sundays our families are invited to visit us.”

Rhea chewed the inside of her cheek. No one was going to be visiting her. She knew Finn was thinking of JD, and it might be possible to get him to visit. But the whole goal of seeing JD at home was to check out his foster parents, make sure they were cool. Bringing him here wasn’t going to be as effective.

Then again, if they won enough points during the physical challenges, maybe they could see JD at his house after all. It was worth a shot. Maybe they could even run away together. 

“Five minutes.” A voice cut through the room like a knife. The group immediately disbursed, everyone rushing to throw their paper plates in the trash. 

Cody stood with his paper plate, brushed invisible dirt off his suit. “Well. It was nice meeting you guys. Good luck. I hope your conversation with Nick goes well. If you’ll excuse me, I have a relay race to win.” 

 

Notes:

SO much happened in this chapter and I wanted to keep going. But I had to stop it before I threw out too much overwhelming information on the group home, Cody Rhodes, Rhea and Dom’s deep internal struggle, and Finn and Damain’s questions. I hope it wasn’t too much at once. Thank you for reading!!

Chapter 9: Morning Light

Notes:

I felt guilty about posting right before the AO3 shut down so I got this chapter finished and I’m immediately going to upload it for you all.

R+D — they’re soft little bubs in this. I tried to add a bit more roughness for Rhea but it ended up being pretty fluffy. I apologize to those that love a good harsh R+D. MAYBE in another story that I’ve been thinking of (but at this rate who knows if I’ll ever get around to that).

No matter how many times Damian Priest rubbed his half-closed eyelids, he could not focus on what was being said. The office lukewarm office lulled him, and for the first time today, he knew he was safe. 

Nick Aldis droned on and on about the rules and regulations. Something about chores and school. They had a houseparent named Brent who was supposed to make them feel welcomed. 

It was overwhelming, all the new information. Nick handed them packets as thick as a novel. Damian didn’t bother to glance at his. Dom and Rhea ripped theirs in an act of defiance, something that got Nick rolling on a rant about expectations and punishments. 

Finn’s body language was so clearly fuck off that it was humorous. Rhea and Dom were tucked in the middle of the couch between Damian and Finn, legs tangled over one another like they were one person, just seething. 

It wasn’t so much the restrictions that bothered Damian, but it was the principle of the whole thing. He was being treated as if he were a criminal that needed a harsh regiment. What was his crime? 

His parents disappeared. 

Or as his social workers liked say, your parents are dead. These days, he didn’t have as much strength to deny it as he used to. Still, Damian refused to give up hope. Desperate and pathetic as that may sound, hope gave him something to strive for in life. It helped him stay focused and determined while he was in here. 

 

~~~

 

Corey Graves loved his job. 

He loved being able to work whatever shift he wanted, loved the paycheck, loved the freedom his boss gave him. But most of all, he loved joking with his coworkers. Take Michael Cole for instance, resting his elbows on the lip of the window that peered into Nick’s large office, watching the new kids with curious eyes. This type of behavior was just begging for punishment. 

“Michael Cole! Are you spying? I can’t believe this. I am appalled. Appalled!” 

“Would you stop,” Cole grumbled, taking the cup of coffee from Corey’s cardboard try. “How was traffic?” 

“Horrendous. Are the new kids in there?” 

Rumors swirled like honey in tea that these kids were responsible for making a guy like Adam Pearce beg for their removal. He couldn’t imagine what they did to deserve that. It must have been awful. 

“They’re a bunch of losers,” Cole said. 

Corey spluttering into his evening coffee. “Does the hallmark channel know about you, Michael Cole? You’re a natural. Calling kids losers is very family friendly.” 

His coworker scoffed. “You should have heard the way they spoke to Nick. It was despicable.”

Corey couldn’t help the little amused smile that twitched at the corner of his mouth.  

“Why? What did they say?” 

In hindsight he probably shouldn’t have asked that question. It set Michael Cole off on a tirade. A long winded tirade about how bad these kids were, and how hell-bent they were on causing trouble, spreading lies and misinformation.

In between all the ranting and raving, Corey could tell most of Cole’s anger was directed at the youngest member of the group, specifically. A kid named Dominik. 

“The audacity of that punk ass kid to interrupt Nick while he was in the middle of explaining a very important rule. Oh man. I hope he gets his later. I really do.” 

Corey nodded thoughtfully, pressed his tongue into the pocket of his cheek. Sometimes it was best to just shut up and enjoy the moment. 

“He ripped the papers he was given.”

A fake gasp from Corey. 

“Just tore them to shreds. Didn’t even bother to read the information.”

“That monster.” 

“I bet he’ll have a million questions for us later, but you know what I’m going to say? I’m going to tell him, he should read the manual.” 

Corey chuckled into his sleeve unable to stop himself this time.  

“It’s not funny, Graves! That kid needs to learn some damn respect.”  

“You gonna teach him?” he asked, amused with himself at this point. He would love to see Michael Cole go head-to-head with a twelve-year-old. 

“I heard he hit his foster parents,” Michael Cole replied, skirting the question. “On Christmas Eve.”  

Corey shrugged. “Maybe they deserved it.” 

Michael Cole sent him an incredulous glare. 

“I’m sorry, just — don’t you think you’re being a little harsh? You don’t even know the kid. I think he sounds fun,” Corey said casually. 

“Fun,” Cole scoffed. “Yeah, let’s see how fun you think he is when he beats you up.”  

Corey had to chomp on his tongue. The thought of that twelve-year-old little runt getting one over on him was hysterical. 

“Oh yeah. Dominik is so dangerous, he’s afraid of himself.” 

“I know his father,” Michael Cole explained, atoning for his grudge against a child. “I used to work security at his company. He’s a great guy. A legendary role model in the community. Everyone loved him. He’s the type of guy that would spend his Saturday feeding the homeless after working a twelve hour shift.” 

Corey hummed. “Yeah, I’ve heard of him. Rey Mysterio, right? He’s the CEO of this non-profit 619, a family owned business. He’s super rich.” 

“Yeah. He spoiled his kids rotten too. If he knew what his son was doing right now, he’d be rolling in his grave.”

Corey paused, contemplated his half full coffee. 

“I didn’t know his father was dead.”

“Oh, he’s not. It’s just an expression, Graves.” 

Corey gave a weak smile. The fun of joking with his coworker was wearing off as this conversation took a heavy turn.  

He loved his job, but he tried not to think about how awful the kids who resided here have it. They have to deal with broken relationships with their parents or coping with the death of a loved one. Some of them were abandoned. Some of them had parents who were addicted and unable to care for them. Some of them made mistakes that led to them staying here. It was tough. 

 “I blame the girl,” Michael Cole said, not ready to give this a rest. “She told him to rip the papers. I heard her. She’s a bad influence.” 

Corey let out a huff, running a hand through his quiff hair. 

“So the little guy’s got a girlfriend. Kid must have some game.” 

Cole blinked. “Are you even listening to a word I’m saying?”  

“Some might say he’s even more dangerous now since he’s been to Juvie.”  

“You’re so strange,” Michael Cole muttered in dismay.

Several minutes of banter later and they were called into the office to escort the kids to their separate rooms for the night. 

 

~~~

 

The second Rhea, Damian, and Finn were safely tucked into Dom’s room for the night, they shoved a dresser against the door for safety.  

Damian dusted his hands off. “Okay. We’re alone at last.” 

Rhea sagged against the bed post. Finally. She had been dying to talk to them in private all day.

“What do you guys tink of all this?” Finn asked, Irish accent strongest when he was stressed.  

Where should she start? Did they have all night? The rules were bullshit. Some of the staff acted like assholes, mainly Michael Cole, and they were essentially trapped here unless they could earn rewards to go out. Nice.  

Dom kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed. 

“Can we go home?” he asked, and didn’t that just sum it up?  

Finn and Priest shared a look of melancholy. 

“We are home, Dom. We’re gonna make it feel like home real soon, okay?” 

The way Finn said it, Rhea almost believed him. 

 “Let’s make a new plan,” Damian said dryly. 

As for the general rules went, Rhea understood the gist. Participate in physical challenges and group therapy, and they would earn points. Win the challenges and they would earn even more points. Commit an unacceptable act otherwise known as a UA and gain a ‘consequence’. A consequence could be loss of privileges, extra chores, or as Nick put it, ‘a negative experience.’ This crap made her want to smash her fist through glass but that wasn’t going to get her anywhere. 

“Ugh,” she groaned, low and drawn out. What she wanted to do was scream. This was so frustrating, and she knew she would hate the rules. She hated every group home’s rules except Adam Pearce’s. That’s what made this so ridiculously antagonizing. This was all her fault.  

“Someone should be awake at all hours in case Cody was lying and the night staff are creeps,” Finn said, stripping out of his shirt to sleep shirtless. 

Rhea said changed into one of Dom’s black and purple tees. She climbed onto bed and pressed flush against her Dirty Dom. He rolled over and used her stomach as a pillow, fingers curling around the waistband of her pants.  

Rhea liked how tactile Dom was. Finn and Damian too, but Dom was more clingy. It probably had something to do with him being the baby of the family, or maybe it had something to do with how devastated he was to learn his family could throw him away at a moment’s notice. 

Whatever the reason, Dom was clingy and Rhea liked it because it reminded her that someone wanted her. Even if no adult could ever want her, at least Dom, Damian and Finn did. 

“Alright. So I still have my cell phone. No one knows about it, and we’re keeping it that way. Everyone clear?”  

Damian scratched his chin. “Yeah, makes sense. What’s your plan for JD?” 

Finn kicked off his white Jordan’s and pushed them under Wes Lee’s bed. 

“I’m thinking we win enough rewards, choose to see JD, and run away.” 

“I like that,” Damian said, fist bumping Finn. 

Rhea was too exhausted to point out the holes in their plan, and to be fair, she couldn’t think of anything better, so she said nothing. They talked a little while longer, jested with each other, and eventually Rhea noticed her Dirty Dom had fallen asleep.

A hush fell over the room once Finn and Priest noticed. Finn brushed the bangs away from Dom’s forehead and gave Rhea’s hair a slight tussle before jumping in Wes Lee’s old bed, his now, and pulling the comforter to his chin.

“Imagine going to a mall and shopping for new clothes,” Rhea said as she tucked herself under the covers, “Dude, we need new clothes so badly.”

“Wow, I haven’t been shopping in years,” Damian agreed. He was sitting in front of the door like a guard dog.  

“Hey, you can join us,” Rhea told him, pushing the covers back.  

With Finn sleeping in Wes Lee’s old bed, it was just Rhea and Dom on this full size mattress and they barely took up half the space, especially when Dom used Rhea as a human pillow. 

“There’s plenty of room.”

Damian shook his head. “Gracias pequeño. But I’m gonna stay right here. Make sure no one tries to get in this room just in case Cody is wrong.”

Leave it to Priest to use his body to physically shield them. 

“If you change your mind, you’re always welcome.”  

“Night lads. Sweet dreams,” Finn said. 

Rhea thought she said it back, and she hoped she did. She loved these idiots so much, they deserved the world.  

The next thing Rhea knew she was waking at the crack of dawn to bright sunlight flooding in on the… right side of the room? She was so disoriented, she had no idea where she was until the memory came clawing back.  

Right. New home. 

The sun was glowing dimly in the early hour, and Rhea wanted to fall back to sleep. But Dom was waking since she jostled him. 

“Morning,” he croaked, barely cracking an eye open. 

She pecked his forehead, and Dom laughed. It put a dopey smile on his face.

“Good morning, DomDom,” she said, carding her hand through his hair. He hummed and kissed her on the cheek three times, a gesture of affection she had come to expect from him. A code they created while living in a foster home where talking sometimes meant getting screamed at by the adults around them.  

The morning hour made them dorks. It turned them into more innocent versions of themselves. Too sleepy to worry about appearances or anything besides each other, they rolled around playfully, readjusted themselves until Dom’s weight was on top of hers, his chin on her shoulder. He was so close, his cheek brushed against her cheek. Dom was her boy. Her ride or die. She secured him in a tight embrace and reminded herself that all the stress of this move was worth it to keep him right here. 

It was hard to believe this relationship of theirs started with Rhea slamming the door in Dom’s face.

Back then, he used to follow her around like her little shadow. Dom was just so new and shiny and bright with his pink shirt and his sunshine smile. He was too bright for Rhea’s clouded darkness. Too bright for the ugly things she had witnessed in this world. He didn’t belong in her world. He lived a sheltered life with a loving family and that rubbed Rhea the wrong way. She was mean. She hit him, pushed him away like she pushed everyone else away. 

She hated the world when she met him, used to hide out in the basement and punch the wall. It became a place of shame, darkness, and solitude but that’s where she thought she had to live. But Dom was there, even after she hit him, he came back to her. It was like he was drawn to something in Rhea that she couldn’t see. 

The more she talked to him, the more she realized just how similar they were. He might not have grown up in the foster system, but he knew what it was like to feel unwanted. He knew exactly how it felt to have someone say you’re not good enough.  

They shared a bed when the screaming got worse. He should have been afraid of Rhea, maybe more than his foster parents, but he sought her out. She should have pushed him away, but she let him in. 

Rhea was good at pushing people away, good at being distant. But she realized something that night; she didn’t want to be alone anymore.  

They became inseparable after that, and when Dom saved Rhea from her foster parents, she knew he was her ride or die. He got cuffed and locked away for protecting Rhea. She was never going to let anyone take him away from her again after that. 

“What are you thinking about?” Dom whispered in the quiet of the morning, nuzzled against Rhea’s neck. Right where he should be.  

“Nothing,” she said, simply.  

A whistle came from the floor where Damian was sitting.  

“You two aren’t getting all freaky on me, are you?”

Rhea threw a pillow at Priest’s head. 

“Is it safe for me to open my eyes?” Finn asked.  

Rhea groaned. These people. 

Dom shot out of her arms, tore across the bedroom, and tackled Finn.

 “Ugh,” Finn grunted with the new acquired weight. “Hello, Dom.” 

The floor was freezing, but Rhea set her bare feet on it anyway. Damain moved the dresser out of the way, and threw the pillow back at Rhea. She had no time to retaliate — Priest lifted her off the ground and spun her around. 

Her laugher mingled with Dom’s pleading. He wanted Finn’s phone so he could check the highlights of last night’s game. “Pleaaaase?” 

Before Finn could answer, there was a knock on the door. 

Rhea sprung to attention, panicked. 

They exchanged looks. Somehow it never crossed their minds to discuss the possibility of getting caught in the morning.

No one answered the door, and within seconds, it was busted open. Their houseparent, Brent, sent Rhea a stone cold expression. 

“What are you doing in Dominik’s room? And where is Wes Lee?” 

“Take it easy,” Damian said. The wheels spinning in his head. “There’s no need for you to be up in our business.” 

Brent’s muscles tightened, a vein throbbing along his temple. 

“What my man, Damain, over here means to say is he thought it would be a good idea to wake Rhea and Dom so they can start working on their chores.” 

Damain nodded. “Yeah. That’s right.”  

“Let’s go do some chores,” Rhea said, waving her arm for them to follow.  

“Hold it.”  

She squeezed her eyes shut. So close. 

“I’ll walk you to breakfast. You have to eat.”

Right. She breathed. Okay, good.  

 

Notes:

A close call… they keep getting away with things. 😉

This is probably a silly question but do you like the more frequent updates or would you rather have a longer wait in between updates? I’m not always this quick. But I try to get one it at least once a week. Maybe twice a week.

Also, I know this chapter was shorter than my others but is that better? Or do you like the longer chapters?

Just me, trying to figure out what is working/better. Thank you for reading!! 💜🖤

Chapter 10: Asuka Mist

Summary:

There’s a few scenes in here that are going to feel very familiar to something we have seen before. No spoilers but you’ll find out soon. 🖤💜

Inspired by the December 12th 2022 episode of RAW.

This one’s longer. I hope it’s decent.

“Damain, hurry!”

“Hold on, I’m on my — DOM!” 

“I’m sorry.”

“You suck.”

“You suck.”  

“You both suck,” Rhea added helpfully, looking away from the screen for a minute to glance at a subdued Finn. “Try again.” 

“Yeah, try again,” Dom echoed only to received a slap from Priest. Rhea ignored them as they squabbled, the Super Mario Bros music played in the background like a happy little soundtrack to this epic brotherly beating. 

Finn was barely paying attention to the chaos surrounding him. He focused on his hands, almost like he was in a trance. 

Rhea was the first to pick up on his mood. Her social worker said it was because she was compassionate. Rhea knew it was less about the compassion and more about the learned survival skills she picked up on, but every once in a while she liked to pretend her social worker was right. Compassionate sounded way better than hyper-aware-of-every-bad-emotion-that-could-hurt-me. 

“You alright?” 

“I’ve just got a lot on my mind,” Finn said, dejectedly. Rhea could understand the depressive weight of this situation. After all, the hideous color of bright orange and blue plastic furniture in this recreational room was enough to drive anyone to tears. Rhea’s lips twitched at her own joke. But no, in all seriousness, Rhea understood why Finn was so down. He moved to a new place, an hour away from JD, and there didn’t seem to be any way to sneak out. The worry had to be getting to Finn. 

“Did JD text you?” Rhea asked. 

Finn’s blue eyes flickered to hers. 

“He called last night, actually.” 

“What did he say?” 

There was a moment of hesitation from Finn. He opened and closed his mouth, thinking carefully about how he was going to word his response. 

“Um, he had spaghetti for dinner.” 

Finn nodded a few too many times under the intense pressure of Rhea’s scrutinizing gaze. “I heard some noise in the background though. I couldn’t make out what it was, but it sounded like…” Finn trailed off, returning his focus to his hands. “Like it wasn’t good.” 

Air painfully lodged in Rhea’s sternum. JD might not be her best friend, but to Finn, he was like Dom and Rhea couldn’t imagine if Dom was living in another house. The amount of fear she would feel every day would be enough to drive her insane, and to think of something bad happening to him and not being able to do anything to save him? Yeah, that would be torture. 

She squeezed Finn’s hand, wishing she could do something to help. “We’ll win those rewards for you. I promise.” 

A remote controller hit Rhea in the back of the head. “Ow, hey?”

“Look what you did!” Dom screamed. “You hurt Rhea!” 

“Dom, it’s okay.” She held up her hand. “We’ve got bigger issues going on. I need you to promise me you’ll listen to Priest if I’m not around.” 

Damian smiled smugly. “Yeah, Dom. Listen to me.”

“And you — stop messing with him. I need to know you’ll take care of Dom in case something happens.”

“Hey, Rhea, nothin’s gonna happen to you,” Damian assured her, placing the game controllers on the hideous orange table. 

“Mami’s mad,” Dom whispered to Damian, and Damian threw an arm around his shoulders. He said something in Spanish, and Rhea was fairly certain he just said she was sexually frustrated although she couldn’t be sure. 

“Priest! I swear I will beat you with this remote.” 

“Okay, alright,” he laughed, slouching back on the couch and throwing his arms behind his head. “Where’s all this ‘if I’m not around’ stuff coming from?” 

Rhea glanced over her shoulder, like she had been doing all her life, and made sure no one in particular was listening. 

“In case they split us up.” 

“Don’t say that,” Dom mumbled. 

The last thing she wanted to do was scare him, but there were some ugly truths they haven’t yet discussed, like the placement interviews. The idea of being on different schedules. Different school hours, chore time, and even downtime. Not to mention, they could easily get caught sneaking into Dom’s room at night, so then what? Should Damian and Finn stay together upstairs on the sixth floor while Rhea and Dom stay together on the third? Was that the safer option? 

“I think we need to talk to Cody,” Finn stated, startling Rhea out of her depressive spiraling thoughts. “I’m not saying we need to recruit him to our group… but we need to get close to him. If he’s the leader, he should know how to sneak out.”

Rhea glanced across the recreational room at Cody Rhodes and all his buddies. The guy thought he was a five star celebrity with all the bodies he had around him. Smart though, keeping the numbers on his side. He certainly seemed to know how to keep himself safe. 

“I heard he has a cellphone, and the reason he still has it is because the staff love him,” Finn explained while not so subtly staring at the bleach blond Boy Scout. 

So they planned to get Cody alone which didn’t happen until after Vic and Booker T. told them lights out in five, and Cody slipped off into the bathroom. 

They cornered him outside the stall. 

“Whoa.” Cody jolted, and placed a hand over his heart. “What the hell guys.” 

“We come in peace,” Finn said, calmly.

“Yeah,” Priest grinned. “Take it easy, man. We’re not here for all that.” 

Cody sighed, standing stiffly. He was smart enough to sense a threat when he saw one. 

“We would really appreciate it if you help us sneak out of here,” Finn said. 

Cody’s lips twitched into a smug smile. 

“I’ll think about it,” he said. 

“Yeah, you do that,” Damian snapped as Cody weaved through them without a care in the world. It was really annoying how little he feared them. Guess he would have to learn the hard way like everyone else.  

~~~

 

Miss Cheryl, their counselor, might actually believe in unicorns and fairies. She was young and beautiful; a thin brunette with brown eyes and a ponytail. Rhea would have liked her if it wasn’t for the cliché advice. 

She also might have participated in therapy if she was alone. Instead, she was forced to participate in group therapy, located on the fifth floor near Nick’s office, close to the entrance. It posed an opportunity to escape, except she was being watched like a hawk by the security officers and her peers. Seventeen peers to be exact. All sitting in a circle. 

Rhea and her boys put four chairs together outside of the circle and sat down shoulder to shoulder. One unit. If the therapist cared, she didn’t show it on her face. She was too busy explaining the next exercise where they would go around the circle and introduce themselves and state their goal for this year.  

For example, a kid named Kevin Owens was looking forward to seeing his brother on Family Day, and his goal was to gain custody of his younger brothers when he turns eighteen. 

One by one, they went around the room sharing things. Some people were blunt with their goals while others beat around the bush. Cody Rhodes spoke like a politician. Wes Lee gave too many details. Sami Zayn was vague. Raquel Rodriguez was sassy. So on and so forth until this guy named Seth Rollins stood up and started talking. 

Something weird happened. 

Finn tensed every muscle in his body. His jaw was so tight, his molars might be permanently glued together. 

Rhea wondered if his discomfort was brought on by how eccentric this Seth Rollins was acting. The guy had a fur coat and was preaching to the group like he single-handedly revolutionized foster care. 

“And then the social workers called, right? And they’re like ‘sethy we got another one for you, are you in?’ And I’m like ‘hey, hey, hey. Of course I’m in!’ So old plan out, new plan in, I’m going to get adopted this year. In the immortal words of the great Freddie Mercury, I want it all, and I’m going to get it.”

Seth pushed his long hair back, and Rhea swore he was smiling at Finn. Before she could ask, Cheryl turned her attention onto them. 

“Damain. It’s your turn.” 

All four of them stood at once. Rhea let a predatory grin spread across her face — she had been practicing this look all morning. This was their chance to assert some fear into the hearts of her fellow residents. To gain some dominance and respect. 

Damian smirked, coy. 

“All rise for the most dangerous people in this room!” he bellowed. 

No one stood, but they were met with the desired results: bewilderment and confusion. If she were sitting in their shoes, she might find this a bit cringe worthy, expect Damian’s menacing voice was nothing to cringe at. 

“I said rise and show some respect for the Judgement Day! That’s right. We are your Judgement Day. We bring with us the end of times. From now on, we hold all the power.” 

Cheryl interjected with a finger raise. “I notice there’s some tension in the room after that last comment. Remember, we agreed to speak to each other with respect. Would anyone like to explain how this comment made them feel?” 

A short blonde girl raised her hand. Miss Cheryl nodded at her, and she stood to her feet. Before she could open her mouth, Rhea interrupted. 

“Sit down, shut up, and show some respect to your new Mami.” She figured if using the word Mami could scare away potential foster parents, then it would probably scare away her peers too. A bunch of disgruntled shrugs and harsh whispers were going around the room. 

“Rhea. We don’t use words like that. You seem angry right now. Can you use an ‘I’ statement to tell us what you’re feeling?” Cheryl asked, politely. 

“I can’t wait,” Dom started but stopped himself, looking back at Rhea who quickly nodded her head in approval. “I cannot wait to beat every single one of you in a race this week and steal your rewards.” 

“That’s right, DomDom. You are going to win, and once someone grows the balls to challenge you. You’ll prove it.”

“Okay,” Cheryl stood to her feet. “I need you four to step outside in the hall with me.” 

“Seth freakin Rollins,” Finn called out, completely ignoring Cheryl. “If you are half the man you say you are, you will challenge me to a race tomorrow. We can finally put the past behind us after I bury you.” 

“Now,” Cheryl said, nodding towards the two security officers in the room. Damian moved first before the officers could touch him, leading them out into the hall like their therapist wanted. She told them she was going to recommend individual therapy sessions with each of them until they were ready to treat the group sessions with respect.

Whatever. Job well done. Everyone in that room should fear them, and that means they’ll get what they want. Hang in there, JD. Your family’s coming to see you soon. 

 

~~~

 

Dom watched the Padres game on an iPad he ‘borrowed’ from the recreational room. He liked that room the best so far. It had a TV, video games, and iPads. The others rooms sucked. 

Like this dining room for instance. It sucked ass. Okay, so maybe he just didn’t want to clean it. Why was he supposed to ‘wash the dishes’ anyway?Couldn’t a staff member do it? He hated chores. Rhea hated them too. That’s why she was resting her head on the table, sleeping. Or maybe she was worn out from the physical challenge today. She worked her butt off trying to win the game. She did win, but it wasn’t easy. 

Dom sighed. He ran an affectionate hand through Rhea’s hair, and took a sip of Dr. Pepper. He worried his girlfriend was going to wake up with a sore neck if she continued to sleep in this position. Maybe he should pick her up and place her flat on the table? 

“Hey!”

Dom glanced up. It was that Asuka girl again. She didn’t like Dom very much. All he did was walk in on her when she was in the pantry. 

“Little boy. What’s his name again?” 

“Stop it, Asuka,” a smaller girl chided. “Leave ‘im alone.”

“Just because he’s new, doesn’t give him the right to skip out on his chores.” 

Dom took a long sip of Dr. Pepper, returning his attention to Rhea and the iPad while the girls continued to argue. At some point, they gave up talking and continued to work, collecting dishes in a large tray. 

Rhea grumbled in her sleep, grimacing. Looking down, Dom saw that her face was twisted in some sort of pain. She had been having these intense nightmares for as long as Dom could remember.  

“Rhea?” Dom inched closer to her, tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe. I’m right here.” 

Rhea cracked an eye open. 

“Dom?” She sat up slowly, working the kink out of her neck. “Oi. Why didn’t you wake me?” 

He shrugged. She needed rest, but he didn’t tell her that. Rhea liked being the one to take care of him. She didn’t really like it when Dom tired to take care of her. 

Instead, he searched his iPad for a song. Rhea’s favorite song. This was his way of taking care of her. 

Harsh vocals distorted in an aggressive growl came blasting through the speakers: This is my brutality. The smile that crossed Rhea’s face was well worth the angry scowl from Asuka. Mami was tapping her foot along with the beat, lip singing all the words. 

“I eat, sleep, bleed. The demons in your dreams. I eat, sleep, bleed.”

Rhea looked at him with this spark in her eye and held out her hand. Oh boy. Dancing. Dom was not a dancer. He didn’t have to be with Rhea. She just wanted to tug him around the room. Throw him around like a ragdoll, and who was Dom to deny her of this fun? She was the only person allowed to leave bruises on him. Only Rhea. 

Dom took her hands and they clumsily twirled together. They started thrashing around like idiots, making up moves to make each other laugh. Rhea shook out her hair, whipped it back and forth. Dom stomped his foot on the ground.

It was fun. Possibly the most fun he had all week. 

Of course Asuka ruined it by snatching the iPad off the table and shutting the music off. 

“Hey, we were having fun listening to that.” 

“All you’ve been doing is having fun.” Asuka whirled on Rhea. “You have a bedroom all to yourself. You steal the iPads, you sleep when you should be working, and your boyfriend took the last Dr. Pepper.”

Rhea’s eye lit up with delight at her rage. “Pathetic.” 

 Asuka slapped down her dish towel down and walked right up to Rhea’s personal space. 

“You’re not even supposed to be here. You threw a tantrum and got kicked out of your old group home, and now I have to deal with you.”

Dom scoffed. “You just don’t want people to find out about your little secret.” 

Asuka went red, like bright red. 

She raised her hand and Dom flinched, prepared to be struck across the face. But Mami had reached out and snagged Asuka’s wrist instead. 

“Nuh-uh. Don’t even think about it.” 

Asuka slapped Rhea. 

Dom went mute. He felt rooted in his spot. It was like slow motion, watching as Rhea used her head like a battering ram to knock Asuka on the floor. The other girl ran to get help before Dom could stop her. That meant security was coming. 

Rhea was currently perched on top of Asuka’s body, fists whaling. Asuka kicked and thrashed under Rhea’s weight, trying to get free. This was not going to look good in the eyes of the officers. 

“You think you can slap me, Asuka? You think you can slap me?!” 

“I’m gonna kick your ass, Rhea.”

Dom heard footsteps. He needed to get Rhea out of there, and so he grabbed her waist, pulled her away so she wouldn’t get caught fighting, but he wasn’t fast enough. 

“Hold it,” A security officer shouted as he charged into the room. Another one followed suit and suddenly Dom’s arm was in a tight grasp. 

“What is going on?” His house parent, Brent, asked. Asuka blamed the whole thing on Rhea, spitting blood as she spoke, as if that would make her look like the victim in all of this. 

Their houseparent thew a scolding finger in Rhea’s face. “You are way out of line, kid.” 

Dom considered this critically. He had to do something because he couldn’t lose Rhea. So since Asuka blamed Rhea, Dom threw Asuka under the bus. 

“It’s not her fault,” Dom said, and he felt a lot of eyes on him all at once. “Asuka offered her drugs. Rhea was only defending herself.” 

“I’m gonna kill you!” Asuka screamed, lurching forward in an attempt to break free from the hold. After that, things escalated fast. Brent asked Dom a lot of questions, and so Dom showed him where Asuka hid her secret stash of blue pills. 

There was a lot of yelling. Dom’s ears hurt. Thankfully the yelling wasn’t directed at him or Rhea. A high-pitched buzzing sound took over his left ear, and he covered his ears. Rhea noticed and put her hands over his hands, helping him block out the noise. Asuka was in major trouble. Like pack your bags kind of trouble. Brent told her she was going to a different facility. 

She nodded in solemn acceptance, picked up the can of Dr Pepper and took a big sip. Guess she wanted one last taste of something good before going to Juvie. 

What Dom didn’t expect was for Asuka to spit the soda right in his face. His eyes exploded in agony. There were a number of mistakes he made after the carbonated liquid got into his eyes and the first one was rubbing his palms over them. But it hurt. 

“Ahh! Rhea!” 

The room erupted with noise. He couldn’t see and he could barely hear over all the commotion. Rhea was screaming bloody murder at Asuka, Brent was scolding, and the two security officers were shouting. People bumped into chairs, and scuffled around, shoes squeaking. Someone bumped into Dom and he dropped to the floor, sat there, and tried to use his shirt to clean his face. His eyes were open but everything was dark. 

“Rhea! I can’t — I can’t see. Mami.” 

“Is Dominik okay?” he heard Corey Graves ask. He wanted to tell the security officer no, he was not okay. But someone had grabbed his wrists, pulling his hands away from his eyes, cradling the back of his head. 

It was Rhea. It had to be.

“Mami, I can’t see,” he told her earnestly. 

Dark spots danced across his vision, and Dom broke into a cold sweat. He knew his eyes were open but everything was dark. It was not supposed to be like this. 

“I didn’t even hurt him that much,” Asuka defended although there was a wobble to her voice. Worry. Not for Dom, but for herself. Worry that she’ll get in worse trouble than she was already in. “He deserved it! He ratted me out to protect that goth girl.” 

“He can’t see,” Rhea hissed, and there was so much venom in her words, Dom was surprised Asuka didn’t shrink away in fear. Maybe she did. He wouldn’t know because he can’t see! 

“Mami!” 

It was a blood curling scream, one he couldn’t really control. The only thing on his mind was would he be able to see again? 

“Here,” heard Corey say, and a scratchy brown sheet of paper towel was being pressed against his cheek, wiping the sticky liquid off his face, but it did nothing to stop the burning. Dom could make out shapes and blurry movements, and he was fairly sure Rhea and Corey were crouched down next to him. 

“Somebody get help!” Rhea screamed. “What are you standing there for? Go get some water.”

“It’s alright Rhea,” Corey said. “We’re going to take Dom to the medical office.” 

A low whimper escaped Dom’s lips without his knowledge and he clutched Rhea’s hand really tightly.  

“Are you okay, Dom?”

“No! It burns!”

“Help him!” 

 

~~~

 

Rhea had to bite her cheek to keep it together because this was not okay. 

She paced restlessly behind the examination table where Dom was sitting, watching as the doctor pulled out some eyedrops from a drawer. Her boy was fussing, not seeing right, and in pain because he tried to protect Rhea. That’s the second time he got hurt trying to keep Rhea safe. 

Rhea’s nails ripped at her palms as she clenched her hand into a fist, pacing, pacing. Back and forth. 

“Mami, it burns.” 

She wished there was something she could do to take the pain away. What the hell was this doctor waiting for? Why wasn’t he making it better?! 

Dom squirmed, legs dangling over the exam table, rubbing at his eyes with his palms, and Rhea couldn’t do anything. There was nothing she hated more than feeling helpless. Just hold on, Dom. This useless doctor will help you eventually. 

“Open your eyes for me,” the doctor instructed, holding the medication above Dom’s face, but Dom kept wiggling. Rhea asked (demanded) Brent to fetch Damian and Finn while they were stumbling to the medical office, and so now Finn and Priest had joined them, confused and freaking out. 

“Do you see what happens when we’re separated from the kids. Look what happened,” Damian boomed. 

“Dom, Dom, Dom,” Finn said, walking over to him with a little packet of tissues. “Here. Take some of these. Take some of these.” 

 “I can’t see,” Dom squirmed, unable to find the item Finn was holding. 

Rhea slapped a wall. This was horrible. Dr. Pepper had chemicals in it like carbonic acid and sodium. What if Dom had permanent damage?

“Take some of these,” Finn said, putting the tissues in his hands. 

“I can’t — I can’t see.” 

Fucking damnit. Rhea slapped another wall. 

 “Stop rubbing, you’ll only make it worse,” the doctor scolded. “I need to flush your eyes with a saline solution. It’s very important, Dom. Hold still.” 

That was all Rhea needed to hear. She grabbed the top of Dom’s hair and pulled his head back.

“Take your eyedrops,” she told him because Dom would listen to her. He always listened to her. 

“Go to your happy place,” Finn advised.

“Open your eyes,” Rhea ordered and Dom cracked an irritated red eye open long enough for the doctor to squirt a few drops of medicine into them.

“Oww.”

“I know it’s painful. Go to your happy place,” Finn said, dabbing his face with tissues. 

“Who is this guy?” Dom fussed, lashing out at the doctor. “Does he have a license?” 

Finn shook his head, “No, no, he’s an idiot.”

“I can’t — Mami!” He cradled his face in his hands, rocking back and forth. She touched his shoulders, wishing she could take the pain away from him even if that meant she had to deal with it herself. 

“Uh… hey man. It could be worse. Something else could burn worse.”

 “Priest!” Rhea whirled on him and smacked his arm. 

“I’m just saying.” Damian held up both his hands. He was trying to lighten the mood but he was not helping. 

No one was doing their job correctly. 

Finn dabbed Dom’s eyes with the tissues and the doctor pushed Finn’s hands out of the way because he was not helping either. 

Damian tried again. “Hey man, you’re the toughest legend I know. You’ll be okay. You’ll be okay.” 

 “Ah!” Dom cried as the doctor gave him another dose. “Ah, that burns.”

“HELP HIM,” Rhea shrieked, completely done with this doctor. Where did Nick find this guy? On the street?

“I am helping him.” 

“Get it off,” Dom whimpered. 

“Get it out of the eyes,” she echoed, “Do your job!”

 

~~~

 

Kevin Patrick leaned his head against the door to the medical room, a slow grin spreading across his face. 

“You’re terrible,” Corey told him with a shake of the head, “Absolutely terrible.”

“I’m sorry,” he laughed, “I’m not taking pleasure in seeing Dominik like that at all.”

“He’s a child, KP. A hurt child, and you’re laughing.”  

“Some may say he had that coming.” Kevin pointed out. He was surprised Corey didn’t feel the same way. He thought everyone agreed Dominik Mysterio deserved to be punished for what he did to his foster parents.  

“You want to know something strange,” Kevin said as he walked down the hall towards the vending machine. “I swear I’ve seen Finn Bàlor somewhere before, but for the life of me, I can’t remember where.”

Corey hummed. “What do you mean? Like a deja vu feeling?” 

“I guess. It’s just weird.” Kevin’s memory had served him well over the years but it was failing him right now. The image in his mind was hazy. He thought he saw Finn somewhere familiar to him like inside his home but that didn’t make any sense at all. 

“Well you worked a lot of places right? Maybe he was living in one of the other children’s homes?”

Kevin grabbed his Dr. Pepper from the vending machine. “Yeah, maybe.” 

“Really KP?” Corey asked, glaring at his drink choice. “Your cruelty knows no bounds.” 

While it hadn’t been his intentions, he couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of choosing Dr. Pepper. “Oh, I’ll hide it from the lad,” he said, walking back to his post. “He probably won’t even see it.” 

“Horrible, KP. Just horrible.” But Corey was smiling as he said this. He rarely meant harm with his witty and sometimes sarcastic humor. Even if it occasionally came across as insensitive and arrogant. That was just Corey. He liked to use humor as a shield, most of the time Kevin found it endearing. 

They paused in front of the medical office doorway, peered inside and found Rhea and Dom spooning on the exam table. They were kind of cute when they weren’t trying to be terrifying. Kevin briefly wondered why they tried to hard to act tough. They had to know it wouldn’t help them fit in, so why act that way at all? 

A brief wave of anxiety rolled over him when he spotted the boss coming his way. He tried to straighten up, and fix his tie. Be cool. Be cool.

“Are they okay?” Nick asked, the epitome of a business man in look and tone. He pushed past Kevin and Corey, a rush of cologne and exasperation. He took in the scene with wide eyes and an open mouth. “What the hell happened?” 

“They’re fine. Dom was letting it be known to everyone that he was in pain. But once we got him some eyedrops and attention, he settled down. Isn’t that right, Dirty Dom.” 

The boy perked up at Corey’s words, although Kevin did not understand the reference. Neither did Nick, by the looks of it, so at least he wasn’t the only one in the dark. 

Nick flustered. He grumbled under his breath about needing to follow the strict mandatory reporting guidelines with the state agency and notifying the child’s caseworker — a small nightmare for him, but he would manage. 

He also explained that Asuka would no longer be residing in their home. She was being transferred tomorrow morning. 

Things were always changing around here. Perhaps that’s how the kids felt. One thing was for sure: nothing lasts forever. 

 

Notes:

Foreshadowing??? Maybe?

I have been dying to write about Dom getting sprayed by Asuka’s mist.

I adore every single one of you. Thank you for the comments you leave. I hope you know they are appreciated. I love talking to you. Wishing you the best! 💜🖤

Chapter 11: Obstacle Course Tournament

Summary:

The inspiration for this chapter was from the January 9th 2023 episode of Raw.

Notes:

Sorry this one took a little longer to write and to post. I finally got it finished. It’s only 3am (send help). Tomorrow’s Sunday so I can sleep in. :)

Tiptoeing to the kitchen, Rhea led the way and Dom quietly followed behind her, sunglasses over his red swollen eyes. 

“I don’t like this,” he whispered, hanging back near the staircase. 

“You’re the one who wanted chocolate milk,” she said, keeping her voice down. 

“We’re not supposed to steal food.” 

“Dom, this is our house. It isn’t stealing if it’s our house.” 

They could do whatever they wanted. Except, apparently, eat. Not when there was a padlock on the refrigerator door. Rhea’s eye twitched at the sight. She knew the pantry was locked at night but the refrigerator too? 

“You’re kidding. This is a joke. This a cruel joke. You know what? Fine. Fine. I’ll just pick the lock then.” She laughed, all exasperated and bitter, hands flying in the air because it was two o’clock in the morning, and Dom couldn’t sleep, his eyes were hurting. The only thing he asked for was a damn glass of chocolate milk!

She laughed, and laughed, and picked the lock, and it didn’t even matter that tears were building behind her eyes. She wouldn’t let them fall. 

 

~~~

 

Corey sat behind a white fold-up table in the gymnasium. It was Friday afternoon, which meant one thing: an obstacle course tournament. 

It didn’t get much better than this. Even KP was excited. Nick goes all out every time, crafting the most inventive challenges to keep the children engaged. It was all about sportsmanship and fun. Plus, it was a healthy way to cope. Who wouldn’t want to punch a few foam blocks or throw frisbees across a room and get rewarded for it? 

This was the last day to earn rewards before the weekend, so the teens were going to be extra zealous. That made for great entertainment, Corey didn’t need television when he had them. He planned to kick his feet up, and watch the drama unfold. He had running bets with his friend, KP, on which teen would win. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Corey spied four solitary figures huddled up by the foam pit. Poor new kids. They’d been kicking a ball around for the last thirty minutes, carefully skirting around anyone who got close to them. 

Corey couldn’t help but think it looked a little sad, keeping to themselves like that. Dom’s scare with the soda really got them isolated. 

Nick blew the whistle. 

“And they’re off!” KP declared, narrating the first round of the competition. Corey knew it was none of his business, but rumor had it, the new kids wanted to win rewards. They were going to miss their shot. 

“Hey!” He called out to them. 

The kids scowled at Corey. He smiled as warmly as possible. “Go sign up for the competition. Nick’s doubling rewards today.”

Their eyes were full of intrigue and childish concern, making Corey smile again. “Go on,” he encouraged, gesturing towards Nick, giving the new kids all the nudging he could muster. 

“Does this mean you’re betting on them?” KP asked, both of them watching as the four kids slinking towards Nick surreptitiously.

“Uh, sure. Yeah, why not.” 

Truthfully, Finn and Damian were at a huge disadvantage. They never ran the course before, and they were going against past champs. It should be a no brainer who was going to win. But Corey liked an underdog. And besides, these new kids kept surprising him in unique ways, maybe they would surprise him again. 

“You’re on,” KP said. 

Right off the bat, Sami and Kevin Owens were like a well oiled machine. They tackled the first triangular prism with ease, never losing their momentum. Damian and Finn ran up the side of the ramp together and slid down the other side, not as in sync, but their speed made up for it.

It was neck and neck so far. 

“Both teams are over the second wall.” KP explained as if Corey couldn’t see what was happening right in front of him. “Which one will take the Tarzan ropes and which one is going on the balance beams?” 

As expected, Kevin Owens took the Tarzan ropes, something he had done numerous times before, and Sami went on the beams. 

“Finn’s taking the balance beams. He’s slowing down. Sami’s going to pass him!” KP yelled. 

“But look at Damian! He’s flying across those ropes,” Corey said, ecstatic that his team was pulling through. 

Damian used his entire upper body strength to pull him across the ropes without even using his feet to grab the knots. He passed Kevin Owens in the process. 

“He made it to the other side,” KP said like he couldn’t believe what was happening.  

“Sami too, but he has to wait for his partner before he can climb the wall.” 

Both teams were waiting for their partner. 

Finn made it across the beams before Kevin Owens made it across the ropes, and now he was free to climb the wall. 

 “Go, go, go,” Damian chanted from the sidelines, encouraging his friend to climb faster. 

“I don’t believe this. The new kids are going to win. They’re going to beat Sami and Kevin Owens.” 

“Believe it, KP! Believe it.” 

Finn stumbled on one of the rocks, his foot missed the slot, and Corey thought it might be over for him. But Finn recovered just as quickly, using his upper body strength to remain hanging, although it slowed him down significantly. Sami was closing in on him.

“That hesitation might have just cost Finn the race.”

Seizing this advantage, Sami pushed harder, bypassing a tricky section with a triumphant explosion of effort that only Sami Zayn could make look effortless. 

Finn must have realized he was falling behind because the next thing Corey knew, he was watching this kid take a spectacular lunge. It was risky as hell, for a terrifying few seconds Finn was airborne, but it was a move that paid off. He actually landed the jump, body slapping into the next hold. With grit and sheer willpower, he beat Sami to the top and rang the bell. 

“Here are your winners,” Brent shouted. “Finn Bàlor and Damian Priest.”

“No way,” KP uttered, the words barely a vibration in his throat. 

Dom and Rhea cheered so loudly Corey thought he might have gone partially deaf in one ear.

It was an impressive start. But could they do it again? This tag team tournament was horribly unfair to the people starting because they had to keep going until someone was eliminated. Odds were, the starting teams would eventually b get knocked out. 

The next competitors were Becky Lynch and Raquel Rodriguez. They took their place on the starting line, giving the boys a couple of side stares as they swayed on their feet, ready to sprint. 

Finn and Priest took their positions, breathing harder than before. 

“On your marks, get set, go!” Brent blew the whistle and the teens were running hard. 

Becky slipped down the second ramp and Raquel had to reach over a grab her. This allowed the boys to take the lead. 

“Priest makes those ropes look easy.” 

Corey spoke too soon. Directly after he said that, Damian missed and fell into the pit of foam blocks. He felt directly responsible for causing that to happen. 

“Oh man, that’s going to cost them,” KP winced. “Becky and Raquel have plenty of time to catch up now.” 

“Come on, Damian. You can do it!” Dom clapped. “Come on!”

Raquel was halfway across the ropes when Damian started crossing again. 

“I love the pace and the energy that the girls are bringing,” KP said. 

“Come on, Damain. You can beat her,” Rhea yelled, clapping and sneering at the other kids who were cheering for Raquel.  

“Rhea looks like she’s about to jump on this course and help her friend.” 

“That would be an instant disqualification,” KP interjected. 

Finn crossed the balance beam but he had to wait for Damian this time before he could tackle the wall again. 

“It’s not looking good for the new kids.” 

“You shut up,” Rhea scolded, pointing a finger in KP’s face. “Shut your mouth. My boys are fine.” 

Corey loved his life. His coworker was white as a sheet. “Better be careful, KP. You’re about to get yourself shanked by Rhea.” 

“I’ll say no more,” he whispered, sending Corey a dirty glare. “Did you see the way Rhea looked at me?”

“Yeah, I did. Haven’t you spoken to Dom at all? He says no one messes with Mami.” 

KP shook his head. “I’m still waiting for the therapist to get to the bottom of that one. Cole says he thinks they both have mommy issues.”

“It’s not Mommy, KP. It’s Mami. Two entirely different concepts.” 

“We say Mammy in Ireland.”  

“It’s not Mommy: M.o.m.m.y. It’s Mami: M.a.m.i. That’s why Rhea calls him her Dirty Dom. They’re in a relationship. Stick with me here, man.” 

“Mate,” KP said, looking genuinely concerned. “You just light up whenever we talk about Rhea and Dom, don’t you?” 

“I’ll say it again, KP, I’m a fan of the underdogs.”

“I’ll say it again, Corey. They beat up their foster parents!”

“You and Michael Cole are the same. You can’t see past a person’s worst mistakes, and you just automatically damn them for life. It’s good to know, KP, really. I’ll make sure I don’t call you when I need to bury the body.” 

This was fun, more fun than Corey could have hoped for. He loved Fridays. A job was a job, and most of the time it was rough having to physically breakup a bunch of fighting teens everyday, but at least he got to watch the teens compete. 

And as for as competitions go, Damian and Finn were crushing it. They beat Becky and Raquel, Shotzi and Lyra, and Wes Lee and Carmello Hayes. 

Unfortunately, it was not over yet. Damain and Finn were panting like crazy on the ground, leaning into Rhea and Dom as they tried to regroup in the few seconds they were allowed. 

“You guys are doing great,” Rhea praised, patting their backs enthusiastically. “Only two more to go.”

“I think I’m going to pass out,” Finn said, resting his forehead on the cool floor. 

“Come on, just keep thinking about JD. Think how many rewards we’re winning!” 

Gunther and Xavier Woods were up next. Only, this time, they off to a poor start and Damian and Finn were flying through the beginning of this course. It was like second nature to them by now.

“I’ll admit it, these two are naturals.” It must have been hard for KP to eat that one. 

Frustrated with this inability to get ahead of Bàlor, Gunther leaned into his space during the wall climb and elbowed him in the ribs. 

“NICK!” Rhea screamed, “That’s a foul! He pushed Finn!” 

Nick blew the whistle, but it didn’t matter. Finn had already made it to the top. He rang the bell, dropping into the foam pit below with a grimace, hands covering his stomach.  

Corey could see the pain written all over his face as he climbed out, limping towards the white fold out table. 

Dom was following him, nervously. 

“Are you okay?” 

Finn collapsed to the ground in front of the table with Rhea and Dom surrounding him. Oh man. Corey was going to have to get up and do his job for a minute. 

“What is it?” Nick asked, squeezing his side.

“It’s my ribs — ah! Don’t touch me.” 

 “What are you doing grabbing him like that?” Damian yelled, swatting Nick’s hands away. 

“Yeah, don’t touch him!” Rhea snapped, scrunching her eyebrows together in disbelief. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Finn moaned.  

“He can’t compete like this.” 

“No. I’m not done yet. I have to win.” 

Rhea nodded. “Yeah. He’s fine.”

Dom and Damian echoed those sentiments, attempting to pull Finn to his feet but he cried out in pain and wrapped his arms around his midsection.

“Damn it,” Nick grumbled. “Now I have to fill out another report. You need to stop getting hurt.” 

“We get bruised all the time,” Damian explained. “This is not a big deal. Look, look.” Once again, he tried to pull Finn to his feet but Finn wasn’t able to stand. He collapsed to the floor. 

 “Get up, Finn,” Dom yelled, flustered. “Get up!” 

These four were absolutely determined to win this obstacle course at all costs. Jesus, someone ought to tell them it wasn’t that important. Their health was way more important than some stupid game. 

Thankfully Nick was there to make that clear. “He’s done. You guys are done. You did well but you have to forfeit.” 

“But that’s not fair!” Rhea cried. “Gunther pushed him.” 

Nick shook his head. “I’m sorry, but he’s not competing. He needs to sit down and put ice on those ribs immediately.” 

“Okay. I’ll do it myself,” Damian offered. “I’ll win for us all. Don’t worry, Finn.” 

“You can’t do it alone.” Nick said, and then he paused, glancing at Dominik. “I’ll let you substitute Dom for Finn.” 

“Me?” Dom raised his eyebrows. “But I’m not ready.” 

“Do you want to forfeit?” 

Dom shook his head no, and pointed at Finn. “He’s good. He can do it.” 

Nick had to explain the situation one more time because these kids just weren’t getting it. 

“You either forfeit or Dom competes. That’s the choice. Finn is done.” 

Damian frowned, glanced over at his young friend and looked him up and down. 

“Yeah…okay. That works.”

With his mouth hanging open, Dom turned to look at Rhea. “I - I can’t do this.”

“Yes you can. You’re Dirty Dominik Mysterio. You can do anything.” 

“Just don’t be soft.”

“Priest!” Rhea slapped the tall kid’s shoulder. 

“I’m just saying!” Priest rubbed his arm. “You have to attack it. Run at full speed. It’s all about momentum. So when you slide down the first ramp, you want to be running before your feet even touch the ground, understand?”

Dom blinked. “Uh, yeah. I think so. Run without your feet touching the ground?” 

“Oh man,” Priest muttered, running a hand over his face. “This is not going to go well, and we’re against Seth and Cody of all people.” 

“I can do it,” Dom said, sounding more confident than he did ten minutes ago. “I won’t let you down.” 

Damian scrunched his face, doing his best to keep the doubt away from Dom. “Yeah, alright. We’ll see.”  

If Corey thought they were at a disadvantage before, they were at a major disadvantage now. Dom was so much smaller. It would be really difficult for him to run up these gigantic prisms given his age and weight. 

Cody and Seth, the current champs, took their spot on the starting line. At least Cody had the decency to look guilty about this. He knew damn well he was able to beat them. Cody Rhodes was at the point where he was breaking his own records, he was that good. 

“Something about this feels wrong,” KP said, stating the obvious. So Corey had to give him crap. 

“What are you talking about, KP. Dominik’s done hard time in prison. Cody and Seth are lucky Damian’s there to hold Dominik back. He might mess them up.” 

“Mate,” KP said, the worry line on his forehead deepening. “You’re too much.” 

Rhea had helped Finn into a chair while Nick brought over a ziplock bag of ice cubes and the same doctor who treated Dom was now looking over Finn. 

“I don’t need a stretcher. I just -mmm - need to sit for a minute.” 

Fortunately, he took the ice pack though. 

Once Nick was sure Finn was alright, he turned his attention to Gunther. “My office after this. You have a lot of explaining to do.” 

Gunther threw Finn a menacing snarl then sat in the back of the room, fidgeting with his father’s dog tags wrapped around his neck, and staring at nothing in the distance. No expression. Corey sighed. He was probably going to have to cool Gunther down after Nick punishes him. Corey knew just what to do too. 

But for the time being, he could relax and enjoy the final match. 

Nick blew the whistle. 

Both teams bolted towards the ramps and as expected, Dom could only go halfway up before sliding back down on his stomach. Corey winced inwardly, feeling sorry for the kid while KP clapped. 

“Go Cody! Go Seth!” 

Damian paused at the top. “Give me your hand.”

Dom leaped up but couldn’t get very far. He couldn’t even reach Damian’s hand. 

“Go back. Get a running start,” Finn coached from the sidelines. 

Following Finn’s advice, Dom ran from the starting line and was able to make it just high enough to grab onto Damain’s hand. The older kid pulled Dominik up and over the other side. 

“Yikes. Cody and Seth are already finished with the ramps and Damian and Dom have just started,” KP said, shaking his head sadly. 

Rhea turned away, unable to watch. They were incredibly far behind. Seth and Cody were halfway through the balance beam and Tarzan ropes. It was going to take a miracle. 

Or a distraction. 

A sudden shout of pain came from Finn Bàlor and he dropped out of the chair and onto the floor. 

Nick rushed to his side and Rhea took full advantage of this distraction to hook onto Seth’s leg while he was on the balance beam and knock him clean into the foam blocks below. 

KP sucked in a breath. “Oh. Rhea Ripley with the assist. Nick didn’t see it. This gives Priest and Dominik a chance to get back in this.” 

“It’s not over till it’s over. Look at Dominik. His prison grit is on full display here,” Corey yelled, pumping his fist. 

“He was in juvenile hall for ten minutes, Corey.”

“You watch your mouth, KP. Don’t let Rhea hear you say that. You’ll be limping home tonight.” 

“Instagram stories have lasted longer than Dominik Mysterio and juvenile hall,” KP said. 

Seth was back on the balance beam at about the same time as Dominik. They both ran across it as fast as they could without falling, which was rather impressive since Dominik had those big furry boots on. 

Damian had already reached the other side along with Cody. They were waiting for Seth and Dom to climb the wall. 

Rhea grabbed Nick by the sleeve, turned him away from the action, and started shouting at him about how Finn needs better treatment. This allowed Damain to hoist Dom up on his shoulders, helping him get that boost he needed to climb higher than Seth. 

Becky Lynch started ranting in Rhea’s face, calling her out for cheating. Nick turned around just in time to see Dominik reach the top.

Seth was livid, trying to jump an extra couple of rocks, more than he normally would, and it only served to hinder his performance, making his miss his footing. 

Dom rang the bell. 

“He did it! He won! Hell yeah,” Corey exclaimed, leaping out of his seat and clapping for that little group of misfits. 

Rhea screamed in pure bliss, running around the gym, and flipping off her fellow peers. 

“Suck it! I told you we were better than you! I told you!”

Corey didn’t often think about work outside of work, but he had a feeling he was going to  replay this day over and over in his head for weeks to come. 

 

~~~

 

Rhea Ripley’s fingers were flying at the speed of light, crashing against the laptop’s keyboard vigorously. She stole a quick glance at the time at the bottom of the screen and picked up the pace.  

She had to finish this rough draft of her history assignment before 9:30pm because she wasn’t allowed to use the laptop after that time. Stupid group home rules. 

“Congratulations on your clean victory,” Seth said that evening in the dining room while they were doing their homework. 

Rhea pressed a hand to her forehead, sighing, “Yeah, whatever, dude.” She didn’t know what his problem was, but he was extremely annoying. Obviously, he had some issue with Finn, but that wasn’t Rhea’s problem.  

Carmello whipped his head around. “That’s what they do, Seth. They cheat, man.” 

“Right because Gunther elbowing Finn was totally fair,” she quipped, hands typing faster. 

Rhea didn’t have time to entertain a bunch of sore losers. She was so close to finishing this assignment. One more paragraph and she could be done. Come on. Just wrap it up. 

“How is Finney-Finn-Finn anyway?”

Rhea squinted at Seth. Couldn’t he see she was busy? 

“Did he break a couple of ribs? Man, that would suck for him. Poor Finn. I should send him a get well card, huh? Where should I send it? According to Kevin Owens he’s not sleeping in his room. Do you know where he is sleeping?” 

Rhea pressed her hands to her temples, “What is your problem? Are you that bored? Can’t you see I’m busy?” 

“Not as bored as little DomDom over there.” 

Rhea sat up straighter, spine going ridged. She glanced over at Dom where she saw him playing a game with Shotzi. They were taking turns flicking two quarters and a nickel in between two glasses of water, innocently passing the time. 

Rhea’s nails dug into her wrist as she tried to contain her fury. 

“Don’t look at Dom. Don’t talk about Dom. Don’t even think about Dom.” 

Seth blinked at her, a little conceited smile on his face. “Okay?”

She did not like how smug he looked. “You’re a little protective of your young cub, aren’t you, Mami Bear.” 

Sheer will power kept Rhea from responding. She pursed her lips, doing her damned best not to rip Seth’s long blonde highlights out of his head. 

Instead, she forced herself to focus on the blinking cursor in front of her, all her thoughts on a historical war were replaced with this war right in front of her. She imagined smashing Seth’s face against the table and it gave her a brief sense of satisfaction. Or maybe she should push him down a hill outside, watch him tumble into the woods behind the building. That would be nice too. Maybe a real bear could come by and bite him? 

Kevin Owens cleared his throat deciding to throw in his two cents. Because, hey, why not? Why doesn’t everyone just come on over here and tell Rhea how they felt about her cheating in the obstacle course? 

“You and your friends cause a lot of trouble.”

It occurred to her that she was without Damian and Finn — once again sitting in the dining room where Asuka had attacked her before. 

Funny how people only seemed to feel comfortable approaching her when the two oldest boys weren’t around. 

“K.O.,” Cody whispered gently, but Kevin Owens waved him off. 

“How long do you think you can keep this up?”

Rhea let out a laugh, trying to break the shimmering tension she could feel in the air. 

“Longer than you can keep it up in your pants,” she muttered under her breath.

“I’m taking about the cheating, the bullying, the blaming stuff on others. You got Asuka sent to a rehab facility.”’

Rhea ripped her eyes away from the screen. Whoa, whoa, whoa. She was not bullying anyone, and she never tried to get anyone in trouble. Asuka attacked her. She wasn’t looking to get rid of the girl. It just happened. 

“How long do you think you have before everyone in this group home beats the crap out of you? Because if you think we are going to let you continue to get away with this, you have another thing coming.”

“Back off,” Cody said, firmly. 

 Kevin Owens ignored his warning, fuming. “No, man. I’m sick of giving them time to adjust. You said that on the first day. It’s been almost a week. Time’s up.”  

Rhea slammed her laptop shut and slouched in her seat. 

“You want to hit me?” she asked, patting her cheek with her palm. “Go ahead. Hit me.”

Wrathful tension riddled K.O.’s shoulders like a firework gunning to explode. 

“I’m not dumb. I know the staff members are watching. You can’t get me in trouble that easily, girl.”

She wasn’t trying to get anyone in trouble for crying out loud. 

“Why don’t you wait until we’re alone then?” Rhea suggested, eyes opening wide like a panther taunting its prey. She could play mind games too. 

“But that’s the thing, you’re never alone, are you? If I go after you, Finn or Damian will be right there.” 

Rhea shrugged. Yeah, probably. Her boys had her back. But she would happily kick his ass all by herself. 

“That’s what I thought. Look, all I’m saying is what goes around comes around so don’t be surprised when you get yours.” Kevin said, finishing his threat in non-comprehensive fashion. What kind of a stupid ass message was that?

Rhea opened her textbook, blood boiling. Her brain could not focus on a single word she was reading and it was all his fault. The words on her screen glared back at her but they might as well have been written in French. Damn it, she was so close. She had one paragraph left. 

“So how did you guys meet?”

She glanced up from her textbook at Cody Rhodes — the one person who had actually been nice to her, and she figured she should answer him. 

“I - uh,” she finished typing a sentence, then closed her laptop. “I met Damian in a group home in New York. I met Dom in a foster home, and I met Finn in Pearce’s home. You guys seem to know Pearce.”

Cody nodded. “Yeah, we do. Pearce coordinates some of the events for us too. I know how you feel. It sort of feels like you’re a used car, doesn’t it? Being a foster kid? You get bought, and sold, and auctioned off, and returned just like a car.”

Rhea snorted, a genuine laugh. “I used to think of it as renting a house except I’m the house in this equation. Renters have lease restrictions. No one ever stays in a rental house forever.” 

“That’s exactly how it feels,” Cody agreed. 

“So you’re a foster kid too?” 

Considering how many people here had families, Rhea assumed Cody had one of the lucky ones too. He talked about his Dad during the group therapy sessions a lot. She just assumed his father was a drug addict or something. 

“Yeah, I am. I’ve been in foster care for seven years. My Dad was my best friend but he passed away. Long drawn out battle with cancer.”

“Shit, I’m —“ Just as the apology tumbled off her lips, Cody held his hand up to stop her. 

“It was a long time ago. I’m good. I’m at peace with it. What made you so close to Dom?” 

Rhea smoothed her hand out over the laptop in front of her, worried about Seth and K.O. who were sitting nearby. She didn’t want them hearing this. 

“I took Dom under my wing. It was his first time in a foster home so he needed my help, and he repaid me by kicking the crap out of our foster parents. That’s how he ended up in Juvie.”

Cody hummed, as if he found her story fascinating. 

“I have a similar experience in an abusive group home. I took a lot of shit to protect the other kids living there.” 

“So,” Seth interjected, “The Judgement Day must be close.”

“We are.” 

“Then I’m assuming you know about the story between Finn and I?” 

“Of course I do,” she lied. She didn’t care. That was Finn’s story to tell, and when he was comfortable, he would share it with her. 

Seth drummed his fingers against the table, looking every bit guilty. 

“You gotta understand. I had no choice. I had to leave him.”  

Rhea crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. Whatever the story was, it sounded like Seth did something awful. From the guilt on his face to the anger Finn displayed she could piece enough of it together to get a clear picture.  

“I thought I knew him,” Seth continued, “But it turns out, I didn’t know him as well as I thought. Just be careful, okay.” 

Rhea’s jaw tightened, fingernails digging into her palm. Just what was he trying to suggest? 

His next words were was cut off by the sound of glass shattering.

Everyone in the room went silent and still. 

Shotzi gasped, a hand covering her mouth as she stared at Dom and the broken glass. 

“Oh my gosh,” she whispered, looking at Dom like she pitied his soul, “Brent’s gonna kill you.” 

“It was an accident,” Dom whispered. “He can’t be mad.” 

Rhea felt her throat close. Why did this crap always happen to her DomDom? She needed to put him in bubble wrap. 

Dom stood there, feet shuffling, glancing at Rhea from underneath his long eyelashes like she was supposed to magically fix this broken piece of glass and make everything better. 

She would if she could. It would be so much better than dealing with Brent and his less than sunny personality. Shotzi’s warning was a little frightening as well. It was almost like she knew something Rhea didn’t. 

At the sound of footsteps, Rhea felt panic settle in her like a live wire, and she beckoned Dom to her side quickly, extending her arm so Dom could sit on her lap. 

“Careful of the glass,” Cody said, getting up and helping Shotzi over to a safe spot, holding the younger girl with bright green hair in his arms. 

The second Brent walked in, everyone in the room dropped their eyes to their textbooks, pretending to be very busy with their schoolwork.  

Dom hardly moved a muscle and Rhea wanted to tell him to act more normal, but she didn’t dare say a word. 

She felt Brent’s gaze scan over them while her pencil remained moving on her textbook. She was writing R+D repeatedly in the margin, trying to look busy as hell. 

“Who did this?” 

No one said a word. No one lifted their head. 

“Who did this?” Brent thundered, moving swiftly to where Kevin Owens sat. “Was it another fight?” He turned to Seth. “Did someone throw it?” Then to Shotzi. “Or were you just being careless?”

Rhea licked her dry lips, tasting the black lipstick that remained on her face. Brent’s voice was sharper now and she still didn’t feel comfortable lifting her head. 

“Do you think everything in this house is free? That we have a ton of money to waste?” 

He slapped his hand down on the table and Rhea tightened her hold on Dom, heart rate increasing drastically. 

She felt Dom slip a little on her lap, evidently uncomfortable and trying to squirm. 

“I swear if I don’t get an answer in the next two seconds I’m going to take every single one of you —“

“It was Dom.”

Rhea’s eyes seared into Kevin Owens with a deadly rage. How fucking dare he throw Dom under the bus like that. She was going to claw his face in his sleep. 

“No, no. It wasn’t me,” Dom cried, gripping Rhea’s shirt tighter. 

“It was Kevin,” Rhea shot back. 

His mouth was agape. “It was not!” 

“Dominik. Kevin. Follow me.”

Kevin Owens’ jaw dropped dramatically. “But I didn’t do anything.”

“Neither did I.” 

“Yes you did!” 

Brent stomped forward and Rhea squeezed Dom as tightly as humanly possible to her chest. Brent snagged Dom’s forearm and pulled. 

“No, let go!” Rhea shouted as she felt Dom being viciously pulled away from her. She held on, just barely, and struggled to keep him in her grip. Dom flailed, one fuzzy cow boot getting stuck in between the chair legs as he dangled between Rhea and Brent.

“Don’t!” Rhea screamed. 

“It was me.”

Every head whipped around to stare at Cody, bewildered. 

Dom fell back limply against Rhea, breathing hard. She wrapped her arms around his trembling shoulders and stared wide-eyed at Cody, knowing full well he didn’t do anything wrong. 

“You dropped it?” Brent asked, softer in tone since he was talking to the golden boy. 

“Yeah,” Cody scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry, it just slipped out of my hand.”

At least their houseparent didn’t look so angry anymore, it was replaced by pure perplexity. 

“Alright. You know the drill. Let’s go,” Brent said gesturing for Cody to follow. The bleach blond pushed his chair out, and followed without a word.

Everyone else remained silent for a long time after that until Kevin Owens eventually stood to his feet. 

“That’s it. I’m gonna get you guys back for throwing me under the bus like that. Just you wait,” he said, storming out of the room. 

Rhea sat there staring in disbelief at Cody’s empty chair as she tried to process what the hell just happened. 

Notes:

They are making more enemies than friends which is only going to make life harder. Can you feel it getting a little colder for them? We might be headed into a snow storm.

Chapter 12: The Mall

Summary:

This chapter should alternately be known as the “Bad Decisions” chapter.

Cold rain pelted against the roof, and washed the glass windows with heavy sheet of water. 

Rhea folded her legs, blinking blearily at the cartoons on the screen, a thick fleece blanket warm and snug around her body. Dom sat by her side swimming in Damian’s big white t-shirt. 

It was a perfect Saturday morning in the group home because the sun hadn’t risen, and no one else was awake. 

Mornings like this had Rhea excited for her future. When Finn turned twenty-one he could become a foster parent and he would foster them. That was the plan. Once that happened, Rhea could have mornings like this all the time, when it was just her and Dom, watching cartoons and telling stories. 

Dom was in the middle of an animated story right now, using his hands to express himself. Rhea rubbed her socks against his, smiling as he stumbled over his words. She derived great pleasure in making him blush with the smallest of touches. 

“Mami?” 

“Yeah, Dom?” 

“Explain this.” He plopped a bag of Shapes in her lap. They raided the pantry last night and took a bunch of snacks. Dom had about ten bags with him.  

“Flavor you can see,” he said, pointing at the slogan. “How can you see flavor?”  

Rhea clicked her tongue. 

“So it’s like… when there is so much flavor in it, you can actually see the flavor.” That was a horrible explanation. Rhea was appalled at the word salad that came out of her mouth. 

Her Latino Heat tilted his head, “So it’s like seasoning?”

“Yeah, like seasoning.” She grabbed the plastic bag and showed him a picture. “See? See the little red specks.”

Dom nodded, and pointed to another set of words. “These are oven-baked, not fried, just so you know.” 

Rhea barked out a laugh, smiling fondly. He was such a dork, she really loved him. 

“What flavor should we try?” Dom asked, biting his lip in concentration. Difficult decisions. 

“How about we try the barbecue ones first because I don’t remember what barbecue tastes like.”  

Dom stretched his arm out and grabbed two bags. She thanked him as he handed her one, and tore it open, listening to the foil crinkle beneath her fingers.  

“You don’t remember what barbecue tastes like?” Rhea could hear the smirk in his voice. “Pretty generic flavor.”  

She rolled her eyes playfully. 

“It doesn’t taste like barbecue sauce, dude.”

Curiosity overtook Dom as he glanced more closely at the snack in his hands. 

“Then what’s it taste like?” he asked.

“They’re like these little crackers. Go on, take a bite.”

He shoved the whole thing in his mouth, no hesitation and grinned. “That’s totally like barbecue sauce.” 

She nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, and Dom’s round cheeks puffed, like he was the proudest boy ever to call her out like that. 

“I disagree,” she said, casually, with a shrug. 

“Have you ever had barbecue sauce?” Dom countered. 

“Yeah, I love barbecue sauce,” Rhea said. 

Dom blinked at her like she grew three heads. She matched his expression, tossed a cracker in her mouth, and watched as his cheeks flushed again. It was too easy to fluster him. 

“Alright. Let’s move on to the Pizza flavored pack. You remember what Pizza tastes like, right?” 

She gently wrapped her hand around his neck, pretending to choke him to death. Dom laughed and shoved her away. 

“Whoa, this one has a lot of flavor on it,” he said, pointing to the seasoning. 

Rhea snorted. “Would you look at that.”

“Tastes like a pizza pocket,” he grinned. 

This time she agreed with him. “See, I agree with you sometimes, and I’ll still love you anyways. Even if you are super fussy about barbecue.” 

“Hey, I like all this stuff. I’m not picky.” 

For a rare change of pace, they watched TV, not really thinking about anything in particular just enjoying each other’s company in the simplest form. 

The house was quiet except for the munch-munch of Dom’s chewing, but Rhea was on high-alert, listening for any signs of life. She was particularly worried about Kevin Owens and his threat last night. 

Just as her mind started to spiral, another bag of Shapes was placed onto her lap and Dom waited patiently for her to open the chicken flavored packet. 

“Uh-oh. No flavor,” Dom said, holding up a cracker that didn’t have any red specks on it. Rhea shook her head, amused. “Nooo,” she said, all drawn out and so firmly Australian, her foster parents would have been proud. 

“No, it’s just a lighter color. It’s still got flavor,” she pinched his thigh. Dom let out a soft yip, a sound the reminded of Rhea when they were in the bedroom, and it gave her a warm feeling in her chest.   

“Dom, there’s something I’ve been wanting to say to you. I —“ 

A lamp light turned on with a sharp click. A lean shadow appeared, making Dom gasp and shrink back, but it was only Cody. He stood by the rainy window, and yawned, stretching his arms.  

Within seconds, Dom was at his side. 

“Oof.” Cody breathed as Dom threw his arms around his mid-section. “Hey, Dom.” He placed a hand on the back his head, half frozen by this uncharacteristic display of affection. “Good morning to you too.” 

“I’m so sorry, Cody,” Dom said earnestly, burying his face in the fabric of Cody’s blue hoodie. 

Rhea played with the charms on her necklace, unable to bear the sight of her DomDom so guilt stricken. She didn’t understand why Cody took the fall for them last night. He must want to blackmail them. 

“Oh, it’s alright,” Cody murmured into Dom’s hair, his voice even softer now. “We’re good. I’m not mad at you.” 

Dom pulled away from the hug with a sheepish expression. 

“I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.”

“I know. It was an accident, no harm done,” Cody said, ruffling Dom’s hair like a big brother would, trying to play it off like it was nothing. 

“Are you okay?” Dom pressed, brown eyes scanning Cody’s whole self, looking for any blood or bruises. 

“I’m fine,” he smiled, strained. Microscopically so, but strained nonetheless. Rhea worried that Brent may have hurt him. She would really owe Cody one if that happened. 

“What do you want us to do?” Rhea blurted out. They might as well get this over with. She didn’t want to wait to be blackmailed. 

“I don’t want anything.” 

Yeah right. 

“Come on, dude. We both know Dom and I owe you one. Just tell us what you want.” 

Dom nodded solemnly at her words. “We can beat someone up if you want.”

“Or give Wes Lee his room back,” Rhea whispered, praying that wouldn’t be the case. 

Cody’s mouth floundered open and closed. 

“You guys think…” he paused, like he was trying to process, and glanced between the two kids in front of him. “Guys, I was just trying to help. You both seemed super anxious to face Brent, and I didn’t want him to scare you. It was just an accident. I’m not going to force you to do anything for me. Sometimes people can do nice things without expecting anything in return.” 

Dom wondered back over to the blanket where Rhea was. 

“Can I give you two some advice?” Cody asked. 

 Rhea wasn’t one to take advice from anyone except maybe Damain, but she felt like she owed Cody that much, so she nodded curtly. 

“You should try opening up more in group. You would be surprised how much better you’ll feel. People don’t understand you right now. But if you let those walls come down a little, they might. And maybe we can help.”

Rhea could barely keep up with everything he was spilling out of his mouth because she was still adjusting to the idea that he didn’t intend to blackmail her.  

Throughout that speech, Dom had grabbed a bag of Shapes and wondered back over to Cody. He thrusted the bag in Cody’s hand as a token of his appreciation. They had to give him some sort of currency for his kindness. 

“Just think about it.” 

 

~~~

 

She thought about it, and Rhea decided that she fought her own battles. She didn’t need to open up to anyone. 

She fought her own battles, and sometimes that included fighting to stay quiet during group therapy. She was in a smaller group, sharing concerns about their upcoming family day. 

“I’m scared it’s going to be awkward with my Mom. I don’t want her to feel like a stranger,” Wes Lee admitted. 

Rhea waited. It always took a few minutes before someone decided to offer their input. Soon, the advice started pouring through. 

“Maybe you can share a memory you both love,” Trick said.  

“Yeah or you could start with ice breaker,” Carmelo added. 

A few more people shared their opinions before Cheryl jumped in, and passed out another piece of paper. She was a little paper-happy today.  

“How about you, Dom? What are your concerns for Family Day?” Cheryl asked.  

“I don’t have any concerns.”

A hushed grumble made its way through the room.

“Quiet,” Cheryl reminded everyone. She turned her attention back to Dom. 

“Nothing?”

He scrunched his nose in disgust. “No…Why? Should I be?”

“It’s okay to be nervous to see your biological family again. It’s been a while since you and your father last talked.” 

“That’s because he’s a deadbeat. Why would I want to talk to him. I - I hate him.” 

“Wow,” Seth mumbled. Rhea snapped her head in his direction, glaring. 

“Hate is a strong word.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m using it.” 

Cheryl pursed her lips. “Let’s unpack this.”

“No - I don’t want to talk about him. Look, lady. He’s not coming anyway. He never showed up for my birthday or soccer practice, so why would he show up now?” 

“I’m sorry, Dominik, but I was told by Nick that he accepted the invitation to Family Day tomorrow. I think he’s going to be here.” 

“No,” Dom shook his head. “That’s not true. He doesn’t care.” 

Rhea knew Dom like the back of her hand. She knew he was on the verge of lashing out right now so she grabbed his hand. “We will deal with your father when and if he shows his ugly face. Don’t worry.” 

Damian nodded in agreement, uttering something in Spanish that immediately calmed Dom down, and brought him back to the relaxed stare he was in prior to Cheryl’s prodding. 

They fight their own battles, and sometimes that includes fighting fears that have lived inside of them for years.  

 

~~~

 

After group therapy, they ate lunch and waited for Nick to hand out rewards. Today was the day they would finally get to see JD. 

“Alright team,” Nick began, projecting his voice just enough to get through the low level of noise surrounding him. He uncapped a fresh black marker and pressed it to the well-used white board that usually had their chores listed. “You’ve all been doing a fantastic job this week. It’s time to cash in.”

He wrote “Reward Menu” in large capital letters across the top center of the board. A low rumble of excitement rippled through the room. 

Rhea watched as Nick wrote down her name. Her total amount of points for the week wasn’t very high. Fortunately, Finn and Priest were higher on the list because this was a first come, first serve situation. 

Nick listed the rewards in neat bullet points: Mini Golf, Family Visit, Out to Dinner, The Mall, The Movies. There were a bunch of low level prizes too, like longer time in the rec room. Rhea was aiming for that family visit. 

On the top of the leader board, Cody reigned supreme. He had a special reward where he could go out anywhere on his own. Sami chose to go to the movies. Kevin chose to visit a restaurant.

Each time someone selected a reward, Rhea held her breath. She watched as the reward she wanted was selected multiple times until only one slot remained. Seth freakin’ Rollins took it, and just like that, the option was gone. 

It was deliberate — that was the worst part. Seth had this mocking smile, this arrogance about him as he walked past Finn, like he knew exactly what he was doing. Rhea was amazed at Finn’s restraint. She would have pummeled him to the ground right then and there.  

“What do you guys want to select?” Finn asked through gritted teeth. They frantically scrambled to choose the next best option. 

 

~~~

 

Rhea was outside of the gated home. Free. The simple, terrifying, glorious fact of it settled over her, and she let her arm hang out the window. 

Vic drove them to the mall, which was cool because he never talked crap about them, at least not to their face, so Rhea could handle an afternoon with him as her chaperone. 

On a Saturday, the mall parking lot was packed with cars. It was a warmer day for early October. Windy too. They had one extra person with them, a blonde girl named Liv who also wanted to go to the mall. Since the maximum amount of people allowed to go the mall was five, Rhea had no choice but to accept this. 

“I can’t wait to shop!” she cheered, hurting Rhea’s ears. 

A flock of birds flew overhead as they stepped out of the car. 

“Stay together,” Vic warned as he opened the back door for them. 

The buzz of people was a shock to Rhea’s system. Just the parking lot was full of teenage girls giggling, a group of guys crowded around a muscle car, a mother bouncing her crying toddler. Gum on the sidewalk. Wind whipping her hair. 

It was impossible for Rhea not to get distracted by the cacophony of sights and sounds when she spent the last year of her life trapped inside Adam Pearce’s home. 

“Follow me,” Vic told them as they crossed the street. 

This would be their best chance at running away if they ever wanted to - one guard wouldn’t be enough to stop all four of them. Rhea wasn’t sure if running was still the plan. Nick’s group home wasn’t that bad. Better than freezing and starving. Finn must have thought so too because he didn’t try to run. Instead, he trailed Vic into the mall. 

The mall had bright lights, extreme closeups of model’s faces, and music in the background. Perfume smells everywhere and fancy jewelry on display, stuff Rhea would never be able to afford. 

The thrift store was perfect for their budget. Vic divided a small amount of money equally amongst the five of them and told them to go wild. It was hardly enough to buy a piece of candy with, but Rhea wouldn’t complain. This was her chance to buy something other than the same two outfits she’s been wearing. 

Liv seemed to know exactly what she was after. She raced past the trinkets and old furniture and headed straight for the clothing racks. 

Rhea found herself drawn to the mountains of CDs and DVDs. The bands and movies that lined the shelves were so diverse. She shuffled through a basket, curious if they had a good selection of metal music. Damain would love some Metallica. 

Finn browsed the large selection of books, and Dom and Damian were doing who knows what by the hat section, just goofing around. 

Rhea thumbed the price sticker on a Bring Me The Horizon album. It was tempting, but she knew she needed clothes, so she forced herself to move on, looking at the clothes instead. Survival over want, always. Just once she’d like to not have to think like that. 

Rhea searched for something black. Preferably black and purple. It was becoming obvious by the price tags that she barely had enough for one outfit. Damian and Dom were swapping hats and beanies, teasing each other over different baseball teams. 

“Aw dawg, you need to buy that hat. Show Rhea.”

Dom pointed to the black and white snapback on his head, it had a picture of a ghost and a Boo graphic across the top. That was perfect considering how many people liked to boo him in their last home.  

“It suits you, Dom.” 

Dom smiled big and broad.

Rhea found a black leather corset that screamed Rhea Bloody Ripley. It was gorgeous, dark, and sexy as hell, bedazzled with rhinestones and belt straps. She just had to buy it. But there was also a leather vest. Oh! And a purple velvet shirt. 

“Hold this.” Damian handed Dom a tethered grey tank top while he pulled out a pair of jeans with chains on them. Damian did like the clothes that cut off his circulation. 

“A little flamboyant,” Rhea teased, and Priest shook his head.  

“Nah, I love this look. This is rockstar right here.”  

If he loved it, she loved it too.

“How about you, Dom? What’s your style?”

She watched him push past a bunch of leather and polos until he found a pair of black overalls. 

“You’re kidding.” Overalls? The California boy wanted overalls? Shouldn’t he be interested in surf attire or baggy pants? 

“I like them,” he said, holding the clothes to his heart. 

 

“Okay, let’s get you some overalls. Priest, how much money do we theoretically have?”

“None. We’re actually in debt right now.” 

“Awesome.”

 

~~~

 

Finn hung the leather jacket back on the rack, breathing hard as the hanger clattering loudly in the quiet store. He wanted that leather jacket, but why should that matter? He also wanted to see JD. Too bad, so sad for him. 

See, Finn wanted a lot of things that weren’t ever going to happen. He wanted the last seven years of his life back. He wanted Seth Rollin’s to pay. He wanted to go back in time and change one decision, but this wasn’t Back to The Future, and there was no magic in this world. 

“Finn, man. I’ll beat his ass for you,” Damian offered. 

“Thanks big man. But I’ll handle Seth,” Finn said darkly. “He’s my mess to take care of. I don’t want you three getting involved.” 

He didn’t want them to get hurt. 

“Dude, you have to tell us what your deal is with him?” 

Hastily, Finn started hanging Damian’s clothes back on the rack. “It’s a long story.” He was amazed at his ability to sound so emotionless when in reality the subject of Seth turned him into an emotional wreck. 

As Finn’s loving family, they continued to harp on this, sticking their grubby fingers in his hair, pulling his sleeve, nudging him left and right, until Finn finally had enough. 

“Okay, alright,” he groused, scrubbing a hand over his mouth to hide his smile. They were endearing when they were being pests. They cared about him, he knew that. 

“There’s not much to tell,” he said. “Seth was my friend, and then he wasn’t.” 

 

~~~

 

Seth and Finn became friends in school, the only two kids advanced enough to skip an entire grade. From the beginning, there was a rivalry between them. They were always trying to beat each other at everything, but in the beginning, it was fun. Who could climb the tree the fastest? Who would be first to finish the exam? Who could kick more goals?

Finn considered Seth his best friend. The one person he wanted to hang out with after school, other than his little step-brother. After spending time together, Finn learned things about Seth, like his tendency to shoplift and his interest in drinking. In return, Seth learned things about Finn. Like his step-father chased him through the dirt, strong hands, big enough to wrap around his skinny arm completely would jerk him back whenever he had a few drinks. 

He was ten when he ran away for the first time. Finn couldn’t stand to listen to the drunken words anymore. He grabbed JD, and went to Seth’s house, seeking shelter. 

For a while, it was nice. But Seth loved a good thrill, and Finn needed to earn his keep, so he started shoplifting with Seth. It turned into a competition. For Seth, it was all fun and games. If he got caught, his parents were called and it was a slap on the wrist. For Finn, the stakes were much higher. 

On the day he beat Seth’s shoplifting record was the day the cashier caught him. Finn and Seth booked it out of the store. They had been chased before, but never by someone as spry as the cashier that went after them. 

“Go, go, go,” Finn chanted to Seth as he frantically jumped a fence. The second he pushed off the ground, his shoulder was jabbed by a broken piece of wire. It dug into his rotator cuff, and Finn screamed in pain. He was stuck, unable to free himself. 

 

~~~

 

“I begged him to pull me out. All he had to do was grab my hand, but he didn’t. He left me there. I got put in Pearce’s group home because of Seth. It’s all his fault. He could have saved me. He chose to save himself.” 

A scanner bleeped in the background, picking up a few bar codes. 

“I’m sorry, man. That’s tough.”

“Seth’s the reason me and JD ended up in the system. He knows how bad I want to see him, and he just stole my chance at seeing him tonight.”

Rhea swallowed thickly. She didn’t know what to say. It sounded like Seth might have been jealous of Finn, so when he saw the opportunity to desert him, he took it. 

“You’ll get another shot next week,” Damian assured, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “Until then, why don’t you buy the leather jacket.”

Dom blinked in surprised excitement. “Are we stealing?” Rhea shushed Dom fiercely. 

“I’m just glad you said it first because I was thinking the same thing,” Finn admitted. “I’m tired of waiting to get what I want. Consequences be damned.” 

The temptation surrounding Rhea was too strong, the whole reason she became friends with people like Finn and Damian in the first place was because they were so bloody good at getting what they wanted. She craved that kind of power. 

“What do you have in mind?” 

 

~~~

 

It wasn’t hard to devise a plan. Finn explained the real trick was to swipe a credit card from someone. It was safer and less risky — much easier to take some plastic out of someone’s wallet than to hide a bunch of things under their clothes. 

The tricky part was distracting Vic so he wouldn’t notice all the clothes they were buying. That’s where Liv came into the plan. She didn’t know she was a part of it, but her peppy attitude was a big help. All Rhea had to do was play along. 

Together they grabbed some outfits and Liv forced Vic to give his opinion on all their matching clothes. “Vic! Watch me! Watch me!” 

It worked like a charm.

In the four stores they visited, Rhea loaded up on clothes. Each time they left a store, Damian would take the shopping bags to the car and hide them in the trunk while Dom and Rhea distracted Vic at the food court. 

“This is that last store, and then we’re going home,” Vic warned, fully done with them this afternoon. 

Liv oohed and awed at the necklaces around Rhea’s neck. She grabbed a chain between her manicured nails and said, “I like this one.”

“Thanks.” 

“Where did you get it?”

“It was gift.”  

“So! What are we gonna try on first? Glam?” She zipped through the clothing rack like a girl on a mission. “Ew, not that. Gross. Too long. Needs more color. Oh! This is so cute. What do you think?”

She held up red plaid booty shorts. 

“You could pull it off,” Rhea tossed back easily. It wasn’t for her. Liv was petite like a Barbie doll, she could wear a trash bag and it would still look good. Personally, Rhea preferred chaps if she was going to show off her ass. Dom could wear a little cowboy hat. They’d look so great together. 

Rhea fantasized about wearing certain clothes with Dom until her attention was drawn away. 

“We need to find a matching shirt and then we can be plaid twinsies!”

Liv was a lot — too much at times, and yet Rhea liked her enthusiasm. It was different from the boys, and even though Rhea liked hanging with her boys more than anyone, it was nice to have someone who understood some of her daily struggles.  

“Right! Like I started using rubber bands to put my hair up but it hurts so bad. I cannot wait to use these scrunchies,” Liv said.  

“I’ve been out of black lipstick for forever, so I’ve been mixing my red lipstick with black eyeshadow and putting it on my lips,” Rhea admitted, as if she were admitting a great sin. 

Liv belly laughed. Today was the first day Rhea got to know Liv, and she already knew more about the girl’s life than she was comfortable with, because Liv would not stop talking. Turned out she liked horror movies too, just like Rhea, and that was the highlight of Rhea’s day. 

“We have to watch Halloween together,” Rhea exclaimed. “Oh! Or that Ring movie.”’ 

“Maybe one night we could sneak into the rec room and go on a marathon of horror movies?”

Honestly, that sounded like the best night. 

DomDom wasn’t a huge fan of horror. He would watch it for Rhea, but she knew it wasn’t his favorite. He liked monster movies and old black and white films. But mostly, he loved comedy. Damain liked action movies, and Finn preferred a book. So really, Liv would be the perfect person to watch horror movies with. 

Rhea and Liv waited in the checkout line, credit card tucked up Rhea’s sleeve, when she noticed a mall cop eyeing her from a mile away.  

The last time Rhea was caught stealing, she was seven with long blonde hair. Miss Yim called her social worker that night and Rhea was removed from her home within a week. 

A horrifying deja vu sensation creeped into her mind as she watched the cop communicate with a woman clutching her purse. The same woman Finn stole the credit card from. 

A near perfect day ruined. Blown to smithereens. Pushed a little too far this time, Ripley. 

“Those are the kids who were hanging around my purse,” the woman exclaimed.

This was not the first time Rhea had to think fast on her feet. It pained Rhea to do this, especially since Liv had been decent company, but she had to save her own skin. 

She slipped the credit card carefully into the girl’s pocket, feeling an awful lot like Seth Rollins as she did. Maybe she could end up sympathizing with Seth more than she originally thought. 

“Why are you accusing these kids?” Vic asked. And for a few minutes, he actually tried to defend them which was kind. Rhea was a bit blown away. Like all things, though, the kindness went away and Vic asked them all to empty their pockets.  

Poor Liv. She never saw it coming. The look on her face was one of absolute betrayal. 

Their mall trip ended abruptly after that. Vic handed the woman his contact information as well as the cop, and he promised to work this out with the group home manager. 

He apologized profusely, shouting at the blonde girl every chance he had. 

They listened to Liv cry the entire way home, which in Rhea’s opinion was punishment enough. She hated hearing Vic yell at the girl when she knew it was supposed to be her, a few times she thought about opening her mouth to confess but then Vic started saying things like we’re calling your social worker, and Rhea quickly chomped down on her tongue. 

One thing was for sure, she learned her lesson. In this home, Rhea was not on top. She did not hold all the cards, and she was lucky to escape by the skin of her teeth. Never again would she risk her safety by doing something so reckless. 

Never again. 

 

Notes:

…and making very bad choices. ˇ︿ˇ

Chapter 13: Family Day

Summary:

Also known as the saddest chapter thus far 🙁😓🥺

Notes:

Three people cry in this one chapter.

Antarctic was a heat wave compared to the frigid air in the dining room on Sunday morning.

When Rhea and Dom walked in for breakfast, everyone stopped talking. Rhea twisted her necklace between her fingers, feeling the weight of her actions. The long oak table, usually a place for boisterous chatter was silent. 

In the corner, Liv sniffled, holding onto Raquel’s hand. Rhea could feel her eyes on her the entire time as she made a bowl of cereal. 

Dom sat at the table, munching on something, a glass of half-full milk by his plate. The second she sat down next to him, Sami Zayn picked himself up and moved to the other side of the room. Dom looked up from his food, his expression puzzled. Rhea just shook her head at him, like ‘don’t pay attention to them’ although her rumbling stomach lost its appetite. She expected anger, but this? This was painful. 

Not long after that, Finn and Damian joined Rhea and Dom in the harsh silence. Spoons clinked against bowls, people chewed slowly, almost methodically in uncomfortable silence. 

Rhea kept her eyes on her food, sunlight tangled in her dark hair, and reminded her that she did what she had to do. Sometimes running directly into the fire wasn’t the answer. 

Then Nick walked in and Rhea wanted to engulf herself in flames. She never thought of Nick as intimidating until she saw him that morning. 

“Rewards are a privilege,” Nick began with an intensity to his tone that had everyone freezing in place, spoons halfway raised to their mouths. 

“You earn rewards through hard work. My hope is that someday you learn how hard work pays off. I like to think I’m a reasonable man, that I treat all of you with respect, yes?”

He waited for a few teens to nod. 

“All I ask is you show me that same respect. When you go in public, you are representing me and you are representing my home. I trust you all to show the best versions of yourselves out there.” Nick’s eyes flickered towards Liv with a jaded glint. “When you break that trust, you have to work hard to rebuild it.”

He was talking to Liv directly now, stepping closer to her. “You made my home look very bad. You broke the law, and you broke my trust, Liv.” 

The girl’s face crumbled, and she curled up into a little ball on the chair, hugging her knees to her chest. “I didn’t do it,” she wailed. 

“Because of you, rewards will be postponed until further notice. You can all thank Liv for that.”

Liv cried into her knees. 

The sound was like adding castor oil into Rhea’s soggy cereal. She closed her eyes momentarily unable to stomach her breakfast any longer. Rhea knew she deserved this lecture. 

“You are going to work until you have paid off the bill, and then we are going to talk about how you can rebuild the trust you damaged.”

The whole public chastisement was awful. Rhea fidgeted, scratched her face, wanted to just curl up like Liv was doing and die. The second Nick left the room, most everyone rushed to comfort the girl who was sobbing into Raquel’s arms now. 

Rhea kicked her chair out, unable to stand it any longer. She rushed to the sink to dump out the rest of her cereal.

“Don’t worry, Liv. We’ll get ‘em back for you,” Sami Zayn promised. “I mean it. I’ve talked to Kevin. We’re on the same page.” 

“Good job, guys,” Wes Lee deadpanned, clapping slow. “You should be real proud of yourselves.”

“I told you,” Carmelo said. “That’s what they do. They steal things, like Wes Lee’s room.” 

“Yeah, and then they frame it on other people,” Seth remarked, like he of all people could judge. 

“Okay stop.” Cody said, slamming his cup on the table. He turned to Sami and Seth, addressing them. “Let’s give them the chance to do right thing before we start grabbing the tar and feathers.” 

This, naturally, caused an uproar. 

A fan whipped air on Rhea’s bare shoulders, causing goosebumps to rise. She walked back to the table and stood protectively behind Dom, draping an arm around his neck. 

“Why are you so determined to defend these thugs?”  

Cody ignored Seth and turned his blue eyes onto Rhea and Dom. 

“Hey, look. It’s okay to mess up. What matters is what you do after. I know you’re new, and I know this is scary for you.”

She didn’t appreciate the childlike tone he used. They weren’t toddlers. 

“But you can’t treat people this way. I understand wanting to lash out, and I get wanting to control things. But this —“ he pointed to Liv, “— is unacceptable.”

Rhea’s fist curled into little round balls. She knew she fucked up. She didn’t need this. 

“We said sorry,” Dom sulked. They did. They apologized to Liv on the way home, and a couple of other times last night. Finn spent the most time with her, trying to comfort her. 

“Sorry’s not good enough. Go tell Nick it was you.” 

Damian looked up from his eggs, as if Cody’s words snapped him out of whatever trance he had been in for the past ten minutes. 

“No way, man. We can’t do that.”

Cody turned to Rhea, eyes blazing with hope. 

Finn spoke for them. 

“They aren’t saying anything, they didn’t do anything.”

“Don’t lie,” Cody shook his head in utter disappointment. “And I wasn’t talking to you, Finn. I’m talking to Rhea and Dom.” 

Finn scoffed. “Why? You think cause they’re younger they’re more susceptible? They know how to survive.” 

Cody slapped his hand down on the table. “This isn’t about surviving. It’s about doing the right thing.” 

Seth licked his lips, “They’re too cowardly to -“

“One more word and I’ll stuff my shoe down your throat!” Finn screamed. Damian grabbed him by the waist. 

“Forget it. They’re not gonna take accountability,” Sami Zayn said to Cody. “I’ve had to deal with people like them my whole life. People who chase power. Bullies who think they are better than everyone else. The only way to deal with them is to show them that we aren’t going to be pushed around.” 

 Cody sighed, closing his eyes momentarily. “They’re not bullies, they’re just…”

“Stop trying to defend them, Rhodes. Join our side. We’re gonna beat the crap out of them.” 

Rhea stood there breathing hard for several seconds. Her brain knew she shouldn’t care what these people were saying, but her stupid body was getting all worked up over nothing. She had to chomp down on her quivering lip to force it into submission. She was Rhea Bloody Ripley. She could destroy everyone in this house. Just as soon as her eyes stopped getting all blurry.  

“No,” Cody huffed, “It’s probably my fault. I took the fall for them the other day. I taught them the wrong thing.” 

“Yeah, you taught them they could get away with anything,” Sami hissed. “Good job, Cody. What a great mentor you’ve been.” 

“Keep talking about us like we’re not in the room,” Damian hissed, “See what happens.” 

Rhea left her boys to handled this themselves because she couldn’t take it anymore. She stomped to the nearest bathroom, checked the sheet of paper to make sure no one was scheduled to take a shower during this time, and rapped her knuckles against the painted door. 

“Anyone in here?” It didn’t sound like the shower was running. She gave it one last tap, and then pulled open the door. 

Empty. 

Rhea figured it would be. 

She closed herself inside and leaned her warm forehead against the wooden door. This was all her parent’s fault. Who the fuck abandons their baby? Apparently people who wanted their daughter to grow up in a cage like this, that’s who! 

Rhea never asked for this. She was only thirteen. Cody was right. She was disgusted with herself for even thinking it, but she was terrified of being trapped in this group home forever. It is fucking scary. And now she made it so much worse. She keeps hurting people. An unwanted tear splashed to the floor. Rhea stuffed her fist in her mouth so no one would hear her. 

She slid down the door and sat with her head resting on her knees. This wasn’t a home. No one was going to comfort her. She didn’t have a Mom or a Dad who would care if her eyes were red. She needed to grow up, and stop acting like a little kid. 

“Rhea?”  

Dom — fuck.

“Can I come in?” 

She couldn’t answer him right now. Her throat was too choked up. 

“Don’t listen to them. They don’t have to worry about being separated like we do. Most of them have families waiting for them.” 

She ferociously dabbed her eyes with a towel, trying to erase all evidence of tears. It helped to breathe. Just in and out. 

“Liv’s going to be fine,” Dom explained. “Someday she’s going to go home with her parents, and live on her farm with her dogs and her horses. She never has to worry about foster parents like we do. She never has to worry about screwing up so bad that Nick wants to get rid of her. She has a family!”

Rhea sucked in a shuddery breath, focusing on his voice, his words. It was true. If they turned themselves in, Nick would tear them apart and separate them. Liv had a family to go home to, but for Rhea, this was the only family she had. 

“I love you, and I don’t want you to be sad. Please open the door.” 

Her Dirty Dom. Her ride or die. He said the words Rhea had been dying to say all along. 

“I love you too,” she rasped, splashing cold water on her face.

Pull it together, Ripley. Family Day is this afternoon and Dom needs you. 

 

~~~

 

It was a madhouse.

Families and teens tried to find each other in the crowd, talking over top of each other, bursting with excitement. 

Dom blended in with the wall, hugging himself around his stomach, and Rhea clung to him as she watched the room fill with people. 

It was hard to believe this was the same room they were in yesterday when they selected their rewards. It felt so big yesterday compared to now. 

“Shotzi!” 

“Dad!”

The green-haired girl jumped into her Dad’s arms and he spun her around. 

Rhea watched, her heart exploding and aching simultaneously. Families piled into the room one by one. Dom stood on his tippy-toes, trying to see around the crowd of people. He looked almost excited, like he wanted to see his Dad. It scared her, worse than anything, to think he might want to see his father because what if he wanted to go home with that man? Rhea gripped him a little more possessively than usual. 

“Come on in,” Nick’s soothing voice cut her from her thoughts. He shook hands and mingled with the parents. Charming and polite people entered the room. It made her feel like she was in a court room or a business office.

Dom was doing a little prayer, crossing his hands over his heart, gnawing on his thumb, moving his head this way and that. This was the first time in over a year he was going to see his Dad. She could not imagine the anxiety coursing through his veins. 

She offered him a hand. Dom took a minute to realize, but he spread his fingers through hers, holding tightly, terrified. 

“What’s he look like?” she asked, needing to calm him down.  

“Bald. Short. Not very attractive.” 

“Are you sure you’re related,” she joked, clutching his arm tighter as they smushed further into the wall. 

“Ha,” Dom snorted, “Funny story… no, I’m not sure.” 

 

~~~

 

“Daaad.” There was an agony of teen embarrassment in the extended vow as Carmelo’s Dad clasped his son’s shoulder. “I missed you too. But not in front of everyone.” 

Dom’s heart twinged. He wondered if he was going to get that same greeting? The misty-eyed, I missed you, son. Or was he going to get a strict version of Dad. I hope you learned your lesson, now let’s talk this out.  

He accidentally squished Rhea’s hand a little too hard when he saw another car pull into the parking lot. Dad was a wealthy man, he could have bought a new car since Dom was away. 

Rhea might be more nervous than he was, she kept fidgeting, and her beautiful blue eyes were puffy and swollen. He hated seeing her like that. Rhea didn’t cry often. When she did, it was for a good reason.  

Dom understood why Rhea was upset about the Mall incident, but the way she was touching him, it was like she thought he was going to disappear. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, locking eyes with her, trying to gauge where she was at. She had been through a whirlwind of emotions these past few days. If this was too much for her; Dom would understand. He could face his father alone. He didn’t want to. But he could. 

“Yeah, are you?”  

He nodded once, still examining her. “What’s wrong, Rhea?”

“Nothing.” 

“Mami.” 

Her facial features softened at the nickname. 

“If he asks you to go home with him, are you going to go?” 

He could see the fear and pain written all over her face and it hit him like a truck.

“No. I -“ He had a hard time finding the right words when it came to his Dad. He hardly knew how to explain it to himself. But Mami was looking at him impatiently, wishing he would explain himself better so Dom tried to find the right words.  

“I want him to want me, but I don’t want to go home with him.” 

Hopefully that made sense. He couldn’t explain it any more than that. At some point, his father was going to come back for him. He had to, and when he did, Dom planned to deny his request. He wanted to show his Dad how shitty it felt to be not good enough. 

Rhea squeezed his hand like she understood. 

“You promise you won’t leave?”

Never. Not unless he was forced to or something, and even then, he would run away and come back to her. 

“I promise. I’m not going anywhere.” 

Rhea visibly relaxed at that, and it helped Dom feel a little better too. 

No other vehicles pulled into the parking lot for a good ten minutes. Guess his Dad was late. It wasn’t surprising, he worked all the time. He would be here soon, though. 

“Hey,” Nick said, voice soft and kind, approaching in his velvet suit. “Dom, buddy, can I talk to you for a minute?”  

He was being nice. 

Dom tensed. Oh no…

“I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

Don’t say it. 

“Your Dad called. I guess he can’t make it today. We agreed that we would schedule another time for you to meet. I’m so sorry, Dom. I know this is disappointing but he wanted me to assure you that he’s going to come another day.” 

“That’s fine,” he spluttered in a sudden eagerness to brush this off. “I’m glad he’s not here. I didn’t even want to see him anyway.” 

That deadbeat. Of course he can’t get out of work. He loved work more than he loved his own kids. 

“Dom…” 

“No, really. I’m glad.”  

The way Nick and Rhea were looking at him — it was like they thought he was a frightened animal on the side of the road with its arms smashed off.  

They started to grow blurry in his vision. 

“Dom,” Nick began, taking a step toward him. 

“I said I’m glad!” 

He stormed out of the room, ducking his head away from some concerned parents and his peers. He watched his feet as he walked. Stupid, ugly, bald...  

When he got to his room, he slammed the door so hard it rattled in its frame. 

He wasn’t mad. He didn’t care. Rey never showed up. Not on Christmas. Not on Dom’s birthday. Not during the school promotions. Never. Whatever. Dom was glad. 

He ripped the blankets off the bed and threw them to the floor, stomping. He pictured his Jefe’s face. Dom stood still, breathing hard for a whole minute. 

On a self across the room sat Wes Lee’s things. Amongst the junk was a family photo.  

The picture swam before Dom’s eyes, and he brushed his fingertips against the frame. He would never have that. He had it, and he ruined it. Dom had everything. Why did he have to act out so violently? Why was he such a bad person? Why did he hurt his Dad the way that he did? 

Opening the door, Dom placed Wes Lee’s family portrait on the floor like a sacrificial offering, just to get it out of his sight, then slammed the door behind him with enough force to rattle the bed-frame and the desk. 

A second later and this fist pounded on his door.

“Dominik!” Brent shouted. “Do NOT slam doors!”

Who the hell did this guy think he was? 

In three angry strides, Dom crossed the room, flung open the door, flipped Brent the middle finger and then slammed it with all his might. 

 Slam. Right in Brent’s face. 

Furious as he was, Dom’s quickly realized in that moment, he was probably going to die. 

“No, no, no,” Dom cried, falling to the floor from the force of the door opening. He scooted backwards until his butt hit the dresser, head tilted up at Brent’s looming figure.  

Why was he so stupid sometimes? Shit. 

“Go away, bully.” 

Brent’s hand dug into Dom’s hair, pulling, yanking him to his feet. 

“Stop that!” Nick shouted. 

“He was being a brat.” 

Dom listened to them bicker for a few minutes, scrubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand. 

“I’ve got it from here,” he said. 

Dom sniffed, hands massaging his achy scalp as Brent left the room. 

“Dominik. Can we talk?” 

“No,” he mumbled, scrubbing his eyes. “Go away.” 

“I know you’re really upset your father didn’t show up today,” he said, delicately. 

“I’m not upset.” 

“It’s okay if you are. Sometimes parents can let us down.” 

“I’m HAPPY!” he shrieked, face scarlet red.

Nick was patient, annoyingly so. 

“Then why are you crying?” 

He didn’t even know he was. 

“I’m not. I’m - “ Dom paused, feeling the wetness on his face, “They’re tears of joy!”  

“Okay.” Nick held up her hands, ready to surrender this one. “Okay. Do you want to be alone right now or do you want your friends?” 

Finally, something that sounded appealing. 

“My friends.” 

 

~~~

 

Rhea lost track of time just holding Dom.  

“Shh, DomDom. Please. It’s alright.” 

Dom buried his face even further into Rhea, silently telling her, he just needed to be held. She looked up at Damian and gave him a shrug. He went back to pacing. 

The harsh gasps tapering off into sniffles seemed to be slowing down now, finally. For a few minutes there, he was inconsolable. 

No one knew much about Rey Mysterio. Dom was a master at avoiding the topic of his father, just saying enough to paint a vague picture. 

She didn’t have to know anything about Rey anymore, now she knew he was horrible. Anyone who could make her Dirty Dom this upset was evil in her eyes. 

“I don’t think my Dad is ever going to come back for me.” 

Rhea’s heart shattered right there. 

“I’m bad.” 

“No,” she brushed his hair. “You’re not bad. He’s bad.” 

“No, I am. I’m unlovable.” 

A fresh wave of tears made their way down Dom’s face, and Rhea feared he was going to start all over again.  

“Eh, Dom,” Finn poked him with his toe, “Why’d you put Wes Lee’s picture outside the room?”

“Yeah, I noticed that too,” Damian chuckled. “What was that all about?” 

“I didn’t want to look at a family portrait.” 

“Oh. You didn’t want to look at a family portrait.” Finn nodded in understanding. “I get it.”  

“It’s alright, Dawg. I don’t have a family portrait either,” Damian told him.

“Me either,” Rhea said. The closest thing she had to a family portrait was a picture of her foster parents on the beach. She wasn’t in the picture herself; but she liked to look at it sometimes to reminder herself of what they looked like. 

“Hey,” Finn shot up with a snap of his fingers. “Why don’t we take a family photo? Just the four of us.”

He hopped off the bed and rushed to the suitcase where his phone was hidden. “Let’s take a picture. Come on. Family photo.” 

“Yeah, let’s do that,” Rhea agreed, sensing the excitement and curiosity radiating from Dom.

She didn’t care that her makeup had smeared or that Dom was a swollen, blotchy mess. He was smiling for the camera, and that’s all the mattered. 

“Hey, I think we’re having a moment guys.” Finn laughed, looking at the photos. “These turned out great. We should print them off in the library. Then you can have your new family portrait to hang up, Dom.” 

This was the only family he needed. 

Notes:

This is not the darkest moment of this story. Although it kind of feels like it right now.

They’re all just kids and they are feeling their feelings. It really showed in this chapter more than the others (and that was kind of on purpose).

Welcome to the downfall - I mean the second half. 😅

Thank you all for your comments you give me so much inspiration to write! 🩵🩵🩵

Chapter 14: Separation Anxiety

Summary:

I think I wrote a novel within this one chapter. It’s so long. I’m actually sorry it’s so long.

(Everybody fights in this chapter).

Another week, another chance to win rewards. Another chance to see JD. 

Finn touched the glossy picture in his pocket, using the memory of the other night to give him strength in this physical challenge. 

He stepped out onto the platform between Seth Rollins and Xavier Woods, prepared to go another round.

From way up here, Nick’s expression was hard to read. 

“Finn… you’ve done more than enough. You have plenty of points. Why don’t you come down from there?” 

“I’m going again,” Finn told him, in a no nonsense tone. 

Seth snorted at his feet. “There’s the Finn Bàlor I know. Welcome back. I’ve missed your competitive streak.” 

“I’m not doing this for you,” Finn spat. 

He wanted the rivalry between him and Rollins to end once and for all. He was still the same person he was before he got injured and sent to Pearce’s group home. He knew he could beat Seth, he just needed to prove that to Seth himself. 

Nick blew the whistle. 

Finn crouched down and grabbed the rope. He raced to tug as many jugs of water up on the platform as he could.

It sounded simple enough, but after doing this challenge ten times, Finn’s muscles were like jelly and his hand were blistered. 

“Aren’t you tired, yet?” Seth grunted, arm over arm, pulling at his rope. 

Finn let out a breathless laugh. “Why, are you?”

“Not even a little.” 

Okay. So maybe this was also about beating Seth’s record. Finn heaved a little harder, and the gallons of water swayed their way up to his platform.  

Seth was a good competitor, an ever better wild card. That’s what Finn liked about him back in the day. Only this time, he didn’t enjoy the unpredictably of his opponent. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask. Who did you want to visit so bad that you were willing to screw me out of seeing JD?” 

“I went to see my girlfriend’s family,” Seth said. “I had no idea you wanted to see JD.” 

The little giggle in his voice was not lost on Finn. He picked up the pace, yanked the twelfth jug of water onto his platform, and re-opened another blister while he was at it. 

Ten seconds left. 

They both gave it everything they had, spines taut, necks strained, palms burning. Finn should have just grabbed the sharp end of a knife, it would hurt less. 

The whistle blew.

Seth fell to his knees and Finn dropped the last rope, trying to stuff his bloody hands in his pockets. 

He had fourteen gallons of water. Seth had fifteen. Fuck.

It was a kick in the ribs to lose. He fought and clawed his way to tie it with Seth, only to lose when it mattered most. Story of Finn’s life at this point. 

He lost when it mattered most. 

“Face it, Finn. I’m just better than you. There’s no shame in it.”

Finn touched the glossy picture of Rhea, Dom, and Damian and rose to his feet. “Again,” he said to Nick.

Xavier Woods shook his head. “No way. I’m done with this shit.” He climbed down the ladder, and let another person take his place.

“Are we seriously about to do this again?” Seth asked, eyebrow raised. “What do you think you’re going to prove? Face it. I got better, you got bitter.” 

Down below, Finn could see everyone. Rhea was killing it in her endurance challenge, leagues ahead of the other girls. Damian was outlasting people in the wall-sit. And Dom was winning races left and right. He could win this. 

Finn waited until Dom looked up at him, and then he gave him the signal. 

He wanted a distraction now. 

Dom didn’t disappoint. He was a good kid, really. Rey Mysterio loss; Finn’s gain.  

“DOM!” Nick screamed, “Do not pour water on my phone — oh you little prick. C’mere.”

Finn took a moment to make sure Nick was not paying any attention. Once he was sure the manager was focused on Dominik, he turned to Seth, and kicked him in the knee.

Seth bent forward with a gasp, bewildered by the sudden snake-like attack. His smirk faltered as he realized he might have underestimated the grudge Finn had been holding. 

Ruthlessly, Finn delivered a wicked heel kick right to his face. Seth fell to the foam blocks below. 

“What the hell?” Nick stopped chasing Dom. A few others had stopped competing to look over at the pit. Finn met Nick’s skeptical eyes as he stood tall on his platform above it all. He had a feeling Nick knew, but the man didn’t say anything.

“Did you lose your balance?” Nick asked as he helped Seth out for the foam blocks. 

Seth huffed out a little laugh, glancing up at Finn. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” 

Nick was not convinced. 

 

~~~

 

He couldn’t prove that Finn shoved Seth, despite his gut-instinct and thirty-seven years of wisdom saying so. Nick needed proof. He asked his go-to, Cody Rhodes, for intel. What he learned was far more distressing than originally intended. 

He hated to admit Adam Pearce was right, but apparently Finn and his friends were more trouble than he bargained for. To combat this problem, he decided to split them up. They were stronger in numbers, and so he rearranged the schedule, keeping them in pairs instead of quadruplets.  

Damian and Finn were asked to rakes leaves on the days when Rhea and Dom were in charge of laundry. Damian and Dom were asked to help in the kitchen on the days when Finn and Rhea were asked to vacuum the floor. 

He refused to allow all four of them in once space: that way, they would be less likely to engage in aggressive behavior. 

He also requested individual therapy sessions for each of them. He needed to figure out which ones should be placed for adoption.

 

~~~

 

Rhea moved with the precision of a predator around the punching bag in the weight room. 

She won every single challenge so far, which was great, but she needed to be better. An ugly truth she learned in the foster system was: if you’re not the best, people get rid of you. 

Rhea was not going to settle for second best. She was going to reach the top, and stay on top.

She threw a jab, sent the punching bag flying backwards. Not bad. Little loose on the wrist though. She could do better. 

One more time. 

As she practiced, her mind wondered. She thought about her foster parents who owned a restaurant. 

All she did for five hours a day was squeeze lemons. It got in her hair, in her eyes, in her mouth. The smell alone made her want to puke, but Rhea was the best and fastest at making lemonade. Her foster parents needed her, so they kept her. 

Then another kid came along and made lemonade, and just like that, she lost her place. Her foster parents didn’t need her anymore. 

So Rhea was going to make sure Nick needed her. No other girl was going to take her spot. 

She planted her feet, adjusted her stance, and threw an uppercut.

 

~~~

 

Finn was in Damian’s room helping him look for his purple lava lamp. 

“I swear if KO stole it, I’m gonna be so mad,” he growled, tearing through the hamper of dirty clothes. 

Dom searched the dresser drawer. 

“Maybe you never unpacked it?”

“Dawg, it was on my nightstand,” Damian said, getting up from the floor. 

“Well, why did you leave it in here?” Dom asked. “You usually sleep in Finn’s room, right?”  

“Yeah, I get it!” Damian shouted, dumping the hamper upside down, and normally Finn would make sure the two of them play nice with each other, but he was in the middle of sending a text message. 

‘Hey JD. How’s it going? Things are good here hbu?’ 

He highlighted the message and deleted it, starting over, thumbs hovering over the keys.

‘Hey JD. Hope things are well, mate. I’m working on finding a way to visit you. We have a family day every Sunday. You could show.” 

He sent the message and glanced at a few of the photos in his phone: a picture Finn and JD under a Christmas tree. Finn and JD on his fourteenth birthday. Finn and JD playing with a dog. Finn and JD in their football uniforms. 

“Someone’s coming,” Dom whispered. Finn slipped his phone inside his jacket pocket just in time to avoid being caught. 

“Oh you gotta be kidding me,” Damain muttered when he caught sight of Kevin Owens standing in the doorway with Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins. 

This was a planned beatdown, Finn realized a little too late. Clever, though, using the stolen lava lamp to lore them into one place. Finn would have to add that tactic to his own list of dirty tricks. 

“Enough playing around,” Damian thundered, “Give me back my stuff and we pretend this never happened.” 

Kevin snorted. “I think he has it backwards.” 

“Doesn’t surprise me. They have the combined IQ of a monkey.” Seth’s voice chipped at Finn’s ears, high-pitched and full of self laugher. “But there’s three of them and three of us, I’d say the numbers are pretty even.” 

“Actually it’s more like 2 and half,” KO said, mouth twitching as he gestured to Dom.   

“Hey! You don’t wanna mess with me. I served hard time!”

Finn knew this old dance. The back and forth before a fight. He could smell it in the air. The bruise along Seth’s temple was an uglier shade of black and blue this evening.

“Can I punch him in the face yet?” Kevin Owens asked, waiting for Sami to respond. 

Dom took a step forward. “I wish Mami was here so she could see what we’re about to do to you.”

“Dom, shut up! I am so sick of hearing you talk,” Seth yelled, and that did it. 

That absolutely did it. 

Finn was not going to stand by and let Seth hurt another one of his little brothers. 

“I want to fight!” Kevin shouted. Good. Because Finn was in. 

He grabbed Kevin Owens by the neck and flung him at a wall. 

All hell broke loose.

Finn’s knuckles spliced open on Seth’s teeth. Damian stumbled to the ground with Sami. Dom traded blows with Kevin Owens. It was messy, and it felt so good. Finn was getting carried away. He would have knocked Seth’s head right off of his body if he hadn’t heard Kevin’s voice taunting Dom.

“Get on your knees, ex-con Dom. Let’s see who’s beneath who.”

Finn didn’t even listen to the rest of Kevin’s words before he swung out and connected with the back of his shoulders. Nobody was ever allowed to talk to his brother that way.

Kevin howled, twisted around in time to see Finn lunge at him. They fell to the ground, punching and rolling, and then Seth joined in, adding to the pile. 

Sometime during the tumbling, Kevin’s knuckles connected with Finn’s jaw, and he scrambled to block. He was catching too many shots to the face. It was two on one for a solid two minutes. 

Finn coughed, spitting a wad of blood on the floor. Suddenly, Kevin Owens was holding Finn down with his shoe, putting his weight on his upper body. He stomped down twice and —

Damian was there, ripping K.O. away from Finn, giving him a much needed breather. 

And that’s when he heard footsteps rushing down the hall. Security.

 

~~~

 

“You fell? All six of you?” 

The boys nodded, sitting shoulder to shoulder on the bed. 

“That’s the story you want to go with?” Michael Cole pressed, leaning against the doorframe. A myriad of responses hit his ears, but the consensus was an all around yes.

Michael Cole liked kids. 

He was a father of two, and he fostered plenty. He took his role very seriously. From the moment his children entered this world, he made sure to teach them the importance of honesty and integrity. 

Michael Cole liked kids, but he did not like liars. Corey Graves was better equipped at handling lairs because he could play along. Michael Cole lost that kind of patience a long time ago. 

“That must have been some fall,” Graves said, nodding sincerely at the apathetic teens. “Is that what happened, Dom?”

The brat, as Michael Cole had taken to calling Dominik, nodded vigorously. He was the biggest liar of all; so of course Corey liked him the best.  

Graves hummed. “I guess you better go to bed then. Rest up after that nasty fall.” 

His breezy attitude drove Michael Cole crazy. He was letting them get away with fighting. This incident should be reported. Cole wasn’t just being a hardass, it was for their own safety. 

“Can I have a word with you?” Michael Cole muttered in Grave’s ear. 

They walked into the hall, closed the door on the kids, and turned to each other.

“You know they’re lying right?”

 Graves rolled his eyes. “Obviously, Cole. I’m not an idiot.”  

“Sorry, I genuinely can’t tell the difference sometimes.” 

Graves turned about five shades of outraged. 

“I think we should report this,” Michael Cole stated. He didn’t want to hear any complaining from his humorous, yet completely immature, coworker. He just wanted to do the right thing. 

“Why report it when they can work through it themselves? C’mon, Cole. Don’t be a jackass. You know what happens to these kids when they get in trouble. I don’t want any of them spending the night in isolation over a little fight.” 

This was where Corey and Cole differed. Michael was a father, and Corey Graves was not. It wasn’t Grave’s fault per se for making bad choices. He just didn’t understand how teens worked.

After fifteen minutes of listening to overdramatic complaining, Cole caved and decided to let the teens walk away scot-free. “If it will shut you up.”

Profound silence greeted him when he walked into the room. Not a good sign, Michael Cole surmised. While it was nice to see the teens so chummy once again, Cole had the distinct feeling that something major occurred while he was in the hall, and was now being covered up for some reason. The coffee churned in his gut. Nothing seemed amiss, and yet Cole knew something was wrong. Call it a father’s intuition.

“As long as everyone agrees this was just a fall, you can go.” Graves said a bit prematurely.

“Hold on.” Michael Cole raised his hand. Something on the floor caught his eye. He crouched down to get a closer look before turning his gaze pointedly towards the children. 

“Anyone want to tell me what this is?”

Most of them couldn’t seem to focus on where Cole was pointing. Five sets of guilt-ridden eyes wondered all around the room. Dom, on the other hand, put on his best stoic façade, offering a carefully controlled smile. 

“Those are tacks,” Dom casually remarked. 

Cole’s eyes narrowed. 

“Yeah, I can see that. You wanna tell me what the tacks are doing on the ground?” 

Not missing a beat, Dom shrugged and responded with his usual light-hearted tone. “It kinda looks like they’re laying there, sir.”

“OUT! Now!” 

All six of them scrambled out of the room.

“Hey, Bàlor! Where are you going?” Corey shouted, stopping Finn in his tracks. He was about to go downstairs with Dom. “Your room’s this way.”

“Oh, right. I forgot.” 

Cole and Corey shared a knowing look.

“I’ll walk with you and Cole can walk with Dom,” Corey said. 

Oh just what he wanted to do, spend time with the brat.

“I’m good, thanks,” Dom said, and Michael Cole wanted to say the same thing. How about they switch kids? He would happily take Bàlor. But Corey was already opening the door to Finn’s room, and ushering him inside. 

“It’s pretty empty in here,” he said, and Finn laughed uneasily. 

“I don’t have much stuff.”

“I’m pretty sure I remember carrying two bags for you.”

“Shall we?” Michael Cole asked, extending his arm out for Dominik to use the staircase. 

One small foot shot the inside of Cole’s calf, not a full kick per se, but enough to hurt. The brat ran downstairs, skipping a couple of steps as he went. He was trying to ditch Cole behind. What the hell were these kids hiding? 

Following closely, Michael Cole jumped over one of the railings to catch up. Good gracious, he wasn’t young enough for this shit. Dom was a good few feet ahead of him, still, and when he reached the third floor landing, he broke into a sprint, slamming the stairwell door in Cole’s face.

Hung up by the door handle, Cole fiddled with it until he got it open, and then he flew down the hallway. 

The brat slipped inside his room. By the time Michael caught up with him, Dom was trying to shove a dresser up against the door.

Sorry kid, hate to do this to you, not really. Cole rammed his weight into the door, and easily pushed his way inside. 

“Hey! Haven’t you heard of privacy?!” Dom shrieked. 

Oh so that’s what he was hiding. A girl in his bed. 

He began to approach Rhea, only to have Dominik stop him, throwing his body in front of the bed like a shield.

“Don’t touch her. I’ll - I’ll wake her. Just stay back.”

For the love of goodness and all things holy. What did he think Cole was going to do? Wake her with a slap? Throw her out of bed? 

Dom kept his eyes on Cole the whole time, as he slowly shook Rhea’s shoulder.

“Mami, wake up.”

Rhea mumbled something in her sleep, and grabbed Dom, pulling him onto the bed.

“No, Mami, wake up.”

She hummed again, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. It didn’t take her long to notice Michael Cole standing by the door, and once she did, she was stumbling out of bed, keeping Dom by her side, horrified.

“Did you get lost, Ripley?”

She swallowed, her throat constricting.

“I’m sorry, Mami, he followed me,” Dom whispered, like an apology, resting his chin on her shoulder.

That’s when Michael Cole noticed the nail polish on the side table, and the makeup kit on the floor. The clothes, the hairbrush. 

Rhea Ripley was not just sleeping in his room. She was living in it. 

Ironically, Wes Lee was nowhere in sight. His belongings had mysteriously disappeared, and were replaced with Finn Bàlor’s clothes, Damian Priest’s shoes.

All four of them have been sharing a room? For how long? 

How long had this been going on under his nose? 

Rhea had recovered from her momentary shock, and her eyes narrowed into tiny little slits.

“Get out of our room,” she demanded, a very poor way to start this conversation. She should be starting with an apology.  

“I bet Mr. Aldis would love to hear about this,” Michael Cole said. He was already writing the report in his head. 

They were outraged. Yelling and threatening Cole at once.

“You need to go to your room,” he cut through the yelling. “Rhea, go back to your room.”

More outraged remarks hit his ears. Something along the lines of I’m already in my room and you need to go screw yourself. 

After two minutes of nonstop fussing, Michael Cole grew tired of listening to them bellyache and whine. His children at home knew better than to try this crap with him.  

He took several long strides into the room and grabbed Rhea’s upper arm, imprisoning the teen in his grip. She immediately started to fight him, to squirm out of his grip, but only succeeded in getting herself hoisted up off the floor.  

“Don’t touch me!”

Cole went ridged as a harsh slap was delivered to his back. 

“You’re not taking Mami!” 

Maybe they thought they could scare him into submission. Perhaps they thought if they used enough mean words he would cave in and give them what they wanted. 

If that was what they thought, they were in for a rude awakening. 

Michael Cole carried Rhea up and over the bed in a single calibrated move. Rhea’s barefoot caught the edge of her stuffed animal, knocking it to the floor. 

Dom screamed at Michael Cole like he was murdering the girl, scrambling up over the bed after her, latching onto Rhea’s other arm.

He was making this even harder than it needed to be. For crying out loud, Cole was just taking her to her bedroom.

Rhea was now making this difficult too, digging the nails into his collarbone, resisting with every fiber of her being.

Where was Brent? Wasn’t this a houseparent’s job? He could dish out some much needed discipline. 

“Get off of me!” she screamed, ramming her knee into his stomach, most likely trying to aim for his junk. The stomach was painful enough, thanks so much. 

Michael Cole was appalled at this behavior. Adam Pearce failed at raising them. No wonder he wanted to get rid of them. Cole felt the same way. 

Never in all his years had he ever had to deal with this type of behavior. He chased criminals, disarmed gunman, worked undercover. But this was different. 

They were kicking his ass. It wasn’t fair, Cole couldn’t fight back like he could a criminal. He was pretty sure smacking the taste out of their mouths would get him fired on the spot. 

Unless he deleted the security footage — Jesus, no, what was he thinking? He had morals! This was Brent’s job. 

“Put me down!” Rhea flailed and slapped at his face. Meanwhile Dominik was following, kicking at his shin and shoving him. Michael Cole was reporting this! All of this! 

“Cole!” Graves voice carried an equal amount of protest, similar to the whining the children were giving him. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t have time to talk. I’m getting beat up here,” he said grimly as Rhea yanked out a piece of his hair, and Dom continued to kick at his leg, those little boots just lost all their tassels. 

He continued to walk down the hallway despite the assault, like a solider through a combat zone.

“Let her go!” Dom yelled. 

It was hard to keep a hold on the girl when she was twisting and clawing at him like a pissed off cat.

“Stop, stop, stop,” Graves said, rushing to his side. “It looks like you’re kidnapping her. Just - just - put her down. Put her down.” 

“I’m taking her to her room. Really Graves, I expected this from the brats, but from you?” 

“Okay, Cole, listen —“ 

“Article 709, section B, paragraph 2 states: only two teens allowed to a room. No persons of opposite gender may occupy said space.”

“Did you seriously memorize the manual?” Corey asked, making a face.

“Make yourself useful, Corey. Get Dominik off of me. Get him off!” 

Dom’s shoe connected with another tender spot, and he was two seconds away from doing something that would get him fired. 

“Take him now!” 

A scream ripped its way out of Rhea’s mouth as Corey lifted Dom up. She renewed her struggle with a sparked panic like she thought he was going to be killed. 

This wasn’t medieval times, children. No one was getting hung or tortured.

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” she complained the second he dropped her to the proper bedroom. “We need to stick together.” 

Lyra, her roommate, turned on a lamp. “What’s going on?” she asked groggily. 

“It’s alright,” he told the innocent person in all of this, “Go back to sleep.”

“Is my roommate finally going to stay the night?” 

Rhea shoved past Cole going for the door.

“Yes she is,” he said as he grabbed Rhea by the waist and put her on the untouched bed.  

“You suck!” Rhea squalled. Michael Cole may have lost a percentage of his hearing. “I’ve had enough of you. Let me out of this room right now or you’re going to pay.”

She already punched, kicked, and clawed at him. He would argue he already paid. The amount of bruises he was going to hav to explain to his wife tonight… 

“Go to sleep, Rhea. You can talk about this with Mr. Aldis in the morning.”

He was surprised to find her lip quivering. “You’re ruining everything!” she shouted, on the verge of tears. He felt kind of bad. But he had to do his job. 

“You’re going to be fine,” he assured her, and then because he didn’t know what else to say, he stepped out. Rhea tried to follow. 

It was not a game, but he felt like he was on level sixteen from the amount of times he had to carry her back inside.

At one point she smacked him clean across the face. Cole reached out and grabbed both of her wrists.

“You are going to sleep in your bedroom,” he said, trying to meet her gaze but she kept looking away from him, “Or I’m taking you to isolation for the rest of the night.”

Her nose twitched with rage as she eyed him warily.

 “I mean it. If you come out of that room one more time, it’s isolation.” 

Rhea wet her lips. He could see the wheels in her brain turning, trying to somehow find a way out of this. He was not going to give her any options. 

“Goodnight, Miss Ripley.” 

He closed the door on her and stood guard, watching. Waiting. 

She didn’t come out again.  

~~~

 

“Now you’ve done it,” Corey snapped at his deranged coworker. “I just got bit because of you. Do you know if children carry rabies? Am I infected?”

It was a poor joke, but he was trying to lighten the mood a little, while simultaneously taking some of his frustration out on Cole. The last thing Corey wanted to do tonight was make a kid cry. 

He watched as Michael Cole walked straight past him, stomping towards Dom’s room. Maybe it was a father’s intuition, but Cole was spot on. He caught Dominik creeping out the door, and picked him up, and put him back in his room.

“I hate you, you bully! You dumbass! You idiot! Fuck you, Michael Cole!” 

Dom was pretty much screaming to wake the dead. But then Michael Cole threatened isolation, and things got real quiet real fast. 

“Was that necessary?” 

 “Yes,” Michael Cole nodded expectantly. 

“I think you just scared him to death. It feels extreme. They’re just kids.” 

Michael Cole shot him a sour look.

“What’s extreme is being bitten and kicked. That’s not normal. They’re evil.” 

Corey huffed and crossed his arms. “That’s a bit dramatic. Maybe you should have just left them alone. They weren’t hurting anyone.”

Michael Cole shook his head. “It’s so obvious you’re not a parent sometimes.” 

True. Corey was not a father.

He never settled down. Never found the right person. Never really thought about being a Dad. He liked late night parties and the freedom that came with being single, and having zero responsibilities except for himself. He was happy with his life, and was not looking for a change. 

Despite all of that, he’d like to think he could raise a child if he had to, and that his advice wasn’t awful.  

“The kids in our home come from all different types of backgrounds, Cole. Who knows where  Rhea and Dom have been, what they went through. Obviously, based on that reaction, I’m gonna guess, it wasn’t good” 

Cole scoffed. “I’ll tell you about Dominik’s background. He lived in a mansion, surrounded by everything he could have ever want. All the wealthy brands. All the expensive cars. All the fancy schools. They were all his. He was spoiled. He’s a brat, used to getting everything he wanted, and when he doesn’t get what he wants, he acts like he’s four. He throws things and hits people. You know what we call that? A spoiled brat throwing a tantrum.”

Corey waved off Michael’s words, annoyed with his coworkers harsh attitude. 

“We need to tell Nick,” Michael Cole continued to say, “If they were having any kind of sexual relationship it could destroy funding. One of them should be removed from the home immediately.”

“Okay, calm down, Michael Cole. If you think separating them from their rooms was bad, imagine what separating them from the home would do. I agree, we need to tell someone, but let’s tell Cheryl. She’s the counselor. She can get to the bottom of this. It’s gotta be some sort of attachment issue. Isn’t that like a counselor’s job? To work on stuff like that?” 

Michael Cole sighed, “You really do fight me on everything. You’re just as bad as they are.”

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted someone walking.

“Priest! Go back to your room.” Cole shouted. 

The teen nearly jumped out of his skin. He whipped his head around, like a deer caught in the headlights. He was a little late to the party.

“I’ll handle this.” 

Kudos to Michael Cole’s bravery. After being bitten by Dominik, Corey wasn’t in the mood to try and escort any six-foot-something teen anywhere. His hand was still sore from those sharp teeth. 

 

Notes:

Don’t mess with Rhea and DomDom.

Chapter 15: Unhinged

Summary:

Last chapter was so long, this one is much shorter.

Finn was in a bad mood.

A really bad mood. 

Last night he got in a fight, lost his phone, realized his phone was missing, then couldn’t get it back because the security guards were being idiots.  

He was surrounded by idiots.

All these people were blabbing on about their hardships in group therapy. Finn felt sorry for them, honestly, he did. They all seemed so pitiful it was heartbreaking. It’s so sad that little Becky was homesick and that little Shotzi couldn’t stop making reckless life decisions.

Alright — he was being a dick. Mentally, his brain wasn’t functioning right, and he couldn’t handle group therapy today. He just couldn’t. Not when Dom and Rhea were an absolute mess this morning. 

They were all separated last night, and they haven’t had time to talk today. He needed to tell the kids that he lost his phone, and comfort them through all this. 

Every day was getting worse and worse. 

Finn just wanted his phone. That’s all he wanted. He didn’t care if little Susie was feeling sad, or if negative Nelly started thinking positive. He didn’t need this therapy bullshit. 

The topic in group was a darker one too, perfect for Finn’s mood, but he had no interest in listening to other people relive their trauma.

Cody Rhodes, as Finn was slowly and unwillingly learning more about, apparently lived in a horrible house once too. The house of horrors as Shotzi had taken to calling it. The conditions sounded terrible, and sometimes Finn could hardly stomach the things he talked about. But Cody had this way of making himself sound like a hero, a martyr. Pick whatever term sounded more egotistical, and that was Cody.

He was in the middle of unbuttoning his shirt for everyone to see the scars on his chest. As if that made him some sort of a hero for surviving it. 

“It was a cowardly attack,” Cody said, “Certainly one of, if not the most, humiliating beatdowns that I’ve ever received.”

Finn wondered if Cheryl was going to say anything about the half-naked kid standing in the center of the circle, but the woman just sat in her comfy chair by the fireplace and observed. She was really quite useless just like all the people in charge around here. 

“Go ahead and take a look at this scar right here.” Cody pointed to his bare chest, just above his pectoral muscle. “This scar represents me overcoming the worst suffering of my entire life.”

Nothing to scoff at, yet Finn felt no sympathy. Truth was, he felt angry with Cody for how he turned on Rhea and Dom after the whole Mall situation went down.

“I was told by doctors, social workers, and reporters that I was a hero. I saved not only myself but a bunch of kids inside my home that day.

Finn tipped his chair back, balancing on two legs. Somebody help him, please.

“The reason I don’t like that heroic spin,” — Yeah right — “is because I didn’t do anything special. I trusted the people around me, and I’ve learned that friendship can literally save your life. I know I’m leaving soon. But I want you guys to know, I’m thankful for all of you.”

Finn snapped the two front legs of his chair to the ground with a crash.

“Cody, Cody, Cody. I hate to interrupt you. But we’ve all got scars, mate.”

The older boy leered.  

“You’re right. We do. Would you like to step into the middle of this circle and talk about your scars, Finn?” 

Hm. Nice try, mate. 

“Cody, if you respect me, then you wouldn’t ask me to do that.”

“I do respect you, Finn,” Cody said, biting his lip. “But maybe you should show some respect to me. It’s not easy opening up, and seeing as how you haven’t even tried yet, I don’t think you should judge.”

Finn was going to slap the bleach right out of his head someday. For now, he let it go. 

Go on, Cody, continue that heroic speech. 

 

~~~

 

“I can’t believe you lost your phone,” Rhea said, stealing a fry off his plate.

Finn massaged his temples. He was going to go ballistic. That phone was the only thing he had keeping him tied to JD.

“Are you sure you looked everywhere?” Dom asked, slurping his fruit punch. A few other teens walked past them on their way out of the dining room. “Maybe you dropped it in the hallway?”

“I looked everywhere. It must have fallen out of my pocket during our fight.”

This was so ridiculous. He just wanted to hop on a bus and go see his brother. He was done trying to wait for a reward and hope for the best. He needed to start taking more action. Screw Cody for not telling him how to sneak out. He would find his own way. 

“I can’t believe you got in a fight without me.” Rhea said, sounding offended.

Damian shrugged, “It just sort of happened.”

“I would have loved to jump Kevin Owens,” she said longingly. “Did you at least make him pay?”

Damian chuckled. “No te preocupes. I left my boot imprint on his face.”

They high-fived. 

Finn rocked his chair back on two legs, deep in thought. If he climbed out the window in the laundry room, he could avoid any cameras. The problem was those damn fences. His shoulder still throbbed at the memory of getting torn up by a wired fence. 

“I think I’m gonna sneak out tonight,” he admitted. 

“Yo,” Priest said, grabbing Finn’s wrist, “Don’t do something stupid. We’ll find your phone.”

His chair dropped down.

“I can’t wait any longer.” Finn heaved out a frustrated breath, looking straight ahead. “I’ve got to get out of here.” 

“Look,” Rhea began carefully, “I want to leave too, Finn. I do. But we are safe. Even when they separated Dom and I, no one hurt us.” 

“Yeah man,” Damian agreed, “If you sneak out, there’s a huge chance you’re going to get caught and —“ 

“I don’t care!”

“— And then what? You’ll see JD for two seconds, then you’ll get sent to some group home in Alaska? It’s not worth it, bro.”

Finn threw his hands on the table. 

“Bàlor are you alright?” He glanced over his shoulder at one of the security guards, Kevin Patrick, who approached him with a look of concern on his face. 

He tried his best to keep his voice relaxed. 

“I’m great, a bit of a headache.”

Kevin Patrick lifted a brow at him with blatant skepticism.

“Your friend was worried about you.”

Finn frowned, wondering what friend he was talking about. Damian? Dom? Rhea? 

Then he saw Seth freakin’ Rollins approach, and he rolled his eyes clean to the ceiling. 

“Is he okay?” Seth asked the security officer, mock worry in his eyes.

“Just a headache,” Kevin Patrick responded.

Seth nodded. “Oh, hey,” he chuckled, “Maybe you have a headache because you lost your phone, Finney, Finn, Finn.” 

He watched as the security officer intercepted his cell phone from Seth’s outstretched hand.

“Finn you can’t have a cellphone,“ Kevin Patrick paused, squinted his blue eyes at the screen. “Wait a minute. That’s where I know you from.”

It was gone forever — Finn’s only chance at communicating with JD. Gone. Into the hands of a security officer who would confiscate his phone until he turned eighteen.  

Something inside Finn snapped.  

 

 

 

 

~~~

 

 

 

“I need backup!” The security guard screamed into his walkie-talkie, jumping back. 

Finn grabbed the nearest object, a fork, and hurled it across the room. 

Seth scrambled to his feet, eyes wide, blood dripping from his nose. He cackled, brightly. “You’re insane, Bàlor.” 

“You haven’t seen insane yet,” Finn said. 

A bunch of staff and police barreled into the dinning room. Other kids vacated the area. Go to your rooms. Go to your rooms! 

Finn lunged at Seth. He knocked him down and started kicking. 

“Corey help! Bàlor’s completely unhinged!”

Corey managed to pull Finn away from Seth, only for Finn to swivel, and re-attack. 

Other teens were being escorted out of the room, but it was taking a lot of time. Like a car wreck, they were all moving like snails, trying to see what was happening. 

Finn escaped Corey’s hold and ran around the dining room table at full speed. Other officers began chasing him, and it was at this moment, Finn realized, he was screwed. 

He’d be lucky if they don’t arrest him. 

So he decided to make potentially his last day count. 

Leaping onto the dining room table, Finn ran past the scattered plates, leaped off the edge and slammed both of his feet into Seth’s mid-section.

“Oh God,” Corey exclaimed as Seth let out a shout of pain. 

More security and Nick came racing into the room. Heavy breathing filled Finn’s ears and he didn’t realize it was his own. All he could think about was making Seth pay.

He hopped off the chair again, feet aiming for Seth’s heart, but Corey was shielding the guy now. 

Seth nuzzled his head against the tile floor, groaning. The word weak came to Finn’s mind. Was this how Seth saw Finn the night he left him alone and injured? The memory was enough to convince him to climb onto the chair again and jump. 

“No!” Nick screamed, stepping in front of the chair. “Finn, get back! Get back!” 

There was a cold, calculated look on Finn’s face. He jumped anyway, and Nick caught him. 

“Get him out of here!” Nick shouted to the security guards. It was a good thing Finn was unhinged or else he would have realized just how bad this was going to end for him. 

He tried to climb the chair one more time, and Nick draped an arm around his chest, hugging Finn to his side. 

“Enough! You’ve done enough. Get Seth to medical! Finn, calm down. Calm down.”

He gasped for air, the world silent again, except for his erratic panting. He glanced up at Nick, a mixture of terror and disbelief. 

What had he done?

Notes:

Oh snap 🫰 Finn. You’re in so much trouble, my man.

Chapter 16: R+D Sitting in a Tree

Summary:

(Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Have a chocolate on me. As the title suggests, there is some R+D kissing in this chapter and at one point, they are literally in a tree. It’s a nice little break between all the angst. Enjoy!)

She didn’t know where they took Finn.

Another two hours of pacing around the halls, and still no answer. Nothing but restless energy from the staff, and angry glares from the kids. Becky Lynch lashed out, demanding Nick tell her where they took Seth after the fight. No one told her anything either. 

Rhea jumped when Brent’s voice rang out at ten o’clock, letting them know it was time to separate. They didn’t have locks on their bedroom doors, but it might as well have been a prison because it kept Rhea away from the people she loved. 

Rhea was never one to feel claustrophobic, but she felt it now, suffocatingly so. 

As she laid in bed that night, she stared up at the ceiling of Lyra’s room, and wondered if she lost Finn forever. He could be on a bus halfway to Arkansas by now, or sitting in a holding cell. She wondered if he was afraid like Dom was when the police took him away. “Rhea, don’t let them take me. I won’t make it in jail.” 

But Dom did make it, and Finn would make it too. Somehow, someway, Rhea would get him back. 

 

~~~

 

The scent of rain was present in the autumn air as Corey opened his office window.

“Good morning,” KP greeted. He was in a great mood for someone who literally had a birds-eye view of the attack yesterday. Maybe he just loved the morning shift. Corey never felt fully awake until noon. 

“You sound chipper,” he muttered, frowning at the stack of paperwork Nick wanted him to write.

“You don’t. What’s wrong? Is your wife giving you grief.” 

“Ex-wife,” Corey corrected, an acid taste in his mouth. “And no. I’m fine. I’m just worried about Bàlor and Rollins.” 

KP accepted that answer, shrugging off his rain coat. “I don’t know what was more concerning. Bàlor’s lack of control or Rollins smug attitude. He kept telling the doctor in medical that he was proud of Finn for showing some grit. I heard him say he wanted to get beat up. But he was also high on some pain killers so…” 

Interesting. Corey knew Seth was animated and a little off his rocker, but the guy was smart too. Extremely cunning. Maybe he knew what he was doing by handing KP that cellphone. Maybe he wanted Finn to pick a fight and get sent away. Corey still couldn’t believe Bàlor was hiding a phone. These kids were making him look bad at his job. 

That reminded him: “Nick wants us to do full searches of everyone’s room.” 

“Oh!” KP’s eyes lit up. “I’ve been meaning to tell you this. I figured out why Finn looked so familiar to me. On his phone, there was a picture of JD McDonagh.”

Corey waited for the dots to connect.

“Sorry, am I supposed to know who that is?”

KP shook his head in an apologetic manner, “JD is my sister’s kid — foster kid, but same thing.” 

“Whoa, back up, KP. You have a sister?”

Corey couldn’t believe this. Since when was he the guy who knew nothing about what was going on around him. 

“Yes, I have a sister.” His coworker sounded deeply offended which gave Corey the impression he may have mentioned it before.

“Anyways. I saw him in my sister’s house a few times. I don’t think he recognized me. To be fair, I barely recognized him.” 

Corey knew everyone had a life outside of work, even upstanding citizens like Kevin Patrick, but he never pictured KP hanging out with foster kids, or having a sister. 

“Is your sister single? How old is she? Because I’ve been thinking the best way to move on from a messy divorce is to get back out there.” 

“Forget it,” KP warned. 

“I’m an attractive guy, KP. Your sister would be lucky to —“

He hissed as Kevin Patrick hit him over the head.  

“Hey, sorry to interrupt,” Brent said from the doorway. “Have either of you seen Rhea? She’s not at breakfast, and she’s not in her room.”

 Corey straightened up. The intimidating girl that scared the pants off KP was missing? Damn, he really liked that kid. He was hoping she could give KP a few grey hairs before she got adopted and left. 

“I’m sure she’s with Damian and Dom,” KP tsked.  

“Nah, those two are accounted for. Go find Rhea and remind her that she has a schedule to follow. If she’s not back at the table before breakfast is over, send her directly to my office. I’ll deal with her. Nick wants us to start cracking down.” 

 

~~~

 

He didn’t want to pat himself on the back or nothing, but Corey Graves was so damn good at his job.

He found Rhea on his first try. Because, see, Corey paid attention. Take that, KP. He knew Rhea liked to workout in the gym. And that’s where she was, dressed in shorts and a tank top, towel draped over her shoulder. She was eyeing a punching bag like a professional boxer. Corey watched her throw a few mean cross-cuts. A pained look took over her face as she cradled her wrist. 

“Are you hurt?” Corey asked, suddenly, a newfound sense of panic. “Let me see.” 

She scoffed, “Like you care.”

It was terse and clipped, enough to freeze Corey in his place.

“I do care. I don’t want you to get hurt.” 

There was a faint yellowish tinge to her wrist, the residual bruising from a possible sprain.

“Aw kid, you can’t keep pushing yourself like this. It’s not healthy.” 

Corey ignored the girl’s protest, and placed Rhea’s hand in his palm. He pressed down lightly, finding a tight bump under the skin which rolled sickeningly under his thumb.

“You take anything for this?” Corey asked, squeezing her elbow. She suppressed a grimace. It wasn’t good if the pain was radiating up her arm. 

“No,” she mumbled, uninterested. 

“Go to medical after breakfast and get some Tylenol. Show them your wrist. It might need a wrap.”

Rhea looked up at him for the first time, and her face was chalk white, dark smudges under her eyes like ink. 

“Where’s Finn?” she asked. 

“They didn’t tell you?” He was surprised, he thought Nick or Brent would have shared this information seeing as how they all hung out together.

Rhea shook her head. “No one tells us anything.”

This girl had no idea what happened to her friend? She had to have been worried sick. 

“He’s… taking some time to cool down.”

“Isolation?”

Corey nodded, watching as Rhea rubbed a towel over her damp hair, making it all ruffled. 

“For how long?”

“Not sure,” he said with a shrug. “But I know a social worker is coming to ask Seth and Finn a couple of questions. As long as they both say they want to stay, then they’ll stay.”

Rhea made a soft sound of disapproval. 

“What you don’t believe me?” 

“I don’t know what planet you’ve been living on, dude, but in my experience, social workers never let us stay where we want.” 

“I don’t know what Adam Pearce told you, but it’s not easy to get kicked out of a group home,” Corey countered. At least not Nick’s group home. Unless it was for adoption or fostering, he didn’t like to do it. Asuka being the rare exception, solely because the girl had smuggled drugs into the home three times before. She needed help, and that was a lot different from a temporary breakdown. 

She nodded at her feet, and Corey studied her.

“Can I ask you something?” 

The girl tilted her chin up, skeptical of him. When she didn’t respond, he continued. “Why are you pushing yourself so hard?” 

“Because I have to win,” she said, a thick Australian accent emphasizing her point

“Why? Why do you have to win?” he reiterated, and if Rhea wasn’t judging before, she was now. Her face twisted into a look of utter disgust, like she couldn’t fathom how he did not understand.

“Wow,” she scoffed, shaking her head, “You’re pathetic.”

He let out a huff of laughter. “Actually, I think I’m pretty awesome, but that’s not what we’re talking about. I asked you why do you have to win.”

Rhea blew a strand of hair out of her face.

“Because,” she said. And she left it at that. 

“Okay. I can see you’re not a talker. That’s cool. We’re going to get along well.” 

Rhea shot him a scornful glower. “No, we won’t. You took Dom from me. Nobody touches Dom except for his Mami.”

Wow, that was… a little uncomfortable. Corey had a feeling she meant how that sounded.  

“Hey. I don’t have a problem with you and Dom sharing a room. I’m all for young love.” 

“Uh-huh,” Rhea grunted.

“Really, I am.”

He could sense Rhea wasn’t believing a word he was saying, and so he made her a deal.

“Tell you what. When I’m on the night shift, you can stay in Dominik’s room. I won’t say a thing. But you have to take it easy on the physical challenges. Let your body heal.” 

Rhea gave him a small smile.

“Ah, look at that. Underneath this cold exterior, there is a warm and loving personality just dying to break free.”

Her expression remained emotionless. 

“Or,” Corey continued, “Maybe you thoroughly enjoy being frosty and frightening. That’s cool too. 

She laughed. 

“Either way, I want you to know, I do care. Some of the people here are in your corner, and I’m one of them.” 

She rolled her eyes. “You’re insufferable.”

“Now you sound like my ex-wife.”

 

~~~

 

Rhea dropped into a seat next to Dom and brushed her thumb over his cheek.

“Hey you.” 

“Hi, Mami. We were worried about you,” he replied, pushing his plate of waffles in her direction. She picked up a fork and took a bite.K

“What happened?” Damian asked. Rhea waved her hand dismissively.

“I was working out. Guess I lost track of time.”

“You what?”

Rhea coughed, food almost going down the wrong pipe.

“I was working out,” she repeated calmly; not understanding the sudden change in his tone.

“Didn’t we just talk about sticking together no matter what? After what Finn did, someone is going to mad dog us.” 

She rolled her eyes, “Relax Priest, I can take care of myself.” 

Dom sat in the middle, glancing back and forth between both Rhea and Damian, a bit confused by the sudden turn of events.

“Hey guys, it’s all good. I talked to Nick, he said Finn is in isolation,” Dom explained. 

This matched what Corey just told Rhea. 

“He’s still here.” Rhea let out a huge sigh of relief.

 

~~~

 

“Does it hurt?” Dom was studying her hand, thumb brushing over the compression brace on her wrist. 

“Come on,” she tickled his side, “It’s me. It doesn’t hurt.”

Maybe it stung for a second when the doctor examined it, but once she had the compression brace on, she hardly noticed her injury.

Dom looked adorable in his overalls. She was skeptical when he first bought them, but this was a good look. Besides, they were black. Rhea just wanted to grab him by those straps and pull him in closer.

She pushed him down on the mattress instead, climbing on top of him. 

Thank you, Corey, for letting her have a night with her DomDom. 

“Mami,” he gasped as she trailed his mouth, jaw, and neck with kisses. “This isn’t the best time…”

But Dom’s hands grabbed her waist, dragging her down, closer, hands running all over her back.

It was like slipping into an alternate reality; kissing Dom. There was nothing that existed except him, the smell of him. Rhea’s hands raked through his hair, tugging at his scalp. Dom whimpered against her neck, and she pulled his hair harder so she could hear it again.

He sucked at her collarbone, and she moaned quietly into his jaw. 

“Mine,” Rhea said, pinching his thigh.

“Yours,” he replied with a dopey smile.

When Rhea finished her kissing assault, Dom laid there, panting.  

“Te amo, Rhea.”

His words body slammed her into a wall. She felt like she had been hit by a truck or a bus or a tractor trailer for crying out loud. 

She didn’t know much Spanish, but she knew what that meant, and it was everything she had been wanting to hear him say for several months now 

“Te amo, my Dirty Dom,” she whispered, tucking a long stand of his hair behind his ear. 

He laughed into her shoulder, and Rhea knew Corey was going to be her favorite night-shift guy. 

~~~

 

On Thursday, Corey Graves wasn’t working the night shift.

Michael Cole and Wade Barrett were, and they refused to allow Damian, Rhea or Dom to spend time together. It ended ugly. 

The next thing Rhea knew, she, Damian and Dom were being screamed at by their angry houseparent through the phone. 

The next morning, they were taken into Brent’s office and forced to pick a popsicle stick. This was his way of giving them choices… but it wasn’t really a choice. It was a random luck of the draw. On each popsicle stick was a punishment.

Priest chose first, they were going oldest to youngest. He was grounded. Rhea went next. She chose one that said Run 20 Laps. Then Dom: Extra Chores.

This place sucked.

~~~

 

When Dominik walked into Cheryl’s office with a black beanie over his head, he didn’t say a word, not even a greeting. He just sat down on a chair and folded his hand in his lap.

Rhea pulled up a chair next to him. 

“Oh no, Rhea, I was going to talk to Dominik alone. You can wait outside.”

The girl sat in her chair and crossed her arms.

“It’s okay, Miss Cheryl,” Dom said, “Whatever you have to say to me, you can say to Mami.”

Cheryl glanced down at her notes. The word Mami seemed to pop up a lot between these two.

“So Dominik, I’m curious. What do you call your Mom since you call Rhea, Mami?”

Dom furrowed his eyebrows. “What do I call the woman that birthed me?”

“Yeah.” 

“She called the cops on me,” he said. “I call her Angelica.”

“You call her by her real name?” 

“Yeah. She doesn’t deserve the title Mom. Mami earned that. Mami, Rhea.”

Rhea smiled brightly at the praise, laying a hand on his knee. Cheryl was ten times more concerned than when she started the session, and she was already deeply concerned. 

“So you said your Mom called the cops on you? Can you elaborate?” 

“Yeah, Angelica did, even though she was the one that laid hands on me.”

“Your Mother laid hands on you? What does that mean, Dom?”

“You know, like, she slapped me.”

He looked down at his hands, and Rhea rubbed his back. 

“Did this happen often?” Cheryl asked.

“No. Only when I hit my father.” 

“You hit your father?” She clicked her pen.

“Yeah, he’s a deadbeat and he was being mean,” Dom said simply.

It took a long time to pull the full story out of Dominik but after many questions, Cheryl felt like she understood the root cause of his fractured relationship with his father. It stemmed back to a moment in his childhood. 

“I bet that was confusing, not knowing if he was your biological father. When did this custody battle happen again?”

“I was eight.” Dom tugged at Rhea’s sleeve.

“I’m done.” 

A nod from Rhea and then the girl was standing. “Cheryl, we’re done here. Get out of our face.” 

“Wait. I have an activity I would like both of you to complete.”

In cases involving teens and trauma, Cheryl liked to use worksheets. Teens particularly responded well to these activities because they didn’t see it as a tactic to gather information. They saw it more like a homework assignment or a task to keep them engaged. 

The worksheet she had them fill out was a “Finish The Sentence” questionnaire. She used this tool to get a general idea of how the teens felt about themselves, and in return, it would help Cheryl understand them better. 

The sentences were open ended such as: 

I hurt others when I _________.

I’m a ______ person.

I wish I could stop __________.

Cheryl waited for them to fill out the sheets.

Dominik’s one response caught her off guard. He called himself a ‘bad’ person. She didn’t like that mindset, and made a note to help him seperate bad behavior from how he viewed his whole self. 

This would take time.

 

~~~

 

Rhea rubbed her eyes. 

Her legs ached from running the laps today. Every time she walked it felt like she was lifting dead weight.

She poured a cup of Pepsi for herself, hoping the caffeine could keep her awake. She needed to find out where the adults kept the coffee. 

Dom was rattling off information about Halloween and ghosts to her. He and Shotzi had been decorating a pumpkin and they were talking about ghosts and haunted houses.

The toast sprung up, and Rhea finished making a toasted ham and cheese sandwich for Dom to enjoy. 

Black dots were swimming in her vision. She really needed to sleep.

Eventually, she and Dom settled onto their bed. He was still talking about ghosts. 

“Shotzi said that sometimes they can touch things like stuffed animals to communicate with us. Maybe there’s a ghost in our room right now and he can communicate through Kip.”

Rhea ate a few bites of her sandwich before lying down. 

“Dom, listen,” she said, running her hand through his hair. “Mami needs to sleep. I need you to stay in this room. Do not leave.” 

“Why?”

“Because Damian said Kevin Owens wants to kill us.”

“Don’t worry, Mami. I’ll protect you.”

“Thank you, Dom. But I’m more worried about you. Wake me if someone comes in here and bothers you.

“Okay.” 

Unconsciousness smothered her the second her head hit the pillow.

When she woke, it was dusk outside, and Dom was sitting on the bed, halfway through a book, safe and sound. For the first time in a while, it felt like they were going to be okay.

 

~~~

 

Friday rolled around. Damian was still grounded. Finn was still stuck in isolation. That left Rhea and Dom to compete in the physical challenges alone. 

They did just fine, kept themselves in the championship position thanks to Rhea working out in the gym all week, busting her ass. 

At this rate, they should have enough points to go on a reward tomorrow. That is, if Finn ever gets released from his prison cell. 

 

 ~~~

 

Later that Friday, Rhea and Dom were sweeping leaves off the backyard patio. 

They were playing more than they were working; sword fighting with broomsticks and picking up leaves off the ground to examine them. She liked the leaves from the maple tree, a bright red and yellow mixture. Dom was fascinated by the mulberry ones. He handed a couple of colorful leaves to Rhea like he was giving her flowers. She held the bouquet and sniffed them. “Mm, earthy.”

The group home was located in the countryside for a reason; it was far away from the hustle of the city. Things were slower, more relaxed, and it was easy to get lost in the beauty of the world.

Collecting leaves led them to an oak tree that was perfect for climbing.

“Wow, you can see the road from up here.” She breathed out a soft yeah, feeling the branch wobble a little with Dom’s weight as he sat next to her.

The sun was setting, casting a fiery glow across the sky. In the distance she could see some grey clouds mixing with the orange.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, breathing in the crisp air. “I bet it would look gorgeous at night.”

Dom nodded. “Yeah. The stars would be super visible from up here. This could be our secret spot.”

She liked the idea of having a secret spot for just her and Dom. A place they could go to get away from all the stress indoors.

“Look! There’s a dog!” Dom pointed to the road where a guy was walking his beagle.

“Ehh, look at him,” Rhea chuckled, “He’s so small.”

“I love dogs.”

“Me too.”

“Think we can get one someday? When we live with Dame and Finn?” 

“I don’t see why not.” A cold breeze nipped at her fingertips, and ruffled the leaves, sprinkling some color around them.

Dom chewed on his fingernail, seeming lost in thought for a minute. 

“How long do you think we’re going to stay here?” 

Rhea’s forehead crinkled. She thought he was aware of the plan.

“Until Finn fosters us. Come on, dude. You know this.” She gave him a nudge, smiling.

“He has to be 21.”

A piece of Rhea’s confident exterior chipped off and landed in the grass below. What was he getting at? 

“Are we really going to wait four years?”

Rhea frowned at the sincerity in his voice. “It’s actually closer to three.”

“Three years,” Dom echoed, “That’s a long time.”

“What other choice to do have, Dom?” 

“We could… consider finding a foster family.”

“No.” Rhea shook her head immediately, unable to have this conversation. It was simply out of the question for her.

“Just until Finn’s ready. That way we won’t have to stay here for three more years.”  

“No, Dom. Forget it. It’s not happening.”

The subject of foster families had always been a sore spot for Rhea. It was something she avoided the way one would avoid punching a bruise. She didn’t need any other family other than the one she found.

“Can you really put up with this crap? I don’t know if I can. I want to go home, only I don’t know where that is. It’s not here, and it’s not with my deadbeat.” He paused, sighing. “I’m sorry, I know you don’t like talking about this. Maybe there’s a chance we can find a nice family.”

“Dom no,” Rhea said, voice rose. 

He swallowed hard. She wasn’t trying to yell at him. 

“You haven’t had as many foster families as I have. You don’t understand, there’s no such thing as a ‘good family,’ okay? They don’t exist. Look at your own.”

 

“Okay,” he said softly, an apology unsaid but heard through the silence. Rhea breathed in a sigh of relief. She had no idea where that came from. She thought Dom was one hundred percent on the same page as her.

About ten minutes later they resumed sweeping the leaves, only because Brent came outside and shouted at them to get back to work.

“Rhea, you did an excellent job in the challenge today,” her houseparent praised as she picked up a broom. “If you stopped hanging around Dumb Dom, then you wouldn’t be in trouble all the time.”

She wasn’t sure how to respond to Brent, so she kept her mouth shut. This man was nothing but a thorn in her side. No wonder Dom didn’t like it here, these people were nothing but rude.

Cody and a few others had warned Rhea that Brent was someone to watch out for - the nickname SmackDown started because of him. She preferred to avoid him at all costs.

Unfortunately, her DomDom did not adopt the same avoid him policy. If anything, it seemed like Dom was constantly in some type of confrontation with the guy. 

“Shut up.” 

“You don’t even know how to spell shut-up,” Brent jeered. 

“I’m smarter than you!”

“No you’re not,” Brent said, sounding like a child himself. Rhea sighed dramatically, sweeping the patio with a little extra vigor. Just three more years.

 

 

Notes:

There we have it folks.

A little bit of comfort. A little bit of angst. Some kissing. Some nightmares. Some much needed therapy, and an interesting conversation up in a tree.

What a chapter.

Like many times before, I had more written but I had to cut it here because it was getting too long and the second half is going to be WAY angsty. So I figured I’ll drop the sweet Valentine’s Day treat before hitting you with the pain. :)

Chapter 17: The Cage

“Look at you, fresh as a daisy.” Becky Lynch said, stepping in the backyard patio to confront Rhea. “I bet you’re proud of yourself.”

Rhea leaned on the rake in her hand. “For winning the challenge today? Yeah, I am proud.”

“You should be. You busted your ass in the gym all week. I saw you.”

“Thanks.” She knew from experience this little chat was not a friendly one. It was only masked that way. Becky could be sneaky in her approach so Rhea tightened her grip on the rake, prepared to use it as a weapon if needed. 

“I’ve been watching you and your friends. You sure do think a lot of yourselves.” The fiery red-head twisted her baseball cap backwards, and circled Rhea like a panther stalking its prey. 

Rhea straightened her shoulder blades. She kept one eye on Dom who was picking up handfuls of leaves and stuffing them into a paper bag. Stay over there, she willed him. 

“You’re good at getting on top of the leaderboard, I’ll give you that.”

“Where’s this going, Becky?”

The Irish girl stopped pacing. She stepped closer to Rhea, looked her up and down, and gave a sour expression. 

“You remind me of myself. Only a much more naïve version. See we’ve both been through a lot, you and I. We’ve both been in and out of the system. We’ve both got people we care about that are in trouble right now.”

Seth wouldn’t be in trouble right now if he would’ve just left Finn alone.

“The only difference between you and I is I have the real power. You’re too new. Too young. Wait a few years, you’ll understand how it feels to have someone else come along and claim they’re on top when they’re not.” 

“Mami’s always on top,” Rhea proclaimed, grinning in smug satisfaction. Dom meandered to her side, wearing the same look. 

“Like I said, you’re full of yourself,” Becky groused, “Me, I’m not. I’m realistic. I’ve been through enough stuff to be humble.” 

“Congratulations Becky,” Rhea clapped slowly, “You’re a survivor. You’ve been through everything. You know what you remind me of,” she turned to Dom, “You know what she reminds me of Dom?”

Her boy shrugged, asking a quiet, “What?”

“A cockroach.”

Dom laughed, and Becky sent them both a murderous glare.

“You think this is funny? You think this is a joke? I could lose my best friend because of you. How would you like to lose Dom, huh?” 

Rhea’s smile dropped, and she stepped closer to the fair face, so close she could see every pore on Becky’s skin. “I didn’t do anything to you. Finn and Seth have their own business to settle, but I didn’t do anything, so don’t threaten me.”

“Yeah!” Dom echoed, “Why don’t you go inside, find a mirror, and vent about your life story to someone who cares.”

“Shut your mouth, you dirty little Kumquat. I was talking to your Mami,” Becky sneered. “And if your Mami won’t put you in your place, then I will.”

Stunned, Dom took a step behind Rhea. 

“I swear, if I lose Seth because of Finn or any of you, I’m going to rip you apart piece by piece until there is nothing left.” 

Feigning composure, Rhea met the threat with stoic face, asking, “Are you done? Cool. First of all, never disrespect my Latino Heat like that ever again. Second of all, I will do whatever it is I have to do to make sure my family stays safe, and if you get in the way of that; I will eradicate you. So bring it on.” 

Dom snagged Rhea’s waist and pulled her back. “Don’t fight,” he whispered in her ear. “Don’t fight.” 

He was being logical; her voice of reason when she couldn’t think straight, but Rhea was seeing red. 

Her tongue darted out of her mouth, licking her black lipstick, while she contemplated on how to end this staring contest without showing weakness. 

“Oh that’s cute. It’s backwards, isn’t it?” Becky said, “He’s the little bitch in this relationship, huh?”

Dom turned to Becky with his mouth agape. “Excuse me?”

Becky didn’t waste another second, too wound up with no place to put her aggression. So she put it on Dom. She punched him in the chin, right front of Rhea. Biggest mistake of her life.

The force of it was so strong it knocked Dom backwards. He tumbled down the patio steps and landed on the grass below with his legs up in the air, practically over top of his head.

It took Rhea all of two seconds to react, and react she did. Her fist clashed with Becky’s mid-air. They clawed at each other before Rhea planted her feet and lifted Becky up off the ground. There were benefits to being bigger and taller. Becky’s small frame dangled in the air momentarily until Rhea flung her on top of the patio table. Becky’s legs collided with a potted plant, sending shards of rust colored ceramic outward like shrapnel. 

Rhea hovered over top of her, trembling from head to toe. 

“How dare you hit my Dom!” she screamed, voice hoarse with emotion. That crossed a line. Rhea leaped down the stairs to Dom’s curled up form. 

He was sprawled out in the grass, eyes glossy and chin red. Damn it. 

“It’s okay,” Rhea reassured him, “It wasn’t too bad. Let me see your chin.” 

Dom moved his hand away from the mark, and let Rhea gently prod at it. She needed to get him some ice. 

His eyes widened twice in size.

“Mami, look out!”

Blindsided, Rhea caught an elbow to the back of the head. She tumbled forward and smacked her face off the muddy grass. Becky sat on top of her chest, punching and screaming. She was losing control the same way Finn had. They rolled around in the grass, fighting for control. 

“Come on, Rhea!” Dom screamed, clapping his hands together. “Don’t let her do that to you.”

With newfound energy, Rhea kicked away from Becky and then smacked the girl in the face. 

The security guards rushed out to break up the fight. They took Rhea, Dom, and Becky to Brent’s office where he made them pick popsicle sticks.

Becky drew one that said Kendo. She paled at that, running a shaky hand through her hair. 

Rhea drew a popsicle stick that said run laps for 2 hours. Two bloody hours. Were they trying to kill her? Brent told Dom to pick one. 

“Dom didn’t do anything,” Rhea exclaimed, “He got punched in the face.”

“Likely story. Now pick one.”

After much complaining from Dom, Brent chose one for him. “The cage.” 

What the hell was that? 

“Here, trade with me,” she handed Dom her popsicle stick, but Brent said there would be no switching punishments. 

“Just let him run laps,” she shouted. She would never resort to begging, but she also knew how traumatized Dom was of being locked up, and so for his sake, she would be willing to negotiate with the enemy.

Turned out, negotiating was not on the table.

Rhea tried to pry her houseparent’s iron grip away from Dom’s arm, but was unable to successfully free him. 

“Alright, that’s two hours and forty minutes.”

She kicked him in the shin.

“Two hours and forty-five minutes.”

She hit and scratched him during the elevator ride to the first floor. 

This must have been where isolation was located. She noticed a bunch of glass windows and cell-like rooms as she walked down the hall. Blue padding on the walls, these rooms were big but empty, save for the bolted down mattress and heavy punching bag allotted to each room.  

Inside one of the rooms sat Finn.

He was curled into himself on the floor. A bloody fist punching weakly at the wall. To Rhea, he looked less like a violent kid and more like a lost child trapped in a box. All the relief Rhea had felt when she realized he was still here in the home was swallowed up in a new fear. She had to get him out there.

“Finn!” Rhea banged her fist against the glass. It must have been sound proof because Finn didn’t move. “Finn!”

She frantically searched for a door handle, thinking maybe she could pick the lock. There was no door.

A shriek from Dom, and Rhea was torn on which boy to help. 

“I’ll come back for you,” she mumbled before running after Dom and Brent. 

“I hate you!” Dom spat at their houseparent, struggling in his hold. 

“Yeah? Well I don’t like you very much either.” Brent said, dragging him down the hallway. “You’re a brat.”

“You’re a dumbass,” Dom snarled, squealing in distress as Brent shoved him inside a room with bars on the windows. This was different than the padded isolation rooms. It was not sound proof, nor did it have a glass window. Just bars. 

“This is going to happen, Dominik, so I suggest you settle down,” Brent grunted, using his strength to over power Dom who was clutching the threshold of the doorway for dear life.

Brent quickly shut the door and locked it tight, slipping the key into his pocket.

“Let him out,” Rhea demanded.  

Dom tugged at the door handle, making little sounds of distress as he threw his weight against the door. 

“He needs a time out,” Brent said, and then he grabbed Rhea by the collar of her shirt, and tugged her back to the elevator.

“Mami!” Dom screamed, the name raw and desperate. It was the last thing she heard him say before the elevator doors glued shut. 

Brent took Rhea outside and told her to start running laps. 

 

~~~

 

Rain fell harder by the minute on Damian’s windowsill. Something wasn’t sitting right in his stomach. Usually Rhea or Dom would have come to his room by now. They would have told him about their day, let him know they were going to bed. It was 9:37 and they hadn’t shown up yet.

Calm down, Priest. You’re acting like Finn again. Rhea and Dom are most likely caught up in a video game or something. No need to be paranoid. ¡Todo bien!

 

Sami Zayn walked into the room a minute later, his hair wet from the shower.

“That’s some storm,” he said, sitting on the edge of his bed. “Crazy how fast the weather can change, huh?”

One nice thing about being trapped inside this room was that his relationship with Sami Zayn somehow shifted into relatively friendly territory for the time being. It was like a momentary truce on this whole hating each other thing, since he was forced to stay in close proximity.

“Hey,” Damian said, closing his book and taking off his reading glasses, “Have you seen Rhea or Dom? Are they still playing Mariokart?”

“Haven’t seen them,” Sami said, nonchalantly. A few moments of pelting rain passed. 

“Can you do me a favor? Can you go look for them?”

“Why?”

“I have bad feeling,” he admitted. 

It was 9:45 when Sami Zayn returned with this weird look on his face. 

“Okay, so you have to promise you won’t freak out.”

Damian was up off the bed in a heartbeat. “What is it?” 

“Listen,” Sami said with sudden sincerity. “I can’t, in good conscience, tell you this without first making you promise you’ll react calmly.”

“SPIT IT OUT!” 

“Alright, see, that’s not calm.” He winced as Damian grabbed him by the shirt. “Okay, okay. Dom’s locked in the cage.”

“The what?” Damian’s bare hands twisted in the fabric of Sami’s shirt, ripping the cotton. 

“The cage. It’s not actually a cage, it’s more like a room… with a door, and there’s bars on the window. They have to follow regulations so it can’t be too bad.” 

“Where?” Damian asked, cutting off Sami’s rambling.

“First floor.”

 

~~~

 

Rhea stumbled down the staircase, gripping the railing for dear life.

 Her vision was fading in and out, probably from low blood sugar or the dehydration or both. 

The rain had soaked her clothes. Rhea’s legs buckled on the bottom step, and she blinked streaks of wet runny mascara out of her eye. 

For a moment, Rhea allowed herself to sink onto the bottom step and breathe. Slowly, methodically, she willed herself to keep going. 

She hauled herself up and stumbled out the door, Dom was a few mere feet away now. She could hear him screaming for her. 

Had he been screaming this entire time? Two hours and forty-five minutes? Jesus Christ. 

Her whole body cried in protest, not wanting to move another muscle but she forced herself to move. Dom needed her. 

Rhea was kind of glad Finn couldn’t see anything because she was stumbling like a newborn doe, and he would be really upset to see her like that. 

She made it halfway through the hall before collapsing to the ground.

 

~~~

 

Apparently the first floor was the isolation room. Damian saw Liv Morgan behind one of the windows and Finn. 

Damian strong fist pounded on the glass. “Finn, man, it’s good to see you.” 

Finn was either a really deep sleeper, or he couldn’t hear anything. 

“Don’t worry. I’m gonna get you out of there.” He felt around the window, looking for the door handle. There was nothing. How did he get in there without a door? 

“Mami, help!”

Damian snapped his head in the direction of Dom’s voice. It was coming from the very end of the hall. 

Damian’s leather boots, completely wrong for this crisis, slapped against the concrete floor. He’d never run this fast before. He wasn’t expecting to find Rhea down here as well, slumped against a wall.

It was almost as if Rhea had showered with her clothes on. Her hair was not just damp, it was plastered to her skull, tiny streams of water running down her forehead, dripping off the tip of her nose. There were splotches of mud all over her clothes. Her cheeks were dark red. Damian wasn’t sure if it was from the exertion or the cold. Judging by the way Rhea was shivering it was likely a mixture of both.

He knelt down on the ground and scooped up the back of her head. “Rhea? Rhea?! Open your eyes. Hey, c’mon. Look at me.” 

“Dom,” she whispered, grabbing Priest’s arm. “You have to get Dom. He’s trapped.” 

She dropped two bobby-pins into his hand, going limp. Damian’s heart clenched so hard he felt dizzy. He looked around wildly, eyes flickering to where he heard Dom screaming. As much as he wanted to help the boy, he was more concerned about Rhea in that moment. She did not look good.

He tried to see if she had any signs of blood or injury. There was a soft whine of protest from Rhea as he inspected her.

“Hold on, I’m going to pick you up, okay?”

“Priest, get him. You have to get him, please. I can’t.” 

Damian paused. He could hear the increasing distress in Dom’s cries. 

“Okay,” he sighed. “Okay, I’ll be right back. Don’t move your head.”

Damian hurried down the hall. The cries for Mami grew louder as he approached the door. Dom was screaming at the top of his lungs. He knew the kid had some trauma with the whole Juvie thing, but this seemed a bit excessive, even for him.

“Hey, Dom. Take it easy, I’m here.” 

The first thing Damian saw when he arrived at the cage was Dom reaching his arm through the bars, face beet red, as he tried to touch the lock. He perked up the moment he spotted Damian and his pleas for Mami turned to cries for him.

“Priest! Priest, help me, please.” There was a raw terror in Dom’s voice. “I can’t get out.” 

“Take it easy,” he shushed, picking the lock. Dom threw himself at Damian the second the door was opened, wrapping his arms around his waist and clawing at the fabric of his shirt.

“Whoa, I know,” Damian slid his arms around the boy and crushed the small body to him. “You’re okay. You’re okay, man.” He felt Dom tremble beneath his touch and decided to pick him up. These kids were so small, much smaller than Damian, they were easy to hold. 

Dom practically went limp the second his head rested on Damian’s shoulder. “That’s it, just relax.” 

This really took it out of both of the kids.

“Here,” he said, placing Dom on the floor next to Rhea. “Here’s Rhea.”

Dom cuddled into her side, sticking like a magnet, chest heaving hard whereas Rhea barely moved a muscle. 

She was too exhausted to even crack an eye open, but she felt Dom, and she smiled, wrapping an arm around him without looking. “You’re safe,” she whispered, snuggling further into him.

Damian sat next to them on the floor, offering his own comfort.

He was going to have to carry them to bed. But in a weird way, down here on the first floor, his whole family was finally together again. Finn was mere inches away, oblivious to all of this bu here, and Rhea and Dom were asleep and exhausted, but they were right here.

 

~~~

 

Seeing Rhea and Dom like that sparked a parental fire in Damian’s chest. 

He didn’t even know he had a parental side. He was still a kid himself, as youthful as a fresh canvas. But fuck, Rhea and Dom were like infants in comparison. They didn’t deserve what happened to them last night.

Priest sat on a chair by the bed and watched over them like a hawk as they slept. 

Somewhere in between the joking around and the smart-ass comments, he became an older brother. An older brother who would destroy anyone who touched his family. He never expected to feel this way. But man, he felt it deep in his bones.

When Rhea woke, she looked at him, confusion under that messy black hair. She asked how she ended up in bed, and what happened last night.

“I carried you,” was all he said. 

They talked for a bit about what happened, and the more Rhea talked about why she was being punished, the more Damian’s heart burned. This place was beginning to piss him off. At least with Finn, he understood the reason why he was being punished. He did go on a violent rampage. It was fueled by fear and heartbreak. He lost all ties to JD. But Damian could understand why he was sentenced to isolation. What he couldn’t understand was why Rhea had to run laps until she threw up, or why Dom had to spend hours in a cage. Becky Lynch threw the first punch. 

Damian clenched his jaw. 

“Thanks for saving me,” Dom whispered, bashful. 

It hurt too much for a cold Saturday morning, listening to Dom explain why he was so scared. How he feared he was going to be forgotten, abandoned, just like his deadbeat Dad abandoned him. 

Impossible. That skinny kid with the mullet wormed his way into Damian’s heart, and while he could be a pain in the ass, he was also Damian’s baby brother. He would never forget about Dom. 

They stayed in Dom’s room until noon, until Brent came looking for them. Damian was fully prepared to lay this guy out. He didn’t care who he was right now: adult, houseparent, security officer, group home manager, whatever status he held, it didn’t matter. He hurt his family. 

Before he took a swing, however, Corey Graves, kind of saved the day by telling Brent he was the one who let Dominik out of the room last night.  

“Next time, tell me!” Brent snapped in Corey’s direction. 

Rhea gave Corey a little nod of appreciation when Brent wasn’t looking. At least someone in this home was looking out for them. 

 

~~~

 

On Sunday, Dom and Rhea had just finished taking a bath, and were lying around Damian’s room, feeling safer.

Dom was just putting on his sliver watch, and his golden cross necklace when he noticed a vehicle pull up in the driveway.

Rhea pressed her face up against the glass to peer down.

“Holy shit. Someone is getting fostered by a rich person today,” she said, noticing the limousine.

The driver of the limousine stepped out and walked around to the back to open the door. Dom turned away from the curtain, running a hand through his hair, chewing his gum. 

“What’s wrong?” Rhea asked, sensing the stress.

“That’s the deadbeat.”

A look of surprised crossed Rhea’s face. She glanced out the window again. 

“Wow. He really is short.” 

Notes:

So, um. Yeah. ✌️
Dom and his Dad up next.

Chapter 18: Hey, Jefe

Summary:

A Dom and Rey chapter. Get the tissues. Get the hammers.

When Dom was young, about four or so, he thought his Dad was a superhero.

Not because he wore a mask or fought bad guys on his TV commercials, but because he did something even better. He dedicated his life to creating a family business that aimed to help people. 

Rey Mysterio was a leader. He was altruistic and compassionate. He was the little guy who came from humble beginnings and fought for the everyday person. Dom watched him on countless occasions give back to the community. Even when his Dad lacked his morning coffee, even when he felt sick, he would give. Dom admired him for that, used to climb on his shoulders and let his Dad parade him around the set. 

Quite simply put, Rey Mysterio was the nicest guy you could meet.  

It was a lesson drilled into Dom’s head from the moment he could walk. Your Dad is great. You have big shoes to fill.

And perhaps half Dom’s problem was trying to live up to the crushing weight of expectations thrusted on him for just being Rey Mysterio’s son. He was expected to join the family legacy. But he was seen as a nepo baby, riding Daddy’s coattails, getting everything handed to him. No matter how hard Dom worked in school or at baseball practice, his peers would scoff and say he got the position because of his Dad. 

So eventually he stopped trying to work hard. What did it matter if people were only ever going to see him as a spoiled brat who couldn’t do anything without his Dad? Might as well own the part. 

“Dom?” 

He blinked Rhea into focus. 

“Did you hear me? I said you’re not his baby boy anymore. You don’t have to listen to him.” 

She was right. Dom was not a baby anymore. He was twelve, which was basically entirely grown. He knew that. He knew that, and yet he still craved something from his father. 

Maybe it was closure he was looking for, something to stop this resentment from living inside of him. More than anything, he just wanted to hear his Dad say sorry.

Dom stood by the window for what felt like hours, chewing his gum, watching his father step out of the limousine and shake Nick’s hand.

He looked…happy. Most of the time his happiness was a front, a mask he put on for everyone else to see, but right now, Dom couldn’t see past the mask and that hurt. 

Brent collected them. A special guest has arrived to give you gifts. 

Dom licked his lips and turned away from the window. He slipped out of Damian’s room and made his way downstairs only to be stopped by Rhea. 

“Hold on,” she said, crowding close to him by the railing. Hot breath hit his ear as Rhea whispered words of advice in his ear. His stone cold expression hadn’t changed as he listened to her wisdom. With Rhea by his side, he knew he would be able to face his Dad. 

He grabbed her by the hand and they walked into the meeting room together. 

“There he is!” Nick exclaimed cheerfully. “Dominik, look what your Dad brought with him.” 

All the other kids in the group home were passing gifts, jabbering happily, and thanking his father for his generosity. 

“Hey, Dum Dum, why didn’t you tell us your Daddy is rich?” Xavier Woods asked. 

Wes Lee clasped Dom on the shoulder, “Your Dad is freaking awesome.” 

Rhea waved them off like they were flies. 

It didn’t surprise Dom that these people were on his father’s side. Besides, Dom overheard Nick mention something about a donation. Money, money, money. Everyone wants to be your friend when you have money. 

Dom maneuvered his way through the crowd, slowly getting closer. He waited for his father to look at him. 

“Nick, man. I’m so grateful for all that you do for these young people. You are truly a blessing.” 

Dom stayed rooted in place, his hands shoved deep into his hoodie pockets. He watched the man, the man who hadn’t visited him in almost a year, pal around with Nick Aldis like they were old friends. Like this wasn’t difficult for him at all. 

“Dom! Look what he got me,” Shotzi yelled, cheerful like she always was, waving a video game. 

Thanks to Shotzi calling his name out, his Dad finally looked Dom’s way. Their eyes met. Dom had to step away from his emotions, even though he was feeling a million different things at once, he locked onto that rage. He fed it, nourished it, let the it grow in the pit of his stomach. 

His body started to shake as he waited for his Dad to say something to him. It didn’t happen. Dad turned his attention back to Nick and said, “Just last year, I celebrated 20 years of philanthropy.”

“Wow, that’s incredible, Rey.” 

“I received a lot of awards, but this year, I’m receiving the biggest honors of my life: a lifetime achievement award.” 

A chorus of clapping came from the kids in the group home, and it was like pouring salt on Dom’s open wound. He remembered watching his father on the news accepting his millionth humanitarian award, and the reporter mentioned something about ‘his amazing commitment to family values.’ Dom just laughed, dry and bitter, in the silence of the livingroom.  

“Congratulations, Jefe,” he said, clapping nice and slow. A hushed quiet fell over the people. “You finally got that lifetime achievement award you always wanted. I hope it was worth it because you earned that honor at the expense of me.” He poked his father’s chest, watering that rage.  

Dom could sense people shifting uncomfortably. 

A few kids whispered. 

“Dom sucks, man.”

“I hope Rey shows him who’s boss.” 

“I hope he makes Dom cut his mullet.” 

Dom ignored all the whispers and gossip, intent on sending a message. “Is it an honor that I went months without a father? Is it an honor that you abandoned me?” 

Dad held up a hand to silence him. “Let’s discuss this in private. Just you and me. Man to man.” 

“Kick his ass, Rey!” someone shouted as they began to leave together, and the whole room burst into laughter like Dom’s life was one big joke. 

 

 

~~~

 

When Dom was eight, he realized his father was not a superhero. 

His Uncle Eddie had just visited him at daycare. He gave Dom candy and told him stories. When Dad found out, he warned Dom to never speak to Uncle Eddie ever again. Dom didn’t understand why. But it really made his father angry. 

The next time Uncle Eddie came to the house, his father pushed him out the door and into the yard, swinging. It was rare for Dom to see his father so physical. 

As Dad marched back towards the house, Eddie screamed something that would change Dom’s life forever. 

He said: 

“Dominik! Rey is not your father! No es tu papà, mijo.” 

It was like the rug had been pulled out from under Dom’s feet and suddenly all the fighting and the door slamming between Dad and Mom made sense. 

But it couldn’t be. Because that would mean Dom wasn’t a Mysterio. That would mean he didn’t belong. Maybe he shouldn’t even like dorito tacos or lucha libre. 

Eddie stood up and dusted off the dirt. 

“The truth of the matter is, I’m your father, Dominik. I’m your Papi.”  

Did that mean he should like mullets and low-riders? It threw him into a crisis and he was only eight. 

Eight and dealing with a custody battle. 

Eight and being taken away from his family for the first time.

Eight and standing in a funeral parlor, crying over Eddie’s passing. 

Eight when he realized his father was not a hero… he wasn’t even sure if he was his father. 

 

~~~

 

Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley stood side by side in the privacy of Nick’s office. 

Michael Cole watched from his favorite spying spot, perched on the heater, staring through the glass. 

“Michael Cole!” Corey chided, “Give that family some privacy.”

“I don’t know why I’m surprise,” Cole said, “This is typical Dominik. I thought when his Dad said let’s have a man to man, he would want to respect that, but no, look who’s by his side.”

Corey stepped on the heater and took a sneak peak, “Rhea.”

“Yeah, his protector.” Cole rolled his eyes. “When do you think he’ll grow up and realize it’s embarrassing to let his girlfriend protect him?”

Wade walked over, “You sound like a bitter old man, Cole. This is young love. Be happy for them.” 

“Hey, Wade. Wanna join?” Corey offered, making some room for the third security officer to watch this family dispute happen. 

Wade shrugged. “Why not.” 

The three of them stood shoulder to shoulder, ears pressed to the glass, listening to the kids talk. 

“Look at that, Mami. He actually decided to show up.” 

“I know. I’m shocked,” Rhea said, letting out a fake gasp. 

“Do you know how many nights I went without a father?” Dom asked her. 

“How many?”  

“I went a lot of nights.” 

 

Michael Cole couldn’t take this anymore. 

“Oh that is such a lie. Dominik Mysterio never had to want for anything in his life. He always had clothes on his back and food on the table. Unlike Rey, who worked his ass off to get to where he is now, Dominik had everything handed to him from the day he was born.”

Wade cleared his throat. “He had everything except a good father it appears.” 

“Oh,” Michael Cole’s face clouded with rage, “Do NOT buy into that crap for even a second. That’s a spoiled kid in there.” 

“I think your judgement is clouded by the fact that Rey is an award winning humanitarian,” Wade continued, feeling more playful and willing to jab at Cole on this. “We don’t know what went on behind closed doors in the Mysterio household.” 

“I beg to differ.” 

“Oh you were there, were you?” Wade quirked an eyebrow. 

“No, but I’ve known Rey for close to twelve years. I’ve known Dominik since the day he was born, and I have never seen anything out of the ordinary happen. This kid is a brat, plain and simple. I stand by my statement.”

Wade wisely backed off. 

“Hey, he’s sending Rhea out of the room,” Corey said. “Here we go, gentlemen. The family drama we’ve all been waiting for. So much better than cable tv.” 

 

~~~

 

“Okay,” Dad said, once Rhea left the room, “Let’s hear it.”

“Oh so now you wanna talk?” Dom chuckled, mean and ugly. “Now that I’m one of your charity cases you suddenly have time for me?”

Dad opened his mouth, but Dom cut him off.  

“Did you even come here to see me or are you just doing this for your job?” 

After all the fuss he made about handing out gifts, Dom wouldn’t be surprised if he was just a stop on the Rey Mysterio charity trip. 

Dad frowned. “Of course I came to see you. I said I would.” 

Dom absorbed that, but he wasn’t sure if he could believe it as the truth. 

“Forgive me for having a hard time believing you,” he spat, “You lied to me my whole life so…”

 Dad let out a sharp huff. 

“How many times do I have to say this, I did not lie to you. Eddie lied. You are my son.” 

“What kind of a father abandons his own son?!” 

Dad flinched, a look of hurt flickering across his face — good. Dom was hurting too. For a few agonizing moments, silence dominated the small office. 

“I did what was for our entire family.” 

Dom shook his head, unable to accept that answer at all. 

“You didn’t want me to ruin your good name, isn’t that right, Mr. Lifetime Achievement award. Gotta keep that reputation of yours squeaky clean, eh, jefe?” 

The bitterness and resentment made him feel like he was being torn apart from the inside out. It wasn’t even a good feeling anymore, it was just pain. 

“No, Dominik. I wanted what was best for this family,” Dad said, and it was gentle in how blunt it was. Dom would rather be slashed quickly.  “Clearly, you were unhappy. You were getting into trouble. You said you didn’t want to be my son,” Dad shook his head, mournfully, like he was ashamed of the memories. “You used to make me so angry, Dominik. I almost snapped on you. Hitting you would have been the biggest disgrace of my life as a father so I had to send you away.” 

Dom held his ground, held his body, held it together pretty fucking well considering the circumstances.  

“Don’t act like you never hit me before.” 

Dad was appalled. “I never laid hands on you.” 

“You beat me and then tweeted about it!” 

“I used the la chancla a couple of times, but I never laid hands on my own son, and I am proud of that.” 

“You just threw me away instead,” Dom hissed, “Admit it. You didn’t think I was good enough for the Mysterio name so you wanted to ditch me.” 

“That’s not true. I think someday you could be as good as me in the family business. Maybe even better than me.” 

Dom felt his pulse increase with the unexpected compliment.

“So what? You don’t love me? Is that why you sent me here?” 

“Dominik…” Dad choked on his voice, “I love you. Don’t ever question that. I know I haven’t been the best father. I know I wasn’t there for you all the time, but that doesn’t take away my love for you, son.”

For a fleeting moment, Dom felt a glimmer of hope at the words I love you, but it was snuffed out almost instantly when his Dad said, “I’m not the one who needs to apologize.” 

He tried to put his hand on Dom’s shoulder, a sweet and steadying gesture that only served to piss Dom off further. He batted his father’s hand away, livid. 

“Why the hell should I apologize? YOU abandoned ME.” 

Dad furrowed his brow in bafflement. “Is that how you see it?” 

Dom floundered, he thought maybe his Dad was playing some sort of a sick mind game. Obviously that’s what happened. Right?

“I- How do you see it?” 

Rey looked down at his hands. 

“I see it as you left me with no choice. You betrayed your entire family when you laid hands on me. When you decided to hit your own father, you made the choice to leave this family.” 

“Are you my father, though? Because that’s not what Eddie told me.” 

“This is why I have a hard time visiting you. You can’t let things go.” 

“It’s confusing!”  

Dad shook his bald head. “It doesn’t matter. I raised you. You are mine.” A hiss of breath came out through his nose. “You were mine until you decided to attack me.” 

“So what are you saying? I was too bad?” 

“Yes. You were dangerous, Dominik. I had to think of your mother and sister.” 

Dom looked away, only a tiny bit guiltily. He never meant to hurt his Mom or sister. Even if his Mom did call the police on him once. 

“Besides, you told me you wished you were Eddie’s son.” The last words came out raw, as if it was ripped from somewhere deep inside Dad’s chest. A hurt he kept close to his heart all these years. “So I figured you wanted nothing to do with this family. It seemed like the best option to release you from this family’s burden. Congratulations. You got what you wanted.” 

Something cracked inside Dom and he let out a sound that was a mixture of a laugh and cry.  

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Dad was supposed to apologize to him. He was supposed to get down on his knees and beg for Dom’s forgiveness.

 

Dom’s hands twitched at his side and he couldn’t stop the hurt that crossed his face. He was really that bad. 

He tried to remember the anger but it wilted. He felt chopped up to size and miserable. 

“Hey.” It was Dad again. He had moved closer, hands hovering. “You can still make this right.” 

Why should Dom have to make this right? Why was Dom the one who had to apologize? Parents were supposed to love their children, weren’t they? 

A flicker of anger. “Shut up you piece of sh—“

“Basta! Por favor,” Dad exclaimed. He shook his head like he was utterly disappointed in Dom’s sudden outburst. “This is what I’m talking about! I hope someday we can talk about this when you’re older and more mature. I can see your time away from home has not taught you any respect. You’re still the same disrespectful, punk kid.” 

In a strange way, Dom was grateful his father had just insulted him, it added fuel to that dying fire. It helped stop the tears before they started, and remind Dom that the only feeling he should ever feel is rage. 

“You’re wrong, I learned a lot of things on my own. I have a new family now, a REAL family, one that won’t abandon me when I’m bad. They like it when I’m bad!” 

Dad closed his eyes momentarily.  

“Then you’re more far gone than I thought. Honestly, son. You seem like a lost cause.” 

Dom chomped on his tongue, thinking, if his Dad thought he was a lost cause, he might as well show him just how far gone he really was. 

 

~~~

 

“Oh! A cheap shot by Dominik!” Cole screamed, absolutely enraged. “He just hit his father in the face!”

“Get in there,” Graves shouted, tripping over his own two feet as he clambered off the heater, racing for the door. Michael Cole followed, surprised with how fast Corey was moving until he realized Dom had a chair in his hands. He raised it over Rey’s hunched over form, prepared to strike. Thankfully, Corey and Wade intervened, stopping the brat in his tracks. 

“Rey? Are you okay?” Michael Cole asked, crouching down next to his good friend. 

Corey used the walkie-talkie to request for Nick Aldis assistance. 

“It was a cheap shot by Dominik, and Rey couldn’t do anything because he wasn’t going to strike his own son,” Michael Cole recounted, dabbing his sweaty forehead with a paper towel. 

Nick asked Rey what he wanted him to do to Dominik.

“I’ll handle Dom,” Rey said, placing a gentle hand on Nick’s arm. “The next time my son visits me, I’ll deal with everything. Please, don’t do anything to him. I’ve got this.”

“Here,” Rey said, fishing into his pocket. He pulled out a check and handed it to Nick. “Keep up the good work.” 

As Nick went to walk Rey out, he handed Brent the check and told him to put it in the safe box.

Rey exchanged his goodbyes with everyone, and as soon as he disappeared, Michael Cole rounded on Dom. 

“You’re trash,” he screamed, and if Dom’s ears could bend backwards they would have. “You turned your back on your own father. You piece of shi—“

“COLE!” Corey shouted.

“No, he can say it,” Brent agreed, “Go ahead. Say it. He’s a piece of shit.”

“You two need to stop having a meltdown,” Wade told them. “I’m sure this was a very difficult conversation to have for the Mysterios and it’s really none of our business.” 

Brent smacked the top of Dom’s head with the check his father gave them, and then held it directly in front of his face. 

“You see this? This is your legacy. If you weren’t so dumb, this money could have been yours. But you’re an idiot. A Dumb Dumb. Dumb Dom.” 

Michael Cole was loving this. The chastened look on this kid’s face was priceless. Unfortunately, Rhea Ripley just had to poke her nose into this. 

“Dom! Do not let him talk to you like that,” Rhea shouted. 

Dom spit his gum out on the check. 

“That’s nice,” Cole muttered, wishing he could just kick the crap out of Dominik himself. How likely was it that Nick would fire him? If he just happened to accidentally lose control of his arm for a minute and slap the kid so hard he can’t see straight? 

Dominik grabbed the check from Brent’s hands and ripped it. Rhea cackled brightly. “Rip that bloody check!” 

He tore the check into itty bitty pieces and Cole popped his lid. 

“Defend this, Wade. Defend this!” he shrieked, seeing black dots he was that angry. 

“A life time of parental resentment can make you do crazy things,” Wade joked, far too playful for such a serious crime. That was a significant amount of money, gone. 

At long last Brent thawed from his frozen state of shock and he went purple. 

“Why I outta…” He raised his hand, and yes, yes, yes! Finally, this kid was going to get what he deserved.  

But then Nick, of all people, snatched his hand mid-air and sent Brent the deadliest of looks. 

“Don’t you dare.” 

Brent froze, hand hovering an inch from Dom’s face. He slowly turned, his chest heaving with rage. “He destroyed the check!”

“Step into my office. Immediately.”

Brent shot Dom one last venomous look before following Nick into his office.

 

Notes:

Oh my goodness, I have been WAITING to post a Dom and Rey centric chapter. I really hoped it turned out well. I love these two. I tried to add a lot of dialogue we have heard before to make it as realistic as possible.

Even though this is a different situation than the show, I still think a lot of these points hold true to how Dom might be feeling. (And of course irl he’s good with his Dad. It’s just pure entertainment but still. It’s been fun!)

We are getting closer to the end now. This story really took on a life of its own. I originally predicted maybe 10 chapters and then I quickly realized it was going to be a lot more than that. It’s continuing to spin, but I have an end in sight and we are getting closer. I promise.

Chapter 19: Hello Old Friend

Finn was freed from isolation the Tuesday after Rey Mysterio visited. 

Although he was free, he was not the same person as he was before. Rhea expected him to throw his arms around her, rejoicing. She expected a game plan. She expected him to want to sneak out. 

Instead, Finn was stripped of his usual bravado, not saying a word to anyone, not even Rhea. 

She didn’t like this one bit. To make matters worse, Seth Rollins was released from his seclusion room on the same day. He would be out for blood. Him and everyone else. Perhaps trying to scare people was a bad idea, but what was her alternative? Make a bunch of friends? No one ever wanted to be her friend. She tried so many times and all happened was she got hurt. 

She was done trying. And when she stopped trying to play nice with everyone, her real friends found her. They were done trying to play nice too. 

The four of them decided that it was better to be feared than loved. Actually, it was a quote in this book Finn was reading called The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli. He explained that fear is the better option to keep their peers in check. Love is unreliable. People abandon those they love when it no longer benefits their self-interest, but fear is constant. 

Still, as Rhea looked over her shoulder, sensing the beady eyes glaring holes in the back of her head, she wondered if scaring people was the right move? Oh well, she thought remorseful. Too late now. 

 

~~~

 

Over the course of the next few days, Finn’s sullen mood healed in tiny doses.  

He cracked a small smile on Halloween when they were carving pumpkins. He started eating three meals a day again and taking warm showers. He might not fully be himself, but Rhea knew he was going to get there. 

It would just take time. 

 

~~~

 

As Finn continued to recover in small doses, the rest of them continued to deal with the daily grind, like doing the laundry. 

Rhea loaded the reds into a massive washing machine. Priest folded the dried clothing, while Rhea sorted through the dirty pile, separating the colors. 

Kevin Owens added laundry detergent. As Priest reached for a stack of freshly washed sheets, Kevin Owens deliberately shoved him aside. 

“Bro, there’s plenty of room,” Priest said. 

“Oh. My bad.” Kevin Owens grabbed a heavy wet sheet and snapped it with a crack, the edge of it hit Priest square across the face. 

Rhea froze, a pair of blue underwear stuck in her hand as she watched Priest rise to his full height. 

“I know you did not just hit me on purpose,” he said, feigning casualness.

Kevin Owens hummed in thought. “Oh but I did.” 

He chucked a laundry basket filled with clothes over Priest’s head, then kicked him in the mid-section. 

“Hey!” Rhea shrieked, jumping on top of Kevin Owen’s back. He lost his balance and they tumbled into the stack of clothes. 

 

~~~

 

Rhea wished she could say that was the only time she was attacked, but that was just the beginning.

Raquel Rodriguez caught Rhea alone in the bathroom one afternoon and shoved her. Within seconds, Rhea was digging her nails into Raquel’s shoulders, squaring off with her for power. They were equally the same size so it was harder to knock her down. 

Eventually, Rhea rammed her skull into Raquel’s midsection and jumped on top of the girl as her back hit the tile floor. Rhea’s fists went flying. 

“Think you can kick my ass, do you?” Rhea shouted. “Go on then. Bring it!” 

Raquel fought wildly under Rhea’s weight, punching and kicking for freedom but Rhea wouldn’t let up. She wasn’t even sure if she was in the right headspace anymore, too many images of her past foster parents crowded her brain. 

Raquel pulled Rhea’s earring clean out of her ear, screaming, “I hope you get sent to Siberia, you bitch.” 

 

~~~

 

It became pretty much common knowledge that they were getting into fights. It was a little hard to hide the busted lips and bruised knuckles from the staff. 

“If you hit Wes Lee one more time, Dominik, I swear I will take you outside and whip you with a stick.” 

Brent was always an asshole, but ever since Dom ripped Rey Mysterio’s generous check, Brent was demonic. 

“Wes hit me!” Dom stomped his foot. “He hit me. Look at my face. Look it.” 

A blood vessel had burst in his eye. Rhea sighed inwardly, making a note to herself to grab a bag of frozen veggies before the lock was put on the freezer that night. 

“I don’t see anything. Shut your mouth before I smack you.”

Nobody missed the shaking of Dom’s fingers as he reached for a slice of pizza.

“No, Dominik. That’s not for you,” Brent pulled the box of food away from him. 

“But I’m hungry.” 

“You should have ate your lunch, but you decided to slap Wes Lee instead so now you don’t get any dinner.” 

Nobody missed the quivering of Dom’s lip right before his hand shot out and slapped Brent across the chest. 

“You little shit. Yeah, you better run!” 

 

~~~

 

Dom’s words from a while back echoed in Rhea’s head. Can we really put up with this for three more years? She didn’t know the answer, but they had to tough it out. This was still better than foster care… 

It was. 

So what if they were exhausted after each day or on their toes, worried about being attacked, never really feeling safe. Rhea would much rather fear her peers than fear the people who pretended to be her parents. 

Besides, not everything was bad. 

Kevin Patrick was nice. He came up to them in the recreational room and joined their card game. 

“I heard isolation was pretty hard on you,” KP said, placing a blue 7 in the pile. 

Finn shrugged. “Deserved it, I guess.”

“You were worried about your brother,” KP insisted, extending a water bottle. Finn hesitantly took the drink. “As long as you know beating the crap out of Seth was wrong, I don’t think you should be beating yourself up about it.”

He waited for Finn to take a sip of water before continuing. “Cheer up, mate. Keep fighting for those rewards. You’ll see him someday.” 

Finn placed a reverse uno on the table, and nodded, slowly.

He was nearly himself again. 

 

~~~

 

In the meantime, DomDom was miserable. Rhea couldn’t blame him for being grumpy, not when Brent was out to get him. In order to cheer him up, Rhea snuck into the kitchen with him for a midnight snack. 

“What are you doing?” Cody Rhodes asked, nearly jumping out of his skin when he stumbled into the kitchen at three in the morning.  

Rhea and Dom were settled on top of the counter, legs crisscrossed, and bowl of Mac’n Cheese between them. 

“We’re eating,” she replied, holding out a spoon. “Want some?” 

Cody raised his eyebrows. “You know you’re not supposed to be out here after hours.” 

Rhea swallowed her mouthful. She could say the same thing about him. What gave Cody the right to break the rules and then scold them for doing the exact same thing? 

Dom let out a sharp chuff. “We can do whatever we want.”

“Excuse me?” 

The spoon Dom dropped, clattered into the ceramic bowl. 

“I said, we can do whatever we want. Stop acting like our father. You’re not even eighteen yet.” 

Dom sounded a bit bratty, but Rhea knew he was just hungry and tired and sick of people treating him like dirt. When everyone calls you a piece of trash all day long, you start to believe it, and then you start to act like it. She placed a hand on the curvature of his spine, just to let him know that she was here for him. 

Cody’s expression morphed into something dark. 

“You know, Dom. I have a lot of empathy for you. It must have been so tough growing up in a mansion with a Dad who loves you. Wow, what a hard life you’ve had.” 

That was not fair. Cody was aiming low with that one. 

“Hey mister golden child, not everyone is perfect like you. My Dad’s made a lot of mistakes.” 

“I’m sure your Dad’s not perfect, Dom. I’m sure he made a lot of mistakes, and I know that, because I’m looking at one.” 

Rhea’s jaw dropped. What had gotten into Cody? He was not acting like himself at all. 

Dom set his bowl down and hopped off the counter. “Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Cody nodded, fists clenched. Whoa, wait a minute. Was he about to fight Dom? 

“You pushed Brent, hit Woods, attacked your Dad — damn it, Dom. How am I supposed to defend that? And then you have the nerve to sit here and boast about how you can do whatever you want? Well guess what, kid, you can’t. And maybe you need someone to teach you a lesson.” 

Dom looked at Rhea.

She hopped off the counter and stepped in front of him, protectively. 

Cody must have felt a little guilty because he relaxed his fists and shook his head dismissively like he was giving up on the whole idea. He should. 

Rhea began to let her wall come down too. But Dom, delirious from hunger and anger, ran up to Cody and slapped him right across the face. Rhea’s mouth dropped open before morphing into a gigantic smile. That was bloody terrific! A cheap shot from her Dirty Dom. Now Cody would know better than to try and fight them. He would fear them after this. 

“Are you kidding me?” Cody asked, touching his pink cheek, the vague outline of a hand forming. 

Rhea patted her face, cackling. “Hope that one hurt, Cody.”

“Take that, you deadbeat!” Dom yelled, grinning from ear to ear as they backed away slowly. 

“You’re just like Rey, Cody.”

As expected, Cody was so afraid he didn’t bother to chase after them. This is why ruling with fear was the way to go. 

 

~~~

 

Kevin Patrick was right when he said Finn would get to see JD someday. 

Someday happened as soon as November 5th, when they accumulated enough points to win this reward. 

The drive was an hour long. Rhea wished it was longer. She missed the world, missed the trees and the speed of the highway, but she was happy to be standing on JD’s front porch at long last. 

Finn had been to this house before but never on an official visit like this one. 

“Sis!” KP hugged the woman who answered the door. She was strawberry blonde, round glasses, and a gentle face. “It’s good to see you.” 

Bare feet and a long white t-shirt. Her name was Erin, and she was absolutely radiant. 

“Come in, come in.”  

Rhea slipped out of her shoes as instructed, and hung by the coat rack. She didn’t know what to do with her hands; they were at her side,  running over her jeans. She waited for Dom to finish putting his shoes under the table before gripping him close. He sent her a happy smile, and it looked good on him. Rhea realized she hadn’t seen Dom happy in a long time.

“Jordon! Your friends are here.”’

A boy came rushing in the room: square jaw, blue eyes, hair tied back in a bun.

“Finn, you made it!” He engulfed Finn in a hug. It was the loudest clap of Rhea had ever heard.

“JD, you bastard. You scared me half to death,” Finn whispered, clutching his shoulder.

They stayed like that for a while, and when they finally broke apart, Finn placed an affectionate arm around JD’s shoulder. 

“Eh, you remember the family, right?” Finn pointed to Damian, Dom and Rhea and introduced each of them once again. Rhea met him before, in Pearce’s group home, but it was brief.  

“Go on, make yourselves at home,” Erin encouraged, shooing them inside. JD took them into his living room while Erin drifted right back into a conversation with Kevin Patrick. Rhea found this fascinating. She never really thought of Kevin Patrick outside of the group home. It was like thinking of a teacher having a life outside of school — weird.  

Rhea noticed the pile of board games, comic books, and TV on display. 

“Mate, you have a nice set up here,” Finn whispered, making sure Kevin and Erin were busy chatting by the door so they could talk in private. 

“I guess so,” JD admitted after a pause, giving the group an awkward smile. “I mean, yeah, this is nice, but I missed you guys.”

“Ah,” Finn slapped his chest, “You’ll see us every now and then. Besides, I bet you will make lots of new friends. What about Erin? Is she cool?”  

“She’s decent… she really wants to be a mother. Keeps talking about adoption.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Dom asked, glancing between Finn and JD as he settled on the couch. 

“I like it here sometimes.” He really wasn’t helping his case. Too many vague responses, someone was going to have to flat out ask him what the problem was. 

Rhea would happily be that someone. “What don’t you like about her?” It came off clipped and annoyed. She might have felt a little bit bitter at the thought of JD getting adopted, although she shouldn’t. She would hate that. 

“Erin’s cool, it’s her boyfriend I don’t like.”

Now they were getting somewhere. Finn asked a lot more questions and Rhea continued to glance at KP and Erin to make sure they were not listening. 

“Does he hit you?” It was blunt but someone had to ask it. Finn should stop looking at Rhea with those judgmental eyes and be grateful she was willing to rip the band-aid off. 

“More like uh verbal punches?” 

“Hey,” Dom smiled, patting him on the back, “Welcome to the club, bro. If I had a nickel for every time someone told me I sucked, I’d be richer than my Dad.”

The time for talking came to an abrupt end when Kevin and his sister butted in. Rhea got up with her boys, and started moving around the room, looking at knickknacks and paintings. It was a nice house. Nothing too fancy, just an average home. Rhea wouldn’t mind living here, except, of course dealing with Erin’s bloody boyfriend. 

Dom’s brown eyes grew as large as saucers when he spied the bowl of colorful candy on a mantle. 

“Can I have?” he asked politely, pointing to the dish. 

“Course you can,” Erin said, smiling at KP. “I thought you said he was the difficult one?”

KP shushed her. 

Dom grabbed two fistfuls of candy and stuffed them in his mouth like he had been starved for decades. Damian joined him, humming in delight as he scarfed down the food. Both of them had been lacking dinner lately, but they were certainly giving it away with their behavior. 

“Lads,” Finn whispered under his breath, giving them a kick. Rhea mouthed the word ‘stop.’ The last thing they needed was KP’s sister reporting this to DCS.  

Dom took one last handful of candy, and then he rejoined Finn and JD on the floor by the TV. 

They watched a few episodes of JD’s favorite series, played a couple of board games (with KP and Erin), and helped Erin make lunch.  

Rhea had to admit it was kind of fun. Finn never looked happier. Dom in particular was beaming with all the attention and praise Erin was giving him. For once, he wasn’t dumb Dom or the spoiled little brat who was mean to his father, he was just Dominik Mysterio, the person Rhea knew inside and out. 

Rhea never belonged anywhere though, so she stayed in the background, cautious and observant. 

Every once in a while Dom would float past her and talk in this excited exuberant way, telling her stories and trying to keep Rhea involved, but then he would run off and join the boys. He was about to go rolling down the hill in the backyard with JD.

“C’mon Mami, it will be fun,” he said, tugging at her hand. “You can push me down the hill. Or… or you can kick JD down the hill.” He snickered at that thought.

She smiled. “You go. I’ll be alright.” 

“But —“

“Go have fun, Dom. I’ll stay here and keep the big man company.” 

Dom glanced and Damian who was sitting alone on a stool at the kitchen counter and seemed to be okay with this response. He gave her a quick kiss and was flying out the back door. 

After a few minutes of silence, Rhea sat next to Damian on the kitchen stool, and stared out the window until the screen door opened and Erin walked inside. Rhea’s hands got sweaty. 

“How are you two doing?”

Rhea cleared her throat before responding; she felt like she was learning how to speak again. 

“Good.” 

Erin radiated the same warmth for Rhea as she did for her own foster child. “Are you guys hungry? I can make you something to eat?” 

“Um…” Rhea hesitated. The question felt like a trap somehow. She turned to Priest for help. 

“Thank you, that would be great,” Damian responded. 

Erin whipped up some sandwiches. Soon after, they were bombarded with noise. Finn, JD and Dom were talking over top of one another as they ran inside and crammed the sandwiches in their mouths. 

They were like a trio of gremlins. 

“I guess we better go,” Kevin Patrick said after their last game of charades which Rhea and Dom totally dominated. “It’s getting late.” 

“Five more minutes.” Dom tried to negotiate with KP, holding out five fingers and wiggling them.

“Nooo, you said that ten minutes ago.” The older man shook his head.

“Ten more minutes?” JD suggested. 

“No, guys. Your negotiation skills need a little work,” KP laughed, ruffling his hair.  

While Dom and KP held a debate on negotiating, Finn and JD exchanged a long goodbye. Rhea understood the need for this. There was a very real chance they might never see JD again.

“Be safe okay,” Finn advised, as he gave JD’s arm a light punch. 

“Hey, Erin. Can Finn stay the night?” JD asked. 

“Not tonight, but you two can see each other next weekend.” 

KP turned to Erin, “Good idea. You can bring him to Family Day. It’s every Sunday from ten to twelve.” 

“I know, that’s what I was thinking,” she smiled, nudging him out the door. Kevin Patrick gathered his coat and keys and checked in with them. “Everybody got everything?” 

The group nodded collectively. Before they parted ways, Finn turned to Erin and asked something completely uncalled for. 

“Would you consider adopting all five of us?” 

 

 

Notes:

Am I really at chapter 19 now? Cracker jacks. This has gotten out of hand.

I appreciate you all for sticking in there. I hope this chapter was a bit of a relief to see The Judgement Day having fun. I feel like they needed that.

Chapter 20: Cody’s Challenge

“How could you ask her that?” Damian yelled, whipping past Finn on his way to the sink. “How could you ask her to adopt us?”

Priest dropped a stack of plates in the sink with a harsh clatter, and a splash of soapy water sprayed Rhea and Dom. 

“I don’t know, Damian, maybe I was trying to help the family? Ever think of that?” 

“Help us? Nah, man. You were trying to help yourself.”

Finn shoved a plate in Dom’s hands, before whipping around on Damian. 

“I don’t know why you keep yelling about this. Adoption is supposed to be a good thing.” 

“I don’t want to be adopted,” Damian stated coldly. “Rhea doesn’t want to be adopted either. You know how I know? Because we talked about it. We had a real conversation.” 

This was bad. 

Finn and Priest have never argued like this before. Rhea subconsciously gripped Dom’s wrist a little tighter. They could not afford to fall apart like this. 

“I’m so sorry, Damian. I’m so sorry I didn’t ask for your permission. I didn’t think I had to. I thought we all agreed this place is hell.” 

Finn ripped a mug out of the sudsy water with a slosh, and ferociously scrubbed it dry. 

Rhea hated being in the middle of this. She liked it better when they had a common enemy, not when they all blamed each other. 

“I suppose you think living in JD’s house would b solve all our problems,” Damian laughed cruelly. 

In all fairness, they were having a good time at JD’s house. But it was just a visit. Living there would be completely different. Once everyone calmed down, Rhea was sure Finn would see it that way. 

“I think we need to leave this home before one of us dies.” 

“I think you’re being a little overdramatic,” Damian huffed. 

“Am I?” Finn fixed him with a glare. “Because you got ambushed. Rhea collapsed. Dom’s lucky his growth hasn’t been stunted from malnutrition, and I swear I will never ever go back to isolation ever again.” 

“Okay, okay,” Damian cut him off, “Take it easy. I know this hasn’t been the easiest week for us but we can’t go around making irrational choices —“

“Irrational?!” 

“They affect everyone. We need to discuss this as a group. As a family.” 

“We didn’t discuss being sent here as a family. I was happy at Pearce’s home.” 

Rhea momentarily closed her eyes. 

Everything froze between the two of them except for the tension in Finn’s jaw, and the fire in Damain’s eyes.  

Rhea realized she was holding her breath, drying the same bowl for over ten minutes. She handed it to Dom. He hurried to put the bowl away, wanting to be close to Rhea right now. She could feel the stress in his fingers, the way he squeezed her hand tight.

“What if JD was lying and it is physical in that house?” Damian asked. “Are you really about to risk Rhea and Dom’s health?”

Finn’s face went ghost white, “If it is physical, then I need to be there for JD!”  

“What about the rest of us, bro?”

All at once, the two of them started shouting over top of each other. Rhea covered Dom’s ears.

“You had no right to ask that question!”

“Boys,” Rhea interjected. 

Someone needed to put a stop to this. 

“I had every right!” Finn screamed, “He’s my friend. I owe it to him. I thought you were my friend. I thought you would understand.” 

Priest narrowed his eyes. “I thought you were my friend! I thought you said there were no leaders in our group. So why’d you go and make that decision for all of us?”!

Rhea clapped her hands. 

“Boys! Quit it!” she shouted, physically getting in the middle of them. “You’re scaring, Dom!”

Finn licked his lips, dropping the spoon he’d been holding into the sink while keeping his eyes on Damian. 

“Look what you did,” he said to Priest. 

She snapped her fingers, “Finn. Finn, look at me.”

Once his eyes locked on hers, Rhea started explaining the situation calmly. “Priest doesn’t want to be adopted. That’s fine.” She turned to Damian, “And Finn is just trying to help everyone. It was just a question. No real decisions were made.” 

“Thank you, Rhea,” Finn said, nodding curtly at her. 

“Let’s just focus on handling this Kevin Owens business.” 

“I’m cool with that,” Priest said.

They had the hot sauce and jelly donut ready to go. Sometimes payback was subtle. 

 

~~~

 

It was an hour long group therapy session, and Rhea spent the entire time drawing.

Her face was a beautiful masterpiece of purple eyeshadow, black mascara, and a perfectly written D.O.M on her right cheekbone. 

She was a little surprised to see Liv in this therapy session today, but also glad the girl was no longer being held captive somewhere inside the home.

“Would anyone like to start?” Cheryl asked. 

Cody raised his hand, which was completely expected. He loved to be the center of attention. Dom said it best when he said Cody liked acting like a father. 

“So group,” Cody said, addressing everyone. “What do you want to talk about today?”

Rhea picked at her nails. 

“We could talk about how Rhea has been killing it in the competitions lately. Absolutely amazing, all the respect in the world to you.” 

She hadn’t expected the shoutout. In retrospect, that should have been her first sign that something was off. 

“We could talk about my placement interview. How I was this close to having a family, but they think because I’m seventeen, I’m too old. They think I don’t need anyone. But I think we all know that’s not true. Everyone needs someone in their corner.”

He eyed Rhea like he was looking into her soul. She shifted around in her seat, looking at Dom, focusing on him.

”But let’s try this out. Let’s talk about this. We’re in the kitchen after lights out, right? And Rhea, Dom and myself exchange a few words. Then, right when my back is turned, Dom comes up from behind, spins me around and slaps me across the face.” 

Rhea smirked, shocked that Cody would admit such an embarrassing detail to everyone. It helped keep the fear alive, and she liked that. 

Cody paused in front of Dom. “You slapped me and you thought you could get away with it.” 

Dom grinned like the Cheshire Cat. 

“As you can see, they’re not denying it.” 

Cheryl interrupted Cody to offer him some advice on how to handle the situation like the loving therapist she was, but Cody held up his hand. 

“No, it’s okay. I have a better idea on how to handle this, if I may.”

Rhea’s smile dropped. She didn’t like where this was going. 

“Why not make this interesting. How about this, Dom. You’re so tough. How about you and me compete one on one in a race this week? How about that? Think you can beat me on the track?”

A chorus of ohhs rang out. The other kids were talking loudly, excitedly. Rhea and Dom frowned, glancing around at all the commotion. What was so special about racing against Cody? 

“And of course I said I wanted to make this interesting. So how about this. If you win, I will do whatever you want for the next month.”

Rhea’s eyebrows raised to her hairline. Well now this was worth something. She could think of a hundred different things she wanted Cody to do, starting with telling Brent to back off Dom.  

If she could use Cody’s power, it would be like Pearce’s group home, where they used to run things. This was perfect. 

“But if I win, you have to do whatever I want you to do, and I’m going to have you apologize to all these people including your father.” 

More shouts and cheers rang out. People were really excited about this idea. DomDom was chewing this over in his head as he chomped down on his gum. 

“I’m not afraid of you,” Dom said at last. “I could easily beat you in a race.”

Cody grinned. “So that’s a yes?” 

“I could beat anyone in a race.” 

Rhea nodded her head in approval. He could. 

“Dom, it’s a yes or it’s a no,” Cody explained, waiting patiently. 

Rhea decided to pipe in. “My Latino Heat is faster than anyone in this group home. He’s faster than anyone outside this group home, and he’s certainly faster than you.”

Cody shook his head in bewilderment. “Again I ask, is it a yes or is it a no.” 

“Yes!” Rhea shouted. “He accepts.” 

She heard someone in the crowd ask, “Did she just accept the terms for Dom?” 

“It appears that way.” 

Rhea knew Dom didn’t mind. He needed Rhea to help push him outside his comfort zone. Otherwise, he might not have had the courage to accept. He doesn’t believe in himself yet. That was Rey’s doing. He made his son feel like he couldn’t do anything without his help, and so Dom had become vastly dependent on others. Thankfully Rhea was here to support him. 

“I’ll see you on the track tomorrow.” 

 

~~~

 

Tomorrow happened, but the race did not. It kept getting postponed. 

First it was Cody’s fault. A placement interview went well for him, and so he was called into Nick’s office for a second round. Then, it was Dom’s fault: grounded. Cody had work the next day. Dom had a therapy session with Cheryl the day after that. So on and so forth until a week had passed. 

At long last, both Cody and Dom were free on Friday night which pretty much meant the race was happening. Everyone in the home was brimming with excitement, anticipating this race, Xavier Woods included. He wanted to see little DumbDumb lose. He wanted Cody to humiliate him, not just in the rave but afterward too. He could make Dom read the cat and the hat out loud, a children’s book, just to put the kid in his place. 

Xavier Woods wasn’t looking for a fight, but when he walked into the rec room and found Dom alone, playing some video games, he thought this was his chance. 

“Are you ready to get your ass kicked, Dumb Dumb?” 

Dom didn’t bother to look away from the television screen, too entranced to care about the taunting. 

“I’m starting to think you are afraid to face Cody.”

“I’m not afraid of anyone,” Dom huffed, smashing his finger into the B button. “Are you scared, Woods? Scared I’m gonna break Cody’s record, just like I broke yours?”  

Xavier Woods ripped the game console right out of Dom’s hands earning a squeal of protest. 

“You never beat me. You cheated. It doesn’t count.” 

Dom huffed through his nose. “You’re just jealous that I won.” 

“You cheated,” Woods hissed. “It doesn’t count.”

Dominik Mysterio stood in front of Xavier Woods with his smug little expression, feeling way too confident for someone who uses his girlfriend as a shield. 

“Rhea practically won that race for you, and I bet she’ll help you against Cody too.”

“Take your name out of Rhea’s mouth,” Dom said, butchering that expression to pieces. It was a reminder to Xavier that he was dealing with the youngest member of the household. Age alone said Dominik wasn’t even supposed to be in here. How he managed to get into Nick’s home, no one knows. 

“You’re just a scare little boy who needs his Mommy to save him, huh?” 

“I’m mature all on my own. But I love having Mami by my side. You’re just jealous cuz she likes me and not you.” 

“If you were really mature, you would play fair and accept a rematch against me,” Xavier said with a twinkle in his eye. 

Dom scoffed. “You don’t deserve another shot against me.” 

That arrogance in his tone had Xavier seeing red. He placed both hands flat on Dom’s chest and shoved. Dominik stumbled backwards. There was a moment of over exaggerated oohs from the kids in the rec room before Dominik retaliated. 

They stumbled around and fought. Xavier raised his fist to land a solid blow, but Dom was scrappy and he wiggled his way free. He even managed to slap Xavier in the face a few times. Even without the help of his judgement day friends, Dominik made it out of that mess unharmed. He ran like the wind, but he got away. 

Xavier Woods was just a little impressed. He was even more excited to see the race against Cody now, because Dom was a fast one. 

Only race never happened. Dom had to visit his Dad — alone. 

Rhea, Damian, and Finn protested this nonsense until their throats were hoarse, but Nick decided it was for the best that Dom have a true heart-to-heart with his father without any interruptions, but mainly he was doing this because Rey offered to pay him another check. Woods knew the real reasons why adults do things. Money. 

Cody and Dom would race in two days.

 

~~~

 

Two days without her ride or die. Her Dirty Dom. Her best friend. 

Rhea hated this. She climbed into the car with Dom until a security officer ripped them apart. Only two days. 

She binged a bunch of trashy horror movies, wishing Dom was with her. 

It was past ten, she wasn’t supposed to be in the rec room after ten, and if she got caught it would be another punishment on top of her ever growing list, but she couldn’t fathom sleeping alone, and Damian and Finn were still arguing about JD.  

A jump scare with loud music caused Rhea to bump into someone.  

“I’m so sorry, Dom.” 

It wasn’t Dom. She turned her head, and remembered she had brought her stuffed animal Kip to keep her company. At thirteen, Rhea felt like she was way too old to be carrying Kip around. But who was going to know? It was dark, and everyone was asleep. Her secret was safe. 

Rhea watched the movie intently, feeling uneasy for the first time all night. Maybe a horror flick wasn’t the best idea at this hour. 

The group home only had so many films to choose from, and she wasn’t about to watch Cinderella.  

“Rhea?” 

Her heart leaped out of her chest. 

“Oi, don’t sneak up on me like that,” she said, hand over her heart when she saw Corey Graves approach. He was cool. He wouldn’t punish her for staying awake after hours. 

“The Ring. Classic. Hard to believe that movie was rated PG-13, huh?”

Rhea glanced over at him. “Don’t ruin it! I’ve never seen it before.”

Corey sat down on the couch next to her, and started commentating. It took a bit of the edge off to have someone else with her, and she immediately felt safe. 

“This would be a really good time for them to start making out,” he commented, and Rhea gasped. 

“What the hell, dude. She just saw someone die. How is that a turn on?” 

Corey’s eyes crinkled in amusement. “Well I dunno. They’re both in close proximity.” 

“No, seriously,” Rhea said, arms thrown out wide, “What is she supposed to be like? Wow! I just saw someone die, let’s have sex.”

“Whoa, hey, I said nothing about sex. Wait, wait, wait. Pay attention to this part. You’re about to see the room where they trapped her in.” 

“Oh shit. Is she under the floorboards? Is… is she still alive or is she an evil spirit?” 

Rhea was staring at Graves, waiting for an answer. 

“Watch, watch,” he said. 

Rhea could tell by the music something bad was going to happen. She found herself on the edge of her seat. Four jump scares later and Rhea was freaking out, talking over Corey so much he had to rewind the movie a few times so she could catch everything. 

She was so glad he was watching this with her, and that Dom was not watching this because he would have nightmares for a week, and Rhea might too if it wasn’t for Corey. 

She flinched at the ending, but she would like to think she handled it better than Mr. Graves who screamed like a little kid. 

“Gets me every time,” he laughed as the credits rolled. “Well that was a fun way to spend my work evening.” 

Just as he said that, a crackle of static came from Corey’s walkie-talkie. Corey responded with an ‘all clear on the fourth floor’ and suggested that Rhea go to bed before they both get in trouble.  

Rhea nodded in agreement, except she didn’t want to leave yet. Not when Damian and Finn were still fighting and Dom was gone. 

It was still up in the air as far as Rhea was concerned whether or not she could trust Corey completely, but she thought about what Cody said, about sharing things with people and she decided to give it a try. 

“How do you make people stop fighting?” 

“You and Dominik get into a fight?” he smirked. “A little lovers quarrel? Trouble in paradise.” 

“No,” she rolled her eyes at his jokes, “Dom and I are good. Really good. It’s Finn and Priest. I thought they were over it, but they just seem to be getting worse.”

“What are they arguing about?”

She squinted, not thrilled with being asked so many questions.  

“You first,” she said, “How do I stop it?”

“Well, without the details I’m not entirely sure. But understanding both sides is a good start. Get them to listen to each other without interrupting. When I was trained for this job, I was told to use ‘I’ statements. Do you know what that means?”

Rhea was familiar with ‘I’ statements thanks to Cheryl, and she also understood both sides to Finn and Priest’s story. But she needed more. 

“And after that, I think the next step is to compromise,” Corey explained. 

Rhea fiddled with her Koala’s hair. “How do I get them to do that?” 

“You find something they both agree with, and you make it happen.”

Huh. Rhea hadn’t thought of it like that. 

Corey stood to his feet and cranked his neck towards the hall like get to bed. 

“Alright, I’ll go. Thanks for watching the movie with me.”

“Anytime, kid. Anytime.” 

 

Notes:

I hope this isn’t getting boring or repetitive. I’m trying to add new stuff to every chapter to make it interesting.

The Finn and Priest argument had to occur because that was a pretty big part of 2023. But in this case, they both have different thoughts on how to handle where they are at. Which one is right? It’s hard to say. Maybe both are. Hopefully Corey gave Rhea some good advice on how to help the two of them out.

A lot of advice was given to them this chapter. Even Cody gave his two cents to Rhea and Dom.

Thank you for reading lovelies. :)
(You can tell me if it’s trash.)

I’m getting stressed as I approach my ending sequence because I’m so afraid it won’t work the way I want it to. I’ve already taken a risk with this story so I might as well keep going all in. I just want it to be good. Eek!

Chapter 21: Dom’s Race

Summary:

Warning for this chapter (blame Rey at WrestleMania 39) but there is a mention of a getting hit with a belt. It’s not on screen at all, but if that’s triggering or bothers you please feel free to skip the 2nd and 3rd page breaks. I want you to take care of yourself and have fun with this fic

(Even if it’s not fun for our fearsome four).

Enjoy!!

Something was wrong with Dom. 

Something was really wrong. 

The moment he came back from his Dad’s, he was withdrawn. He didn’t even look at Rhea when she greeted him at the door, too focused on the white tassels of his boots. Michael Cole, who had driven Dom home, was cheerful. Rhea thought he should be grumpy after spending so much time with Dirty Dom. It wasn’t adding up. 

“Hey, how was the trip?” Nick greeted them in the foyer. 

When Dom didn’t respond, Michael Cole answered for him. 

“It was good. Rey says hello.” He not so subtly passed Nick a blue envelope. The bank logo noticeable. Nick folded the check and placed it in his suit pocket. 

“How about you, Dom? Did you have a good time?” 

Dom gave a miserable exhale and blew his bangs out of his face. 

Dominik Mysterio might be a bit shy, but he was never subdued. This was so wrong. Rhea’s forehead creased as she watched him. Her hand itched to touch his shoulder. 

Michael Cole made the joke, “I wish he was always this quiet” and she didn’t know how to take that. 

“I see you bought food,” Nick said. 

Rhea glanced at the bags of fast food Michael Cole was holding.

“Yeah, Rey’s treat. He said Dominik loves In and Out so I got him a burger.” 

Rhea wasn’t quite sure what to make of Michael Cole being kind to Dom. It only served to make her more nervous. Something was really wrong here. 

“Why don’t you go hang out in the rec room for a while,” Nick suggested. “No need to go to school today. I’ll write you both an excuse.” 

Dom shuffled into the rec room with Rhea, moving stiffly. With no one around, Rhea was excited to spend some time with her DomDom. They could relax on the couch and make out. Or exercise, which would lead to wrestling, which would lead to making out. 

Dom stood by the sofa with a brown bag from In and Out in his hands.

“Did you get the secret menu order?” Rhea asked, knowing how much he liked to order hidden gems. It was his thing. 

Dom bit his lip, and handed her the bag of food. 

Rhea blinked. “Aren’t you going to eat?” 

“M’not hungry.”

Her smile wavered. This must have something to do with him seeing his father again. 

Rhea didn’t know what it was like, but she pictured reuniting with her biological parents a hundred times, and it always caused a whirlwind of emotions. There was grief in thinking about what could have been. And in Dom’s case, if he hadn’t attacked his father, his life could have been very different. So she understood why he was sad. 

But still, Dom was acting odd. Pale and restless, like he was hurt. 

Finn and Damian were too caught up in their own drama to notice the change in Dom’s behavior. Hell, they were too caught up in their own drama to notice Dom’s existence. It was up to Rhea to make him feel better.

“Dude, come on.” She squeezed his hand. “Let’s do something. We can train for your race. Or we could prank Sami Zayn.” 

Dom yawned, sleepily, resting his head on Rhea’s lap. They were watching a movie, although she wasn’t paying attention to anything other than him.

“Maybe later,” he whispered. 

She ran her fingers through his hair and listened to the movie for a minute, the explosions in the background, and the main characters exchanging steamy words. 

“Wanna make out?” 

 

~~~

 

Dom kissed Rhea that night before bed. 

It was fierce, like he was starved of something. She tried to give it to him, all the love he missed out on, all the love he was deprived of from his family. 

She possessively grabbed his waist and kept him pressed against her. Rhea wanted no space, no separation, just his heartbeat against hers. Dom made soft noises against her mouth. 

Sometimes they were a bit too chaotic with their kissing and they ended up knocking heads. Dom pulled back with a soft apology, cupping her face, gently massaging the top of her head.

“You’re good,” she laughed. With one hand on the back of his neck, Rhea nuzzled him close. 

She climbed onto the bed, “It’s getting late.” 

Gingerly, Dom lowered himself onto the mattress, opting to lie on his stomach, and Rhea knew. 

She knew instantly. 

“What did he hit you with?” She tried to sound as nonchalant as humanly possible even though she wanted to burn down the entire world. 

“A belt,” he admitted, sighing. Rhea trembled in fury. She honestly needed to put her fist through something, preferably Rey Mysterio. That wasn’t fair. Rhea wasn’t there to help him. 

“Did you tell Nick?” she asked, voice steady and compassionate. Dom didn’t need her anger right now. He needed someone to listen to him. 

“No. I doubt he would care. I kind of deserved it anyway. I hit him first.”

“Dom!” 

“I did,” he shrugged before giving his backside a quick rub. 

“Jesus,” Rhea breathed, her chest clamping tighter. “We have to do something. We have to tell someone. He can’t just —“

“He’s my Dad,” Dom grumbled, like that made it okay. “Can we please not do this right now? I’ve been awake for nearly twenty hours, and my Dad whipped me really hard.” His voice wavered. “And he won.” 

Rhea felt her own eyes water as she watched Dom angrily swipe at face. 

“C’mere.” 

She held him with one hand on the back of Dom’s neck and the other gently rubbing his back, and when Dom pressed his face into her shoulder, his voice was strangled. 

“My whole family stood in the driveway and watched me leave,” Dom choked on a cry. “They were happy I was leaving. They were happy.”

Rhea started to sway back and forth as she rubbed his back, rocking Dom with her. 

His sobs were muffled by her shoulder, but he was shivering violently. Rhea pulled the covers carefully over him then looked past Dom into the barren trees outside her window. She didn’t know what it felt like to be beaten with a belt, or to have her whole family ban together against her, but she knew it had to be awful. 

“He didn’t win,” Rhea whispered, after Dom’s sobbing turned into harsh ragged breaths. “You won. You got away from his strict rules. You get to be your own person now. You’re gonna develop fierce independence. And after what you’ve been through, you’ll be even more resilient.”

Dom sniffled, calming down significantly as he soaked in what Rhea was saying. 

“You won, Dom. Not him.” 

“Thank you, Mami,” he whispered, “but it doesn’t feel like I won.” 

She pressed a kiss to his wet cheek. “It will eventually. I love you, DomDom.” 

“Love you too, Mami.” 

 

~~~

 

Dom ached all over. He kept moving in his sleep, trying to get comfortable, and ended up waking up in the middle of the night from the pain. 

What hurt the most was his pride. His ego had taken a beating along with his butt. He sighed miserably, staring at the cream colored wall. It was going to be a long day, and he didn’t have anyone to blame but himself. As tempting as it was to blame the whole thing on his father, Dom knew he was asking for trouble when he slapped him in the face.  

“Dominik.” Michael Cole poked his head through the bedroom door. “Why aren’t you at breakfast? Brent’s been calling.” 

Dom kept his eyes on the wall. 

“Are you still sulking over that spanking you got?” Michael Cole exhaled loudly. “You know you deserved it.” 

Dom heard the footsteps approach his bed and he tensed his shoulders, scared that he might get hit again. 

A cool hand touched his forehead instead. 

“Stop being overdramatic. You’re not getting out of chores just because you were spanked. I have no sympathy for you. None.” 

Dom shrunk under the covers more. 

“Maybe if you didn’t run your mouth, you wouldn’t get your ass beat. Did you ever think about that?” 

Personally, Dom would like to tell Michael Cole that nobody asked for his opinion, and he could go fuck himself, but he did not want another smack so he stayed quiet. 

“Alright, fine. Stay in bed,” he concluded as he tucked the covers around Dom. “You’re not getting any breakfast, then.” 

 

~~~

 

Corey felt amazing. On top of the world. Who knew cutting back on the late night drinking and partying could really make a difference in his mood? 

He was a whole ten minutes early for work and that never happened. At this rate, he was bound to get a raise. Hell he should get a raise thanks to Rey Mysterio’s generous check. Donors like him were rare to come by, and thank God they existed. They really helped keep things running around the group home. (They helped keep Corey employed too). 

And Corey loved his job. 

He was a friend to these kids as much as he was an enemy. Beyond typical security duties, he was a mentor for these kids. He taught a group of older kids how to grill, even bought a grill for the group home out of his own wallet. Mainly, he just liked talking to the kids and helping them explore their passions. Shotzi liked haunted houses? Awesome. Check out the Ghost Hunters television series. She did, and wow did she beg Corey to buy her one of those bears that can detect ghosts. Boo bear, she called him. 

Another perk of the job was working with teachers and social workers. A lot of them were incredibly attractive women, like Cathy Kelley, a social worker who was standing in his office this morning. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” he teased. 

“A few things,” Cathy Kelley said, getting straight to the point. Nice. Corey liked a woman who knew what she wanted. “First, I was wondering if you’d be interested in fostering my latest case?”

Oh crap.

“We just picked her up last night. Her Mother was in a car accident. She’s expected to make a full recovery but we need to watch her temporarily. You’re still on my temporary list.”

Corey hated rejecting these. He felt like such an ass, but he wasn’t father material. He just started putting himself together again after the divorce. He couldn’t imagine taking care of another human being, especially a small one. 

“It’s only a few days,” Cathy reasoned with him. She must have noticed the look of fear on his face.

“I would, Cathy, I would. But I’m going out of town this weekend.”

“No you’re not,” KP yelped as Corey stepped on his foot.

Cathy Kelley leveled him with a glare. 

“Why did you sign up to become an emergency foster parent if you’re never willing to take my kids?” 

“Honestly? My ex-wife wanted to do it.” 

Back when his life made sense, Corey and his wife wanted a family. A natural, normal thing. But both of them had their own set of struggles. Their own fears and issues with parenting. So they made a plan. They were going to foster a kid temporarily to practice, and then they were going to have one of their own because that just made sense. 

But it never happened. 

Now Corey has no interest in fostering or becoming a father. In fact, he was told point blank that he would suck at parenting. In all fairness, his ex was right.

He wasn’t Michael Cole. That man could take care of kids. 

“Ask Cole,” Corey suggested. “He’s fostered like ten kids.”

“Okay, well maybe you can help me out with my next question. It has to do with the teens in this home.”

A work question? Oh yeah. Corey could answer this. 

“Do you think Finn would be better off in a foster home? Or should he stay here?” 

Whoa. Corey did not think he was qualified to answer that. 

“Hot diggity dog.” He cleared his throat. Sometimes phrases just oozed out of him. “I don’t know. I don’t really know the kid that well.” 

“Could you do me a favor, then? Could you observe Finn more closely this week? I need some proof as to why he should stay or leave. Erin is thinking about fostering him.” 

KP flushed, scratching the back of his neck. “I can - I can watch him for you since it’s my sister who wants him.”  

If Corey hadn’t been so taken aback by the request, he would have laughed. “Will you pay me? Just kidding.” He had to backtrack quickly, Cathy was giving him that look again. “Sure, I’ll watch the kid. I can even pull out the binoculars like Booker T.” 

KP shook his head. 

“Thanks guys,” Cathy smiled. “It always helps having spies. If I do it, the kids will act different around me.” Ah, the curse of being a social worker. 

 

~~~

 

What first struck Corey, while observing Finn, was his simmer anger. The kid had a lot of unresolved issues.  

“I’d like to point out the fact that I chose the red jolly rancher,” Finn said during group therapy that afternoon. “I chose the red jolly rancher because I am angry. I am angry because of Damian Priest!”

“Finn,” Rhea leaped out of her seat. “I know you have some unfinished business but you’re not going to discuss it out here in front of everyone.” 

“Listen Rhea, my issue is not with you. My issue is with Damian, and you know why. Damian chose a reward this week, and it did not include seeing JD.” 

“Why should we only ever see your friend? Why is it always about whatever Finn wants.” Damian shouted. 

Seth made a face, “Yikes. I think the band might be breaking up.” 

Rhea flipped him the middle finger and the counselor basically told Rhea to apologize or leave the circle. 

Things were going from bad to worse. If only Corey had brought some popcorn. 

“No!” Rhea shouted, “This is our business. The only business you guys need to be concerned about is the fact that we still run things around here. Just remember who keeps winning the challenges.” 

“Rhea —“

“No, Cheryl. Shush. I’ve had enough of you. Everything is fine.” 

Seth raised his hand, and Rhea rounded on him. 

“Shut up!”

 

~~~

 

Rhea was so bloody mad.

She could just — 

Pain exploded across her knuckles, and the drywall crumbled under the force of her strength, trickling to the ground in a soft pitter-patter of stone.

“Take it easy,” Priest warned. 

Rhea fumed. “Maybe I wouldn’t punch a wall if you two weren’t fighting all the time!”

“Don’t blame us,” Priest growled, arms crossed over his chest. “You freaked out in the middle of group.” 

Rhea could laugh. She threw her head back and some sort of broken noise came out instead. 

“Can I have medicine?”

Three sets of eyes flickered to Dom, leaning against the wall, pure misery on his face. A hum of energy took over, and Finn kicked into big brother gear. 

“Let’s get the lad fed first.” 

 

~~~

 

Corey peered into the kitchen where the villainous quartet were making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. So evil of them. 

“Oh yeah, KP. I’m fearing for my life right now.”

“Just wait. They’ll do something villainous in a minute.” 

Corey watched as Rhea licked peanut butter off of a spoon. Her dark hair was tied into a ponytail so she wouldn’t get any stands in the food. Dom stood next to her licking jelly off his fingers, and it was the most innocent thing Corey’s ever witnessed.  

KP frowned. His theory was shot to hell as Finn hoisted Dom up under his armpits and spun him in a circle. The kid exploded in laughter. Damian tossed Rhea a piece of toast and she caught it with one hand. It was nice seeing them happy, Corey thought. 

“I’m waiting for the villain, but I’m just not seeing it.” 

“Don’t let them fool you. They can be quite vicious,” KP said 

Finn wrapped an arm around Dom’s neck, hugging him to his side, and messing up his bangs while Rhea jumped on Damian’s back. 

“Vicious? They’re wholesome, KP. Look at them.” It was hard to deny. 

“I see four very dangerous people right there.” 

“Dangerous? How?” 

The fearsome four were about family. This was a group of friends that clearly cared about one another. From oldest to youngest, no one in that group was shy of comfort — in fact, they craved it from each other. Anyone with functioning eyes could see that. Kevin Patrick clearly needed glasses. 

“Oh man, you really have a blind spot for them, don’t you?” KP said with a shake of the head. “They have you fooled big time.” 

“I’m seeing with my own two eyes, KP.” Corey exclaimed. “They’re innocent and you can’t tell me otherwise.

“Innocent? Corey, might I remind you, this is the same group of kids that beat up their foster parents, picked fights with the other kids, and got kicked out of Pearce’s home. I mean, the list goes on and on.”  

“Okay but what have they done to us?”

“Uh, let’s see. Rhea kicked me. Damian knocked me over. Finn threatened to break my arm, and Dominik threw a drink in my face. Need I continue?”

Oh yeah, that stuff did happen. True to their self-given name, the Judgement Day weren’t shy when it came to dishing out threats.

“Okay,” Corey held up his hands. “Okay. But maybe, just maybe — stick with me here — maybe they do that stuff because we scare them.” 

His coworker started laughing. Not exactly the response Corey was going for.

“I’m sorry,” KP wheezed, “Oh man, that was funny. We scare them? They scare us. Did you know Finn Bàlor made Vic say I Quit.”

“Ah, Vic was gonna quit anyway.” 

“He attacked Vic!”

“Because Vic cornered Bàlor. The kid was scared!”

As the words settled, Corey realized something he hadn’t even been actively considering. But it completely made sense when he looked at the facts. 

“Dirty Dom bit me once — only once, and that was when I was separating him from Rhea. Other than that, he’s done nothing to me, and I don’t do anything to him. They’re like bees, KP. If you don’t bother them, they won’t sting you. Now, if you go near the hive, you should expect to get stung.” It was simple. 

KP glanced at Corey with growing concern. “Bees? You’re comparing children to bees?”

“At least I’m not afraid of them.” 

“No, you’ve just gone soft. Where’s the Corey Graves who used to love to break up fights?”

Corey huffed. “I still love breaking up fights. One thing has nothing to do with the other. I’m talking about the reason why they fight.” 

“I still think they would be better off in a foster home. Let them be my sister’s problem.” 

Corey was just here to observe. Cathy could make the ultimate decision on what to do with them. 

 

~~~

 

Dom bounced on the balls of his feet, little tassels on his boots waved with his movement. 

Rhea stood there and watched. “Dom, what are we going to do tonight?” she purred in his ear.

“Win,” he said.

“That’s right.”

He was doing better now with Tylenol in his system. Still, Rhea knew this was going to be rough on him.

“You’re going to win that race and show Cody exactly why he shouldn’t mess with The Judgement Day.”  

Rhea helped him stretch his legs, and Dom fussed at the pain. 

“I know it hurts,” she mumbled. “Sometimes you have to fight through the pain. I do it all the time. Just focus on running, and let your family handle the rest.”

She was going to rig this race. There was way too much at stake. Of course she was going to make sure her DomDom won. 

 

~~~

 

The air outside was chilly.

Both Cody and Dominik were standing on the starting line of the track, waiting for Brent to blow the whistle.

As with any physical challenge, everyone in the group home was watching. However, this audience seemed more engaged than usual. People were cheering and chanting for Cody before the race even started. It was because of that stupid bet. 

“The majority of people here want to see Cody wipe that smug smile off of Dominik’s face,” KP told Corey, blowing heat into his gloves. 

“The majority of people here want to be Dirty Dom,” Corey corrected. “It’s pure jealousy, KP.”

“I think everyone here would love to see Dom go it alone without Mami helping out.” 

“You need to stop projecting your personal opinions onto the people of this group home,” Corey said, unable to withhold the laughter from his voice.  

“I need to stop projecting my personal opinions? You’re the only person here who actually wants to see Dominik win.”

“Because Dirty Dom is the most dangerous person here. You said it yourself KP.”

“I give up. Honest to God.” 

The sun beat down on the dusty track behind the group home. Dom, all sharp elbows and kinetic energy, bounced on the balls of his feet. Next to him, Cody, taller and older, had his game face on. 

Brent blew the whistle. 

Cody and Dominik took off like bats out of hell. It was one of those races where they both wanted to win so badly they were unwavering in their determination. No smiles on these faces. 

Corey almost got whiplash as they scrambled past him. 

Rhea and Damian cheered for Dom and everyone else was cheering for Cody. Oddly, Bàlor was nowhere in sight. Too bad considering Corey was supposed to be keeping tabs on him. 

“Cody Rhodes is going to win, don’t you think?” KP asked.  

“Maybe,” Corey said. “Cody Rhodes is speedy but to hang with Dirty Dom you gotta be a rule breaker, and Cody Rhodes is afraid to take the tags off his mattress. He doesn’t have what it takes to hang with a thug like Dirty Dom.”

“I forgot I was done with you,” KP muttered. 

As Dom and Cody returned to the starting line for their first lap, Rhea distracted Brent by screaming at him. 

Corey knew he was going to see it. He expected cheating from the Judgement Day at this point, and Rhea did not disappoint.

Like clockwork, the man turned towards her to scold her. Oh Brent, when will you learn. Damian stretched his arm out, and Cody ran smack into the appendage. Ouch. A clothesline that sounded awful.

KP winced as Cody went flying in the air, doing a 180 flip before falling to the ground.

“Good God, should we do something?” KP exclaimed, horrified. 

They didn’t need to do anything. Cody Rhodes rose to his feet and got right back in this game. Meanwhile all the other children were booing and trying to attack Damian. 

Kevin Owens threw a punch that landed directly on Damian’s jaw.

“You!” Brent shouted, pointing to Kevin Owens. “You’re out of here! Go.” 

A collective gasp from the crowd blew across the air like a breeze. Kevin Owens stood, flabbergasted.

“Are you kidding me?! They’re the ones that —“

Brent cut him off with a sharp, “NOW!”

KO flinched.

Rhea and Damian were jumping up and down, gleefully. They waved mockingly at Kevin Owens as he made his way inside with his head hung low.

“Bye-bye,” Rhea crooned.

“You two, my office, now!” Brent screamed.

Rhea and Damian froze. 

“What?!”

“Follow him!”

They slowly made their way to the door. It was the look of utter evil in Brent’s eyes that had them moving. He was one scary son of bitch when he wanted to be. Corey still wondered why he hadn’t been fired yet. 

He blamed it on Vic quitting recently. That meant they were down staffed already. 

“Well Dominik’s in the lead now, thanks to the assist from Mami.” KP grumbled. It amused Corey to no end, how much KP despised Rhea and Dom’s relationship.

Despite being knocked down, Cody was running with grace and determination. Dom, on the other hand, ran like he wanted to kill the track. 

Both interesting strategies. Wonder which one would pay off in the end: aggression or purpose?

“Last lap now,” KP said. Cody needed an extra push if he wanted to catch the world’s most dangerous criminal.

As the teens approached the starting line, Dom was slowing down just a bit. Corey chewed his lip, worried now. He could tell Dom’s energy was depleted.

Cody was gaining on him.

“Dominik is spent!” KP said with glee. “This is it! Here comes Cody.” 

Cheers erupted as Cody passed Dom on the way to the starting line, burying the boy. 

“He’s done it!” KP cheered, clapping along with the others. “Cody’s won again!”

The American Nightmare dropped to his knees in the grass, and rolled on his back, sucking in air. Dom did the same, collapsing on the spot, and coughing. He sounded like he was going to puke.

“Better luck next time,” Cody said, offering Dom a hand.  

 

 

 

Notes:

As I was watching RAW back, like I so often do, I heard KP called them the “Villainous Quartet” — so that’s 100% real and I’m officially calling them that.

Chapter 22: Revenge Best Served Cold

Summary:

Alternative chapter title: “Mind Games.”

Alternative, alternative: The Disaster Moment Part 1.

Great, Dom had really done it this time.

He lost the race. He promised Rhea, his Mami, that he would bring home the win, not just for him, but for the both of them. Rhea never asked for much, and she always believed in Dom’s raw, unstoppable speed, and what did Dom give her? Failure. 

Rhea was going to be so mad. He didn’t even want to think about what she was going to say.

“Get out of my face,” Dom swatted at Cody’s helping hands. The better luck next time, sounded patronizing. “Get the fuck,” he kicked an orange cone hard enough to send it skittering across the grass, “out of my face!” 

Dom’s heart pounded as he tore the door open and let it slam behind him. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong, went wrong. 

He lost the race, and now Cody was going to take advantage of him. The whole house was going to laugh at him. 

Dom kept his eyes on his feet. He couldn’t even look Rhea in the eye, the shame of his failure  weighted heavy on his mind. She was in the hall, outside of Brent’s office. He could see her combat boots tapping at pattern into the tile floor. 

“We need to talk,” she said. But to Dom’s surprise, she addressed Damain and not him. 

“Priest, you let things fall apart,” she gave his chest a poke. “Your plan didn’t work. We got caught, Dom lost his race, and now we have a Cody problem.” 

Dom peeked up to see a muscle twitch in Damain’s cheek. His face contorted into a horrifying, involuntary, grin.  

“He doesn’t fear us, Priest. You know why? Because there’s tension here,” Rhea explained. She wasn’t wrong. There had been tension between them ever since Finn asked Erin if she would consider adopting them. 

“Everyone is going to start thinking they can walk all over us. Is that what you want?”

“With all due respect, Rhea. You’re not saying anything I don’t already know.”

Oh boy. Now Priest and Rhea were fighting. Dom dropped his gaze to his feet. Hey, he lost all his tassels. Aw man. Now his boots were just plain white ones. 

“Yeah, everyone in this home is going to attack us. Of course they are. We made ourselves targets and we haven’t been threatening enough! But when push comes to shove, I’m going to push harder. I’m going to show these fools exactly why they should steer clear of me. I’m not trying to point fingers or start nothing, but Mami can DomDom say the same?”

Dom snapped his head up to stare at Priest, completely blindsided. How could he throw him under the bus like that? Guess he wanted to take some of the heat off of himself. 

It worked. 

Rhea turned to Dom with a murderous scowl, and he quickly dropped his gaze to the floor again, heart beating faster. Focus on the missing tassels, focus on the missing tassels. 

“Dom,” she put her fingers on his chin, forcing him to look at her. “I’m your Mami right?”

Oh God, why did that sound like a trick question? Yes, of course she was his Mami. Did she not want to be anymore? 

“That makes you my Papi. That means we’re a team. When you lose, I lose.” 

He blinked back tears. He didn’t mean to let her down like this.  

“Listen to me. You are going to beat the hell out of Cody and prove, once and for all, that no one can walk all over us. Understand?” 

He nodded, eager to make this right.

“Good,” she said, “and if you don’t fight him, don’t bother sleeping in my room anymore.” 

Dom’s mind stuttered to a halt. He felt hysterical for a moment, like the rug had been pulled out from underneath him. First he ruined his relationship with his Dad by acting out, and now he was ruining his relationship with Rhea by letting her down. His chest physically hurt from the pain. 

She stormed away, probably unable to stomach Dom anymore today. He waited, hoping Damian or Finn would comfort him, but they seemed equally as mad or stressed. Dom couldn’t tell if they were mad at him, but it didn’t matter at all. The whole family was falling apart. 

He was alone. 

Until a hand clapped around his mouth and pulled him into a bedroom. 

Dom jerked like he had been electrocuted. He use to worry about Sami Zayn or Kevin Owens capturing him like this and giving him a massive beatdown. One where Dom couldn’t breathe without pain. 

He stumbled backwards until he bumped into a wall, worried at what was happening. 

It wasn’t Sami Zayn or Kevin Owens who cornered him, it was Liv. She stepped in his way, just when he was about to reach for the door handle. 

“What’s wrong, Dominik?” 

Dom bowed his head, dangerously close to tears. 

“I gotta go…” 

Liv grabbed his wrists, keeping him away from the door. 

“Don’t go. I wanna talk to you.”

She moved her face closer to Dom’s which made him extremely uncomfortable. 

“I think your friends are mad at you. I’m not sure if they want to be your friends anymore.

A single tear slipped down his face. Dom couldn’t stop crying now that he started. All the things from the last few days ran through his head and it overwhelmed him. Liv pulled Dom’s purple bandana away from his neck and handed it to him.

“Here. Wipe your face.” 

He did as instructed, sniffling miserably as Liv continued to speak. “Fighting Cody won’t be enough. If you want your friends to love you again, you’ll need to do something bigger.” 

Hot tears streamed down Dom’s face. Why was this happening? He didn’t know what to do. He was tired, and sore, and he just wanted his family to be a family again. 

“I have an idea!” Liv exclaimed. 

His eyes lit up. “You do?”

“Yeah. You can fight Brent. Think how happy she’ll be if you attack an adult. That would really make everyone in this home respect you.” 

Dom wasn’t so sure if attacking his house parent was a good idea. 

“But what if he threatens to send me to Juvie?” 

“He can’t do that. Only Nick can,” Liv explained, thoughtfully. “And if you do it, then Rhea will love you forever and ever and ever!”

He wanted Mami to love him forever so he was willing to do it. “Okay, thanks, Liv.”

She flipped her long blonde hair behind her shoulder and winked. “Any time.” 

 

~~~

 

“Damn it, Dom. What were you thinking?” Rhea chided as she dabbed his sliced open palm with a wad of toilet paper. 

He had stopped crying fifteen minutes ago, looking all worn out and messy now, with puffy eyes and a red nose. 

“I just wanted to make you proud, Mami.”

She sighed, unsure of how Dom thought punching Brent would make her proud, but she supposed she appreciated his intentions? 

“It was completely unnecessary,” she scolded lightly, but only lightly, because her DomDom couldn’t take much more of this. He was constantly on the edge of lashing out in vicious anger or bursting into violent sobs. 

This was partially her fault for yelling at him yesterday, she knew that, and yet she still did it. Rhea couldn’t help herself. She was frustrated too. This house was beating her down. 

She wanted her foster Mom, the Australian one who raised her for six whole years. She wanted to tell her how much she needed her right now, how much she needed a home, and how cruel this world could be. She wanted to tell her about this amazing boy she met, and how she might be in love at the ripe age of thirteen. She wanted to ask if Dom could live with them in the basement, because he was really sweet and he didn’t deserve to be this bundle of sadness. She’d sneak downstairs when her Mom was asleep and climb into bed with Dom. 

It would have been amazing. 

In another life, maybe. 

But in this life, Rhea would have to be the Mom. She would have to make the sacrifices and provide the comfort. Dom would do the same for her if the roles were reversed and she was upset, so she kissed his knuckles and said sorry. 

“I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

“It’s okay,” Dom soothed, warm and loving. “I’m sorry too.”

“This will sting for a second,” Rhea warned, pouring some nail polish remover onto a paper towel.

Dom’s eyes gushed with trust for Rhea as she cleaned his wound.

 

~~~

 

“Can I say something?”

Rhea startled at the voice. 

It was Becky Lynch in the center of the circle with her black leather jacket hung open.

Their group counselor let Becky have the floor. 

“I, er, I want to apologize… for lashing out at Rhea and Dom.” 

That was highly unexpected.  

“I was worried about Seth, and I lost my mind, but it got me thinking,” Becky continued, “If I was willing to go to such lengths to keep the people I love safe, then I bet you Rhea was too. Point is, I get why she did what she did to Liv. I know the whole house gave her a bunch of crap for it, but I would have done the exact same thing, and I bet you hypocrites would have too. So maybe you should leave her alone.” 

Highly, highly unexpected. Rhea’s guard was way up. Maybe Becky just woke up in a good mood, but this was weird nonetheless. 

“So,” Becky said. “I’m hoping we can put an end to this fighting. It’s stupid and I think we’d be better off as friends.” She glanced at Seth. “I’m talking to you too. Stop fighting or Nick’s going to get rid of us all.”

Oh shit, she must know something Rhea doesn’t. Maybe she overheard Nick talking. That would explain the sudden change of heart. Rhea glanced in the direction of Nick’s office, suddenly on edge. 

Cheryl thanked Becky for her apology, and then went off on a tangent about the importance of admitting wrong doings. 

Then, it was Cody’s turn to talk. Rhea fully expected him to insult Dom or humiliate him. Rhea draped a protective arm around Dom’s neck. 

“I’m going to be completely honest with you guys. I’m aging out in two months and I’m really scared,” he paused to let the rawness of his truth sink in.

“Being fostered was my goal, I think it’s something we should all strive for, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen for me.”

It shocked Rhea how easy it was for Cody to admit something so vulnerable. She picked at her clothes, wanting to die from second hand embarrassment. 

“My social worker is having a hard time finding someone who wants a seventeen-year-old kid in group home for troubled kids. I sort of wish this place had less stigma, you know. I also wish I had someone looking out for me.”

The only people who wanted a trouble kid were the ones who wanted to ‘fix’ them. It was blunt, but it was Rhea’s reality, and she needed to face facts.

“I really wish I had someone looking out for me. I wish I had someone to teach me how to find an apartment. Someone to vent to when I get overwhelmed. Someone to teach me about college.” 

As Cody’s words set in, Rhea saw the logic in why he wanted foster parents. It was something she had never considered before, but the aging out process had to be terrifying. She ignored the uncomfortable tug in the pit of her stomach that told her she was being unfair to Finn for wanting to live with JD. 

“It’s lonely,” Cody admitted, barely above a whisper.

 

~~~

 

On a random Monday, Rhea and Dom were unloading the dishwasher with Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, and Lyra Valkyria. 

“You have to kiss ass.” That was Seth’s answer on how to stay out of trouble.

“Yeah. You have to be like, ‘you’re the best houseparent ever! Look what I did for you,’” Kevin Owens said, as he held up a clean dish.

“I love the security here so much,” Seth added in an insanely high-pitched voice. Kevin Owens burst out laughing. “We love you soooo much, security.”

“If all else fails, you can always resort to begging,” Lyra added.

Rhea bent over to grab a plate from the dishwasher. “That’s never going to happen for me.”

“Unless you’re forced into a situation like that.” KO pointed out.

Dom grabbed a fork from the dishwasher. “How could you be forced into a situation like that?”

“You know, like the Usos. You heard about what happened to them, right?” 

“Dude, that was before their time,” Seth said, “They just got here, what, three months ago?” He looked to Lyra for validation. She shook her head.

“No, dummy, like one month ago.”

“Have they really only been here a month?”

Lyra skipped over to where the calendar was hanging. “Um... let me check. Yeah. They got here mid October.” 

Seth was flabbergasted.  

“What happened to the Usos?” Dom asked, politely.

Kevin Owens glanced down at Dom’s short figure and bit his lip. “Ugh, it’s such a long story,” 

Lyra dropped a dish to the counter. “You guys don’t want to know, trust me.” 

“Basically their foster parents made them beg them not to hurt their family. It was messed up stuff.” 

“But like…” Dom glanced at the pens on the counter, grabbing one and clicking it, “How can you be forced to beg? You always have a choice.”

“Exactly,” Rhea agreed, “That’s what I mean. I’d rather die.”

Lyra put her elbows on the counter. “It’s like…they were protecting each other. Their foster parents used their family against them. C’mon, they’d be able to force you two easily if you were in that situation seeing as you’re like super close.”

“Hey,” Dom gasped, “We don’t break that easily.”

Rhea wrapped an arm around the Lyra’s neck. “Take that back right now or I’m throwing you in the bin.”

Lyra burst into laughter, fighting off Rhea. They squabbled for a bit before Rhea lifted her up and tossed her in the trash bin.

“Whooooa,” Dom exclaimed, hopping off the counter. “That’s what happens when you piss off Mami.”

“Exactly, you die,” Rhea said.

Dom held out his hand to help the girl up. “I got you, Lyra.”

“No, Dom. Leave her in there.” Rhea pulled his hand away.

“Well you gotta let her up eventually.”

“No,” Rhea said.

“She has to get up, Mami!”

They started whipping each other with dish towels.

It was playful and fun and Rhea sort of liked to thank Becky for making this happen. Her call for peace in the house was exactly what Rhea needed to start fresh. 

Maybe she could make friends with everyone, and live in harmony for the next three years. 

 

~~~

 

Living in harmony was wishful thinking. 

Some people were still angry with Rhea, and understandably so. She was going to have to work a little harder on certain relationships if she wanted to earn that trust back. 

“Here, let me help you,” Rhea said when she saw Liv struggling to make the bed. Rhea grabbed one end of the fitted sheet and began tucking it tightly under the mattress.

“So, I heard Dominik got into some trouble,” Liv observed, making conversation. 

Rhea furrowed her eyebrows.

“When he punched Brent?”

“Oh. Yeah.”

Awkwardness fell between them. No one said repairing damaged relationships would be easy. 

Liv smoothed out the sheet. 

“You know why Dominik did it, right?” 

Actually, no. Rhea had no idea what possessed him to act like that, although she assumed it was weeks of stress leading to a breaking point, similar to what happened with Finn. 

She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”  

The dimple-cheeked girl patted the mattress with a little extra force, “He wants Nick to send him away.” 

Yeah right, Rhea thought with a chuckle. Dom would never.

“It’s true. He wants to be fostered, Rhea. He told me so.” 

Rhea’s smile dropped. She refused to believe a word the vibrant girl was saying, but it bothered her that Liv had the audacity to think she knew what Dom wanted.

“I think you can handle it from here.”

Rhea dropped the bedsheets and scurried out of the room. 

 

~~~

 

“Dominik, how’s the hand?” 

“It’s okay,” Dom said, dropping down on the couch next to Liv, waiting for Rhea to finish her workout in the gym.

One of the older kids, Seth, swatted at Dom’s legs. “Move, I’m sitting here.”

Dom rolled his eyes but did what he was told and scooted closer to the girl on the couch so Seth could sit. If he had it his way, he would have a massive TV in his bedroom like he used to when he lived with his deadbeat. 

“Can we watch baseball?” Dom asked. 

“No,” Seth said, stuffing popcorn in his mouth and switching on Fight Club. 

Liv leaned over Dom’s lap and grabbed some popcorn from Seth’s bowl.

“Would you do me a super huge favor? Pretty please with a cherry on top?” 

Dom tilted his head to the side. “Umm, okay.” 

“Okay, but it’s like top secret. You can’t tell anyone or I’ll just die of embarrassment. Promise me now, Dominik. Promise you won’t tell anyone not even Rhea.” She held out her pinky. Dom blinked. 

“Shh.” Seth stuffed his mouth with popcorn and Dom linked his pinky with Liv’s. 

“Promise.” 

 

~~~

 

Later that night, he rolled out of bed and pressed a soft kiss to Rhea’s forehead. Rhea mumbled something incoherent in her sleep and Dom smiled.

He crawled out of bed, making sure he tucked the covers back over Rhea so she wouldn’t get cold, and tip-toed to the door. 

Picking the lock to Nick’s office would be easy. They don’t call him ex-con Dom for nothing.

 

~~~

 

Rhea groaned in her sleep, irritated with the cold spot where Dom’s body heat was supposed to be. She felt around on the bed for her before cracking an eye open. 

Where was he? 

“Dom?” she whispered into the darkness. Nothing. Sighing, Rhea snuggled back under the covers and waited for him to return from the bathroom. 

Next thing she knew, it was morning, and Dom still hadn’t returned. Rhea’s heart plummeted and she scrambled out of bed.

The hallway outside of Nick’s office was buzzing with energy as a bunch of teens gathered round to listen to the booming voice of Nick Aldis through the oak door. 

“Do you understand the gravity of what you’ve done?” 

Who was he talking to? Rhea glanced around the faces of her peers and they were sending her some sympathetic looks. 

Please don’t be him.

“Why did you steal it?” Nick asked, and Rhea flinched at the sound of a hand slapping the table.

“I can’t tell you.”

Dom’s voice — fuck. Rhea imagined his shoulder slumped, mullet disheveled. She should be in there with him. As she tried to push her way to the door, several of the other kids held her back, telling her it wasn’t a good idea. Screw them. She tried to fight them off but way too many people were holding her back. 

“Dominik! This isn’t a game. I’ve notified your social worker and she’s on her way. In the meantime, you can spend a day in the cage.”

His social worker?! No. Rhea kicked up a fuss. She wanted to bust in there and take the blame. To protect Dom. She’d do anything to prevent his social worker from coming. 

“Forget it, Rhea. He’s gonna have to face the consequences on this one,” Cody told her. 

 

~~~

 

Rhea barely stepped outside of Lyra’s room when she saw Liv Morgan standing by the door, waiting. 

“I told you Dominik wanted foster parents,” she said in a sing song voice.

“Don’t talk about Dom,” Rhea growled, pissed off and not in the mood for a little girl’s game.

Liv’s eyes were rimmed by black mascara and framed by her platinum blonde hair. She blinked a few times as if trying to imply that she was totally innocent or something. As if Rhea couldn’t see right through her bullshit.

“It’s sad really,” she said with a pout, “that he’s too afraid to tell you what he really wants.”

Rhea snorted. “You must think I’m stupid.” She narrowed her eyes, stepping closer to the smaller girl, towering over her. “I know you’re pissed at me for what I did to you, and now you’re trying to make me and Dom fight, but it’s not going to work. I’m sorry I hurt you. But hurting him isn’t the answer.”

“I’m just trying to help Dominik,” she said, blinking those baby blues in fake innocence. “Since he’s too afraid to tell you himself.”

Rhea rolled her eyes, done with this. She began walking down the hall.

“He wants a family,” she called out and Rhea halted. “A real family. Not you and your pretend family. He wants a Mom and a Dad and a white picket fence.” 

“No,” Rhea shook her head because it wasn’t true. She didn’t know anything.  

“He’s too afraid to tell you, but it’s true.”

“Dom wants to stay here,” Rhea declared firmly. She was confident in that.

“Does he?” Liv licked her lips, “Have you ever asked him what he wants?”

Rhea’s mind stuttered to a stop. She asked him plenty of times. Well. She thought she asked him… once… in the tree.

Dom did mention the idea of foster parents, but he agreed that it wasn’t a good idea. She was almost certain he agreed. The memory was a little hazy. 

“Maybe you should ask him,” Liv said peeling herself away from the wall. 

 

~~~

 

“Hey, Dom,” Rhea said, sitting outside of the cage door.  

“Please don’t leave, Mami,” he begged for the third time since she got there. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” she promised. “But have to ask you something.” 

Rhea swallowed thickly. It took everything she had not to chicken out. Dom reached his hand out through the bars, his hair longer than when they first met and yet all she could think about was that first day. How wrong she had been about him. How he grew on her.

“What is it?” he asked, squeezing her hand. 

She stared at him for a long time, feeling tongue tied.

“You’re happy, right?”

“Well I hate being locked up.” 

“Right, I know. I just mean, in general.” 

“Yeah, of course.” 

She had to rip the band-aid off and ask.

“It’s just, I’ve been thinking about our conversation in the tree, and I can’t remember…do you want to be fostered?”

Rhea’a stomach did a backflip as she waited for his response. It was taking too long. Dom was thinking, calculating his next words which was quite unlike him.

“Do you want to be fostered?” he asked. 

“No, Dom. What do you want?” 

He leaned closer, “I want whatever you want, Mami.”

Oh no. Rhea willed herself to have patience as she squeezed his hand tighter. 

“Pretend I’m not a part of this. What do you want?” 

Dom was utterly appalled, “Without you?” 

He was freaking out, removing his hand like she had burned him. 

“Dom,” she grabbed his wrist, but he pulled away.

“What did I do?”

This was not what Rhea intended at all. She shook her head, waved her hands. Stop, stop. This was spinning out of control. 

“I didn’t mean to,” he cried. 

“No, Dom. You didn’t do anything wrong. I was just asking.” 

“I don’t — I don’t understand. Do you not want me to stay with you?”

“Of course I want you to stay,” she said, bristling at how fast this spiraled. This was somehow Liv’s doing, she just knows it is. 

“Are you that mad at me for losing one race?”

“Dom, calm down. This isn’t about the race.” Fucking hell, she was going to be paying for the one comment for the rest of her life. 

“I can do another race,” he said, reaching for her hand again. She took it immediately. 

“It’s not about the race.” She tightened her jaw in absolute vexation. “Forget I said anything.” 

 

~~~

 

Similar to how the smallest flame could cause a rapid fire, this little spark of misunderstanding between Rhea and Dom was turing into an inferno of hurt feelings. 

It was starting to feel like Liv was right. Maybe Dom really did want foster parents but he was too afraid to tell her. Rhea still couldn’t accept that. It bothered her so much, she started getting night chills.  

“Why do you think he’s so scared to tell you the truth?” Liv asked her one morning in the middle of the pantry, when Rhea was just trying to find a box of cereal. 

“Liv, I mean this in all its entirety, go fuck yourself.” 

The girl giggled, standing on her tippy toes to grab a loaf of bread. “Do you think it’s because your first emotion is aggression? It probably scares him.”

“Dom is NOT afraid of me!” Great. Now she just squished holes the cardboard box of cereal. 

Liv made a skeptical sound, “You did beat him once. I’m sure that scared him.”

Rhea froze. “How do you know about that?”

That was private. Personal. She never really beat him, either. She tackled him at lot, and Dom enjoyed her roughness. 

“He tells me a lot of things,” Liv replied without looking up from the loaf of bread. “Like how he wants to have parents. How he wishes Finn would just take him to live with JD.”

Rhea’s jaw worked to keep her emotions in check because this was both enraging and terrifying, if it was true.

“When are you going to stop being selfish and do what’s best for him?”

Rhea was ready to headbutt Liv’s soul out of her body. She brushed her shoulder into Liv’s as she moved past her. 

“I am what’s best for him,” she hissed, “Stop obsessing over him. It’s creepy.” 

“Are you?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, yeah. I’m sure you’re not biased at all. From my point of view, he looks a thousand times happier when JD’s foster mom visits, and he keeps getting hurt, but hey, yeah, he’s better off with you.”

Rhea turned around and crack. She slapped the words out of Liv’s mouth, her palm stinging in the best way as the blonde clutched her cheek, mouth opened wide. 

“This game stops now.” 

 

 

 

Notes:

If you are all still reading this story, I love you. Hang in there folks.

The mind games are working…

Chapter 23: Thanksgiving

Summary:

Part 2: Disaster.
And by that, I mean, a horribly written action sequence because it’s wrestling and I had so much content to use.

It was a tradition, or so Rhea had been told, to let everyone participate in cooking the big meal for Thanksgiving dinner. Most of the teens thought it sounded fun, Rhea thought it sounded like a lot of work.

They started preparing at 10am on Thursday morning.

By 11:45 they barely had anything accomplished except stress, buttered bread, and a fancy decorated table. 

“It takes a while,” Seth explained into a camera, “The drinks will be here shortly. Gunther had a small accident.”

Gunther held up his middle finger.

“Just kidding. He spilled water everywhere.” 

Gunther delivered a no-nonsense slap to the back of Seth’s skull. He was the quiet army- brat of the group home, a little frightening, definitely not someone Rhea wanted to be on the bad side of, but Seth Rollins was absolutely fearless. It was pretty obvious he was fearless when he was happy that Finn beat the crap out of him because he missed the competition. 

Finn poured a glass of flavored water for himself, then he grabbed the jug of iced tea and poured it into Damian’s cup without having to ask. He knew the big guy loved to drink iced tea by the gallon. Also coffee, and energy drinks. Finn had him down to a science as did Rhea. 

She was in charge of pumpkin pie so she didn’t have to do anything until later that night.

“Alright, the Turkey is done,” Cody exclaimed, emerging from the kitchen in a pair of jeans and a crisp white shirt. He was missing his signature red and blue tie, it must have gotten burned off or dipped in gravy. 

“It smells good,” she said, breathing in the scent of buttery roasted meat, warm and savory.

At 12:45 they were ready to eat.

They were eating early because Nick and most of the staff wanted to go home that evening to spend time with their families. Rhea tried not to be jealous. Her family was right here, she reminded herself. This was all she needed. 

As everyone sat down and passed the bowls around, Nick asked them to go around the table and mention something they were thankful for.

Some of the answers were genuine. Cody was thankful for his health. Becky said her family. Sami was thankful for having food on the table.

Shotzi was thankful for everything. “Oh my gosh, my dogs, my family, pizza. There’s just so much!”

Then there were the non-authentic responses like Gunter being thankful for himself. Seth being grateful for his good looks. Rhea said The Judgement Day, of course. 

Eventually, the table burst into noisy chatter, people talked about everything from sports, to music, to movies, and it was hard to hear the people right next to her. It was especially hard to hear Dom because he was so quiet to begin with — he asked for something. “What?” Rhea cupped her ear, leaning closer.

“The bread.”

Rhea leaned over and grabbed the basket of bread, passing it to him. 

“Hey, Sis,” Finn said, taking her attention away, “I’m gonna go make a phone call to JD. Nick said I could use his office for a bit.”

“Okay, I’ll save you some pie,” she said, scooting her chair in closer, so he could slip past.

She flinched at the sound of a slap, and noticed Damian had grabbed Dom’s hand.

“How many times do I have to tell you? Ask and it will get passed to you.” 

“Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt,” Dom said with a toothy smile. He took corn on the cob anyway. 

“I swear he has no manners,” Damian muttered.

“Oh yeah, I have no manners. Coming from the guy with his elbow on the table. I’m sure Mami loves smelling your armpit all night.”

Damian narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Eat your food, kid.”

“Dom eats corn the long way,” Wes Lee coughed, laughing into his drink. 

Rhea threw a bun at his head. 

They shared food and stories, and somehow, like always, ended up in an argument halfway through the night.

“Who cares if there are reasons. He shouldn’t have attacked me,” Seth explained, stabbing his green beans with a fork. 

“I think Finn should have punched you in the face, but that’s just my opinion,” Rhea muttered.

Cody dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “Alright, what about the time Finn dumped water on the three of you? How are you going to defend that?” he asked.

“I brought up that example!” Seth exclaimed, “But they don’t care. They don’t care as long as it’s their precious Finn. These kids are brainwashed. They’ll say anything to defend their Prince.”

Rhea rolled her eyes. Half the table was trying to convince her that Finn was a bad influence, and that they needed to stop following his example. Also, Seth wanted an apology from Finn, which wasn’t happening.

“He shouldn’t have attacked Seth but I understand why he did. Sometimes people need punched in the face like Mami said.”

“Exactly,” Rhea nodded. Dom had it right. 

“You’re a bunch of ignorant children. Think before you speak,” Gunther yelled.  

Rhea was honestly surprised he joined in on the conversation considering he was basically non-existent these past couple of weeks.

“Think before you speak?” Dom crinkled his face in disgust, “We do think! That’s just our opinion, and you don’t like it.” 

“No, it’s the freaking truth,” Rhea said, slouching back in her seat, “but y’know some people can’t handle that so…” 

“You guys idolize him for no reason,” Seth shouted, and Becky backed him up.

“Look, all we’re trying to say is you kids are young and impressionable, and we don’t want you to get hurt because of Finn,” Cody said in an attempt to bring reason back into the heated debate.

He should stop. 

Reason was essential out the window at this point. 

Kevin Owens put his elbows on the table. “Maybe the poor, naive, little children shouldn’t treat Finn like he is their King.”

“We don’t! We literally don’t,” Rhea shouted.

Damain rolled up his sleeves. “First of all, Rhea and Dom are not ‘naive children’. Second of all, we have no leaders in our family.”

 Exactly, Rhea slammed her cup down on the table for emphasis. Thank you, Priest. 

“Uh-huh. Sure,” Sami said. 

Why did no one ever believe them?

Seth took this time to stir up some distrust, and he went for the low blow. 

“So you don’t think your boy Finn would ever ditch your asses if he was offered up a new home? What about a home with his boy JD? Don’t you think he would leave you?” 

“No. He wouldn’t leave us,” Rhea declared, firmly. 

Everyone glanced at their plates uncomfortably— like they were in on a secret Rhea knew nothing about. 

“What?”

“Nothing,” Seth shrugged. “We just… doubt that very much. Anyway. What if Damian’s parents came back? Would he leave?” 

Rhea spluttered into her drink. “That’s different. He -“ She glanced at Priest, knowing he could explain it himself. But if Damian’s parents came back no one would blame him for wanting to go home.

“I would take the kids with me,” he said, “and Finn too.” 

Rhea smiled. Pleased to hear what she thought was true. See. Damian would stay with them. They were a family. No matter what.  

“These poor kids,” Becky sighed. “Do they always believe everything you say? Like you would really take them home with you.” 

“I would,” Damian clenched his fork in a fist and stabbed his turkey. 

“Where is Finn right now?” Seth asked, smirking, like he wanted to catch them up in some sort of trap.

“He’s talking on the phone.” Rhea pointed a finger, “and before you ask who, it is JD, but it’s also Thanksgiving and he’s allowed to call his friend.” 

Seth nodded to Becky, “Oh yeah, Finn’s gonna leave them.” 

“I know, that’s what I’m saying.” 

Rhea scrunched her face in disbelief. “Finn is a good person. He doesn’t hate people for no reason like you do, Seth. You stole his phone and tried to keep him away from his brother, and then you go around wondering why he snapped on you. It was just a breaking point!” 

Damian nodded. “Yeah, everyone has a breaking point. You clearly pushed him to his. And then you guys are like ‘we don’t understand why.’”

Rhea swallowed a mouthful of mashed potatoes, “No, Seth’s all like ‘I don’t care if there are reasons for why people do things.’ I guess he doesn’t care if he has reasons for hating Finn.” 

“Let me rephrase. I don’t like how you use those reasons as excuses for why people do bad things. It’s not an excuse. Finn getting mad at me for stealing is phone is not a good reason to attack me. I don’t care why he did it, the point is, he shouldn’t have done it.”

Becky snapped her fingers. “This! You just want to defend Finn endlessly even though you know he does bad things.”

“BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOVE SOMEONE THAT’S WHAT YOU DO!” Rhea shouted, drawing a good amount of attention to her little section of the table. 

Two of the security officers stood up from their seats and walked over to them. “You guys good down here?”

“Yeah,” half of them replied.

She took a long gulp of water. 

“Play nice,” the officers said, offering to get them extra food if anyone was still hungry. “It’s almost time for pie.” 

Rhea and Dom got up to prepare the pumpkin pie. It was a brief moment of separation from the table, and it was nice to be alone in the kitchen with Dom for a temporary reprieve. 

He calmed her rage with one look of those brown eyes.

They goofed around, spraying each-other’s noses with whipped cream and kissing it off before they headed back into shark infested territory.

They went around the room asking people if they wanted a slice of pumpkin pie like they were supposed to. Rhea made sure she gave Corey Graves a huge slice of pie and Michael Cole a smaller slice. Dom shook the bottle of whipped cream and sprayed some on each plates, snubbing Cole as well.

When they got to their side of the table, the argument was waiting for them.

“While you were away, we were talking, and we think you might be brainwashed,” KO said.

“Yeah, like, you kids understand you are not the victims, right? Finn attacked Seth. He is the bad guy,” Sami explained calmly. “Please tell me you see that.”  

“He’s not a bad guy,” Dom said nonchalantly, dropping a glob of whipped cream onto Becky’s slice of pie. “You are.” 

“I told you. I told you they’re brainwashed.”

“And I told you to shut up,” Damian shouted. 

Dom’s nostrils flared, “Just wait until Finn comes back here, he’s gonna kick all of your butts into next week.”

“Thus proving my point that he is a bad person!”

“He is NOT!” 

Rhea grabbed Dom’s sleeve, trying to rein him in.

“It’s okay, Dom Dom, don’t listen to these idiots. We all know Finn is a good person.” 

“He tried to kick my ribs out of my body,” Seth said, mouth agape like he could not understand how Rhea and Dom were not seeing this. 

Seth turned to Becky, “I’m concerned about their mental state.”

Dom rolled his eyes. “Finn was trying to hurt you. He wanted to hurt you, because you hurt him.”

“Again with the excuses,” Becky mumbled.

“You abandoned him. You’re the bad person, Seth. You’re like my deadbeat Dad.”

“Oh not this again,” Cody muttered. 

“Exactly. Seth is the bad person.” 

Raquel scoffed. “Oh Rhea, you are such a little brat.”

“Yes, Raquel! Tell her. Tell her.” Seth clapped, happy to have some backup.

“You guys always pick on Mami!”

“They love to personally attack me,” she grumbled. 

“I like how Finnegan twisted the story for the naive little children and claimed I abandoned him.” 

“What are you trying to say? That you didn’t abandon him?” Dom asked, with a shake of the head, “I’ve heard that one before from my deadbeat.”

Cody clenched his jaw. “Please do not start talking about your father. It really makes me mad when you do that.”

Dom ignored Cody. “I know you abandoning types don’t like to admit when you’re wrong but it doesn’t change the fact that you left him!”

“I didn’t abandon Finn. I tried to help him. But he was trapped in a fence. The cops were coming. I had to make a choice. I made it. Sue me.” 

“Right,” Dom nodded, “You chose to leave him.”

“I chose not to go down with him. He was screwed either way. What good would it do for us to both get caught? It was an accident,” Seth said, “but bitter old man Finn needs someone to blame, so he blames me.” 

“Don’t talk about Finn like that!” 

“Dom!” Seth shouted, “Shut up. Ain’t nobody here wants to hear you talk. You’re just a stupid little boy who knows nothing about —“

“No, no, no! I will NOT be disrespected like this!” Dom shrieked over top of him. “No!” 

Sami Zayn chuckled. “Dom. You are being disrespected, but that’s only because no one here respects you.”

“It’s a very easy concept to grasp,” KO added.

Dom grabbed a piece of pie and shoved it in Kevin Owen’s face. A collective gasp spread around the table at the resounding whack and Rhea couldn’t have been happier.

Kevin Owens blinked the pumpkin pie out of his eyes. “Okay,” he said, screwing his eyes shut and palming his face. “You’re dead.”

There was a sharp clatter of silverware and dishes, and then Kevin Owens was chasing Dom around the table. 

The security officers started running after them as well. 

Today was shaping up to be quite exciting after all. Rhea was so proud of her Latino Heat. She grinned like the joker as Dom hid behind her, and Kevin Owens came to an abrupt stop. 

“Oh come on!” he shouted. “You can’t hide behind a girl.” 

Rhea found it amusing how he didn’t want to hit her. She patted her face a couple of times, egging him on.

She grabbed the nearest food item, which happened to be Cody Rhodes’ plate of turkey, and chucked a giant piece at Kevin Owens head.

He ducked, and she caught Sami Zayn upside the skull. Watching his face morph into an overdramatic expression was so bloody satisfying, Rhea couldn’t believe she hadn’t done this before.

“Take that,” Sami screamed. Rhea ducked, and unfortunately, the person behind her got hit in the forehead.

Her heart dropped as she turned to Dom, worried he had been hurt, but he was fine, wiping a goody orange piece of pie off of his forehead and locking his fingers. 

Her relief quickly turned into determination. She grabbed a handful of green bean casserole and launched it at KO, determined to teach him a lesson.

Corey and Cole jumped into action, reaching to stop them, and they ended up getting hit with the turkey and green beans.  

Chaos erupted.

People were throwing food all over the place. 

Damian weaved between the chairs, which were scattered everywhere as people around him were dumping food on top of each other, and he found Sami Zayn in the corner. He grabbed him by the neck, only for KO to run by and shove an entire pie over his head.  

“Everybody stop!” Brent yelled. 

Absolutely nobody listened.  

Later, Rhea was going to regret not listening to him.

“Priest! Priest!” Corey shouted, grabbing him under the arms, “You can’t grab his neck. Let go of him! You’re choking him.” 

Priest wouldn’t let go of Seth’s neck. “Just so you know, THIS IS FOR FINN!” 

“Oh man! That’s a lot of meat that just went over this table,” Corey Graves announced, possibly referring to Seth or the Turkey, which both went tumbling off the table thanks to Priest. 

“No!” Becky launched herself at Damian, but Rhea grabbed her hair, and shoved her face into the potatoes. 

“Holy shit! Cody just bulldozed Priest!” Corey Graves’ screamed, it startled Rhea out of her victory celebration.  

She turned to see what was happening to her boys. 

Cody had thrown Damian over the table and he was holding Damian down. He must have been fed up with them. Or else he was trying to avenge Seth. 

Dom was being held by Sami Zayn as Kevin Owens pelted him with bread rolls.

“Hey! Get off of him!” Rhea yelled, lunging at Sami. They both hit the floor at the same time thanks to her tackle.

She moaned, rolling over and holding her aching back. Shit, shit, shit, that hurt.

“Mami! Are you okay?” Dom dropped to his knees, gently touching her back.

“I think so,” Rhea said.

From every direction there were echos of punches, screams, and food splattering. But down here on the floor, with Dom by her side, it was calm. He helped her move and she sat up carefully, rubbing her shoulder which was throbbing.

“You two!” A security officer pointed at Rhea and Dom so they scrambled up off the floor and started running. “Get back here!”

They stuck their tongues out and moved a few chairs out of their way.

On her way around the table, Rhea was hit with multiple different foods: corn, sweet potatoes, pie. She tasted gravy the most; it dripped down her face like dirty tears but Rhea didn’t bother to wipe it away.

She found Priest. He was squeezing the life out of Cody’s neck and hoisting him up over the table again. Cody took the bowl of stuffing with him this time as he crashed to the floor.

“Priest!” Brent hollered, holding two other struggling teens by their shirts. “Someone get Priest!”

Two security officers tackled Damian to the ground.

“Hey!” Rhea and Dom ran over and started hitting the officers with loud back chops.

“Let him go!”

Rhea pulled one of the adult women off of Damian. “Get away from my friends!”

“I think it’s safe to say that things have gotten wildly out of control,” Corey mumbled to KP from his safe space under the table.  

“I don’t get paid enough for this,” KP muttered miserably. 

Rhea and Dom managed to free Damian from security. For a brief moment, they protectively cradled him on the floor.

“It’s okay, we got you,” Dom told Priest, supporting his head. 

“Yeah, we’re not going to let anyone hurt you,” Rhea said, hovering. She and Dom were blocking him with their bodies as food went flying. 

Priest smiled weakly, cupping Rhea and Dom around the back of the head. “Te quiero mi amigos.”

He would get his strength back in a minute. Being tackled hurt but Priest was strong. He just needed time. Rhea could give him that.

She overheard Brent yelling, warning, outright forbidding them to throw food. Every so often, he would scoop up someone and carry them out of the room. Rhea grinned when Brent grabbed Liv and started carrying her away. Good. One less person to worry about.

“Mami! Watch out!”

A boot connected with her jaw.

She her earring falling out on impact, rolling away. Suddenly the world around her was fuzzy, vision blurring with black spots.

She thought she heard Dom scream again but her ears were ringing too much to be sure.

It was rare for Rhea to meet a girl that was strong enough to woman-handle her. Most of the time, Rhea’s muscles were bigger than the girls her age, and yet Raquel was about to lift her up like she was nothing. 

“Come on, Mami,” Raquel mocked, slamming Rhea against the table like a sack of potatoes.

“Urgh,” Rhea screamed through clenched teeth. It was an angry type of pain, one that would last for a while. Raquel dropped her again. This time, Rhea kicked blindly and connected with Raquel’s body.

Raquel stumbled backwards and touched her bloody lip.

“Tu puta!” she screamed, climbing on the table and stomping on Rhea’s stomach. Rhea cried out in pain. It felt like her body split in two. 

Raquel kept her foot there and grabbed her arms. She started to pull, like she wanted to rip Rhea’s arms off. She started to scream.

“Get away from Mami!” Dom demanded, kicking Raquel in her knee. She let go instantly, yelping and hopping around.

It was an immediate relief to have her arms freed.

Dom was quick to sit by Rhea’s side. “I’m here,” he said, and Rhea rubbed his shoulders. 

A hand squeezed her calf. She was being dragged by her leg. Rhea kept her grip on Dom tight, and he was being dragged with her, like two human mops.

Raquel pulled them across the table, they bumped into every dish imaginable, and finally she stopped when they reached Becky. 

Becky pinned Rhea to the table and held a bottle of whipped cream above her face.

“Any last words, Ripley?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Rhea kicked out of her hold and headbutted her chest. “Mami’s always on top,” she said as she climbed on top of Becky and spayed her with the whipped cream. 

Dom raised his eyebrows at that, a soft “oh,” escaping his mouth.

“Isn’t that right, Dom,” she flirted, smiling at his pink tinted cheeks. Yeah, he knew all about that. 

She might have taken her eyes off the prize for a little too long. Crap. 

“Eat dirt,” Becky yelled, slapping Rhea with whatever food she found lying on the table. It tasted like salt. 

Rhea was about to make the girl pay, but Raquel decided she had a death wish because she touched Dom. She lifted him up in the air just because she wanted to prove to Rhea how strong she was.

“Hey!”

Dom head collided with two plastic cups as Raquel threw him across the table and onto the floor.  

“You’re gonna pay for that, Raquel!”

Before she could make good on her promise, a security officer lifted her in the air, hanging her over his shoulder. She really hated how the adults treated her like this.

Dom got up, climbed on a chair and leapt off it, executing a 5-star frog splash onto Raquel. 

“Hell yeah!” Rhea screamed in praise. Go, Dom!

The security officer, Michael Cole, shook his head. “I swear you are all going in isolation for a month.” 

Rhea thrashed around and security tightened his arms on her. From up in the air she could see everyone fighting, and she realized Priest was in trouble. 

“Dom! Help Damian! Help him!” she pleaded, closing her eyes because she couldn’t watch. 

When she opened them, Finn was there! 

Finally! She wondered how long it was going to take for him to show up.

“It’s okay, Dom. Finn’s got him. He’s okay.”

Rhea really loved her family. They were like whack-a-mole. When one went down, the other popped up.

She was enjoying the show until an angry Brent latched a hold of Dom’s wrist and yanked him so hard he nearly fell. 

“You,” Brent seethed. “You did this!” 

Dom flashed him a million dollar smile with his tongue out. 

“You started this mess.” A shrug from Dom. “I should call your father. Have him spank you again.”

Dom scowled and shoved Brent backwards. Then, he landed the mother of all slaps across Brent’s pectoral muscle. The sound of the slap ricocheted off the walls and Rhea’s mouth hung open. Holy shit. Dom could hit when he wanted to. 

Brent paused, glanced down at his chest, like he couldn’t fathom it either.

“Oh, you’re going to be one sorry little boy.”

“Hit him again, Dom!” Rhea screamed.

Dom slapped him in the chest three more times, and Rhea drank in the sound, feeling completely satisfied.

To the surprise of Rhea, Brent crashed his open palm across Dom’s chest with a resounding whack, hitting him back equally as hard. 

“Oh my God,” Michael Cole flinched at the sight.

Dom sucked in a deep breath, wheezing, gasping for air. 

“You wanna hit me, Dumb Dom? Let’s see how you like it.”

Brent ripped the fabric of Dom’s shirt open and Rhea’s eyes went wide in panic.

“No, no, no,” Cole sounded equally as panicked. He dropped Rhea to her feet and ran.

The sound was like a firecracker, horrendously loud on bare skin. Rhea stumbled backwards, hand over her mouth. 

It was chilling how fast silence swept through the room after that. How the fighting ceased.  

“You dumb, stupid, arrogant, prick,” Brent scolded fiercely, hitting just as feral, and then Michael Cole was there, grabbing his arm to stop him.  

Dom fell to the floor in a heap, coughing. He could not look more pitiful. His face was all red, as red as his chest, and his cheeks were wet. Every few seconds the quiet room echoed with the sound of Dom’s wheezing.

Rhea’s body trembled. Her black combat boots were frozen against the floorboards, and her fingers curled into tight fists. She might spontaneously combust. 

She wanted to punch Brent’s perplexed face until blood gushed from his nose and his stupid teeth were broken. 

“What was that?” Cole asked, fingers twisting in Brent’s shirt as he jerked him forward. “He’s a kid. What the hell were you thinking?!” 

Rhea’s attention shifted to Dom. She stalked forward, hardly realizing what she was doing, until she crouched by his side.

“DomDom?” she asked, blinking rapidly. He looked up at her slowly, chocolate eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“I’m sorry,” he said. She gave a wet laugh. Leave it to Dom to apologize when he was the one that just got abused. “They’re gonna call my s-social worker and -“ Rhea felt a splash of water on her knee. “-and it’s gonna happen all over again.”

“Don’t worry about that right now,” she said, drawing him closer. She tried to keep it together as Finn and Priest came over. 

Dom’s only response was to hug her tighter. Rhea kissed the gravy off his temple, wishing she could go back in time and stop the stupid food fight before it escalated so much. It had been fun at first. 

“What the hell happened?” Nick yelled overtop of all the commotion.

He had a lot to catch up on. 

“He laid hands on Dom, bro.” Priest explained, pointing. 

Nick took one look at Dom’s chest, the ripped fabric of his shirt, and decided that Brent was no longer allowed on the property, and he was going to remove him from the premises himself. He rolled up his sleeves and grabbed the man. Two other security officers moved to help.

Brent started going off about how it was self-defense. As if twelve-year-old Dom was any real threat to this grown ass man.

Rhea was grateful, this Thanksgiving, that Nick didn’t fall for his bull.

 

~~~

 

 

“It could have been a lot worse,” the doctor said to Nick that evening in the glow of the vending machines and bad lighting. “He could have ruptured a lung, or broken some ribs. Worst case scenario, a rupture to the heart valve, and you’re looking at something that could have been life threatening. You should consider yourselves lucky it was only chest contusion.”

Rhea pretty much blacked out after that. Although she did hear Nick talk about filing criminal charges against Brent which made her smile just the slightest.  

“Hey,” Nick crouched beside her on the plastic seats, “Are you okay?”

She felt hot tears behind her eyes. Now she knew Liv was right. She knew what Dom needed, and it was not her.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied, controlling her emotions like the pro that she was. 

Rhea thought she could create a family of her own. She thought she could out-smart the system. But at the end of the day, she was just the same foster kid who ruined every family she was ever a part of.

“He’s been calling for you.”

Rhea heard Dom call her name a few times. She pretended she didn’t hear him. She couldn’t go in there, not when she was the reason he was hurt. 

If it wasn’t for Rhea, Dom would have been adopted long ago. He would be living behind a white picket fence with a picture-perfect family, and he would be happy and safe and loved. 

“Listen, I know this was a scary situation.”

She hated it when adults talked to her like she was some little kid. Did Nick not realize she was so much older than her thirteen years? After everything she had been through? Rhea felt like she was well into her thirties. 

“When you get back home, you can talk to Cheryl. It’s okay to be upset. This was a traumatic situation.”

“Nick.” Rhea dropped her head and looked at him pleadingly. “Can you tell Dom I’m sorry? Tell him I want him to find a good home.”

Nick grabbed her hand. “You can tell him that yourself.”

Rhea glanced through the glass window at all three of her boys. Finn and Priest were sitting by Dom’s hospital bed, surrounding him with the love he deserved. 

She loved her friends.

She loved them.

And that’s why she had to do what was best for them.

“Just promise me you’ll tell him.”

Nick stared at her for a long time. “Okay,” he said, and he squeezed her hand as tight as he could. “I’ll tell him.”

 

 

 

Notes:

I re-read this chapter last night, and I went from laughing at some of my own silly ways of describing these kids fighting with food to feeling the sadness. The mood shifted so fast.

We are in the home stretch besties! Things are about to change for the BETTER very soon and I’m so excited.

Chapter 24: Here We Go Again

Summary:

💙💙💙

I guess it’s the darkest moment? I don’t even know. I re-wrote this so many times.

Shotzi placed BooBuddy, her ghost investigative bear, down on counter and grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen sink.

With Brent gone, the group home felt lighter, safer. Shotzi was no longer afraid to wake up and leave her room before sunrise. Even the ghosts were happier.

It seemed like everyone was happier except for Dom and Rhea. They were hardly speaking. Scratch that, they were not speaking. It was weird. One minute they were refusing to let go of each other as Mr. Aldis took them to the hospital and then the next, they wouldn’t look at each other. 

Shotzi loved mysteries so she tried to figure it out.

From the information she gathered, she discovered that Rhea never went inside Dom’s hospital room, so that explained Dom’s sadness. But why didn’t Rhea go inside? 

From Shotzi’s observations, Finn and Priest were on good terms so it didn’t have anything to do with them. 

Her conclusion was they must have gotten into a horrible fight. It was a shame. They were such a dynamic duo. The house might have been lighter without Brent, but it also was shifted on its axis without Dom and Rhea talking, like nothing made sense anymore, all topsy-turvy and upside down. 

BooBuddy lit up on the kitchen sink. It was probably the water ghost again, the one who haunted the pipes in the shower and made the faucet leak. Shotzi sighed through her nose.

“What is it, Scarlet? Do you feel the tension too?” Maybe the ghost was trying to tell her something. She tried to communicate through BooBuddy when she heard a squeaky wheel. Shotzi’s yelped, spinning around in her to find Dominik standing there, illuminated by the dusty moonlight, a suitcase in one hand.

“Dom?” 

He flinched, hand over his heart, until he realized it was just Shotzi, then his shoulder sagged in relief. 

She wondered if his chest was bothering him. His injury was like a bad sunburn, Nick explained, and that’s why Dom had to use ice for the first 48 hours and wear loose clothing. He also had to hold a pillow to his chest and take deep breaths, but that was for his lungs, and so he wouldn’t get pneumonia. 

“Did you want more medicine? Shotzi asked, hoping that wasn’t the case. She was pretty sure Nick’s office, where their medication was kept, was locked tight. 

Dom shook his head, one hand clutching at his backpack straps. He looked like he was ready to go somewhere. 

“Are you getting fostered?” 

“No, I’m leaving.”

Shotzi’s let out a soft laugh, thinking this was a joke. It had to be. Dom couldn’t leave. He’d get in so much trouble. 

“Wait, are you serious? You’re running away?”  

“Mami hates me,” he said to his shoes. “Liv said I should just leave.” 

Well, this sucked. Shotzi didn’t want to be that person, the one who let her friend runaway. But she also didn’t want to be that person, the one who ratted on him either. What was she supposed to do? 

“You can’t leave, Dom. There are big fences, and even if you could climb them, you’ll get caught eventually.”

She didn’t think she needed to remind him about Juvie, but that’s probably where he would end up. Any kid that runs away from a foster home is considered a ‘runner’ and they go to court, most of them end up in a locked facility. She didn’t want that for Dom. 

“I can go get Rhea for you. 

“She doesn’t want to talk to me,” he said, untangling the chord of his headphones and scuffing his furry boot into the floorboards. “Please don’t tell anyone. Please, Shotzi.” 

Gosh darn it. Why did this have to happen to her. She hated making decisions. 

When she didn’t respond, Dom scooted around her, his suitcase squeaking behind as he trudged towards the door.

Shotzi looked down at her bear. 

“What should I do, ghosts? Should I get Mr. Aldis?”

The bear lit up red.

“Should I get Damian?”

The bear lit up red.

“Should I get Rhea?” 

The bear lit up green.

Okay, ghosts. Shotzi rushed to the third floor, west hall and into Rhea and Lyra’s room. 

“RHEA!” She clapped her hands together like a cymbal monkey. “Rhea! Rhea! Rhea!” 

The girl’s head lifted, sort of like a zombie rising from the dead, and she cranked her neck towards Shotzi, a mix of bewildered agitation. 

“Rhea you have to help —“ Shotzi paused, noticing the puffy red eyes. “Have you been crying?” It slipped out of her mouth, and it was so totally not the thing to say. That just made Rhea angry. She threw off the covers, and rolled out of bed.

“Do you want me to beat your ass?” Rhea asked, stomping towards her. 

“Sorry. No. Umm, Dom’s running away. So, yeah. That’s what I wanted to tell you. If he’s not back within twenty four hours, Mr. Aldis will have to call the cops.”

Shotzi closed her eyes and waited to see if Rhea would take a swing at her. When she opened them, Rhea was gone. 

 

~~~

 

This was not what Rhea wanted for Dom. He was supposed to stay here and find the perfect family, not risk getting kidnapped on the streets! 

Rhea closed her eyes and tried to think where Dom might try to go. He talked about California, Arizona, Mexico, but that’s just cause he grew up around there. He never talked about a favorite place to hide out. 

Hide out. 

Rhea had a feeling she knew exactly where he was. 

She didn’t bother to throw on socks or shoes, she walked outside in her bare feet, running to the bottom of the maple tree. 

Their hiding spot. 

“You’re gonna break your bloody neck if you try that,” she warned, watching as Dom hoisted himself onto a taller branch, reaching his hand down for the suitcase.

“Rhea? What are you doing out here?”’

His boot slipped. 

“DOM!” Rhea couldn’t help the wild panic in her voice. It was an automatic response, something only Dom could bring out of her, as she took a step forward to catch him if needed.  

“I’m okay,” he said, dropping down to the ground and brushing off the dirt. He tried to throw that broken-ass suitcase up on a tree branch again, and gravity took it back down, narrowly missing his head on the way.

“Dom, stop,” Rhea stomped toward him and grabbed Dom’s shoulders, giving him a shake. “What are you doing? You can’t run away.”  

“The social worker is coming today,” he yelled, eyes glimmering. 

Rhea was taken aback by this, but she knew about the social worker. She just wanted to discuss what happened between Dom and Brent, and make sure he still felt safe in this home. 

“My social worker is coming today and I wanted to ask you what to do because I always ask you. But you don’t want me anymore.” 

Rhea balked at him, unable to close her mouth. How could he ever think that

“I know that I messed up again, and I know you’re mad at me again. So I wanted to leave before you throw me away like everyone else does.” 

He was killing her. Quite literally killing her. 

“Dom,” she croaked, pulling her arms around him. Hugging him, and urging him to do the same. “I want you.” 

Rhea clenched on her jaw. The tears in his eyes were contagious with how earnest they were. 

“You can’t even look at me,” he sniffed, swiping a hand across his cheeks.  

“I want you to stay with me more than anything, Dom, but I’m not good for you. I can’t protect you. I give bad advice, and I’m never going to be fostered. I don’t want that for you.” 

“What are you talking about?” Dom asked, pulling away from her embrace. “We’re good for each other. You’re one of the best things that ever happened to me.” 

She glanced down at her bare feet with a shake of the head. She didn’t expect Dom to understand. She just needed him to know, she cared about him.

“We can’t stay together,” she reiterated. “I want you to have a better life. That’s why I’m distancing myself.” 

There. Now he knew. Now he could stop trying to run away, and Rhea could pretend this wasn’t destroying her from the inside out, and tomorrow, she could be the one to leave. 

Dom grabbed her hand. “Rhea, we created our own family. Don’t try to tell me what’s good for me. I chose this as much as you did. I chose to stay with you, and I’m not sorry at all.” 

Rhea glanced at him, gave him a real and proper once over to determine if his body language matched the words he was saying. 

He might believe he chose correctly, but he didn’t understand that staying with Rhea meant three more years of getting his chest assaulted, and nearly dying. 

“No one wants me, Dom. I’ve accepted that, but I can’t accept it for you.” 

This was hard to explain. She had no idea how to articulate the years of worthlessness into one sentence. 

“I can’t accept it for you,” Dom concluded. “You deserve to find a home.” 

“No, Dom.” She sighed in frustration. “This place. It’s for people like me. People who are so awful, they will never find a family. I was stupid to try and create a family because it’s just not in the cards for me.”

“That’s stupid,” Dom snorted, shaking his head. “You can find a family, if you try.”

“I’ve tried,” she sobbed, although she couldn’t feel tears on her face. Couldn’t feel much except her freezing bare feet. 

“Then don’t give up on yourself. If you think me, the most hated kid on planet earth, could be fostered and somehow loved,” he spat the word out like he didn’t believe it at all, “then you could be loved too. You’re Rhea Bloody Ripley. You’re Mami. Anyone would be lucky to have you in their home.”

She started laughing or maybe she was crying. Probably a mix of both. 

“Oh DomDom. I’ve got thirteen years of experience that says you’re wrong.”

Dom hugged her out of nowhere. It made her jump. “You can find a home, and I’ll help you. I’ll be there with you. All of us, together.” 

He smelled like apple and warm cinnamon. She took a big breath, nodding against him. “Okay, Dom.”  She didn’t believe it was possible but she believed that he believed. 

“We can try.” 

“Awesome! We’ll live in a foster family together or we’ll be unwanted and unloved together,” he declared. “Either way, we’re sticking together.”

Rhea kissed the bridge of his nose, fingers tangled in his hair. She was Rhea. He was Dom. They were a family, and that was that. 

 

~~~

 

Rhea kissed Dom before they even reached his room, dropping that squeaky suitcase to the floor and toppling into bed. 

Shotzi spent the rest of the morning sending them curious, but knowing looks, across the table. She seemed happy she could help. The same couldn’t be said for a blonde girl who was scowling the whole time. 

Everything was starting to work itself out. 

Her insecurities would no longer work against her — not when she was willing to try one more time to live in a foster home.

It scared her to death, but if Dom wanted to try and Finn wanted to try, then Rhea could convince Damian to try too. 

After she talked to Damian and Finn, Rhea planned to ask her group home manager if he would consider scheduling them a placement interview. It was perfect timing because Dom’s social worker was coming today so everyone could know at once. 

Jackie greeted Nick at the door with a tight smile, and he led her into his office. 

Rhea should have known from the look on her face, this wasn’t going to be good. 

 

~~~

 

“Why are you talking to him like that?” Rhea asked, puzzled, as Jackie explained the situation. She was being incredibly gentle, her blue eyes full of sorrow.

Everything had gone fuzzy in Rhea’s head.

She was vaguely aware of Damian and Finn sitting on the couch in Nick’s office, of Dom, warm in her lap, clutching at her arms as someone tried to rip him away. 

How many times was she going to have to ride this rollercoaster of heartbreak? She just got Dom back and now she was losing him again. 

She was so incredibly zoned out she didn’t even realize Dom had started screeching until the adults stood up around her. 

“I’m so sorry,” Jackie said. “Oh, I know, bud.”

Rhea gripped Dom tighter than what was comfortable, not really seeing, just knowing he needed to stay right here. 

“I don’t want to go!” he yelled, kicking at anything that moved. 

“Dom, the Judge wants you to go back to Pearce’s home for a little while,” Jackie said. 

“I DON’T WANT TO!” 

“And normally I would listen to you, but this is out of my hands.”  

“It’s only temporary, Dominik,” Nick pleaded, trying to pull him from Rhea’s arms. Damian and Finn slapped Nick’s hands away. 

“He’s not going anywhere with you,” Finn shouted which Damian shielding Rhea and Dom. 

“Please try and understand. He was attacked by the houseparent. This home is going to be under investigation, and while that is happening, Dom can’t be here.” 

“We’ll go with him,” Damian said. 

“No, guys. You can’t do that,” Jackie sighed, glancing over her shoulder at security for help.

The two officers, Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick, reluctantly pried Dom out of Rhea’s grasp. It took the two of them to peel his fingers from her shirt, and the other two, Nick and Jackie, to hold Rhea back. 

“No! Stop!” Her hands swatted at them, “You can’t do this!” 

“Rhea, I know this is hard. You have to let him go.”

“It’ll be okay,” Nick urged. 

With a final crushing tug, Rhea lost Dom, and the world’s most vital warmth was pulled out of her embrace. Dom’s screams weren’t human, it was like he was being ripped in half. “Rhea! Rhea!” He cried in anguish. 

Rhea’s knees hit the floor as Nick dropped down with her and rubbed her back. 

“Hold on a minute,” Corey Graves said overtop of Dom’s shrieking. “I have the space. I’m licensed for urgent placement. Why don’t I take him?”

Rhea’s breath came out in a shallow gasp. She pressed her hands against the floor in dizzying disbelief. 

“Hell, I’ll foster all of them.” 

“Would you be willing to do that?” Jackie stammered. 

Corey shrugged. “Yeah, I can do it. You know, temporarily, until this investigation passes.” 

Jackie squinted. “You sure? This is a big decision.”

Rhea felt Corey’s eyes land on her and then she watched him look over at Dom. 

“Yeah, I’m sure. Start the paperwork. Let’s get this thing going.” 

 

Chapter 25: Only Temporary

Summary:

They deserve to laugh, and so do you lovely readers! I hope this makes you smile.

Notes:

The goal of this chapter is to smile, laugh, cry and repeat.

“KP, what did I just do?” Corey asked as he glanced at a stack of manilla folders in his hands. Medical histories, educational records, and a whole lot of background information. 

It was like he was swimming in the kiddie pool and then thrown into the middle of the ocean.

“Oh, mate. You lost your mind.” KP told him sincerely.

“I did?”

“Yeah, you just offered to foster the Judgement Day.” 

Corey brought a shaky hand to his forehead. What the hell was he thinking? He couldn’t do this. 

“Hey, it’s okay. You can always plead temporary insanity,” KP joked, “Say you lost your mind. Jackie will understand.”

It should make him feel better knowing he could get out of this.

It doesn’t.

“I’m not going to pull the rug out from underneath them. That would be cruel. I promised I’d foster them.” 

KP nodded in understanding, clasping Corey on the shoulder like you’re a good man. “At least it’s only temporary.”

That was somewhat of a relief.  

Now came the tricky part, taking the kids home to his one-story, vinyl, house.

Fortunately, Jackie was helping the kids unpack their suitcases from the trunk which gave Corey just enough time to run inside and throw away the take-out containers. 

When he turned around, Jackie and the teens were standing in his home. It was like something he’d seen during a bad acid trip — disorienting images of people who shouldn’t be there.

Corey tried to relax his shoulders and remind himself that this was only temporary. 

“I need to see the rooms,” Jackie said after a pause.

Corey hadn’t been inside the guest rooms since his ex-wife left several years ago. She was the one who picked out the light color scheme. The minty green walls and white trim was her idea because we don’t know if it’s going to be a boy or a girl, honey, so we should keep the colors neutral.  

The beige carpet was really soft in comparison to the group home’s wooden floors. Corey caught Dirty Dom looking at it, brushing his foot back and forth like he was impressed. Maybe he was just bored.

Rhea eyed the window seat and the ivory wrought bed-frame as she slowly wondered around.

“I hope you like it,” he said, watching the teens explore. This was super awkward and he was immensely regretting his life choices. 

“The other room is exactly the same, only it doesn’t have the window seat, and it has two twin-sized beds instead of one full-sized.”

Jackie glanced up from her notebook.

“So you only have three beds?” 

Dom spoke softly. “That’s okay. I don’t mind sharing a bed.” He was smart to keep out the ‘with Rhea’ even though Corey knew that was his plan.  

“There has to be enough beds for all four of them.” 

Right. Mandatory rules, and all that jazz. Corey tried to think fast. 

“There’s a pull-out in my basement.”

Together, he walked the group into his little lounge area down in the basement. 

“Excuse the mess,” Corey said lifted a few lipstick-stained wine glasses off the pool table and placed them behind the bar he had down there.  

Damian and Finn raised their eyebrows at the flatscreen TV and the cozy grey couch. He figured the teens would like to down here. In Corey’s mind, he was picturing this as their hangout spot. A clubhouse for the Judgement Day. 

“You have two bathrooms?”

“Yes. One in the basement, and one upstairs.”

For the next few minutes, Jackie checked things off of her list, and she scanned his home pretty closely. 

“Okay. They’re all yours. Call me if you need anything. I already gave you the pamphlets with additional support information, please feel free to call any of them. We’re all here to help.” 

“Will do. Thanks, Jackie.” 

 

~~~

 

Any time Damian Priest was taken to a new home, he wanted to run.

It was less logic, more instinct.

But when he felt Rhea’s fingers curl around the hem of his shirt, and he saw Dom looking around, lost and scared, he remembered why it was so important for him to stay. Not only would running not solve anything, but this was their last ditch effort to stay together. 

Even Finn, as calm and put-together as he was, needed Damian’s help. After all, Finn had never lived in a foster home before. He didn’t know the unspoken rules or the learning curve. Damian could help show him.

Damian stood there eyes locked onto the living room carpet. 

He wasn’t afraid or nervous. This time, he knew who was watching over them, and he trusted Corey. But that didn’t change the fact that Corey might not be able to handle them.

They were difficult.

Once one of them did something wrong, it will all be over. 

“So…” Corey trailed off, running a hand through his hair. “I guess you probably want to unpack.”

Rhea’s fingers smoothed over her necklace. “Yeah, that sounds good,” she said, sounding very robotic and not much like Rhea Bloody Ripley. 

“Yeah, no problem. I’ll - uh - give you some space.”

 

~~~

 

Odds were they would be out of this home in a few weeks so Rhea left her suitcase packed. 

When it was just the four of them, it felt normal. Then, Corey poked his head in and reminded Rhea that it was not normal. 

“So I’m just going to order pizza. Is that cool with you?” 

It was weird to have a choice. 

She nodded with the others and chose he toppings. 

 

 ~~~

 

Dom wasn’t sure what to do. He chewed on his cross necklace as he watched Corey set the box of pizza on the counter. 

Was he allowed to eat yet? 

He gravitated towards Rhea who collected a slice and handed a paper plate.

Corey was watching TV while he ate, but Dom wasn’t sure if he was allowed to sit on the couch.

His last foster family said the couch was for family members only, which he was not. Dom was waiting to see what Rhea would do.

She chose to sit on the floor. 

Dom sat on the floor too, and ate his pizza quietly. The melty cheese and soft crust hit his taste buds. It was mouthwateringly delicious. He wanted another slice but he wouldn’t dare take more than he was given.

 

~~~

 

“Your chest looks like an old granny who put on too much rouge,” Rhea said to Dom that night in the bathroom.

She had a bottle of Bruise Defense Healing Cream that the doctor prescribed.

Dom read the bottle out loud, “Get fast relief with this anti-inflammatory vitamin K cream. It will calm, moisturize, and reduce swelling of distressed skin and tissue. That’s what I have.”

She snickered, amused. “Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m putting it on you.”  

Finn opened the bathroom cabinet and Damian quickly shut it on him.

“Eh, what gives?” Finn complained. 

“Don’t use anything that is his. Only use what was given to you in the foster kit.” Damian explained.

Finn leveled him with a look.

“Do you want to get sent back to Nick’s home?” With this reminder, Finn sighed and grabbed the tiny hand towel in their foster kit that Jackie gave them. 

“Hold still,” Rhea complained, forcefully holding Dom in place.

“It’s coooold.”

“Don’t use too much hot water either. We don’t want him complaining about the water bill.”

Finn pulled the curtains back to expose his sudsy face. “Are you being serious?” 

All three of them replied with a biting yes.

 

~~~

 

It had been a while since Rhea saw Dom this excited. 

“Alright. I don’t think we need seven pillows on our bed,” she told him with a laugh. 

“Look a purple one.” He smacked her with it. Rhea’s mouth fell open. 

“Oh? Is that how you want it.”

Dom stuck his tongue out and Rhea swung a pillow in his face. Dom fell back against the mattress and threw his hands up to protect his head as Rhea started whaling on him. 

“Okay, Mami, you win,” he laughed, getting feathers in his hair. She rolled off of him and laid by his side in comfortable silence for a minute.

“So… guess we should sleep,” she said, not in the mood to get up and reach for the lamp light. 

Dom snuggled in, cementing his presence.

“Do you think Corey had other foster kids before us?” he asked, curious.

“I don’t know. Does it matter if he did?”

“No, not really. Only, if he did. That would mean he gave them up.” 

Rhea paused for a moment before her thumb rubbed against Dom’s hip.

“Well, fostering is never meant to be permanent you know. It’s only until someone is willing to adopt,” she reminded her sleepy Latino Heat.

“I’ve heard of permanent fostering before,” Dom explained and Rhea started to get this sinking feeling in her gut. If  anyone was going to believe Corey would keep them long term, it would be Dom.

She closed her eyes, debating if she should break the harsh truth to him or not. Was it better for him to believe the best? 

“I found another purple one!” 

Rhea cracked an eye open. “What?”

“A purple pillow. I’m gonna give it to Priest. He loves purple. It’s gonna match his lava lamp.”

Rhea rolled over, feeling Dom shift with her. 

The door opened a crack.

“Are you guys good? Need anything?” Corey asked. Rhea hadn’t expected him to care enough to check in.

“Yeah, I need something,” Dom said and he handed Corey the purple pillow. “I need you to give this to Priest.” 

Corey chuckled. “Sure. I can do that. But you can too. It’s not like the group home. You don’t have to stay in your bed after ten.” 

Dom got excited again.

Rhea grumbled as she lost her boy’s body heat for a few minutes.

When Dom returned from delivering the pillow to Damian, he had a black pillow in exchange.

She felt the bed dip.

“Alright, get under covers ex-con, Dom,” Corey teased.  

“I am an ex-con.” 

“I know, I’ve seen your record. Three hours in a holding cell. Not bad.” Corey laughed as he began to pull the blankets around them. “Some may say  you’re incredibly dangerous now.” 

Rhea found this a little surprising. She hadn’t expected Corey to show any sort of affection towards them. She knew she was burdening him. So for him to care, even while they uprooted his life, was cool. 

“Did you have foster kids before us?”

Rhea jolted upright and swatted Dom’s thigh. “Dom!”

“Oww. What?!” He rubbed his thigh.  

“I don’t mind questions. I’m sure you guys have a lot of them.” 

Dom nudged Rhea with a grin basically saying I told you so.

What he didn’t realize was how dangerously thin ice he was walking. All it took was one wrong word and they could be sent packing. What if Corey had some horrendous experience with his first foster kid and Dom made him think about it? Then what? 

“You’re my first.” Corey went on to explain the story of why he became a licensed foster parent. She was a bit shocked at the openness but it made sense to her. He wanted to build rapport with her. Keep things friendly. It was probably in the pamphlet. Eventually, he would give up the friendly charade. 

 

~~~

 

Like cockroaches, they survived another day together.

Corey went to work, Rhea went to school, and when she came home she hung out in the boys in Corey’s basement, too afraid to go upstairs and make a mistake. 

 

~~~

 

Finn watched the sun come up, signaling another day.

He hadn’t slept. Ended up memorizing the swirling patterns on his ceiling instead, and wondered how JD handled living in a strangers house all by himself. 

The sharp sweet scent of fresh coffee washed over him as Damian opened the bedroom door.

“Huh,” Finn slipped into a black t-shirt with a purple X across the chest. “He cooked us breakfast.” 

“Yeah,” Damian said from the threshold. “What do you think? Is he trying to hard to be our friend or is he actually cool?” 

The two of them had a running checklist in their heads of pros and cons of Corey which they compared every so often. 

“Has that ever happened before in your other homes?” Finn wasn’t sure what a normal foster parent typically did. He was trying to decide if Graves was better than the normal. Damian’s response didn’t help him.

“Sometimes they cook for us… usually in the beginning.” 

Perhaps Corey was just trying to butter them up.

Finn would accept this form of buttering up if it meant hunkering down on a stool and watching as Damian poured too much sugar in his coffee, while Dom and Rhea ate pancakes and bacon. 

From the looks of it, Rhea and Dom ate them all.

“Why tank you Dom for saving me some for me,” Finn said sarcastically as he kicked the chair legs.

“Oi, don’t be mean,” Rhea complained. “It’s his first time having pancakes in almost two years.”

Finn wanted to tell her that it was his first time eating pancakes in almost two years too when all of a sudden, another stack appeared right in front of him. 

“There’s plenty. Eat up.”

Corey was an interesting fella. Possibly a mind reader. Finn was grateful for the save he provided, but he did not expect much from him long term. 

As Finn took a bite, he wondered why Corey bothered going through so much trouble for a couple of temporary guests.

This was only temporary, right?

“Hey guys, I want to talk to you about something.”

Oh, here we go, Finn thought. Finally a request from the man. He was probably going to hold it over their heads now that he cooked them a decent meal. Make them wash the car or something. 

“I was thinking of buying you a cellphone.”

Finn dropped his fork. It chimed off his plate like bell. Damian might need surgery, his neck twisted so fast.

“That way, when you leave the house, we can stay in touch,” Corey explained, looking a little taken aback by all their expressions. “What?”

“We can leave the house?” Damian asked. Finn thinks they may have just nail-gunned Corey’s heart. 

“Of course you can,” he said, sounding sad all of sudden. “This isn’t a prison.”

Before Finn could even start to process what that might mean for him, Corey beat him to the punch.

“And if you want to see JD, you can always text me to pick you up. I’ll drive you.” 

Finn’s throat constricted. If we’re being honest with himself, he’d say this was the kindest thing anyone had ever done for him. Buying him a cellphone to keep in touch with JD. It was unbelievable, and expensive. He was going to have to make up for the cost somehow.

He wanted to say thank you, but his throat was so damn tight he couldn’t speak so he gave Corey a nod and promised himself he would get a part time job and save money to pay him back. 

 

~~~

 

Oakwood park was one of Damian’s favorite places in town so far.

Corey gave him a lot of freedom, and really, that was all Damian ever wanted.

He was so sick of the regime of the group home. But now he could go out and live his life. The only rule was to be back by nine.

Damian could go anywhere, and do anything. He had a small amount of money, and he planned to earn more by working a few odd jobs around the neighborhood.

Cold licked at his face as the wind kicked up. He snorted in disbelief at Rhea and Dom, who were crouched under a tree, snickering to themselves, trying to feed a squirrel a carrot. 

“Why are they like this?” Finn asked, shaking his head. 

“I honestly don’t know.”

 

~~~

 

Corey was late to work.

Like extremely late to work. 

“Sorry, KP. I’m a Dad now,” he said as his friend sent him a sour glare. “I can’t leave the house on time. I have to make sure bookbags are packed. Lunches are made. Fatherly advice is given.”

KP scoffed. “I bet you don’t do any of that.” 

“Of course not. The fearsome four would bite my head off if I tried.”

That was half a lie though. Corey did do most of those things. 

He began patrolling the fifth floor and found Lyra sitting by the door with two trash bags beside her.

“I can’t go out there,” she said. “My Dad’s out there. He won’t leave.” 

Lyra’s father was one of the restricted people on Corey’s list. He was not allowed to visit the group home due to court mandates.

Corey patted KP on the back.

“Looks like you better go take care of that, KP.”

“Me?! Why don’t you do it.”

“I’m a Dad now. I have people who are waiting for me back home. I can’t die.”

Michael Cole grabbed his thick wool jacket off the coat rack. “I’ll do it. Is Graves being obnoxious about the whole Dad thing, again?”

“Oh, you have no idea,” KP muttered.  

“You’re in the honeymoon phase. Enjoy it while it lasts because I guarantee you, once they start acting like their typical violent selves, you’ll be singing a different tune.” 

“I’ll have you know, I’m already out of the honeymoon phase. Just yesterday, Dirty Dom said I was a washed-up old man for driving around a BMW like his father, and Finn broke curfew twice because he wanted to sleep over at JD’s house. That’s some progress right there.” 

“Just as I suspected. They stopped being afraid of you and now they’re gonna push you around. Make sure you punish them.” Michael Cole said. 

“Nah, I don’t need to.” 

Corey could tell his two co-workers were having trouble containing their laughs. 

“Oh man,” KP shook his head. “It must be anarchy in that house.”

“If you ever need help straightening them out, you can always call me,” Cole offered.

Yeah, that sounded like a great idea. Give Michael Cole free rein to beat the kids he called losers for the past three months.

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.” Over his dead body, was more like it. 

“Aren’t you worried about your house being destroyed while you’re at work?” KP asked. 

“No, of course not. My imps are very neat and organized.”

“Wouldn’t want them in my house. I have priceless artifacts.”

There were too many things Corey could say to KP in that moment, he almost made it too easy. 

He decided to stick with the less crude one: “Are they priceless because they’re historical or because you can’t find anyone to buy them?” 

 

~~~

 

Corey had this whole ‘foster parent thing’ in the bag.

Sort of.

Except, when he came home to find his bathroom looked like a frickin’ murder scene.

“Son of bitch,” Corey cursed, feeling his heart leap into his throat. What could they have possibly done.  

Gauze was on the countertop, band-aids scattered haphazardly. A towel was hanging over the side of the tub with blood on it, and there were visible bloody finger prints on the wall.

“KIDS!” It tore out of his lungs unexpectedly. He tried not to panic as he barreled down the hall towards the basement door. 

“Shh, he’s coming,” he heard one of them say.

Corey caught sight of all four of them standing there, bandaged and bruised.

“Oh hi, Corey. We didn’t know you’d be home this early,” Finn greeted with a nervous chuckle.

He might kill them. Once he knows they’re okay.

Corey ran to Rhea first, crouched down and cupped her face in both hands. He realized quickly that blood on her face was not hers. She had no injuries. No cuts. No bruises. Corey deflated with a heavy sigh of relief, and quickly turned to the next kid.

Dom was hiding under a baseball cap. Corey was terrified he was going to find a black eye. Instead, he found uneven bangs. 

With a growl, Dom snatched the hat back and pulled it over his head, turning away from Corey, embarrassed. Rhea and Damian had their hands on his back in a comforting manner.

Corey had a lot of questions.

But he needed to know where the blood was coming from, so he moved onto Damian next.

Voilà! He found the real source of the blood. Damian had a cut on his forehead. That’s where half the band-aids and gauze went. They were duck tapped across the big man’s forehead. 

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Priest tried to explain. 

Once Corey realized they were all not dying, the questions started flowing.

“What happened?” 

Four voices shouted all at once. Words came from every direction. He caught bits and pieces of their stories. 

“They kept saying ‘cut your mullet’ and I called them peasants and —“

“We weren’t looking for a fight. But the fight found us so —“

“One of them hit my man, Damian, across the head with a textbook. That’s why he’s bleedin’ but —“

“Then they - they- cornered me after school and I slapped the one guy across the face so he cut my bangs.”

It took a while, but Corey finally caught the main gist. The Judgement Day were involved in a fight outside of school after some jackass cut Dom’s bangs. 

It wasn’t a horrible cut. Corey could fix that no problem. He made sure Dom knew it too.

Damian’s injury didn’t look too serious, after all the band-aids and gauze were pulled off — but Corey found himself fuming at the thought of some kid hitting Damian with a textbook. He wanted to call the fucking school board. Oh God, he sounded like his parents.  

“Did you guys kick their asses?”

Four excited voices started boasting about their conquests. Apparently, they handled their business on their own. Corey should have known by now that they would have. 

“Do you want me to get involved or are you good?” 

“We’re good,” Rhea told him. “No one is going to be messing with us in that school ever again.”

“It’s just a little scrape. We get bruises all the time,” Damian said as Corey gave him a pack of ice that afternoon. He was hesitant to accept any form of comfort or support.

“Hey, if you take care of it properly, it will heal faster,” Corey explained. “Just look at Dom’s bruised chest. It’s healing great.” 

Later that night, Corey grabbed a pair of scissors and began to carefully fix Dom’s bangs. 

“Go ahead, Mami. Position me however you want,” Dom said with just enough smugness to know exactly how that sounded.

Corey shook his head fondly. These runts. 

“Okay, Dirty Dom. Ready to look fresh and clean,” he asked upon entering the room.

The kid grinned with that smart-ass, easy grin of his.

“No way, I want to look dirtier. Make me look like a thug, Corey.” 

“Just sit still so I don’t cut your elephant ears off.”

He twisted in the chair. “Hey! My ears aren’t big. Tell him, Mami.” 

Rhea glanced at his ears. It was her turn to smirk. “Well, you know what they say about having big ears, don’t you?”

“Better hearing?” He wiggled his eyebrows and Rhea slapped him on his thigh.

“Mami, do you enjoy hitting me?” The grin made another appearance, lopsided and goofy. “Because I’m totally willing to explore even more of your dominant side. Maybe we can —“ 

She stuffed a hand over his mouth and smiled innocently over at Corey. “If you want to buzz it all off, I’m fine with that.”

“No, don’t,” Dom whined. 

“I think just a trim will do,” Corey said, setting a towel around the boy’s shoulders and combing his hair back. Dom’s hands folded in his lap. 

“Keep my mullet.” 

“Is there a reason you like your mullet so much?”

He combed Dom’s hair gently, lifting the strands, thick and luscious — and he was only a tiny bit jealous of how silky it felt compared to his own set of hair. 

“It reminds me of my Uncle Eddie. Or… um… my uncle Eddie or my other Dad. I don’t know. I have a lot of fathers.”  

Corey pulled the hair taunt between his fingers, and pretended like he understood what the kid just said. And then, Corey trimmed his hair.

 

~~~

 

For the most part, Rhea had been perfectly-well behaved. She washed the dishes, cleaned the house, used cold water during her showers and it was really paying off.

Corey hadn’t left her yet.

Even when she screwed up, and she screwed up a lot. The fight at school, Priest bleeding all over Corey’s towels, Dom throwing a fit when his new social worker said he had to visit his father, Rhea and her nightmares.

It was all forgiven and forgotten, it seemed. Corey didn’t yell once, not even when Dom slapped him across the chest or when Rhea told him to go away after a nightmare. He didn’t even yell when Finn came home late or when Priest shouted at the baseball game on TV. 

It made Rhea wonder if she had to continue being so careful in his house or if she could let her guard down. What if she didn’t do the dishes one night. Would he suddenly change? Or would things remain the same?

Rhea watched as Corey relaxed into the couch, work-weary eyes drooping along with the beer in his left hand. He did drink alcohol, sometimes, and that reminded Rhea of her past foster father — the one who beat her and Dom so bad the police were called, and they came and arrested Dom. 

She didn’t want a repeat of that, and so she considered stealing his beers. She would have done it too, if Corey had shown any signs of violence after drinking. But he didn’t. 

Dom was sitting next to him on the couch, talking about tattoos. How he wanted a tattoo on his knuckles just like Corey. How he wanted to get a matching tattoo with Rhea someday.

Finn was dealing cards by the fireplace.

They sat around playing rummy and laughing, and Rhea won’t ever admit it, but she thought maybe this was what home was supposed to feel like. 

Too bad it was only temporary.

 

 

 

 

Notes:

Peoples, I can’t even being to tell you how happy I am with all the comments you have left. You are just the best. It's so sweet of you to read this and have fun with me in the comments.

I hope this chapter melted your heart, made you laugh, and started to soothe the pain.

If there is anything specific you would like to see for the final chapter, feel free to let me know. It is currently unwritten as of now :)

Chapter 26: Home

Summary:

A wrap-up chapter to tie some things together. 💞

Corey sat behind a white fold-up table in the gymnasium between Kevin Patrick and Michael Cole. 

It was a Friday afternoon, which meant one thing: an obstacle course tournament.

This obstacle course tournament was special to Corey because his four rascals, who took over his home (and his heart), were participating. 

He had to bring the kids in for a therapy session with Cheryl, and their social worker wanted to talk to them too. So to make it fun, Corey told them they could participate in the obstacle course challenge. 

In the words of Rhea Ripley, they had a chance to demolish their enemies once and for all.

The kids liked competition. Rhea especially, because she was really good at it, and she wanted to be on top of the world. 

“Look at them. Look how adorable,” Corey said, holding his phone in KP’s face. He swiped to the next photo. “And this is Rhea and Dom dancing. And this is them at the movie theater, and this is them shopping for clothes. Look how happy they are, KP.” 

“I see,” he said, hardly looking up from his own phone.

“You’re missing out on the big smiles!” Corey complained as he nudged him. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, running a hand through his hair and giving Corey his full attention. “How many of these photos did you take?”

He swiped out to check his camera roll. “Uh, about fifty-ish.”

KP snickered. “I have to admit, I didn’t think you’d last this long with the villainous quartet. I’m impressed.”

“I thought you wouldn’t last an hour,” Cole piped in, not bothering to look away from the obstacle course action, wincing as someone fell into the foam blocks.

“That’s nice, guys. Thank you. Thank you for having so much faith in me.” 

“Corey.” A sweaty-haired Dom ran over to him. He placed his hands on the white table, stopping himself. “Can I have money for the vending machine, please? Mami and I want to buy a drink. 

Without hesitation, Corey pulled out his wallet and handed Dom a few dollar bills.

“Thank you!” The ball of energy practically zapped over to Rhea, and the two of them ran off together into the hall, looking like they were about to cause a whole lot of trouble.

“Hell froze over,” Michael Cole proclaimed.

Corey turned his head, surprised to see both KP and Cole’s expressions of utter disbelief.

“What are you talking about?”

“Dominik just said please and thank you,” KP whispered. “That’s… never happened before.”

Huh. Corey hadn’t thought anything of it. He didn’t even notice.

“Are you beating them in that house, Graves?” Michael Cole asked, joking, hopefully. 

“No, believe it or not, I’m doing this thing where I talk to them like normal human beings. It’s been working out pretty well so far.” 

Michael Cole shook his head. “I would say I’m impressed, but he’s still a little shit. Twenty minutes ago, he flipped me the middle finger and dared me to climb onto the obstacle course so he could kick me off.”

“Aw, Cole, you should have done it. I would have taken so many pictures.”

The man rolled his eyes, implying the right level of exasperation he felt for Corey on a daily basis. 

“You know something. You really are the right man for the job. You’re as bad as those brats.”

Although Michael’s tone was joking, Corey felt a pinch of anger under his skin. He heard himself defend the kids like he was on autopilot. 

“They are not brats.”

It must have been the way he said it, because Michael Cole backed off with a shrug and a nod that said fair enough.

KP tried to ease the sudden tension that seemed to spring out of nowhere. “Well don’t worry. Soon, they will be allowed to come back to the group home, I’m sure. I bet that’s what the social worker was taking to Nick about.”

Corey’s face fell. “Yeah… maybe.”

Was it bad if he didn’t want them to leave? 

The idea of the kids returning to this place freaked Corey out. Logically, they were ten times safer now that Brent was gone. But everything had changed. How was he supposed to stand back and observe them from a security officer’s standpoint when he was used to playing Pictionary and Charades with the kids? How was he supposed to stop taking pictures of them when they fell asleep in the back of his car?

It was in that moment, in the middle of the rowdy gymnasium, in which Corey realized he did not want to lose his kids.

There was a time when Corey loved his job more than anything. He loved being able to work whatever shift he wanted, loved the paycheck, loved joking with his coworkers.

Corey Graves loved his job, but he loved his kids even more.

 

~~~

 

“No, not like that, DomDom. You gotta take a few steps back, and then really kick it!” Rhea demonstrated by stomping her boot into the side of the vending machine.

Rhea was teaching her boy an important skill. How to shake, kick, and attack a vending machine when the food gets stuck. They’d been practicing this for the past five minutes. Dom had just managed to wiggle the machine with his kick this time.

“Good job!” Rhea praised, kissing his cheek. 

Suddenly, a fist pounded on the side of the machine and Dom’s Sprite fell out. 

He technically wanted Dr. Pepper, but he still had some apprehensive feelings about that drink after it was sprayed in his eyes with it. 

Rhea looked up to see who just helped Dom get his drink. It was Cody Rhodes, still sporting an American Flag outfit even though it was almost Christmas. 

“Hey, guys. How are you?”

Dom turned around and hugged his mid-section. “Hi, Cody.” 

The kid in a suit cradled the back of Dom’s head, smiling at him. “I’m guess this means there’s no hard feelings for beating you in that race?”

Rhea smiled. She may have had some ups and downs with Cody, but he always had Rhea’s best interests in heart, and it meant the world to her when he checked in on Dom at the hospital. He was the only one to really make an effort to make sure they were okay.

“No hard feelings,” Dom agreed. 

“How’s the chest, little champ?” 

Dom pulled his vest down. “All better, see.”

“Already? What have you been eating kid?” 

“Cheeseburgers mostly.”

Cody laughed, scratching his neck and turning his attention to Rhea. 

“So how’s the new home fellow foster kid? Are you good?”

“Surprisingly, yes. It’s been really good.”

Cody smiled softly at them, like he was warmed to see them in a good place. “I’m happy for you guys. I told you that getting fostered would be the best, and look at you. You did it. I knew you’d find someone.”

Rhea shrugged, trying to play it off. She took a sip of Sprite. “What about you?”

“I age out in two weeks. I think my social worker has officially given up,” Cody explained, although he didn’t look too sad anymore. 

“I talked to Cheryl. According to her, there are a lot of programs out there that can help me once I age out. I’m going to be fine.”

 

~~~

 

All of their so-called enemies ended up missing them while they were gone.

Dom had never received so many hugs from people who once tried to bash her face in.

He was glowing in the attention. He adored having people praise him because he was used to constant criticism and hateful comments. Dom would never admit this, not even to Rhea, but secretly he liked being praised and loved by others.

KO and Sami ended up winning the obstacle course tournament, but Finn and Priest came close to winning. 

Seth actually congratulated Finn on finding a new home. According to Rhea’s sources (Shotzi), Seth was about to be fostered too. He had several interviews go well, and eventually he planned on being adopted.

“What about you, Finn?” he asked. “Is adoption in your future?” 

“Eh, I’m not so sure. My man, Damian, over here doesn’t like the idea so I don’t either. We’re good with being fostered for now.” 

Seth nodded in understanding. “I know we’re not ever going to be friends, and if you still blame me, that’s cool, but for the record, I am sorry I left you that day. I had to make a choice, and I chose to save myself. A lot of good that did me in the long run.” He gestured to the group home. “We both ended up in the same spot.”

“And we’re both going to make it out.” He held his hand out for a shake. It was like a ginormous weight lifted off his back. He hadn’t even realized how much that grudge was weighing him down.

According to Shotzi, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens were getting transferred to Adam Pearce’s group home. 

“Tell us the truth, is it terrible over there?” Sami asked, and for the first time since Rhea had known him, he looked scared.

Damian answered, “Nah, dawg. It’s not terrible. People hated us but you hated us too. Just be yourself, you’ll be fine.” 

Dom sniffed. “Watch out for a Shelton Benjamin. He’s mean.”

“And if you meet a boy named Jey, do us a favor and look out for him,” Rhea advised. 

It was closure.

Rhea needed this. She had been pulled away from this home so abruptly, she didn’t have time for these types of goodbyes and she didn’t realize how badly she needed them.

Most of her life, Rhea had abrupt goodbyes. This was the one time where she didn’t really have to feel like she was cutting ties forever, because Corey worked here, and she could visit. She was free to travel to Cody’s new apartment, or Seth’s new foster home, or Adam Pearce’s group home, and that made goodbye a lot less permanent.

She would be back, not to live here, but to visit. 

 

~~~

 

There was something about the December sun.

It glowed off the white snow like a kaleidoscope of shimmers.

Rhea sat on the bay window, and thought about what it would be like to celebrate Christmas with her family… with Corey.

He knocked on her door. 

“Rhea? Can I have a word with you in the living room?”

Just like that, the world flipped on its head. What did she do wrong? She made sure she didn’t use any of the hot water even thought it was snowing outside. Why was she in trouble? 

Every sit-down she ever had flashed through her mind. The tearful goodbyes. Sorry, Rhea, we just don’t have enough space. The good-riddance goodbyes. Sorry, Rhea, you are too much trouble. Pack your shit and leave. The heart-stabbing goodbyes where they simply said we don’t want you anymore.

“Are you okay?” Corey asked carefully.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she bit out sharp and angry.

It was a knee-jerk response. She was hurt he was giving up on her.

“It’s okay, kid. You didn’t do anything wrong. I just want to talk about something.” 

Rhea squeezed her fists a little tighter. 

If he wanted to talk to everyone, it had to be about their placement in the house. She could hear it now:

I don’t have enough money. You ate too much. I only wanted you for a few weeks. I miss my old life.

She stormed past him, out in the living room where her boys sat on the couch. She threw herself on the cushion next to Dom, and crossed her arms.

Dom took her hand, sweaty but firm, and it grounded her. 

“Alright, so,” Corey said as he sat on the coffee table in front of them, “I’ve noticed some things. Like you tiptoe around in the kitchen, and when I walk into a room, you sometimes stop talking. You clean my house, and you refuse to ask for things you want.”

How was that a problem? 

Corey should have said something. Rhea would have done what was asked. 

He never told them the rules. That was half the problem. They didn’t know what he wanted.

“I just want to remind you guys that this is your home. You don’t have to act like guests in your home. You can relax and be yourselves. It’s okay. You can be loud. You can have opinions.”

“Don’t do that,” Rhea snapped, startling him. 

“Do what?”

“Make us feel like this is our home. Not when you know this is only temporary.”

What followed was a horrifying minute of silence. Now she’s done it.

Corey cleared his throat. “This is only temporary if you want it to be. I’m willing to keep you in my care forever.”  

“Don’t lie to us,” Damian grumbled. “The kids have been through enough heartbreak already.”

“I’m being one hundred percent serious. You can stay here as long as you want.” 

Rhea chomped down on her bottom lip. Corey shouldn’t make promises he can’t keep. He didn’t mean what he was saying.

“I want you to stay,” he explained. “If you want to leave, then you have that right. I just want you to feel comfortable.”

Rhea swiped a hand across her face. Aw hell, she needed to get it together. She couldn’t even look at Corey right now, her eyes kept watering.

“You really mean what you’re saying?” Finn asked.

“I do.”

“But -“ Dom stopped himself. It took some coaxing to get him to continue. “But we’re bad,” he said earnestly. “We do bad things, and if we act like ourselves you won’t want us anymore.”

“Dom, listen to me buddy.” Corey gently grabbed his hands. “There is nothing you can do that is going to make not want you. Understand?”

He mutely nodded, and Rhea wasn’t quite sure if she understood. 

“That goes for all of you.” Corey looked at Rhea. She could feel his eyes on her. She didn’t want to look at him. She was too embarrassed, too afraid this was all a dream. But Corey called her name so she took a peek.

“Do you understand?” he asked.

Rhea shrugged, rubbing at her glossy eyes.

And then Corey did something that surprised her. He asked her if he could hug her. 

Any other person, other than Dom, Finn, or Damian, would have been shoved if they tried that. But Rhea welcomed the hug from Corey. She melted in his embrace.

Without knowing it, Rhea had been longing for a parental figure to hold her for a while now. 

“There’s nothing you can do that’s going to make me not want you,” Corey repeated, resting his chin on top of her head.

“Even if we’re really bad,” Dom prodded.

“Even if you’re really bad,” Corey agreed. He patted Rhea on the back. She hadn’t let go of him yet and Corey wasn’t letting go either.

“So we can stay here permanently?” Priest said for clarification. They needed a lot of reassurance for this. 

“Yes, you can stay here as long as you want,” Corey reiterated. “I’ll let your social worker know so she can stop searching for other families.” 

Rhea pulled away, “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

She felt like crying all over again.  

This was going to be her permanent home. Corey wanted all four of them. He wanted Rhea’s family to stay together. 

After all the plans and struggles and horrors and joys that came with their friendship, they were able to rest their heads that night knowing that they would be with each other for a long time.

This family they built was forever. Even if someday they weren’t together anymore, Rhea knew her boys would always be a part of her. She knew that they would find a way to come back to her. They fought like hell to make it out of a system that wanted to separate them, and they won.

They won. 

 

Notes:

THE END!

Oh my goodness, this was fun. I spent so many hours on this. So many nights. My sleep schedule was just absolutely atrocious thanks to this fic, but I loved every minute of it and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I hope you enjoyed this whole thing! Thank you for all the comments you left. Thank you for reminiscing with me about the past Judgment Day. Thank you for being awesome, in general.

I decided to write a small fic focusing on Corey and the kids living together. It’s going to focus on them learning what unconditional love looks like. All of your scenarios last chapter really inspired me to write this.

Also, a part of me can’t let this one go just yet. 🖤💜 Thank you. :)

Chapter 27: Christmas

Summary:

I had a chapter titled Thanksgiving so why not add one called Christmas? Am I just using this as an excuse to post extra fluff? Yes. Yes, I am.

Enjoy!

Corey Graves fostered the Judgement Day so close to Christmas that Nick Aldis decided he might as well invite them back to the group home so they could open presents.

Christmas was often one of the most difficult times of the year for foster kids. Nick knew it, and his staff knew it too. For this reason, Nick made it his personal mission to go all out. He had the children write wish lists.

Volunteers from local churches and other organizations selected a child’s wish list, and delivered the presents to the home. Dom, Rhea, Damian, and Finn each had a present waiting for them. So it was only fair to invite them here for the holidays.

To Nick, it was like welcoming them home.

 

~~~

 

Corey certainly hoped Nick wasn’t tricking him when he said to bring the Judgement Day over for Christmas. His four gremlins were buzzing with excitement. They were a bundle of mismatched pajamas and purple Santa hats, jabbering on about what presents their friends in the group home would get.

A deep, cozy, sigh of relief settled over Corey as stepped inside the recreational room, vibrant with laughter, and saw Rhea’s name on a stocking. Guess Nick wasn’t pulling his leg. He really wanted them here.

Stockings were filled with candy canes and hung proudly over the mantle. A pile of wrapped gifts seemed to overflow from beneath the tree, and everyone in the home was humming with delight.

“Wow. You spoiled them this year,” Corey joked as he clapped Nick’s shoulder, but he knew they weren’t spoiled. Not at all. He couldn’t give these kids enough love to make up for all the time they had to spend away from their biological families. He would buy a mountain of gifts if he could — Seth, Lyra, Cody, all of them deserved so much more. Corey felt a pang in his heart.

“Ah,” Nick waved his hand around, “These presents are all donated from various charities. It’s a lot more generic than you might think. It’s like bracelets, gloves, scarves, socks, puzzles. I highly doubt it’s gonna spoil anyone. But it makes for a great ‘pass the present’ game.”

A game, now that was something Rhea would love, just as long as she could win.

Corey sat on the couch next to KP, camera ready, and waited for the game to commence. He heard Damian call Dom ‘a legend’ for selecting a present bigger than him.

For the next ten minutes, everyone talked about what could be inside the mysteriously large box. Even Corey had his thoughts. An oven? He earned the elbow in his ribs for that comment.

“Alright, everyone,” Nick said above the cheerful chatter, “Grab a present and gather in a circle.”

That was all it took. In an instant, the teens converged, selecting a gift. Dom latched at Rhea’s arm and nestled with her on the floor, purple Santa hat slipping over his eyes for a split second.

Rhea drummed on her thighs, a pair of black plaid pajama pants muffled her slaps. She waited, eager for the game to start, glancing this way and that. It was the wonderment on their faces which made Corey’s night.

“So how’s life been with the fearsome four anyway?” KP asked.

That was a loaded question. Too many thoughts raced through Corey’s mind. To put simply, life was good. Everyday was a bit of a learning curve. How was life with The Judgement Day? Life changing. Unbelievably spectacular. A wake up call Corey never knew he needed. A purpose Corey never knew he would find until he found them.

Before he could answer, Nick clapped his hands and shouted, “Pass to the right three times.”

Damian passed his present to Rhea, who passed it to Dom, who passed it to Finn. He took the small rectangular box and shook it, trying to figure out what was inside.

Nick rolled a pair of dice, then glanced at his red and green index card for instructions. “Oldest swaps with the youngest,” he read aloud.

A chorus of ooohs went up in the air. Rhea threaded her finger through a curly green ribbon, smiling fondly at Dom.

“That’s you,” she whispered, rubbing his back.

Cody Rhodes unfolded his legs, got up and reached over to hand Dom his gift, a flash of silver and blue foil wrapping paper catching in the light.

Dom turned to Rhea, elated, because this gift was big.

“I want this one,” he exclaimed, “Can we end now?”

Nick shook his head. “Not yet. Pass it to your right 2 times.”

“Priest has it now,” Dom pointed out.

“If it’s a PlayStation, I’ll give it back to you, dawg.”

“Thanks big dawg.”

Corey snapped a photo, silently wishing he could live in this exact moment forever.

“Hey,” Michael Cole greeted, with two cups of hot cocoa extended to Corey and KP. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing much. The kids are passing presents to each other and Corey won’t answer my questions.”

Michael Cole snorted. “I don’t blame him. He’s probably regretting his life choices. Do you know what Dirty Dom said to me ten minutes ago? He said I was the reason he was on the naughty list because he wants to kick me, and then he called me a grinch.”

Corey spluttered in his cocoa. “You are a grinch, Cole.”

“If I was a grinch, I would have taken all these presents home with me.”

Corey and KP couldn’t contain their laughter any longer. It mixed with the sound of the children erupting in cheers as Nick told them to unwrap.

Paper tore at a great speed. Bright, infectious, gasps filled the room. When Shotzi pulled out a mystery novel, her “Wow!” was the only sound that mattered.

“I got a sound machine,” Wes Lee said, immediately spinning the box to read more. “This sound machine offers noise to help you sleep. Cool. I can use this when I have to sleep in my new foster home.”

Rhea pulled out a hand bag. “I can put my make up in here,” she turned to Dom. “What did you get?”

A pair of noise cancelling headphones was set in her lap.

“Hey, that’s perfect for your sensitive ears,” she exclaimed.

“A backpack!” Carmelo Hayes yelled, lifting the colorful item like a trophy, his face the picture of sheer joy. “Now I don’t have to use trash bags to carry my stuff.”

Corey felt his throat tighten just a little as he watched the room descend into beautiful chaos of flying ribbons, crumbled paper, and excited exclamations.

He really loved his job.

“What did you get?” Rhea asked Priest, tugging her big brother’s sleeve. Damian held up a watch, and some black coil bracelets. Rhea leaned in, not daring to touch something so new. “Does it have the internet? Can you play games? Can I play games on it?”

Damian chuckled. “Take it easy speed demon, yes to all of the above.”

He turned on the screen, the light illuminating Rhea’s enraptured face.

“It’s a win for Finn,” Finn said as he showed off a new backpack, travel mug, and weighted blanket. “Three gifts in one.”

“What was in the big box?” Dom asked. “Who has it?”

One of their past enemies had it: Kevin Owens, but Corey didn’t tell them that. He waited until they found out, silently hoping they wouldn’t start a fight on Christmas. That would be unfortunate for him. Nothing like giving Michael Cole a reason to call him a bad Dad. Corey already had enough insecurities about his parenting abilities. But he also understood where Rhea was coming from, if she did pick a fight with Kevin Owens. He threw Dom under the bus, attacked Damian multiple times, and even attacked her once. The only way this could be worse was is Seth Rollins had the giant present.

Eventually, Dom found out Kevin Owens had the gift though, and he jumped around the cardboard box to ask what it was.

“It’s a Nerf game. Target Toss.”

“Oh! Sick. I bet you and Sami will like that.”

Corey watched Dom strike up a friendly conversation with Kevin Owens and his heart swelled. Shit, he must be doing something right as a Dad if this was happening. The Dominik that lived in this group home a month ago would have tried to steal the gift right out of Kevin Owen’s hands.

Corey gave Dom a proud nod of approval, beyond pleased, and watched Dom scurry off to find Rhea.

“You still haven’t answered me,” KP pressed. “How are you doing? Be honest.”

“I’m happy.” Corey said, glancing at his four gremlins, huddled together under the tree. He wasn’t sure who instigated the hug — maybe it was Rhea, maybe Dom — but four sets of arms wrapped around each other at once. Damian’s hand splayed around the small of Rhea’s back. Dom’s nuzzled his nose against Rhea’s shoulder. And Finn soaked the hug for all it was worth.

“I think we’re all happy.”

 

Notes:

Merry Christmas!

I have to thank every single one of you. I re-read this whole story, and it was a hot mess. I made some major edits, particularly to the last few chapters. I’m so much happier with it now. I also fixed the formatting and some different scenes while still keeping the story the exact same.

I’m sure there are still plenty of mistakes, but it’s so much better now imo.

Still, the fact that so many of you liked this when it was a hot mess is everything. I love you all so much. I hope this new year brings you so much happiness.

Notes:

Thank you for reading. Lots of Love ❤️

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 4 of The Ghosts of Judgement Day’s Past: 2022-2023 Collection
• Part 1 of Foster Care AU