Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Daddy!Kink, Sub!Seth, Daddy!Hunter, Dom/sub, Allusions to Past Abandonment, Allusions to Past Abuse, etc.

Seth had barely made it out of Hunter's office before he started to shake. His legs were trembling so terribly he could no longer stand, and he collapsed in a heap just a few feet away from Hunter's door.

It had never occurred to him that Hunter would actually abandon him. He'd known that his little tantrum in the middle of the ring last Monday night would not go unpunished, but for Hunter to actually turn his back on him? He'd just been speaking in the heat of the moment, angry at Dean for running off with his title after their match at Elimination Chamber. When he was that pissed-off, he really couldn't be held accountable for what he said. It was like getting mad at him for something he said in his sleep.

He hadn't meant to hurt Hunter. Really, he desperately needed his Daddy, especially now that the entirety of the Authority had turned on him. Honestly, he wasn't all that upset to say good riddance to J&J security (they were actually really starting to get on his nerves), or even to Kane (he and the Devil's Favorite Demon had never gotten along). And Stephanie... well, she was still sore that she'd lost her husband to the three former members of the Shield. But he never meant to turn his back on Hunter.

But really, what had he expected? As of late, when he wasn't trying desperately to earn the forgiveness of his brothers, Dean and Roman, he was telling Hunter how awful he was at his job as their Daddy and telling him that he was planning on finding a new one. Was it really that ludicrous to think that Hunter would eventually believe him? He didn't mean it, didn't really want to leave... but did Hunter know that? Seth sniffled. Did Hunter know that all Seth wanted right now was to be held by his Daddy?

"What's the matter with you?" Seth hurriedly wiped at his eyes, instantly recognizing the voice as belonging to Roman Reigns and not wanting the older man to see him cry.

"Nothing." Seth said stiffly. Didn't Roman have to hurry out to the guerrilla? His segment concerning the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view was up next. He didn't have time to be dawdling around here. "Don't you have somewhere else you need to be?"

Roman raised an eyebrow. "You're crying."

Seth sighed. "I had a little problem with Daddy, okay? It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"He finally take you up on your threat to leave?" This time, Seth couldn't hide his sob. Roman sighed. The kid really needed to learn that people could only be pushed so hard. But also, just because he made Hunter mad, didn't necessarily mean Hunter would abandon him. "You fucked up, kid. It's not the end of the world."

Seth was curling in on himself, looking like a broken shell of his former self. Roman was glad that there were no more backstage segments scheduled for awhile. "But it is, though!" Seth sniffled, hiding his face away from Roman. "Hunter's just going to leave me, and -,"

"He's not just going to leave you. He loves you, baby boy." Roman attempted to reassure.

Oh, yes. He loved him. Because what had happened in there was definitely love. He'd never felt so humiliated in his life, being talked down to by both Hunter and his ex-wife like he was some sort of disobedient child. When Hunter punished them, he still treated them as equals. They were his beloved boys, not to be talked down to by anyone. But especially not by their Daddy. That caused a pain that he didn't think would ever go away.

"They all say that." Seth choked brokenly. "They all claim to love you, and they leave you in the end. Isn't that... Isn't that what happened with..." the rest of his words were swallowed by broken, choked-off sobs.

Roman frowned. He placed a hand on the trembling man's head, mussing his damp two-toned locks affectionately. "You're not going to be abandoned again, okay? It's just not going to happen. Even if Hunter were to leave you - which he won't - you still have Roman and I. And that's more than you had before."

Seth was trembling beneath Roman's gentle touch. "I just don't want to be alone again."

"You're never going to be all alone again, baby. The three of us - we're a package deal now." Roman said. "Hunter knew that coming into this. He wouldn't just dump you because you started to act out."

"I've been so awful to him. I got what I deserved in there." Seth shivered, withdrawing further into himself.

"Is that what you think? That you deserve to be abandoned?" Roman asked, mildly surprised and deeply troubled to hear that the other submissive felt that way.

Seth didn't answer, but that in and of itself was answer enough. Obviously, this whole mess was troubling Seth a lot more than he was willing to let on. Roman sighed. The stage hand was frantically waving him over, screaming something about how they'd be back from commercial in thirty seconds and were about to cut to his music. He needed to leave now, or else he would also be facing the wrath of an irate Hunter. He just hated to leave Seth alone in his current condition.

As if reading his mind, Seth summoned up a small smile and put on his best brave face. He silently reminded himself that everything would be okay, because it had to be okay. At the end of the show, when they all returned to their hotel room, certain issues would undoubtedly have to be addressed. Everything would be fixed once the show was over. He just had to keep telling himself to hold on until then.

"I have to go now, Seth. But this isn't over, okay? Everything is gonna be just fine, you'll see." Roman reassured softly, before ruffling Seth's already tousled locks once more.

As soon as Roman was around the corner, however, Seth's brave facade fell. Barely able to stifle a whimper, he whispered, "I hope you're right."

It really didn't help anything that Roman spent the first three minutes of his promo tearing Seth to shreds. Seth sat in the back, having made it over to the television so that he could watch what was going on in the ring (and also so that he wouldn't happen to have an accidental encounter with Hunter, but that was neither here nor there), and couldn't help but feel his chest constrict as he listened to Roman berate the Money in the Bank briefcase because of its association with the two-toned wrestler.

"You okay there, baby?" Seth didn't even look up at the sound of Dean's voice. He simply remained curled in a ball on the couch, eyes glued to the television screen. Glen had just decided to interrupt Roman's speech, and the big man wasn't happy. "I saw what happened earlier with Daddy. That was rough, man."

Slowly, Seth stretched himself out, allowing Dean just enough room to plop down beside him. "Rough is a little bit of an understatement."

"You know that he's tearing apart the entire backstage looking for you, right?" Dean asked. Seth turned to him, wide-eyed and fearful. "Don't worry. Don't worry. I don't have any intention of telling him where you are. But you should know that he'll find you soon enough."

Dean's hand was on his back, slowly rubbing soothing circles on the skin to try and ease the tense muscles. "He doesn't want me. Why would he come looking for me?"

Dean frowned, "What makes you think that he doesn't want you, baby?"

Seth rolled his eyes. Seriously, was he the only one that had seen the promo earlier? That was even one of the lesser tantrums he'd thrown as of late, and Hunter had just gone and said enough was enough. The Authority was letting Seth loose on his own, which was both everything that Seth had wanted and everything that he dreaded at the same time. Yes, he wanted more freedom, the chance to prove that he could stand on his own two feet without their crutch...

But at the same time, he felt like a little kid who had just had their training wheels brutally ripped off of their bike, who was now expected to learn to ride on their own with a deflated tire. He felt as if they were setting him up to fail so that they could 'teach him a lesson' - much like they had when Randy had disobeyed their wishes, and they'd ordered the Director of Operations to practically beat him bloody. He was terrified. And instead of making the terror go away, Hunter was only making it worse.

"Now, Seth. You know that what happened to Randy was an accident. The beat-down was scripted, sure, but they didn't mean for him to get a concussion." Dean said gently, but firmly. "Besides, you're Daddy's favorite -,"

Seth cut him off. "Not anymore, I'm not." He sighed, sniffling weakly. "Maybe I really should leave and find a new Daddy."

Unbeknownst to either man, Hunter had finally managed to corner a cowering stage hand, who had betrayed Seth's location in a heartbeat. He had heard most of the conversation between the two men, including Seth's fears about his upcoming match at Money in the Bank and possible retribution from the Authority. It hurt him beyond words to know that his boy thought he might seriously hurt him because he threw a little tantrum on public television. Did Seth really think he was that cruel?

"If you really want to leave, fine. I won't stop you." Seth nearly jumped out of his skin, not noticing that a third person had joined them. But Hunter's words tore his heart in two, and if he'd thought he'd known pain before, it was nothing compared to this. "But not before your match tonight."

"My... match?" He was trying so hard not to cry. If Daddy wanted him gone, he'd leave. After all, there was no point in staying where he wasn't wanted.

"Yes. Tonight, you have the opportunity to choose your own opponent. Choose wisely, though. Lately, you're making more enemies than friends." Seth looked down, ashamed. He'd made a stupid mistake, but it had hurt his Daddy immensely. And in trying to fix it, he was only making it worse.

"Daddy?" Seth offered weakly. For a moment, he worried that Hunter wouldn't respond.

Not even bothering to turn around and face his boy, he said, "Yes?"

"I'm sorry." But why did it feel like it was too little, too late?

Hunter was silent for a moment, seemingly taking the apology in. For a brief, fleeting moment Seth convinced himself that maybe, just maybe everything would be okay. And then, Hunter crushed any chance of possible recovery with, "I expect to know your choice in a half-hour."

Seth lay flat on his back, feeling hot tears of embarrassment brewing in his eyes. This had to be, undoubtedly, the most humiliating night of his career. He'd mistakenly decided to take on J&J Security, thinking that the match would be little more than a tune-up heading into Money in the Bank. Instead, he'd gotten manhandled by the two former members of his security personnel like he was some sort of life-sized rag doll.

To make matters worse, Dean had decided to add insult to injury by choosing that moment to return from his tour of New Orleans, WWE World Heavyweight Title in tow, and hit him with Dirty Deeds. Dean, who had been consoling him only an hour and a half before, was now standing triumphantly over his broken body, raising his title high into the air. Was it possible for this night to get any worse? Perhaps it was better if he didn't ask.

When he finally managed to exit the ring, some of his pride still intact, Dean was waiting for him back in the guerrilla. He offered the slightly smaller man a hug, which he accepted wholeheartedly. The tears came hot and heavy then, the realization that he had been completely abandoned by the Authority painfully apparent to him. He just wanted to go back to the hotel room and sleep, and to keep sleeping until he could forget this horrific day. But then he remembered he had packing to do.

Reluctantly, Seth pulled back, angrily scrubbing at his already reddened eyes. "I have to go start packing. Daddy will still be at the arena for a little while, and I want to make sure that all of my stuff is out before he gets back. I don't want to be anymore of a burden than I've already been."

Dean sighed. "I really think that you're making a mistake here, Seth. Daddy doesn't want you gone. Didn't you hear him? He said to leave if that was what you wanted. He never said that he wanted you gone." Dean said, trying to make the smaller man see reason.

"I've been more trouble than I'm worth. You all deserve better. Can't you see that?" Seth asked brokenly.

Dean shook his head, "What ever happened to all of that talk about how we're nothing apart? The three of us - we're a team, and we always have been. If one just walks away..."

"I can't pretend to hate the two of you anymore." Seth said softly. "And I hate how easy it is for you two to go out on camera and hate on me."

Dean scowled. "You think that this is easy for any of us? Having to hurt you is the hardest thing either of us have ever done, Seth."

Well, then he'd certainly been fooled earlier, looking up through blurry eyes at Dean's gleeful face as he paraded the WWE World Heavyweight Title around for the world to see. That certainly didn't look like the 'hardest thing he'd ever done'. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. But Seth shook off that feeling. This wasn't about his relationship with Dean and Roman. This was about sparing their Daddy from anymore heartache at Seth's expense. He at least owed the older man that.

"When he asks where I am tonight -," here, he paused to correct himself, "If he asks where I am tonight, would you please tell him that I've gone away for awhile? I don't want to be any trouble, or burden him any longer, so I can't say where I'm going... but please, can you do that for me?"

Dean wiped away a tear from the younger man's cheek. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

A swift nod, "I am."

Dean sighed again, shoulders slumping a little in defeat. "And you're sure that there is nothing I can do to talk you out of it?"

"Not a thing." Seth confirmed.

Dean leaned in, planting a soft but firm kiss on the youngest sub's lips. Pretty soon, they wouldn't be able to refer to Seth as the 'youngest sub' any longer. Seth returned the sentiment, tentatively pressing back against Dean's reassuring touch. All too soon, however, he drew back. He couldn't afford to be sucked into the loving warmth of those arms again. If he allowed himself to give in to Dean's embrace, he might never be able to find the strength to pull away and leave.

Dean watched him go, feeling a tight knot form in his stomach. It was very similar to how he'd felt when Seth had brutally attacked Roman, then Dean, before announcing that he'd turned on his Shield brethren in order to defect and join the Authority. He felt totally alone, and absolutely powerless to actually put a stop to events that had already been put into motion. But he knew somebody that might be able to do something...

Taking out his phone, he hit speed-dial 'one'. Within seconds, and agitated voice answered, "Hello? Dean, do you realize the mountains of paperwork I have to do before I leave? This better be pretty damn important -,"

Dean cut him off, "Daddy... Seth's really leaving us." The line went dead. Dean nodded to himself. Problem solved.

Hunter stood in the doorway, watching as Seth slowly completed the process of of packing his belongings. Occasionally, a broken sob would wrack his body, but he was doing his best to focus on the task at hand. "What are you doing, Seth?" Hunter asked softly.

For the second time that night, Seth nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his Daddy's voice. But he sucked in a deep breath and steeled his resolve, "I'm packing."

Hunter nodded, seemingly accepting Seth's answer. Seth met his Daddy's eyes for a moment, before returning his attention to the task at hand. Hunter crossed his arms over his chest, thinking to himself for a moment, before questioning nonchalantly, "And why are you packing?"

Seth flinched. Could Hunter really be that cruel, to make him relive the torture that he'd endured just hours before? Pushing the thought aside, he responded, "Because you don't want me anymore."

There was a curt nod, before Hunter offered, "Really? Because last time I checked, it was you who was threatening to leave me." There was a brief pause, before he continued, "You're the one who wanted to leave, you're the one packing your bag and trying to leave before someone tried to stop you, you're the one that doesn't need me."

"I'm a nuisance, I know that. But I don't have to be your nuisance anymore." Seth whispered angrily.

"Whoever said that you were a nuisance?" Hunter asked, voice immediately softening. "Seth, you're my precious boy -,"

"That's what they all said!"

And with that, Seth collapsed in a heap on the floor, burying his face in his hands and mumbling something about being locked out of their apartment in the middle of the worst winter Cincinnati had ever seen. He couldn't even remember his transgression, it had been so insignificant, but he remembered the feeling of being knee-deep in snow and watching as Paul tauntingly dangled the keys in front of their second-floor window.

Paul had left him to fend for himself for a week - Dean and Roman could do nothing to help him, as Roman was recovering from a serious bout of pneumonia and Paul was threatening him with bodily harm should they try to stand up for their fellow submissive. Roman would've gladly taken the hit for him, but his body was too weak to be able to heal from the sickness and also handle such serious trauma. There was nothing that they could do.

Seth had never felt so alone in his entire life, but at the same time, he was finally free from the tyrannical hand of Paul Heyman. Three days after he'd been abandoned, he'd had a frostbite scare. He'd been forced to rummage through the trash to find dirty, rotting garments that others had thrown away. He'd been forced to use newspaper as a bed, hoping that it would keep him somewhat dry as the snow continued to rise around him.

One week in, and he was starved. He was practically shaking from undernourishment, and his skin had become sickly pale, almost translucent. That was when Paul had found him, mumbling under his breath about ungrateful brats attracting the attention of the neighbors. Couldn't he even get lost correctly? His continued presence was drawing unwanted attention Paul's way, and the only way to remedy that was to drag him back home and deal with him properly behind closed doors.

"Seth..." Hunter said softly, cupping his boy's tear-stained face in his hands and forcing him to meet his eyes. "Seth, look at me. That? That was before. Before you and Dean and Roman came to WWE, before you came to me." Hunter continued firmly. "You're my boy now, not Paul's."

Seth looked up at him brokenly. "I can get myself lost properly this time, Daddy. I'll never trouble you with my presence again."

Hunter sighed. "Is this about all those threats to leave me lately?" By the way Seth's body practically crumbled in on itself, Hunter was willing to take that as a 'yes'. "Come here, baby." Seth hesitated for a moment. "Come here, Seth." Finally, Seth came over, collapsing into Hunter's outstretched arms.

"I don't want to leave." Seth sobbed into Hunter's chest, relishing the way that Hunter gently rubbed soothing circles into his lower back.

"Now, I want you to listen to me, okay?" Seth nodded into Hunter's shirt, which had a rapidly growing wet spot on the front of it. "I always simply assumed that those were empty threats, love. I never actually thought that you wanted to leave."

Seth held on a little tighter, body still shaking. "That still doesn't change the fact that I said what I did. I never should have said anything at all."

Hunter shook his head. "No, baby. No. That was how you feel, and your emotions are never wrong. I want you to keep me informed on how you feel."

"I don't want to leave." Seth repeated again, softer this time.

"I don't want you to leave." Hunter affirmed, pressing a kiss to Seth's forehead. "You are free to go if that's what you want - it's not right of me to take the right to choose away from you. But if you want to stay, I want to keep you right here in my arms, where I know you'll be safe."

It was in that moment that Seth realized that Dean had been telling the truth. Hunter didn't actually want him gone, those were words that he'd placed into his Daddy's mouth. Hunter wasn't like Paul, who took a fiendish delight in locking him out on the streets, knowing that he was suffering out there in the cold. He wasn't the type to dangle the metaphorical keys of what he could have in front of him just to see how high he'd jump to obtain them.

Hunter leaned down, pressing a kiss to Seth's slightly parted lips. Seth returned the sentiment with equal fervor, his actions much more enthusiastic than they had been in his earlier kiss with Dean. It was like something inside of him that had been previously torn apart was slowly being stitched back together, and there was no better feeling in the world than that of being healed. Hunter's hands were slowly working up and down his sides, warming the skin there, until they finally slipped under his t-shirt.

"Are you sure about this, baby?" He didn't want to push Seth into anything he didn't want to do.

"Yes." Seth moaned, flushing a dark red as Hunter's thumbs worked teasing circles over his hardening nipples.

Pulling the two-toned man's shirt up over his head, Hunter leaned forward, taking one of the dusky nubs into his mouth and sucking hard. With his other hand, he twisted the other nipple, drawing a moan from Seth's pale lips. Seth's rapidly hardening erection strained against the confines of his black, washed-out jeans. He rocked against Hunter's lap, feeling Hunter's equally-hard cock straining against his dress pants.

Hunter drew back just enough to whisper reverently, "God, you're beautiful."

Seth grinned cheekily. "You flatter me."

"I speak the truth." Hunter responded, before pushing Seth down so that he was lying flat on his back.

Nimble fingers began to undo the button of Seth's jeans, and once the zipper was down, he quickly yanked them off and threw them aside. Nudging his boy's legs apart with his knee, he trailed his hands down the precious body before him, before collecting pre-cum on his fingers and using it to ease his passage into the tight, clenching channel. Sliding two fingers in at once, he bent down, slipping the boy's erect cock into his mouth as well.

Seth positively screamed. Hunter never gave head - it simply wasn't in his nature. And Seth was incredibly oversensitive, unable to remember the last time that he'd been touched this way. Drawing back slightly, Hunter twirled his tongue around the fat, mushroom head, distracting Seth long enough to slip another finger inside him. He slowly began to scissor them, wanting to ensure that he was well and truly prepared before they took this any further.

Taking Seth all the way to the hilt, he slowly drew back, releasing him with a wet 'pop'. "You ready for me, baby?"

"I'm ready, Daddy." Seth hurriedly assured.

Unzipping his pants, he pulled out his leaking erection and slicked it up with the nearby baby oil. Picking up one of Seth's legs and lifting it over his shoulder, he lined himself up with Seth's entrance and pushed in in one swift motion. He stared a fast, but careful pace, watching as Seth squirmed beautifully beneath him. His back arched and his eyes rolled back in his head when he hit his prostate, feeling pleasure coursing through his veins.

And then, with a shout, he came. He coated his and Hunter's stomach's with his cum, before collapsing. Hunter followed suit, spilling inside his boy. Pulling out carefully, Hunter fell down beside his boy and wrapped him up in his arms. "I love you, Seth. Never forget that, okay? You're mine and I won't let you go that easily."

"I know." Seth was falling asleep in Hunter's arms, "I love you too, Daddy."

A/N: Wow, that turned out to be a lot longer than the first installment... well, anyhow, I hope that you all enjoyed, and please remember to review!