The Nightmare's Shield (A Shield! Seth Rollins x Cody Rhodes AU)

Chapter 2

After RAW, Cody returns to Shield Seth, who is fascinated by the modern look of Monday Night RAW. He softly chuckles, then sits down next to him. "Did you enjoy the show?" Cody asks as he looks into Shield Seth's eyes. Shield Seth's eyes look in awe at the screen before he blinks and looks at Cody. "Yeah... I really enjoyed it. "I'm glad." Cody changes from a suit into regular clothes. "So, um... Cody..." "Yes?" "I have a question." "Sure, what is it?" "Does WWE have any backstage segments from the Shield... After I left?" Cody thinks about it for a few minutes. "Yeah, I'm sure they do... Why?" "I... I want to see what happened after I left." "Are you sure? You might not want to see it..." Cody looks at Shield Seth, concerned. "I'll be okay. Show me, please." Cody nods and boots up a backstage segment.

Feb 16, 2012. Dean and Roman have been trying to find a third member of the Shield to replace Seth. However, they've been unsuccessful so far. "Have you found anyone yet, Roman?" Dean inquired. "No... I haven't. None of them are like our Seth..." Roman replied. "Well, we have to find someone to fill the void..." "And what if that void is never filled, Dean? We're supposed to be a team! A family! And one of them is gone!" Roman yelled. Dean steps back, concerned. "Roman, you don't have to yell..." "Dean, Seth is missing. Who knows if we'll ever get him back?!" "Maybe one day-" "And when will that be? 10 years from now?!" Dean wraps his arms around Roman, trying to calm him down. Roman huffs but slowly starts to calm down.

Cody pauses the segment, looking at Shield Seth. "Oh... I didn't realize my absence would affect the group this much." Cody nods sadly. Suddenly, Jey Uso walks in. "Hey Uces! What's up?" Jey told, wearing his casual attire with the word "YEET" on them. "Jey, good to see you! Seth and I were watching a backstage segment." Jey nods and looks at Shield Seth. "Yo Seth, why are you wearing the Shield's uniform?" Jey asked. "Oh, um..." Shield Seth makes up an excuse, telling Jey that he just wanted to wear a piece of history, hoping he would buy it. Jey nods and smiles. "I know that feeling, Uce." "By the way, Jey, I wanted to ask you something," Cody said. "What is it?" "Well, I was wondering if you have a plan to destroy The Bloodline..." "Hmm..." Jey's eyes suddenly light up in excitement. "I've got it, Uce! We have to separate Jimmy and Solo. Paul Heyman won't be able to do anything at that point, so you'll be able to defeat Roman."

"I like that plan. What do you think, Seth?" Shield Seth agrees. "Great." "But Uce, there's one thing we're forgetting..." "What's that, Jey?" "Dwayne... He's back." Cody and Shield Seth's eyes widen. "The Rock? He's still here?" Shield Seth asked, confused. "He's now on the board for TKO, which means whatever he says, goes." "You could say that the rest of TKO are just a bunch of enablers. They'll say yes to anything The Rock asks for. Except for Triple H, of course," Cody teased. Jey and Shield Seth laugh. "So... Do you think he'll mess with my match? I did win the Royal Rumble back to back, so..." As if on cue, Dwayne Johnson bursts into the locker room. Shield Seth stands before Cody while Jey stays close to the duo.

"Ah, just the man I wanted to see. The American Nightmare..." Dwayne told, his voice dripping with confidence. "What do you want, Dwayne?" Cody asked as Shield Seth stood up straighter, trying to make it seem like he was not scared. He starts to feel something bubbling up inside him. "You're scheduled to beat Roman Reigns, The Tribal Chief, at this year's WrestleMania, correct?" "That's right." "Well, I'd like to strike a deal with you." "What kind of deal?" "If you win clean, then you'll have your reign of being the Undisputed WWE Universal champion. But if you lose... You will never EVER get this chance again. And you'll have to wait a long, LONG time before you can ever get to try to defeat Roman Reigns... What do you say?" Dwayne smirks. Cody gulps. 

He wasn't expecting to have someone try to halt his plans, let alone someone who has a greater influence on WWE. Shield Seth stares at Cody, concerned. He then turns to Dwayne, the new feeling coursing through his veins and adrenaline from his soul. "What kind of deal is that?! These high stakes aren't any good for Cody's mental health! And knowing you, you'll try to sabotage the match so that he would lose!" Shield Seth yelled. Cody and Jey gasp. "What did you say to me... Seth 'Freaking' Rollins?" "You heard me, you piece of ****. You may have power, but you've forgotten about the fans. If Cody loses, WWE will lose a lot of revenue... As far as I know, Cody is the most popular superstar these days!" That's when Shield Seth realized what this feeling was as he continued to lecture Dwayne. He was becoming protective. 

Dwayne clears his throat, trying to remain confident. "Well then, Cody... When I'm done with you and your protective boyfriend... And your other friend... I'll wipe the floor clean of the three of you, your blood all over the ring. That's the promise of the Final Boss..." "Get out!" Shield Seth yells. Dwayne rolls his eyes and leaves, slamming the door behind him. Jey and Cody both look at Shield Seth in shock. "Wow, Uce... I didn't know you had it in you." "I had to protect Cody... He deserves to win." He hugs Cody tightly, not wanting to let go. Cody wraps his arms around Shield Seth, holding him close as he strokes his hair. Jey lets out an "Awwww!" noise, causing them to blush.

"Jey, you're gonna make this worse..." Cody whispered, his blush deepening. Jey snickers, but gets the hint. "Dueces, Uces! Yeet!" Jey exits happily, leaving Cody and Shield Seth alone in the locker room. They let go of each other and relax in the locker room.