That’s what they’re telling kids to do now, isn’t it?  If you see trouble, just walk away.  Well dammit, I walked.  I walked away from a threat, but more importantly, I walked away from my best friend, someone who had just risked their own body to defend me.  I saw him do it, and I walked away anyways.

I don’t even know why he did it.  If you would have asked me a month ago what I thought Peter would do if I got beat up, I would have said that he would laugh his ass off and go on with his day.  But he didn’t.  He defended me on Heat, called me his friend, but tonight....tonight he got up there, told Austin off, and got his ass kicked for it.  For me.

I didn’t ask for this.  I didn’t ask for Peter’s help and I sure as hell didn’t ask Austin to use me as a punching bag.  But I can see Peter’s friends glaring at me, implying that’s he’s hurt because was too weak.  In a way, that’s awfully accurate.

I work my way to the back corner of the locker room, where the commentators usually hang out.  Kevin and Jon are gone already, in fact, everyone has.  I’m alone, thank God.  I drop my head into my hands, running my fingers lightly over the bruises under my eyes.  I should go back to the hotel, get some rest, get the hell out of here, but I can’t.  I’m afraid of the critical stares of Raven or Heyman, of Austin waiting out there...of myself, of my weakness, of what happened tonight...

“You know, I never noticed before, but you got the blond out of your hair.”

The voice startles me, and I look up to see Peter standing there, smiling while holding an ice pack against his head.

I finally find my voice.  “I thought you went home.”

He sits down next to me on the bench, still smiling for some reason.  “I wanted to talk to you.  That a problem?”

“No.”  I take a deep breath.  “Sorry about walking away and all.”

“What?”  Peter seems to actually be surprised.  “You mean tonight?  What else were you supposed to do, sit there and wait for Austin to mop the floor with you again?”

Well when he says it like that, it almost makes sense.  “You stuck up for me and I just left you there,” I mumbled.

Through the corner of my eye, I can see him roll his eyes.  “Coleslaw, that’s what friends do for each other.  They stick up for each other.”

I look up at him.  “I didn’t know we were friends.”

Peter’s easy smile dissolves into something darker and he stands up.  “Well ok, if you’re going to be that way, I can go...”

“No, wait!”  The words tear from me without my even thinking about them.  He looks back and I try to sound calmer.  “I just thought...with some of the things you said...”

Peter shook his head, sitting back down next to me.  “That’s how I treat my friends, ya goof.  If I didn’t like you, I would ignore you.”

I blink.  Oh damn, I think I screwed up royally.  “Oh.”  I’m intelligent tonight, aren’t I?  Forming complete sentences and everything.

He sighs.  “You don’t sound too happy.  Would you like it better if I wasn’t your friend?”

I shook my head.  “I’m just a little surprised.  Most of my friends don’t make their careers out of insulting me.”

Peter just snickered.  “I’m gonna make a wild guess and say I’m not like most of your friends.

I smiled despite myself. “No, you definitely aren’t.”  I decided that now would be a good time to change the subject.  “So what were you wanting to talk to me about?”

“I wanted to make sure you were ok.”

And there we are again, back to that.  “I’m fine, thanks to you.”

Peter looks over at me, his eyes serious.  “Are you still kicking yourself for walking away?”  He doesn’t wait for an answer.  “That was the smart thing to do.  He’s psychotic, messing with him wold have been a very bad idea.”

“You went in the ring with him.”  What is it with me and saying things I hadn’t planned to?

Peter rubs his eyes.  “No offense, but I’m a little better equipped to handle him.  I’ve been fighting people for quite awhile now.”  He pauses.  “Coleslaw, I’m gonna be serious now, so you might want to take a picture or something cuz I don’t do that too often.”  I smiled softly and he returned it for a moment before continuing.  “When I saw what Austin did to you, I saw red, and I was so pissed for not being there with you.  If you would’ve gone up against Austin tonight and gotten hurt while I was just lying there, I don’t know what I would have done.”

B the time he’s done speaking, I’m staring at my hands folded on my lap, trying not to give into the tears that threaten.  “You don’t always have to protect me.  I can take care of myself.”  It’s a stupid thing to say and it comes out as hollow as it is

Pater just smiles.  “I’ve been protecting people all my life.  Humor me.”  He catches my chin in his hand, makes me look at him.  “Promise me the next time some idiot like Austin threatens you, you’ll walk away, just like you did tonight.”

I stare into his dead-serious brown eyes.  “Are you asking me not to defend myself?”  My voice shakes a bit more than I liked it to.

“I’m asking you to defend yourself in the best way possible.  I’m asking you to keep yourself safe and me sane.”

Something in me won’t agree this easily.  “You never run away.”

He swallows.  “The way I was raised, it was a matter of pride when someone messed with you or your friends.  I’ll never break out of that way of thinking.  You aren’t me, you aren’t brainwashed to fight. Don’t use me as an example, because the world is a much better place having one more Coleslaw than one more Tazz.”

For a moment, I can’t speak.  Finally, I whisper “I promise.”  Tazz drops his hand from my face and gently puts an arm around me.  I hang on to him desperately, all the while a little voice chanted in my head that this could not be real, that there was no way Peter would ever tell me that.  Then, I feel the pressure of lips touching mine and all that goes away.

When we finally pull apart, Peter is smiling at me.  I can’t help but grin back.  “Do I get that every time I walk away from a fight?” I ask.

He just laughs and pulls me back into his arms.  I can honestly say I don’t mind the protection.
 

And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong

Walk on
Walk on
Stay safe tonight
- U2, “Walk On”