Chapter Text
Dean meets Nikki when she hits him in the back of the head.
Dean’s got the hood of his oversize Shield sweatshirt up, lurking backstage at NXT. He’s just here to visit some old friends, so he’s keeping a low profile. The last thing he wants is one of the NXT kids playing tattletale and letting Regal know that Dean Ambrose is sneaking around backstage at Full Sail.
He’s found a cozy spot in the shadows in range of a monitor, watching the action on screen, when something cracks the back of his head like a metal kendo stick.
Dean stumbles forward, his hands coming up to protect the back of his head, more than a little shocked at the sudden impact.
“What the hell?” Dean shouts, swinging wildly at whoever is attacking him. His arm connects, his attacker letting out a (feminine?) grunt and falling back to the floor.
He doesn't expect to see Nikki Cross sprawled out, looking up at him.
She’s somewhere between confused and angry, and Dean realizes his hood got knocked off when he tried to defend himself.
“You’re not Adam Cole,” Nikki says.
“No, I'm not,” Dean huffs. That hurt, damn it.
Nikki scrambles back up to her feet, grabbing the broom that had fallen beside her and brandishing it like a weapon.
“Well, you’re not with him, right?” Nikki asks, ready to give him another whack.
“...no?” Dean replies, holding his hands up.
“Right then,” Nikki says, lowering the broom. Dean relaxes only slightly. “Eric said we had to watch our backs.”
“Right,” Dean agrees. “Wait...did you hit me with that broom?”
“There was nothin’ else around,” Nikki shrugs, thumbing over her shoulder at the cleaning supplies resting in a corner.
Dean just starts laughing because really, being hit with a broom is probably the least deadly weapon he’s been assaulted with in recent years, and the image of Nikki trying to hit him like he’s a greasy, 6’5” piñata is too damn hilarious.
Nikki thinks it's funny too, and cackles alongside him, grinning wildly.
When they finally stop, gasping for air, Dean isn't sure what else to say to her. So he just goes with the first thing that comes to mind.
“Wanna get some ice cream?”
…
“Dogs’a great,” Nikki says, licking the runny ice cream off the cone before it reaches her hand.
“Hell yeah,” Dean agrees wholeheartedly. There is definitely Moose Tracks in his beard, but he’s having a blast dog watching with SAnitY’s finest. Luckily the random ice cream shop they had picked was near a dog park, where they’re currently swinging their legs (or in Dean’s case, trying to) on a bench.
“I love big ones, like that one,” Nikki says, pointing at a Samoyed. Her accent is thick, but Dean thinks it just makes her sound more enthused. “But I also like small ones. I like all of them, really. I like cats too but I'm allergic, so I guess I like dogs more.”
“I'm biased,” Dean admits, watching the Samoyed play fetch with its owner. “I never had any breed I liked the best, but having Blue, I’m gonna have to say bulldog.”
“Bulldogs are great,” Nikki agrees. “They got those big cheeks,” she says, taking a moment to puff her cheeks out as reference.
“Watch it,” Dean warns, pointing to the melting cookie dough ice cream trickling dangerously close to Nikki’s hand.
“Oh jaysus,” Nikki mumbles, licking at the cone and wiping the excess on her jeans. Jeans are just great like that. Dean would know.
…
“We’re about chaos, I suppose,” Nikki responds thoughtfully to the question Dean proposed. “We’re here to be heard and seen. A family of rejects maybe, but we’re a family. Eric says we have to bring chaos because we’re chosen to do so. SAnitY through madness.”
“That’s cool,” Dean nods, meandering down the walking path with Nikki. “We’re about justice, obviously, whatever that is. I'm not even sure I know. We just beat people up and look cool doing it.”
Dean shrugs but it gets a laugh out of Nikki.
“We’re a family too, for better or for worse,” Dean continues. “Some days I still gotta stop myself from trying to punch Seth in the face, but I guess that’s how brothers work, or something. Roman’s better at talking about this stuff.”
…
Dean didn’t really intend on hanging around Florida for longer, but hey, he’s got some skymiles about to expire and he did promise Roman he’d come visit the kids soon.
If he ends up hanging around Orlando for longer well, that’s that.
“Hullo!” Nikki waves, jumping down from the machine she was sitting on to come say hi. Dean wasn't really a Performance Center regular, but with most people out on tour there aren't too many people hanging around. The other members of SAnitY, who are spread throughout the gym, wave as well.
“Well hey there miss,” Dean drawls, with an imaginary hat tip. Terrible, but Nikki finds it funny. “Thought I’d drop by and say hello to the future NXT women’s champion, and look who it is!”
“Terrible,” Nikki starts to say, laughing, when an unfamiliar voice enters the gym, causing her to freeze and turn on her heels.
“Well if it isn't inSAnitY, my favorite team of crazies,” Adam Cole sneers, with Fish and O'Reilly shadowing him. “How’s the losing life treating you boys?”
“Cole,” Eric growls, looking up from where he had been spotting Killian. “What do you want?”
“Oh nothing, just making our victory run, taking in the sights,” Adam says, with a shrug and thinly veiled sarcasm. Eric, Alexander, and Killian make their way over to face the Undisputed Era. Nikki glances back at Dean quickly, with an apologetic look, and moves in as well, staying back and to the side.
Dean isn't really sure what to do here, but he doubts this'll end peacefully.
“We’ve already settled our score in the ring,” Eric says. “We’ve been to war and back already. As for losing, we wouldn't know.” Young grins widely and Cole’s smug expression falters just a little. “We are still the NXT tag team champions, correct?”
“Not for long,” Cole grits, clenching his fists.
Dean isn't sure who starts it, but suddenly fists are flying and Nikki’s climbed up on a bench to scream insults and cheer on her brothers.
Instinctively, Dean tries to get closer, but he knows he’s no referee, and he’s not sure he could break up the fight at this point. He gets close to the action, not really sure where he’s supposed to jump in, but deciding he’s backing SAnitY in this one.
SAnitY seems to have it all figured out anyway, as Adam frantically signals for a retreat, scrambling away with Fish in tow. O’Reilly isn't so lucky, as Wolfe’s got a grip on him and swings him around when he tries to make a break for it.
Swings him right into Dean.
Dean grabs Kyle before he knocks them both over. Suddenly everyone is looking at him, and Dean really doesn't know what he’s supposed to do in this situation, and he’s pretty sure this could get him fired. Then, in the span of a second, a couple of things become very clear to one Dean Ambrose:
You know exactly what to do and William Regal can kiss my ass anyway.
So, naturally, Dean lifts O’Reilly’s arms and Dirty Deeds’ him into the gym floor.
Dean rolls back to his feet, brushing off imaginary dirt, satisfied at seeing the fear of God in Cole and Fish’s face. Eric, Alexander, and Killian are ecstatic. Dean looks over at Nikki and has to laugh; today might as well be Christmas from the smile she’s sporting. Nikki jumps down from the bench, laughing and running over to Dean excitedly.
What Dean didn't know, was that right as he’d hit the Deeds, Seth Rollins had turned the corner and seen the whole thing. Just his luck.
“What the hell, Ambrose?!” Seth shouts, storming over to confront Dean, who had totally forgot Seth was on his way to meet him. Shit, Dean doesn't know where to even begin talking his way out of this one.
Seth reaches out and grips Dean’s arm, fully intending on shaking him and chewing him out, when he is sent stumbling back by the collision of a fist to his face.
Seth is dazedly rubbing at his cheek, hissing out a nasally “ow,” and truth be told it took Dean a second to realize he wasn't the one to throw the punch.
He looks over at Nikki, jaw dropped, as she just grabs at her hair and bounces in place.
“Should I do it again?” Nikki asks, unsure, watching Seth shake it off.
Dean nearly busts his guts laughing.
(Much to Seth's displeasure.)
“We’re gonna be friends for a long while, little sister,” Dean gets out, wiping tears out of his eyes and throwing an arm around Nikki.
Nikki grins. She’s up to four brothers now, and she couldn't be happier.