One More Dance, One More Night (The Final Chance to Make It Right)
Paul gets what he deserves. Roman does too.
CW: Canon-typical violence, discussion of grooming and abuse, V*nce mention (Don’t worry, he’s been completely cut off from the company and his kids in my AU)
4/19/25, WM41: Night One, Las Vegas, Nevada
The main event was going exactly to plan. Paul Heyman had just delivered a low-blow to CM Punk and had just handed Roman a steel chair. The plan was for Paul to give Roman a low-blow too, but before he could react, Roman bashed the chair directly into Paul's face, stunning the entire arena. After two seconds of silence, the arena erupted in absolute pandemonium. Fans were screaming, the commentary team was scrambling to say something, the referee wanted to step in, but was too scared to do anything, and then there was Seth and Punk...
Seth and Punk stared in horror as Roman beat the shit out of Paul. The elf wasn't holding back, whacking the eldest man over and over again with the chair. Seth stepped forward to try and intervene, but Punk held an arm in front of him, silently telling the younger man, "Don't test your luck." The other two wrestlers watched as Roman ditched the chair and began to just beat Paul with his hands. "He's...not using any wrestling moves," Seth pointed out. The other two men knew what Paul had put Roman through; they're friends with Cody. After a moment of staring, Punk spoke: "We gotta get outta here." Seth nodded, agreeing with his arch rival for once. The two men rolled out of the ring and dove into the timekeeper's area, only their eyes now visible from behind the wall.
In the monitoring room, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H stared in horror as Roman beat Paul to a pulp. "What do we do?" A staff member asked, "Do...do we cut to commercials?" "I...I don't know," Triple H replied. "I wanna look away, but I can't," Stephanie added, "It...it's like a car wreck." The microphones the camera crew was using managed to pick up what Roman was screaming at Paul: "THIS IS WHAT YOU DESERVE FOR GROOMING ME INTO A MONSTER! IT'S WHAT YOU DESERVE FOR ABUSING ME! IT'S WHAT YOU DESERVE FOR ABUSING MY FAMILY, USING ME AS YOUR PROXY!" All Stephanie and Triple H could do was stare in horror. After a moment, Hunter spoke into his walkie-talkie: "Send in security."
Back in the ring, Roman was beating Paul with a kendo stick. Security rushed in, but immediately hesitated to step in, especially after Roman gave them a death glare. "Y'know," Michael Cole said on commentary, "I've never been particularly religious, but today might be a good night to go to the local catholic church and pray." Wade Barrett and Pat McAffee could only nod in agreement. The beatdown went on for another five minutes. Once Roman declared his work finished, he took something out of his pants pocket: his Ula Fala. "...this fucking necklace caused more pain and destruction than any other object in my culture has," he said quietly. He dropped it on the mat before climbing out of the ring and walking up the ramp, straight past security, and into gorilla. The match ended in a no contest.
Roman didn't stop walking until he reached his locker room. He opened the door, revealing, Cody and Mischa sitting on one of the benches. He stepped inside, picked Mischa up, and hugged them. Cody swiftly joined the two in the hug. Tears of relief were now freely streaming down Roman's face. Outside of the locker room, Triple H heard everything, including the conversation the two men were having. "...they're not gonna fire him, are they?" "...no...they're not. Creative will throw a massive fit if they do." "Dammit..." Triple H opened the door. Roman looked at the eldest man. He knew that look; he needed to talk to Hunter and Stephanie. He sighed, allowed Cody to let go of him, handed the younger man Mischa, and followed Hunter to the meeting room.
"Roman," Stephanie started, "You're suspended indefinitely, pending review. What you did was not only dangerous, but also unprofessional." Roman gritted his teeth and looked directly at Stephanie. "Do I look like I give a single fuck about how unprofessional I was being? For four years, that bastard abused and groomed me into a man I never was. It's gotten to the point where I'm unable to recognize myself when I review my matches and promos." Stephanie opened her mouth to speak, but Roman immediately cut her off. "You want me to apologize for giving him what he deserved? You want me to apologize for taking my life back?"
The room remained silent for a moment before Stephanie spoke: "...why didn't you tell us?" Roman looked her dead in the eye. "Because I knew you'd do jackshit about it." The room went silent again. After two minutes, Roman took a deep breath and spoke again: "...you know where I'm going after I leave? Not Waffle House, but Denny's. I'm going to order a burger with cheddar cheese and bacon on it, fries, and a milkshake. You know why? Because I can finally eat shit without worrying about keeping my image. And then? I'm going to go back to my hotel and take a nice, hot bath. Because I no longer have to worry about cleaning myself quickly." Hunter went to speak, but Roman immediately cut him off as well. "Tomorrow? I'm taking Mischa to the children's museum. We're going to spend the majority of the day there, playing in the different exhibits. When we get back to the hotel? We're going to get pizza and watch tomorrow's matches."
Hunter and Stephanie looked at each other. They'd completely misread the situation. They then looked back at Roman. They didn't see him as being reckless anymore. They saw a man wanting his life back after years of being abused, a man taking justice into his own hands because the higher-ups wouldn't, a father who just wanted to enjoy Wrestlemania with his kid without having to worry about his abuser. And then, Roman said something that made the couple realize that suspension wasn't the answer here: "I'll take all the suspensions if it means I can be human again. I'll take all the suspensions if it means I can be, dare I say, the Big Dog again." The Big Dog was never entirely a gimmick like the Tribal Chief is/was. It was Roman's real personality cranked up to eleven. Paul had taken that man and tried to metaphorically kill him. Roman took another deep breath. "And if you fire me? I'll go find another company who actually cares about me."
Stephanie stood up. "We're not suspending you. And we're definitely not terminating you." Roman's eyes widened. "Then...what are you doing?" Stephanie pulled something out of her purse and slid it across the table. It was...a book. The title read "Pitch Bible: Roman Reigns." Roman squinted at the book. "What's the purpose of this?" "Well...since I'm CEO, I have control of creative. I've had the idea for wrestlers to write their own characters long before we kicked Dad out of the company and I took over." Roman's eyes widened again. "You...you're letting me rewrite the Tribal Chief character?" Stephanie nodded. It's a revolutionary idea, something Vince would've never allowed, but time and time again, Stephanie has proved that she's nothing like her father.
Roman stood up and hugged Stephanie tightly, repeating the words "thank you" over and over, like a mantra. Stephanie smiled and returned the hug. "And that's not the only thing we're going to do." "...wuh?" "We're going to revise your contract to make sure Paul can never work with you again." Right then and there, Roman bursted into tears, hugging Stephanie even tighter. Hunter joined in on this hug, gently sandwiching Roman between himself and his wife.
Once Roman had calmed down, Stephanie explained the rest of her plan: Roman would have an extended vacation until around Summerslam. This would allow him to rewrite his character. Roman was ecstatic with this. Rewriting his character AND spending time with Mischa? Oh, yes please! Speaking of Mischa, Roman opened the door, full intending to go back to his locker room so he could take Mischa and Cody to Denny's. "Oh! Roman?" Stephanie called. Roman looked over his shoulder. "Feel free to come back and watch the matches live tomorrow. We'll set up a private area for you and Mischa." Roman smiled and nodded. "...thanks. I appreciate that."
It was a few weeks before Wrestlemania 41. Both Roman and Cody are in the main events this year, so why not introduce the latter to Mischa. The two men worked out a place and time to meet up, and today was the day.
Cody paced back and forth outside of the Hard Rock Cafe. “You’re pacing again,” Brandi pointed out, “We’ve been to Baltimore before. We’ve even eaten here before.” “I know,” Cody replied, “It’s just…I’m worried about what Mischa’s going to think about me.” “I get that. But I also think you’re in your head again.” Cody sighed. “Yeah…maybe I am.” “Hey!” A familiar voice called. Cody and Brandi looked to their left. There was Roman, carrying Mischa towards them.
“Oh my god,” Brandi cooed, “You’re even cuter in person, sweetheart!” “…huh?” Mischa’s reaction made the three adults laugh. “Mischa,” Roman started, “This is Cody.” “Hi, kiddo,” Cody greeted gently. Mischa’s eyes immediately light up. “Hiiiii…” Cody smiled. “See?” Brandi said, “You were worked up over nothing.” Cody snorted and nodded. “…who dat?” Mischa asked, pointing at Brandi. “Oh! This is Brandi,” Cody explained, “She’s my wife.” “…wife?” “Yeah,” Brandi confirmed, “Wife.”
The four of them went inside, sat down, and ordered. As they waited for their food, Roman told Cody and Brandi a bit about Mischa. “Well…for starters, they’re autistic and epileptic. They also have ADHD and anxiety.” Cody reached across the table and gently scritched behind Mischa’s ear. “Sounds like you got a lot on your plate.” “Yeah…they’re also mentally two.” Brandi tilted her head. “How old are they biologically?” Roman pursed his lips together. “We…aren’t too sure. But they’re legally nineteen.” Cody smiled. “You adopted a disabled teen?” Roman nodded. “…is it difficult taking care of them?” Brandi asked. “…it can be,” Roman admitted, “but…the little moments and the love they give make it all worth it.”
4/14/25, Sacramento, California, 11 PM
The sound of the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time theme echoed through Cody’s tour bus. The alien sleepily grabbed his phone and answered it. “…hullo?” “Cody? It…it’s Roman.” Roman’s panicked voice made Cody immediately perk up. “Rome? I-is everything ok?” Roman sniffled. “N-no…i-it’s Mischa.” “What about Mischa?” “…they had a seizure.” “WHAT?!”
Within five minutes, Cody’s in his rental car and driving to Mercy General Hospital. He burst into the ER and ran up to the front desk. “Can I help you?” The receptionist asked. “I…I’m here to see my friend and his daughter.” “Name of patient?” “Mischa Lightfinder.” The receptionist looked at her computer. “Room 5.” Cody thanked the receptionist and headed through the double doors.
When he entered the room, Cody saw Mischa on a gurney and Roman sitting on the swivel stool. He rushed over to Roman. “Are they ok?” Roman sighed and nodded. “The doctors wanna monitor them overnight. We’re waiting on a room right now.” Cody nodded. Mischa lifted their head and looked at Cody. “…Papa?”
Cody’s breath hitched. “Did…did they just?” Roman nodded. Cody stepped towards Mischa, but hesitated to respond. He looked over his shoulder at Roman, who nodded and silently encouraged him to respond. Cody crouched down and shakily cupped Mischa’s little face. “Y-yeah, sweetheart. I…I’m your Papa.”
4/18/25, Paradise, Nevada, 9:55 PM
Roman’s music hit and the crowd went bonkers. Cody watched as Roman walked down the ramp, carrying Mischa in his arms. He set them in the ring before climbing in himself. He took the microphone from the ringside staff member before turning to Cody. After a moment, he spoke.
“I…I have something to give you.” Roman pulled…a packet of papers from the inside of his coat and handed it to Cody. Cody skimmed the papers; they looked like…adoption papers. “Why’d you hand me adoption papers?” Cody asked, raising an eyebrow. Roman took a deep breath before stepping forward and setting a hand on Cody’s shoulder. “I want you to be Mischa’s secondary caregiver.”
Cody’s jaw dropped. Gasps erupted throughout the arena. Cody looked down at Mischa, who held something out to him: a bracelet. He took the bracelet and gave it a good look. The beads were red, white, blue, and gold. There was a skull charm and letter beads spelled “Papa.” Tears filled Cody’s eyes as he dropped the microphone and to his knees. He put the bracelet on his wrist before pulling Mischa into a hug.
The crowd roared at the wholesome moment. Roman dropped to his knees to join the hug. When the two men stood up, Cody held Mischa in his left arm while Roman raised his right. Mischa rested their head on Cody’s shoulder. Their weird little family grew a little bigger that night.
Oba’s the type of guy to protect the girlies at a bar/club. He doesn’t even have to do anything physical. He just shows up behind them, and the weirdos run off.
- My mother wears a burka. My father does it too. I have to wear a burka. The burka, it is blue. -
The women and girls of Afghanistan are losing their rights and sense of identity. In solidarity, I’ve painted this subtle psychological horror piece. The burka is a garment meant to strip a person of their identity. I personally interpret the song as a young child venting about her frustration with the burka, hence the Hello Kitty motif.
I wanted to do a painting of what the girl looks like underneath the burka. Sure, the Hello Kitty shirt and themed hijab give her a small sense of individuality, but what completely strips away her identity is the giant, gaping hole where her face should be. I find that a person lacking any sort of facial features can be symbolism for loss of identity. Change that to their entire face being a giant hole, and you got yourself symbolism for a forced loss of identity.
I love having weird comfort characters/fictional caregivers. This is the Boiled One, or PHEN as he’s known in canon. I imagine him accidentally stumbling upon Mischa one night, realizing they’re (mentally) a small child, and opting to tuck them into bed. When he leaves to find his next victim, he vows to protect Mischa.
So…this is an AU edit. Allow me to explain the lore.
Let’s start at the beginning: Roman’s WM41 match. That match was originally going to be identical to how it happened in reality. HOWEVER, in my AU, when Paul gives Roman the chair to hit Seth, Roman instead turns on Paul and beats the shit out of him. This startles everyone in the arena: the crowd, the ringside staff, the commentators, the referee, Seth and Punk. Seth wants to tell Paul to do something, but knows damn well he’s going to get a chair to the face if he tries to intervene. He knows what Paul’s put Roman through; he’s friends with Cody. By the time security gets out there, Roman’s ditched the chair and is just beating Paul to a pulp with his hands. Security is too scared to intervene, as he’s not using any of his moves. When Roman deems his work as done, he climbs out of the ring and walks up the ramp. The match ends in a no contest.
When Roman returns for his match at Summerslam, he’s changed his entrance theme. It’s no longer Head of the Table, but Unhappy Refrain by Wowaka. This was a deliberate choice, meant to represent Roman breaking free from Paul’s abuse and finally speaking up. People call him lucky for long championship reign, but as the song suggests, he wasn’t happy.
