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The fall of darkstate

Pair: Reader X Sequan Sugars

Plot: You’ve been dating Sequan Sugars long enough to know every one of his tells — the way he bounces on his toes when he’s excited, the way he cracks his knuckles when he’s nervous, the way his whole face lights up when he sees you in the crowd. Tonight, for the first time in weeks, you finally got off work early. Shawn Michaels himself cleared you to come backstage, and you weren’t about to waste the chance to watch your man fight for the NXT Tag Team Championships. Darkstate vs. The Vanity Project. A rematch. A chance at redemption. A chance to bring the gold home again. The match was brutal, fast, chaotic — everything you expected from Sequan and Deon. But nothing, absolutely nothing, could’ve prepared you for what came after. Because tonight wasn’t just a title match. Tonight was the night everything fell apart. Tonight was the night Darkstate broke And you were there to watch the man you love get betrayed.

hey y’all!! so this is my first time actually writing for nxt even though i’ve been watching it for almost a year now. i’ve been wanting to dip my toes into nxt fics for a while, and i also have a bronco request waiting, so this is me finally doing it.

this turn honestly shocked me so bad — i really thought they were gonna turn on deon, not sequann. my jaw was on the floor.

also the song for this fic is all your’n by Tyler Childers because it just fits the soft, emotional vibe of the ending so perfectly.

hope y’all enjoy!! 🤍😊❤️

Backstage at NXT always had a certain energy — loud, chaotic, buzzing — but tonight it felt different. Tighter. Sharper. Like the whole building was holding its breath.

You stood off to the side near the warm‑up area, tucked behind a stack of production crates Shawn Michaels told you would give you a perfect view without getting in the way. And he was right — from here, you could see everything.

Sequann was pacing, rolling out his shoulders, bouncing lightly on his toes. Deon was stretching his arms behind his head, jaw tight, eyes locked on the floor like he was trying to burn a hole through it. Osiris and Cutler were hyping them up, clapping them on the back, muttering last‑minute strategy.

Darkstate looked ready for war.

And then Sequann’s eyes found you.

His whole face softened.

He walked over immediately, the tension in his shoulders melting with every step until he was right in front of you, sweat already glistening at his temples from warm‑ups.

“You made it,” he said, voice low, warm, like he’d been waiting all day just to say those words.

You smiled. “Told you I’d get off work. I wasn’t missing this.”

He leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to your lips — soft, grounding, familiar. The kind of kiss that said I needed that more than anything else.

“Good,” he murmured against your mouth. “I fight better when you’re here.”

Before you could answer, Osiris swooped in from the side and wrapped you in a bear hug.

“Look who finally showed up!” he boomed, lifting you off your feet for a second.

Cutler followed, pulling you into a gentler hug. “Sequann’s been pacing like a lunatic waiting for you.”

Sequann shot him a glare. “I have not.”

“You have,” Deon said without looking up, but there was a tiny smirk tugging at his mouth.

Sequann rolled his eyes, but when he turned back to you, the nerves were there — subtle, but you knew him too well to miss them.

“You good?” you asked softly.

He nodded, exhaling. “Yeah. Just… big night.”

You reached out, brushing your fingers along his arm. “You’ve got this. Both of you do.”

Deon finally looked up, meeting your eyes. “We’re bringing those titles home tonight.”

Sequann bumped his fist. “Damn right we are.”

The stagehand called from down the hall:

“Darkstate — you’re up in thirty!”

Sequann leaned in for one more kiss — slower this time, lingering, like he wanted to take a piece of you with him.

“I’ll see you after,” he whispered.

You smiled. “I’ll be right here.”

He jogged back to the group, joining Deon, Osiris, and Cutler as they headed toward gorilla. The four of them looked unstoppable — a unit, a family, a force.

You had no idea this would be the last time you ever saw them walk out together like that.

Sequann launched himself at Brad Baylor, flipping over him with that smooth, effortless athleticism that always made your breath catch. He hit a clean arm drag, then another, then a flipping neckbreaker that sent the crowd roaring.

Booker:

“Sugars is DIFFERENT, Vic! Everything he’s doing is effective!”

Deon tagged in, using his power to bulldoze Smokes with a huge hip toss and a running slam.

Vic:

“Darkstate is clicking tonight! They’re hitting on all cylinders!”

You felt your chest swell with pride.

They looked GOOD.

But then… the cracks started.

Deon went for a big move, but Sequann reached for a tag at the same time. They hesitated — just for a second — but it was enough.

Smokes capitalized, dropkicking Deon’s knee out from under him.

Booker:

“Come on, Deon! Keep your head in the game, son!”

You winced. That wasn’t good.

Sequann yelled something from the apron, trying to get Deon’s attention, but Vanity Project kept cutting the ring in half, isolating him.

Finally — FINALLY — Sequann got the tag.

He exploded into the ring like a firecracker.

springboard clothesline

spinning heel kick

flipping senton

a wild corkscrew that turned Brad Baylor inside out

Vic:

“Seaquan Sugars is on FIRE!”

You couldn’t help it — you cheered out loud even though no one could hear you.

The match hit pure chaos.

Jackson Drake jumped on the apron.

Osiris and Cutler ran down to even the odds.

Smokes got knocked out of the ring.

Sequann climbed the ropes.

Booker:

“GO UP, SUGARS! GO UP!”

Sequann hit a HUGE top‑rope elbow on Brad Baylor.

You gasped — that was it. That was the finish.

But then…

Deon didn’t cover.

He didn’t even realize Sequann was legal.

Vic:

“I don’t think Deon realized the tag was made!”

Sequann tried to explain — hands up, pointing to the ref — but the hesitation cost them.

Smokes slid back in, grabbed Sequann from behind—

Inside cradle.

One. Two. Three.

The crowd gasped.

You felt your stomach drop.

Vic:

“Vanity Project survives!”

Booker:

“It was miscommunication. That’s all it was.”

But you knew better.

Sequann sat up in the ring, chest heaving, eyes wide with disbelief.

Deon stared at him like he didn’t understand what just happened.

And backstage, you felt something cold settle in your chest.

Something was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

You were still standing at gorilla, heart pounding from the chaotic finish, when the screen cut back to the ring. Sequann was on his knees, breathing hard, trying to explain the tag to Deon.

Vic Joseph’s voice came through the monitor, tense:

“Oh, Booker… Osiris… Cutler James…”

You saw them sliding into the ring behind Sequann.

Your stomach tightened.

Booker T sounded uneasy:

“Come on, guys… come on…”

Sequann pushed himself up, still winded, still confused, still trying to talk to Deon—

And then the crowd started chanting:

“NO! NO! NO! NO!”

You froze.

Everyone thought Osiris and Cutler were going to turn on Deon. Everyone.

But Osiris stepped right past Deon.

Right past him.

And walked straight toward Sequann.

Vic’s voice cracked:

“Wow—come on, guys—CUTLER JAMES—come on, guys!”

Sequann barely had time to turn around before Osiris launched a strike straight through him, dropping him face‑first to the mat.

You slapped a hand over your mouth.

“No… no, no, no—”

Booker’s voice rose:

“This is PREMEDITATED!”

Cutler stomped Sequann in the ribs. Osiris kicked him again. Sequann curled in on himself, groaning, trying to protect his head.

Vic:

“If they did THAT to Sequann—”

Booker cut him off:

“This didn’t just happen, Vic! They BEEN thinking about this!”

Your heart was hammering so loud you could barely hear the commentary.

Sequann tried to crawl toward Deon — toward his partner, the man he trusted — but Osiris grabbed him by the hair and dragged him back.

Vic:

“Sequann is paying the price… for Darkstate coming up short.”

Cutler barked:

“Get him up!”

Booker:

“Get him up?! What do you MEAN get him up?!”

Osiris and Cutler hauled Sequann upright. He was barely standing, legs shaking, eyes unfocused.

Deon stepped forward.

For a split second, hope flared in your chest.

Maybe he’d stop it. Maybe he’d defend him. Maybe he’d prove everyone wrong.

But Deon didn’t stop them.

He didn’t yell.

He didn’t look shocked.

He just stared at Sequann like he was nothing.

And then—

Osiris shouted:

“DO IT!”

Deon struck.

A brutal, snapping blow that sent Sequann collapsing backward into Osiris and Cutler’s arms.

The desk at ringside clattered as Booker reacted:

“DION!”

The crowd erupted:

“HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!”

Osiris and Cutler lifted Sequann—

SLAM.

The ring shook.

Sequann didn’t move.

Not even a twitch.

Vic’s voice dropped, horrified:

“The warning was issued… a business decision was made…”

Booker finished it:

“Darkstate is standing on business.”

You felt your knees buckle.

Sequann lay motionless in the ring, chest barely rising, eyes closed.

And Deon?

He stood over him.

Breathing hard.

Expression cold.

Like the man he’d just helped destroy wasn’t his partner… wasn’t his brother… wasn’t the man you loved.

Vic:

“If they’ll do THAT to Sequann… imagine what Darkstate will do to the rest of NXT.”

You didn’t wait for the segment to end.

You were already running.

The second Sequann stepped through the curtain, you knew something was wrong.

Not because he was limping.

Not because he was holding his ribs.

Not because he looked hurt.

But because he looked empty.

Sequann Sugars — the man who always bounced back, always smiled, always brushed things off — walked backstage like someone had unplugged him. Shoulders slumped. Eyes unfocused. Breathing shallow.

A stagehand tried to pat him on the back. He didn’t react.

You rushed to him immediately.

“Sequann—hey, hey, look at me.”

He blinked slowly, like it took effort to pull himself back into the moment. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.”

He wasn’t.

Not even close.

The trainer stepped forward out of habit. “You need to get checked out?”

Sequann shook his head quickly. “No. I’m fine. I’m not hurt.”

The trainer hesitated, then nodded and stepped back.

You touched his arm gently. “Baby… talk to me.”

Sequann swallowed hard, jaw tightening. “It’s just… it’s storyline. It’s business. I knew something was coming.”

But his voice cracked on the last word.

Before you could answer, someone else walked in.

Shawn Michaels.

He approached slowly, like he already knew the answer but needed to ask anyway.

“Sequann,” Shawn said softly, “you okay? That… that looked rough out there.”

Sequann forced a smile — the kind that didn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah. I’m good, boss. Promise.”

Shawn studied him for a long moment, then nodded. “Alright. If you need anything, you come find me.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Shawn stepped out of the room.

And that’s when you heard it — voices in the hallway.

Deon.

Cutler.

Osiris.

Not in character.

Not yelling.

Not threatening.

Just… worried.

“Is he okay?”

“Did he take it hard?”

“Should we go in?”

Sequann’s whole body tensed.

You looked at him. “Do you want to talk to them?”

He shook his head instantly. “No. Not right now. I can’t… I can’t look at them yet.”

You nodded and stepped toward the door, pulling it shut just as their shadows passed by.

Sequann sat down heavily on the trainer’s table, elbows on his knees, hands covering his face.

“It wasn’t supposed to feel like that,” he whispered. “I knew the turn was coming… but I didn’t think it would hit me like that.”

You moved beside him, sliding your hand over his back.

“It’s okay to feel it,” you murmured. “It’s okay to be upset.”

He let out a shaky breath.

“They were my boys,” he said quietly. “And even if it’s storyline… it still felt real.”

You leaned your head against his shoulder.

“I know,” you whispered. “But you’re not alone. I’m right here.”

Sequann nodded slowly, finally letting himself breathe.

And for the first time since the betrayal, he didn’t look empty anymore — just human.

The trainer’s room was quiet now — too quiet. The kind of quiet that made every breath feel loud, every heartbeat feel heavy. Sequann sat on the edge of the padded table, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor like it might give him answers he didn’t have.

You stood beside him, close enough that your hip brushed his, but not touching him yet. Not until he let you.

He hadn’t said a word since Shawn left.

Not one.

Finally, you eased down beside him. “Talk to me,” you said softly.

Sequann swallowed, jaw tightening. “There’s nothing to talk about. It’s storyline. It’s business. It’s… whatever.”

But his voice cracked on the last word.

You reached out, brushing your fingers along his arm. “Baby… look at me.”

He didn’t.

He blinked hard, like he was fighting something back, and shook his head. “I shouldn’t feel like this. I knew the turn was coming. I knew it was me. I knew it was tonight. I shouldn’t—”

His breath hitched.

You moved closer, gently taking his hand. “Sequann. You’re allowed to feel it.”

He finally looked up at you.

And God — the look in his eyes nearly broke you.

He looked… betrayed. Not by the storyline. By the people behind it.

“They didn’t tell me how far they were gonna go,” he whispered. “They didn’t tell me they were gonna drag it out like that. Or… or look at me like that.”

You squeezed his hand. “Like what?”

He exhaled shakily. “Like I deserved it.”

Your chest tightened. “You didn’t.”

He shook his head, eyes glassy. “I know it’s fake. I know it’s planned. But when Osiris grabbed me like that? When Cutler hit me? When Deon—” His voice broke completely. “When Deon looked me in the eyes and didn’t even blink? It felt real. Too real.”

You slid your hand up to his cheek, guiding his face toward yours. “Because you trusted them.”

He nodded, swallowing hard. “They’re my boys. They’re my family. And even if it’s just for TV… it still felt like they were choosing to leave me behind.”

You leaned your forehead against his, your voice barely above a whisper. “You’re not being dramatic. You’re not being weak. You’re human. And what happened out there? Anyone would feel that.”

Sequann’s breath trembled as he finally let himself lean into you, his forehead dropping to your shoulder. His hands came up to grip your waist — not tight, not desperate, just… needing you there.

“I didn’t think it would hurt like this,” he admitted, voice muffled against your shirt. “I thought I was ready. I thought I could handle it.”

You wrapped your arms around him, holding him close. “You don’t have to handle it alone.”

He let out a shaky exhale, the kind that sounded like he’d been holding it in since the moment the bell rang.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “For being here. For… for seeing me.”

You kissed the top of his head. “Always.”

Sequann didn’t move for a long time. He just stayed there, breathing against your shoulder, letting himself feel everything he’d been trying to swallow down.

And for the first time since the betrayal, he didn’t look empty.

He looked like someone finally letting himself be held.

You slipped out of the trainer’s room once Sequann finally leaned back against the wall, eyes closed, breathing steadier. He wasn’t crying anymore, but the hurt was still written all over his face — raw, exposed, impossible to hide.

He needed a minute.

And he needed them.

You stepped into the hallway quietly, pulling the door shut behind you.

Cutler, Deon, and Osiris were standing a few feet away — not in character, not posturing, not acting like the monsters they’d been on TV ten minutes ago. Just three guys who looked… guilty.

Cutler’s arms were crossed, jaw tight. Osiris kept pacing, rubbing the back of his neck. Deon looked like he hadn’t taken a full breath since the match ended.

They all froze when they saw you.

Osiris spoke first, voice low. “Is he… is he okay?”

You exhaled slowly. “He’s not hurt. Not physically.”

Cutler nodded once, relief flickering across his face.

“But emotionally?” you continued. “He’s wrecked.”

Deon flinched.

You stepped closer, lowering your voice. “Look… I know it’s storyline. I know it’s business. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t hit him hard. You guys are his family. And right now? He needs you.”

Osiris stopped pacing. “You think he’ll even want to see us?”

You nodded. “Yeah. I do. He’s hurting, but he doesn’t want to be alone.”

Cutler let out a breath he’d been holding. “We didn’t mean for it to feel like that. We thought he knew the beats.”

“He did,” you said gently. “But knowing and feeling aren’t the same thing.”

Deon finally spoke, voice barely above a whisper. “Can we… can we go in?”

You gave him a small, sad smile. “Yeah. Go on.”

They exchanged a look — a silent agreement — then followed you back toward the trainer’s room. You pushed the door open and stepped aside so they could enter first.

Sequann looked up immediately.

For a moment, no one moved.

Then Osiris stepped forward, slow and careful. “Yo… Squan… you good, man?”

Sequann’s eyes softened — just a little. “Yeah. I’m… I’m alright.”

Cutler came next, leaning against the counter. “We didn’t mean to go that hard. We thought you were cool with it.”

Sequann nodded. “I was. I am. It just… hit different.”

Deon stayed back, hands in his pockets, guilt written all over him. “I’m sorry, bro. For real. I should’ve checked on you sooner.”

Sequann looked at him for a long moment.

Then he nodded. “It’s cool. We’re good.”

You watched as the tension slowly melted out of the room — replaced by something softer, something familiar. Sequann wasn’t alone anymore. His boys were here. His family was here.

And for the first time since the betrayal, he smiled.

A small one.

A tired one.

But real.

You stepped back, letting them talk quietly — laughing a little, apologizing a lot, rebuilding the trust that storyline had shaken.

Darkstate had fallen tonight.

But in this tiny trainer’s room, away from the cameras and the crowd, they were putting themselves back together.

And Sequann wasn’t hurting alone anymore.

The End

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