Gunther x female Reader
Warnings: none.
A/N: this is very bad, I haven't written in years.
Y/N was a bright star in NXT with a bright future ahead of her, but she wanted more. She had seen plenty of NXT stars come to Raw or Smackdown and make their debut on the main roster, they challenged people or they simply just showed up for a couple of matches and despite having only been on NXT for a year she thought to herself, if they could do it why couldn't she?
So here she was, in Adams Pearce's office, nervously asking for a match on Raw fully expecting him to tell her no, but he didn't.
"I've seen your matches down at NXT, I'm very impressed." Adam Pearce complimented a smiling Y/N. "I definitely wouldn't mind putting you in a match tonight." He said making Y/N ask him if he was being serious before smiling and nearly bouncing up and down with joy, but that joy was cut short as a sudden loud bang nearly gave her a heart attack. It was the door to Adam Pearce's office and Y/N looked over startled to see who it was.
Gunther.
He had been gone for months and there he was looking as uninterested as ever. He walked towards Adam Pearce making Y/N back up next to the other side of Adam, he hardly noticed Y/N as he stared down Adam Pearce. "Gunther," Adam said trying to fake enthusiasm. "Good to see you again." He tried his best to sound professional but he wasn't much of a fan of Gunther. Without hesitation Gunther immediately began his demands. "Forget CM Punk or Jey Uso," he said in an almost disgusted tone "I should be #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship." Gunther said, Adam Pearce sighed loudly in annoyance, he hated when people came into his office immediately demanding things. "You know that's not how this works. If you want a title shot again, you have to earn it." Said Pearce, Gunther looked furious. This was ridiculous, CM Punk and Jey Uso make joke champions in Gunther's eyes, the World Heavyweight Championship belonged to Gunther. So he argued, he told Adam Pearce exactly how he felt about the two fighting at Saturday Night's Main Event and how much more deserved it, Y/N awkwardly watched. Maybe she should leave? But she still never found out who her opponent would be. Maybe she should come back later.
"No!" Adam Pearce shouted making Y/N snap out of daze. "That's not how this works! You don't come into my office making demands." Adam Pearce said angrily, Y/N felt awkward but she justified herself in her head, she didn't come to Raw making demands, she simply asked if she could have a match.
"You know what Gunther? You want a match? You want to earn your way into a title picture, fine. You've got a match tonight." Adam Pearce said, Gunther scowled but agreed. Anyone that Adam put in front of Gunther he'd destroy, he wasn't worried.
"A mixed tag match." Adam said catching both Y/N and Gunthers attention. Gunther looked confused and annoyed, "Mixed tag? I don't do mixed tag matches." Said Gunther feeling incredibly insulted. "Well, tonight you do." Adam said simply before backing up to allow Gunther and Y/N to now finally see each other, although Gunther paid her no mind as he kept glaring at Adam. "And this is your partner." Adam said gesturing over to Y/N whose eyes widened as she stared at Adam in shock and now looking almost slightly worried at Gunther. Gunther turned his gaze over to Y/N, he looked her up and down and laughed mockingly. "I can't tag with this....child." he spat out, Y/N looked incredibly offended.
"Child?" She questioned but he ignored her.
"Well, you two better figure it out because your match is next." Said Adam Pearce. They both looked at Adam Pearce annoyed before slowly they made eye contact, Gunther slowly walked closer to Y/N, towering over her. Her breath hitched, she looked up at him with an almost fearful look. She wasn't scared of him, he was just intimidating and she most definitely was intimidated. "Just stay out of my way." Gunther said before giving her one last look and walking away. Gunther slammed the door behind him which made Y/N jump. She finally took a breath, not having realized she had even been holding her breath for so long. Okay, this was no time to get nervous or panic she thought. Y/N was a slight bit annoyed with Adam Pearce but as to not ruin her chances on Raw, she said thanked him, although a bit sarcastic sounding, and walked away to get ready for her match.
At gorilla, she was just as nervous as she had been during her NXT debut, but this was a much larger crowd and it was like she had never wrestled a day in her life. Her music hit and she took a deep breath before walking out, the crowd seemed to recognize her and they cheered decently enough for Y/N's liking, suddenly her nerves melted away and she was able to appreciate how much of an amazing moment this was. Here she was on Raw, sold out show and crowd cheering for her. She smiled but her smile slowly faded as suddenly her music stopped and Gunthers music started, she turned around and there he came, walking towards her with that intimidating face and walk.
He had walked straight past her without even just a small glance her way, she walked behind him, trying to keep up with him. They got in the ring at the same time and when Gunther turned around, there she was. He had nearly slammed into her with how close she accidentally was, he glared at her but said nothing. Then, Judgement Day's music hit and there came out Dominik Mysterio, Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez. Gunther laughed, what an easy match this would be. He could take Dominik out with his eyes closed. Y/N however seemed to not find the humor in this situation, Roxanne was a good opponent and she knew exactly how Judgement Day worked, Raquel would be there to try and help and given who her tag partner was, Y/N knew this was practically a three on one.
The bell rang and Y/N looked over at Gunther almost nervously. "Stay over there, this will be quick." Gunther said shooing Y/N away. Y/N walked towards the ropes and got on the apron, Gunther started the match and immediately began wailing on Dominik. After much abuse, Dominik eventually managed to get a few kicks in and run over to Roxanne to tag her in. Gunther looked aggravated, especially as Roxanne mouthed off to him in her annoying voice. Gunther glared at Roxanne and turned around as the referee warned him to tag Y/N in, he scowled and turned to Y/N and in an almost entirely sarcastic and condescending way, he put his hand out for her to tag. She glared at him slightly before just as equally with attitude, she tagged herself in and got into the ring. What she didn't mean to do was look at Gunther the whole time she was getting into the ring which distracted her and made it easy for Roxanne to run up and drag Y/N away by her hair. Gunther watched unimpressed, this is exactly what he thought would happen if Y/N got in the ring. Truth be told, he never watched any of Y/N's match and hardly knew of her but so far from what he was seeing, she wasn't worth knowing.
But one counter changed everything, granted, it was a dirty move to do and Gunther found it very childish but it worked nonetheless and gave Y/N the upper hand. Roxanne had had Y/N in a submission and without thinking, Y/N bit Roxanne's hand making her yelp and let go, the referee warned her not to do it again and Gunther watched as Y/N began finally getting some offense in. Gunther wouldn't deny how good somebody was and if he was being fair, Y/N was good. Her technical style was fantastic and as much as he didn't want to admit it, she was good. Better than what he thought.
He watched her wrestle and suddenly his opinion of this match changed, the second he had to tag her in he was sure they would lose but now he was almost positive that they'd win. That was, until Judgement Day cheated. Y/N had gotten close to the ropes without realizing that Dom was on the floor right by her feet, just as she was about to run and do her finisher, Dominik grabbed her ankles making her fall flat on her face. Y/N grabbed her nose in pain and Gunther watched annoyed. Not that he particularly cared for Y/N, in fact he didn't care at all. But what he didn't care for even more, was cowardice. Judgement Day were cowards, anyone that has to constantly cheat is just showing that they're not that good. And Gunther, was about honor. Sure, he was mean and sometimes cruel, but he respected anyone who could best him and had an ego because he knew he was that good and he could back it up. Judgement Day couldn't say the same. He examined the situation before quickly deciding what to do, Gunther jumped from the apron onto the floor and ran towards Judgement Day's side and with a quickness, kicked Dominik Mysterio so hard he practically flew to the other barricade. Raquel watched in shock and quickly ran over to check if he was okay, Roxanne began yelling at Gunther from the ropes, all of which he ignored. Y/N saw the opportunity and took it, she quickly crawled over and rolled Roxanne up for the victory.
Y/N practically jumped to her feet but stumbled horribly, the referee checked on her before raising her hand up, Gunther got in the ring and the referee raised his hand as well. In an almost condescending way, Gunther clapped for Y/N but he certainly didn't look like he meant it. He looked as if he was mocking her and in her mind, he probably was.
The lights in the arena went down for commercial break and Gunther and Y/N walked backstage. They walked alongside each other but didn't say a word till the end of the hallway where the male and female lockers separated. Stupidly and childishly, Y/N spoke first.
"uhm," she said catching his attention, making him turn around. Truthfully he was going to head straight to the locker room without saying a word to her, what was the point? They partnered up, albeit forcibly, they won and that was it. They had no reason to be speaking to each other ever again. At least, that was what was on Gunther's mind.
"Good match right?" Y/N said awkwardly as Gunther stared at her like she was the most annoying thing in the world. He can give her credit in some areas, like her wrestling ability, but that was it. As for social skills, it seemed like Y/N hardly had any. "We really did great....so uh...I'll see around I guess." She said now realizing how stupid she was.
"Let me make something clear to you, dummes Mädchen," he said, and while Y/N didn't know what that meant, she knew for sure it couldn't have been anything nice. "We," he said gesturing between the two of them. "Are not friends. We had a match in which I had to save you by the way, or we would've lost, and that's it." Gunther said, Y/N's once slight polite smile now turned into a frown. How rude. She knew Gunther already could be awful but she thought maybe if she were just a little nice then maybe he would be too, but she was clearly mistaken.
"Noted." She said dryly before walking away. How could she be so stupid? She walked away feeling slightly embarrassed and hoping to avoid Gunther at all cost but that seemed to be impossible. When she went back to NXT, to her surprise, she got a visit from an apologetic Adam Pearce.
"I'm sorry Y/N for putting you together with Gunther, I was frustrated and I brought you into something and that really was unprofessional of me." He explained, Y/N smiled sweetly and told him that it was no worry and that she understood. "And look, to make it up to you I've booked you in a #1 contender match against Roxanne." He said making Y/N smile brightly, this was the best news she had heard all week and it definitely overshadowed the embarrassment she felt at trying to be nice to Gunther earlier in the week.
"Really? Thank you so much! I won't let you down I swear." She smiled and without thinking, hugged Adam Pearce who was a little taken aback but put a hand on her back respectfully, Y/N was sweet and it did make Adam Pearce feel bad to have put her in a situation like that.
Y/N had totally forgotten how embarrassed she once was until she saw Gunther in catering eating a plain boring salad, she watched him for second before her embarrassment came back suddenly and without meaning to, she dropped a glass which made a very loud sound and caught Gunther's attention. Y/N wanted to die right then and there, she apologized profusely, she couldn't admit that she had gotten distracted by the now staring at her Ring General. She looked over and he was looking at her curiously and she quickly snapped her head. Feeling as though she was going to be laughed at, she walked quickly to a far away empty table to eat her fruits. What an idiot honestly, could she be more embarrassing?
She tried to think about her match and not the pure dread she felt. Soon, she finished her food and quickly ran out from catering and to the locker room not knowing that Gunthers eyes had followed her.
What a strange girl. He was surprised to see her back on Raw and wondered if this was just an opportunity or would he be seeing more of this strange girl. He could admit she had some skill although, now that he thought back on it, she was a bit sloppy and Gunther was a perfectionist. He had no doubt she was just like every other NXT girl. Bright-eyed and hopeful, excited to "tell a story" for everyone and had no real care for the principals and art of wrestling. And like every other NXT girl before her, Y/N would no doubt come to the main roster and become irrelevant or end up getting released and working shows in school gyms or selling pictures to weirdos online. Gunther was not impressed.
Even still, he found himself walking by a monitor and stopping. He was watching her match and again, there was that skill. If only she could just tune it a little bit. He surprised himself, he had stood there with arms cross watching the monitor with a stern look on his face but the match was cut short by Y/N once again getting tripped by Dominik Mysterio, she held her already sore from last week nose but still kicked out of a pin.
Roxanne began arguing with the referee while Y/N rolled out the ring to catch her breath for a couple seconds before she grabbed onto the ring apron and pulled herself to her feet and began to get up to get into the ring when once again, Dominik grabbed Y/N's ankle, pulling her down and making her smack her face straight onto the side of the ring. Dom quickly weasled away and was far gone by the time the referee began counting.
Gunther watched with a slight feeling of annoyance.
Unfortunately, Y/N was counted out and lost the match. She was livid, her once sweet features now showing nothing but anger. She glared as the laughing Judgement Day mocked her while backing up onto the ramp. Y/N would not let this go, this is the second time they've cheated and now she had lost a match on Raw, what a waste of an opportunity. It wasn't enough to have a rematch, no, she wanted payback and that's exactly what she set out to do when she stormed backstage.
Jumping Roxanne would be terrible, not exactly a Raw worthy candidate although given some of the people on Raw, Y/N thought with behavior like that she'd fit right in. What she wanted most to do was kick that stupid mustache right off of Dirty Dom's face. Gunther once again watched her in a distance only this time she didn't notice at all, he watched her pace around frustratedly. He didn't care. Ironically, Gunther's match coming up was against Dominik Mysterio which would be an easy night for him, and unlike Y/N, absolutely nobody would interrupt a Gunther match without having a serious death wish.
Gunther made his way down to the ring, then Dominik. The match began and as Gunther expected, he immediately got the upper hand which made Dom leave the ring several times. It was aggravating, it was cowardly and eventually Gunther got tired of this and his abuse towards Dominik became even harsher.
Suddenly, Y/N's music hit and Gunther accidentally loosened his hold on Dominik while looking over to see her. She came storming down the ramp angrily and ran to the ring, hopping on the apron and beginning to loosen the turnbuckle pad. The referee ran over and began questioning her and yelling at to get down, which she did, and when the referee's back was turned to tie it back on, Y/N slipped into the ring and immediately kicked Dominik between the legs so harshly that even Gunther seemed to wince.
She immediately rolled out the ring and watched with a satisfied look on her face and Gunther looked at her, not really sure what to make of the situation. On one hand, he could find humor in the situation and admired that she wasn't willing to just back down, on the other, she ruined his match. He didn't need her help and he certainly didn't need her interrupting his matches. The referee turned around and looked confused as Dominik was still hands between his legs and clutching for dear life, Gunther put a simple foot on his chest and the referee began counting. He won.
She walked backstage completely satisfied with herself, what she didn't expect was Gunther to stop her.
"That was very cute." The familiar intimidating accent said behind her, she turned quickly and there he stood, once again towering over her as if she were a child. "I admire your need for revenge, but I will say this, don't ever interrupt one of my matches again." He said in an almost threatening tone and Y/N was confused. If he won, what's the big deal? She wasn't purposely interrupting his match to annoy him, she was just trying to get back at Dominik Mysterio for ruining her match. But rather than explaining herself, there seemed to be only one thing that slipped out of her mouth.
"Or what?" She said.
She surprised herself honestly but rather than being thrown across the room like a volleyball, Gunther only chuckled. She amused him, so for that, he would let this slide.
As the weeks went by, Y/N was invited back to Raw many times after and before she knew it, she was on the main roster. She loved it, her schedule was much busier but she didn't mind it, she was happy. The only thing ruining her Raw experience was Gunther. Perhaps ruining it was a strong word, he wasn't ruining it but he was just always there. They seemed to have a habit of running into each other and in Y/N's case, that meant sometimes literally running into Gunther which she then awkwardly apologized for and ran off. Wherever he was, she somehow ended up there. Y/N felt like the universe was playing a cruel joke on her.
Gunther seemed to think differently, it wasn't some cosmic force bringing them together, it was Y/N. He was almost convinced that she was bumping into him and constantly around on purpose, or maybe he was just noticing her more than he noticed anyone else. But that couldn't be it, sure, Y/N was pretty but what overshadowed that was how annoying she was.
Gunther stood there once again, arms crossed, and watching the monitor. There Y/N was trying her hardest against Raquel Rodriguez. He watched intensely as they fought, there again was that sloppy skill Gunther had taken notice of. But much like the times before, she was cheated out of a win.
She walked backstage feeling like she needed to throw whatever she could get her hands on but for the sake of professionalism, she didn't. Again, Gunther watched and he even seemed to notice just how much Roxanne and Raquel took a real dislike to Y/N. The following weeks were no different, and that dislike bled into other matches Y/N had that Judgement Day weren't even a part of.
Y/N decided enough was enough, she was going to storm into Adam Pearce's office and demand he take care of this just like she had practiced in the mirror for weeks. But the practice was useless, as soon as she walked into Adam Pearce's she suddenly felt less brave, especially as Gunther was right there too making her feel even more embarrassed.
Of course Gunther was there, why wouldn't he be? He always seemed to be around at the worst times. Gunther looked at her with what Y/N could make out was a scowl, or perhaps that was just her face, she honestly couldn't tell but what she did know was that this would be less embarrassing if he wasn't here.
"Y/N, nice to see you. Just one moment okay?" Adam Pearce said politely and suddenly all the mean things she was going to say, disappeared. She politely nodded her head and said nothing, Adam Pearce smiled and turned back to Gunther and his smile instantly faded.
Adam Pearce sounded aggravated, frustrated, Y/N had no idea what they were talking about but it sounded like Gunther was still trying to shove himself into the World Heavyweight Championship match. Maybe, Y/N thought, if she were more assertive like Gunther then maybe she could get things done, but that was giving him too much credit. Assertive? Rude perhaps, at least in Y/N's eyes, but she noticed something. As Pearce was talking, Gunther just continued to stare at her. Did she have something on her face or in her teeth? Maybe her false eyelashes were sliding off? Y/N turned her head in any other direction but Gunthers. Both to avoid eye contact and to see if there was anything reflective she could check her appearance in.
"Are you even listening?" Both Y/N and Gunther looked at Adam Pearce who seemed like if he had hair, he'd be ripping it out right about now. Gunthers eyes flickered back to Adam. Was he staring at her? Why was he staring at her? The conversation dragged on again and in an effort to be more assertive, she interjected.
"Listen," she said getting both men's attention, they both looked at her and she gulped, her heart beating fast. She couldn't do this, she wasn't an assertive person. Even so, she spoke despite her heart hammering away. "I'm sorry but this is really important." She said, before Adam could say anything Gunther spoke.
"So important that you had to interrupt my meeting?" Said Gunther.
"Yes," she said making Gunther raise an eyebrow, "Wait no." She said realizing how it sounded, she wasn't here to purposely interrupt Gunthers meeting, she didn't even know he had one.
"Which is it Y/N?" Gunther questioned as Adam Pearce seemed over it already.
"No, no I'm not here to interrupt you on purpose but—"
"But what Y/N? It may not be your original intention but it is exactly what you are doing." He said getting closer, Adam Pearce shot Gunther a warning glare but he again stepped in front of Y/N, making her feel so small and weak as he looked down at her.
"So immature, so childish." Gunther said rudely, Y/N's once awkward face turned into a glare, and it was the first time he had ever seen Y/N ever look this angry before, not even Judgement Day brought a face out of Y/N like this.
"Hey! What's your problem?" And without thinking, she shoved a finger to his chest almost as if she were scolding him. Gunther looked down at her finger jammed lightly into his chest and back up to her eyes, he smiled. Now this was amusing. Who was she kidding?
"Why are you such a..." And she hesitated, maybe she was taking this too far? But Gunther seemed to still find the humor in this, or rather, he didn't take Y/N seriously at all.
"A what? Go on, speak your mind." Said Gunther.
"A dick." She said making both Adam and Gunther stare at her in surprise, Gunther laughed, a genuine laugh that only annoyed Y/N more. He then patted Y/N on the head, she slapped his hand away but he kept laughing. His laugh rang through her ears and her face turned red in embarrassment, she could honestly cry from how stupid she felt and how angry she felt. What was Gunther's problem? Why did he seem to enjoy being so cruel to others, specifically Y/N. Without thinking, Y/N slapped him across the face surprisingly hard. She gasped and put both hands to her face. She was shocked and Gunther's smiling face now showed a murderous look.
"Gunther, I am so sorr—"
Gunther stepped so close to Y/N that she nearly fell over from him practically running into her. Y/N regretted her decision, slapping him felt satisfying but it definitely wasn't worth the possible chop coming her way. Adam quickly put his arms in between them and tried pushing Gunther away fearing for Y/N's safety. Gunther put his hands up, he wasn't going to hit her, of course not, he was a gentleman. He was only going to berate her till she cried, but he had to admit, she was pretty ballsy (or stupid) to do something like that. The initial shock wore off and he seemed not upset her while Y/N seemed to feel genuinely bad for him.
"That's enough you two!" Adam shouted making them both snap back into reality and look at him. "I won't have this." Y/N looked at him confused, why was she getting yelled at too? I mean, she slapped him sure but what about the other times he was mean? Did that not matter? When Y/N pointed this out Adam seemed to understand her upset but quickly Gunther interrupted.
"Again, so childish. You know, I was starting to gain a little bit of respect for you but I see that you are not brave at all, you're impulsive. You make stupid decisions and act like a child after." Said Gunther earning a glare from Y/N.
"I said I was sorry!" She said.
"Yes, that's the problem—"
"Stop it! Both of you!" Adam interrupted.
Gunther and Y/N stared at each other. They seemed to not listen to a word Adam Pearce said until something really caught their attention.
"You want a title shot so bad Gunther? Fine, you got it. It'll be you vs Jey Uso and CM Punk at Saturday Night's Main Event." Gunthers attention finally focused on Adam Pearce and it took him a second to register what was said but when it did, Gunther smirked while Y/N scoffed.
"That's not really fair, he gets given an opportunity despite being literally Satan—"
"Life isn't fair dummes Mädchen" said Gunther.
"You're right Gunther, life isn't fair" said Adam Pearce. "That's why for your match, I have the perfect referee in mind to make sure everything is fair." They both stared at Adam almost wide eyed, he gestured to Y/N with a smile. "Y/N here will be the special guest referee." He said making Y/N's jaw nearly drop to the floor. I mean, what an opportunity sure but as if Gunther didn't hate her already.
"You can't do this!" Gunther said getting into Adam's face, Adam glared. "I can, and I just did."
The days leading up to the match had both Y/N and Gunther worried. They seemed to be avoiding each other however when they passed by each other in the halls, Gunther always made sure to stare at Y/N as if she had set his house on fire and Y/N seemed to be avoiding eye contact entirely but she always managed to catch his glare. Y/N was nervous, not just because she'd be in charge of such a large match but because Gunther began making her nervous. There was something about him that made Y/N feel stupid, the small interactions they've had made Y/N feel like she had to IQ of a rock and even when avoiding him, he seemed to just always be on her mind.
Without meaning to, she watched him in the halls. She watched him catering, and occasionally when he had a match she seemed to stay at the monitor a little too long. Her thoughts suddenly began consumed by him and she was more than annoyed with herself about it. Gunther seemed to be suffering a similar issue although his thoughts were more on which way he'd throw Y/N across the arena if she messed this up for him and he was sure she would.
But Y/N wasn't planning on it. If the roles were reversed she'd want Gunther to be fair so she would do the same for him but she knew this was his worry and despite everything, she just couldn't.
The day of the match she got into her cute referee gear that she had got custom made, she admired herself in the mirror but something caught her attention in the reflection behind her. It was Gunther. He paced back and forth, occasionally doing some kind of stretch before going back to pacing. He looked like he was thinking something deeply, Y/N wondered if he was actually worried and a part of her felt bad but at the same time, did Gunther ever get worried? She could not see him as a nervous person and maybe he deserved to be worried.
Y/N tried to ignore him, if he was worried then good! He deserved it. But there was a small voice in her head asking her a question: Did he?
Y/N sighed and turned around, walking towards Gunther hesitantly with her heart racing. He looked up and there she stood, he stared her up and down not really meaning to, Y/N gulped.
"Hi.." she said awkwardly gaining no response from Gunther. He looked at her with a glare on his face, or perhaps that was just his regular face. "I just wanted to say that um..if you're worried about me not letting you win, that's not gonna happen." She said nervously, again, he said nothing. "I know you don't like me and you probably don't believe me but I'm being honest with you and I promise you that I'm going to be fair." Gunthers once stoic face had a small tiny hint of confusion or maybe intrigue, with Gunther it was hard to tell.
"I uh, I pinky promise." Y/N smiled softly but awkwardly, holding out her pinky which Gunther just stared at her hand and then Y/N's face. Y/N was such a strange girl, Gunther really couldn't make much sense of her and in a way, that intrigued him.
Y/N grabbed Gunther's hand which made Gunther snap out of his thoughts and stare Y/N holding his hand up towards her and wrapping her pinky around his. Her hands were warm and soft, a contrast between his cold and rough ones.
"See? Now it's official. I can't ruin your match." Again, another awkward smile from Y/N as she looked up at him. He didn't say anything, mostly because for the first time he was at a weird loss of words, the shift between finding Y/N slightly annoying to finding her strange in a matter of seconds was strong. Mainly because, if despite everything and her feelings towards him she didn't ruin his match, it would be a complete shock to him.
Y/N had stood there for way to long, accidentally holding Gunthers hand and staring up at him as if she were thinking a million things. When she realized she was still there and still holding his hand with her pinky wrapped around his she apologized and let go. "Well uh, I'll see you later....good luck." She said quickly before walking away and cursing herself in her head. Why was she so damn awkward?
Gunther watched as she walked away now having Y/N in her his head when he should be focused on the match but it was no matter, once it was time for it he was fully confident and prepared, the only thing stopping him was Y/N who stood in gorilla along with Punk and Jey Uso, looking nervous. She bit her nails and fidgeted around waiting for her music to hit. It finally did and she went out and smiled and waved to the crowd, high fiving everyone that had their hands out. Then it was time for everyone else to come out. First it was Jey Uso, then CM Punk and then it was Gunther. Y/N stared at him and she could've swore he was making his way down the ramp staring directly at her but she was hoping she was just being paranoid.
After entrances were done and the match type was announced, Y/N stood there a little nervous as she's never been a referee before and before she knew it, the bell had rung.
Y/N did the usual referee things, telling them to get off the ropes, counting, counting when they were outside the ring and Y/N was weirdly having a lot of fun.
Though, that fun ended quickly.
It was a rookie mistake really, standing too close to the wrestlers, how was she to know really? She wasn't a referee. Y/N stood behind Jey Uso way too closely watching the match, Gunther went for one of his signature chops with Jey ducked out of, Gunther accidentally swung hard into Y/N's chest making her collapse. Gunther did not mean this obviously and surprisingly, he felt bad. There was Y/N on the floor clutching her chest and gasping for air as other referees came to check on her. She struggled to breathe and all opponents stopped to see if she was okay.
Jey Uso apologized profusely stating he had no idea she was behind him, Gunther just watched. Surprisingly, Y/N pushed away the other referees stating she was fine and used the ropes to try and get up, to her surprise, Gunther helped her up. He reached a hand out and she took it hesitantly but got to her feet. They looked at each other for a moment. And again he surprised her by simply asking if she was okay to which she simply nodded her head.
The match went on as normal and near count after near count had Gunther frustrated, one particular near count CM Punk had kicked out which slightly shot Gunther towards Y/N who was on her knees counting, they sat there close together and Gunther gave Y/N a frustrated look, she gave him a sympathetic look and repeated to him that it was only two. He continued the match and finally after a powerbomb and throwing CM Punk out the ring, Gunther pinned Jey Uso for the title.
The crowd booed and Y/N reached out for the title that was handed to her ringside, she walked over to Gunther and handed it to him which made him smile, she gently grabbed his wrist and lifted his arm up pointing to him. Slowly, they made their way back up to the ramp and backstage, Y/N was going to go back to the locker room to change when something stopped her, a familiar accent she knew all too well.
"Y/N" his voice intimidating as always, she turned around still clutching her chest from earlier. Gunther noticed this and again, a small twinge of guilt. Which was odd, in any normal circumstance he would've blamed her, completely her fault, she should've not been so close but weirdly, he didn't feel that way. "Are you all right?" He asked catching Y/N off guard. She blinked and stared at him as if he just grew a third eye, was he okay?
"Uhh, yeah. Yeah I'm okay, just you know...dying a little bit." She joked which actually earned a small smile from Gunther. "Uhh, are you okay? Did you hit your head when I wasn't looking?" She asked making him chuckle softly. "I did not mean to hit you." He said, Y/N nodded her head slowly. "It's okay...I'm okay really." She said smiling though a giant red mark appeared on her chest and Gunther was sure that would bruise. "I must admit, for such a small weak person you took that very well, I was expecting you to need to be taken backstage after that." There he was, but strangely, in his own way, that was a compliment. "And you kept your word." He said referring back to the forced pinky promise.
"I told you I would. I take pinky promises very seriously Gunther." His name sounded sweet coming from her and the conversation they were having for once wasn't completely abysmal. Gunther honestly gained a slight bit of respect for Y/N, not only did she take that chop and get right back up to finish the match, she kept her word. Despite everything he had said to her, she kept her word even if it was over a stupid childish way of promising.
They stared at each other, Y/N took a deep breath once again rubbing her chest as if it were hard to breathe. "You should probably go see doc or perhaps rest for a bit." He suggested, Y/N smiled again a bit awkwardly and nodded her head. "Yeah, I probably should....well...uh...bye. oh and congratulations." She smiled and turned away walking back towards the doctors with her hand to her chest. Gunther again, seemingly as always, watched.
The next few weeks were weird. They bumped into each other plenty, saw each other plenty but there was no longer glares or hostility. They both thought back to that match, Y/N thought about how it seemed as though Gunther no longer disliked Y/N, at least not completely and she found that strange. Gunther thought about Y/N, how strange she was and thought back to her smile and promise and strange resilience. Without meaning to, Y/N seemed to stare at Gunther a lot and she wasn't as subtle as she thought she was because Gunther had caught her doing it many times.
Despite the new distraction, Y/N still had the same old problems: Judgement Day. She could never quite win clean over them and they still seemed to be coming in and ruining everything else for her and even with a talk with Adam Pearce finally, nothing seemed to work. Gunther could see Y/N's frustration building up and see how clearly no help was being given and even he was frustrated for her. Her ringwork became cleaner and she was good, he wouldn't ever not admit that but it seemed every single time she had the upper hand, she would get cheated out of a win. Y/N wasn't sure what to do especially as she had a big title opportunity coming up but she wasn't even excited at the thought of winning her first championship because she knew she was going to get interrupted as usual. In her racing thoughts, she had a strange idea, one that made her for sure think she had lost her mind.
She walked down the hall nervously, playing with her ring, twisting it all around her finger anxiously. There she stood in front of a door and sighed, she hesitated before knocking on the door gently. When it opened, there he stood. Standing over and looking down at her with his usual look.
"Gunther," she said softly, it was strange the way his mind seemed to react to her saying his name. "I...I know it's not your problem but...look, I've tried everything. I've gone to Adam Pearce and he was no help and I've tried to do it on my own and I just can't. Judgement Day ruins everything and...and I have this huge championship match tonight that I know they're gonna ruin it." She stopped herself realizing how stupid this was.
"What are you asking of me Y/N?" He said making her look back up at him.
"Just...well I was wondering if..if you could help me..maybe." she said nervously. This was a waste of time, and now Y/N felt embarrassed. "Sorry, you know what nevermind, I'm sorry, don't listen to me." She said beginning to walk away, again feeling like an idiot and cursing herself out internally.
"Give me one good reason I should help you." He called out to her, she stopped mid walk before turning around slowly, she stepped towards him. "Despite everything, I'm coming to you. Would I really be doing that if I wasn't desperate for help?" She looked at him in a way that almost made him slightly sympathetic towards her, but she sighed, she turned and walked away and headed to her match. Gunther of course watched her go, and he sat in his locker room staring down at the ground for awhile.
Y/N seemed not as excited during her entrance as commentary noted, she seemed nervous and unprepared. Then out came the champ, there was no sign of Judgment Day but she knew they'd be lurking, they took a strong dislike towards Y/N and had been for months now and it seemed as if for the rest of Y/N's career, they'd be there. The match started and it was clear the nerves were getting to Y/N, she could not seem to get the upper hand and even when she didn't slightly, she was constantly distracted looking around for where they might be.
But maybe that's what they wanted? Or at least, that was Y/N's hope. Despite how long the match was, they hadn't come out at all. Maybe they had given up on Y/N, maybe she'd be okay. Y/N began to gain confidence and finally there was that speak again, but it quickly was dimmed out when Judgement Day seemed to be watching and waiting for the right time. Roxanne and Raquel came from the audience out of nowhere as the referee was checking Y/N's opponent, they managed to grab Y/N's legs and trip her, making her fall off the top rope before they ran off towards the commentary area.
The referee turned around confused and began the check on Y/N, she thought about snitching but it would be no use, he didn't see it and even if he didn't believe, she couldn't win the title with a disqualification. Y/N got to her feet and continued to try and win but the Judgement Day seemed to loom over her like a dark cloud, they stalked her, they followed her every move and seemed to have mastered ruining the match without the referee seeing.
Y/N eventually had enough and rolled out the ring to confront them, but then she realized how foolish this was, one push from them and the match was over for her. She turned around to get back into the ring and was met with a nasty drop kick and cover but she kicked out.
After some time, and a lot of cheating. Y/N sat there with her hands in her hair, frustrated. Even if they were banned from ringside, they'd come back. She looked over at them, they smiled and waved at her. Y/N continued the match until eventually, Judgement Day decided that maybe they'd just ruin the match all together for her. They both hopped on the apron despite the referee yelling at them to get down, Y/N stared at them angrily and just when they began to get into the ring, a familiar music hit.
Everyone stopped and stared at the ramp, extremely confused, even the referee. And to Y/N's surprise, there he was. He walked with no urgency, just an angered look on his face and Y/N watched as he circled the ring and stood in front of the Judgment Day. Of course, they pretended not to care and mouthed off but then Gunther walked over to the time keeper area and grabbed a chair. Raquel and Roxanne stared wide-eyed as he walked over with a chair in hand. He wasn't really gonna hit them, just scare them off. Raquel tried to slap Gunther across the face but he caught her wrist and pushed her away before lifting the chair up. The girls backed up and ran off and Gunther followed, slowly and menacingly before they both ran up the ramp.
Y/N saw this all go down and nearly was pinned by roll-up from the distraction. She couldn't believe it, he was here, he was helping her all while yelling at her for almost getting pinned.
"Don't stare at me! Focus!"
Y/N nodded her head and turned to her opponent. Her confidence coming back, she was beginning to think she might actually win this. Her ringwork became less sloppy and she seemed to be enjoying herself more now. She loved wrestling.
Y/N stood on the apron about to do a dive into the ring onto her opponent when her opponent got up too quickly for Y/N to react and kicked her off the ring apron. Y/N gasped and maybe slightly squealed though she wasn't proud of it, but to her surprise, she never hit the ground. Her eyes were clenched shut so tightly it practically gave her a headache. She realized, she seemed to be floating. She opened her eyes and immediately was met with the intimidating stare of Gunther though he seemed to be a little less intimidating and almost had a strange expression on his face, it was a slight confusion almost. He stared at Y/N as he held her bridal style, he looked at her face and lips, her breathing became slow and she stared at him just confused.
"Sorry..." She said softly fully expecting him to just drop her on the ground, instead, he walked her over to the apron and surprisingly gently put her back on the ring. She couldn't help but stare at him but quickly made sure to get back to his usual self and immediately yelled at her for doing so. She got back into the ring but the entire match, her mind wasn't in the ring, it was on Gunther.
Gunther watched her every move, her every facial expression, everything she did. Y/N hit her finisher and crawled desperately over to her opponent. 1-2-3 and it was over, she was champion. Y/N looked shocked, her eyes wide and her jaw practically on the floor, she hopped to her feet and jumped around as the referee raised her hand in victory, she smiled widely and looked to Gunther but he was already walking away. Her smile faded and she actually felt disappointed.
She celebrated but her eyes were on Gunther as he walked backstage, her victory overshadowed but her sudden urge and need to talk to Gunther. A confusing feeling that she just chalked up to her wanting to thank him. That's all it was. She walked backstage and looked around for him, she received congratulations and smiles and she thanked them kindly but her mind was still on Gunther. She asked around for him which only earned her strange stares. Finally, she walked to his locker room and knocked on the door hopefully but her hope died down as with every knock, there was no answer. Her small smile faded, and she backed up. Y/N looked around and walked around, a backstage person noticed her and called out to her.
"Hey Y/N, you okay?" He asked, Y/N turned around and smiled, walking up to him. "Yeah uh, I was just looking for somebody." She said. "Oh, who you looking for?" He asked and for a second, Y/N almost didn't want to admit. A sudden redness came into her face but then she shook it off, she was being silly. There was no reason to be embarrassed or anything, she just wanted to thank him. "I was uh, actually looking for Gunther, have you seen him?" She asked trying to sound casual but really deep down hoping he had.
The backstage person stared at her oddly, raising his brow a bit. "Gunther?" He said as if maybe he misunderstood her but Y/N seemed to not correct him. "Last I saw of him was after your match, he left early." The man said. Y/N's heart dropped. "Like...he left the arena?" She asked. "Yeah, after your match he just left. Sorry." The man was confused at the sad look on her face and Y/N was confused about the sad feelings she felt, again she shook it off. "Oh it's okay, I was just looking for him to you know, say thanks or whatever but yeah I guess I'll catch him another time." Y/N tried to sound casually but even the man could hear the slight disappointment in her voice. She thanked him and went to catering spending the rest of the night thinking about Gunther.
The following days seemed weirdly torturous for Y/N, she constantly thought about Gunther and why he left, but she fought with herself, did it matter why he left? Why was she so hung up on seeing him next? It would be okay, they were employed by the same place, by Monday she'd be seeing him again no doubt. But what if he wasn't there? But of course he would be, he was champ and so was she. Her entire week was spent not thinking of her new championship, but about Gunther. When Monday rolled around, Y/N was excited but she didn't want to admit that that excitement was mainly at seeing Gunther. She denied it, in her head she was excited to show up to Raw as champion but clearly, it wasn't on her mind as she had accidentally left the belt in her rented car before suddenly remembering it when people backstage began saying "hey champ" and she had to run back and get it.
She looked around hoping to spot him, she thought about asking around but she didn't want seem desperate. But there was no need to feel that way, she was only looking to thank him and get it over with yet somehow, she grew more and more disappointed when she didn't see him. How was it that months ago when she wanted to avoid him the most, he was there and now when she wanted to see him, he wasn't anywhere to be found.
So Y/N did something a little stupid, she began asking everyone where he was. The good news was, he was there and had a match, the bad news was that she had just asked everyone.
"Do you know where he is right now?" She asked a backstage crew member. "Uh yeah, should be in his locker room." Y/N got too excited at this answer, and immediately asked where his locker room was and once given direction she practically ran to it. Once she got to his locker room she suddenly became nervous, she hesitated before knocking. Her heart beat fast and what was nervousness became excitement. But he never answered, she knocked again, nervously calling out his name. After a few tries that disappointment only became bigger, her head dropped and she sighed beginning to turn around and walk away when she bumped into something, or somebody.
She looked up and there he was.
Her face lit up with an expression she did not intend. "Gunther!" She said way too cheerful. His face was his usual but a slight hint of amusement. "I was looking for you." She said trying to sound normal. "I heard." He said simply. Her face turned bright red. It shouldn't have been embarrassing, but it was. She thought to herself that she was only excited because she wanted to say thank you and nothing more, after all, if he hadn't helped then she more than likely wouldn't have been champion right now.
"oh..." She said trying not to seem so embarrassed. "Yeah, uh sorry about that. I just wanted to say thank you for last week. You didn't have to help me but you did and I probably wouldn't have been champion without you and I'm just really grateful." Her voice came across shy and soft, Gunther could see the nervousness in her.
"is that all?" He asked, and it was. Yet, Y/N didn't want to go, she felt herself wanting to stay and make any excuse to talk to him but she knew there was none. Would this be the last time they interacted? They'd have no reason to, he hated her and she knew it and she hated him too, or she did. But now, here she was not wanting to leave and thinking up ways to carry on this conversation.
"Actually," she said completely making it up, she had no idea what she was even saying she just knew she had to keep talking. "I had a question for you." Y/N had no clue where she was going with this but she knew she had to think quick. "You know, we're gonna be in Orlando all week this week after this show and I was wondering if you..." She knew this was stupid. "If you wanted to...if you can...if you have time—"
"Get to the point already, Y/N."
The blush that came across her face at him saying her name was completely obvious and she was almost at a loss of words. What was wrong with her? Why was she acting like this? But deep down, she knew why. Her only worry now was that he did too.
"If you can train me." She blurted out. Train? Is that the best she could come up with? The answer was yes. Gunther raised an eyebrow and looked at her, slightly tilting his head.
"Train you?
"Yeah, train me, practice with me. I-I'm champion now and I have to step my game up and well you're really good you know? You're The Ring General and all that... I just thought...uh sorry, nevermind." How stupid, how could she possibly ask that? Y/N said a pathetic goodbye and walked away as Gunther watched. She spent the rest of that week replaying that moment over and over again hoping desperately now to avoid Gunther due to embarrassment although deep down, she really didn't mean it. She couldn't wait to see him again.
That week, Y/N went to the performance center by herself and rolled around for a few hours. She practiced new moves and holds, but every now and then a replay of the incident would play in her head and she'd have to sit down.
"What's wrong?" Said Lyra seeing Y/N sit at the corner of the ring while everyone else was practicing. "Nothing I just... I kinda did something really embarrassing." Said Y/N, Lyra was seated and wanted to hear all the details. When Y/N told her, Lyra stared at her oddly.
"You asked him to train with you?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
Y/N almost had a guilty look on her face.
"I don't know...I just thought it'd be a good idea." But Lyra wasn't buying that. "Y/N...do you..like Gunther?" She asked and finally, it was said. The thing Y/N had been avoiding thinking about for awhile now. Did she? She couldn't possibly. He was cruel to all, especially her. How could she possibly like him?
"Yeah, he's alright..." Y/N said casually.
"No, Y/N, you know what I'm asking." Said Lyra.
"I...I don't know I just... yeah...yeah I might actually."
Lyra was honestly shocked at the revelation. How could she like Gunther? He was mean and genuinely terrifying but Lyra didn't judge. Well, she maybe judged a little but mostly, she supported Y/N and told her that she had two options, to tell him or just try and get over her crush. Y/N decided to take the secret to her grave and after a bit of joking around, Y/N felt better and started practicing with Lyra. The both of them soared across the ring and had a fun time just goofing around and hanging out till it was nearly midday, Lyra said she had to go leaving Y/N by herself for awhile in the performance center. She sat in the ring once more doomscrolling and taking a break, she heard the door to the performance center open but didn't look up. She just kept on doomscrolling.
"Nice training." A familiar voice caught her attention and made her eyes snap up.
"Gunther."
There he was, getting inside the ring and walking towards Y/N. She stood up clumsily and stared at him, and accidentally looked him up and down. She has always either seen him in ring gear or a bit more fancier clothes, today he wore a regular T-shirt and workout shorts and Y/N seemed to be staring a little bit too obviously.
"You know, it's not polite to stare. Especially not where you're staring." He said with a slight smirk on his face, Y/N was mortified. "I...I wasn't staring. Sorry. I mean I was but not... I was just looking at you because I just never see you in regular people clothes you know?" She said nervously. He had a smile on his face for once. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"You asked me to train you so here I am, though, you're already wasting my time considering you've done nothing but scroll on your phone."
She was too shocked to respond with anything clever or at least defend herself in any way. She couldn't believe he was here. Was she dreaming? Was this a trick?
"I didn't actually think you'd show up." Said Y/N.
"Well, I'm here now so don't waste my time. Lock up."
And they began training, with every hold, with every little touch, Y/N felt as if she could melt but Gunther did not go easy on her. He threw her down hard enough to knock the wind out of her. Every top rope move she did, he caught her, every submission she tried was useless as he usually could just stand up out of it or undo her hands. He did his submission on her and she didn't even have time to blush as she quickly felt like she'd pass out from the hold, so she tapped.
"ow!"
"I'm not even putting pressure on you."
"Still hurts."
He rolled her away from him and Y/N laid there a sweaty out of breath mess. Gunther looked down at her and smirked, she kept up well.
"Come on, get up princess. Lock up." He said lightly kicking her shoe, Y/N groaned and rolled over to look up at him. "Can we take a break?" She asked turning over and crawling to the corner of the ring to grab her water bottle. Gunther watched her crawl away and walked towards her. She sat against the corner bottom rope, trying to catch her breath, Gunther stood above her before hovering down in front of her, his face way closer than she expected. Thankfully, her face was already red or she'd have a noticeable blush.
"There are no breaks mein liebling, you wanted me to train you and that is exactly what I'm doing." He said and Y/N was right, that's exactly what she asked but she didn't actually expect him to do it. She also didn't expect to be essentially getting beat up either when she asked.
"I know..."
"So unless you wanted me here for different reasons then I suggest you get up and lock up." He said and Y/N's heart sank, what did he mean by that? She didn't want him here for different reasons, well, she did but he didn't know that. Or did he? Y/N stood right up and walked to the middle of the ring. The training, which felt more like beating, continued and Gunther was honestly surprised she was lasting this long. Again, he was impressed.
Y/N was on her knees crumbled up and out of breath, she tried to get up but couldn't. Gunther walked over to her, looking down at her and offered a hand, she took it and stood up shakily, Gunther put an arm around her waist to steady her. She tried to avoid eye contact as she felt butterflies soar through her. They were extremely close and the arm around her waist only made their closeness even closer. She finally looked up at him with an expression that made Gunther not want to let go of her.
"Should we go again?" Y/N said in a breathy tone, Gunther raised an eyebrow. "You can't possibly want to do that again." He said in a low tone that made Y/N's heart do backflips. "Well...I.. I did ask you—"
"Y/N" he said getting your attention, you liked when he said your name. "I will only ask this once." Y/N's heart sank. What was he going to ask her? Did he know?
"This is more than just about training isn't it?" He knew. Y/N wanted to run off but she couldn't, he still has his arm around her waist and he held her close. She felt dizzy. She felt as though she could die right there and she secretly hoped she did, that would at least be a little less embarrassing than this. "I've seen the way you look at me, the way your body tenses when I'm around. The way you seek me out, you're not very subtle." He said with a smirk. Y/N was at a loss of words and she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.
"So...you just came here to make fun of me?" Her voice cracked a little. "You think I went out of my way to come down here and train with you for hours just to make fun of you?" He said. "Yes." She replied which made Gunther roll his eyes. "Childish girl, of course not. I came down here because you asked me to." Said Gunther still confusing Y/N. Not only was she not subtle, but she couldn't take hints either.
"I don't understand." She said softly.
"Then I'll make it simpler for you."
Gunther pulled her even closer, he gently put a hand on her cheek and leaned him. He kissed her gently and sweetly, but still dominating her mouth and Y/N's heart was racing so loud she could've sworn he could hear it.
Months later
Y/N and Gunther walked back to their locker room, Gunther was tired and sweaty which Y/N found the most attractive. They got inside their locker room and Gunther sat down, Y/N grabbed him a towel and handed it to him.
"Thank you, darling." He said. He patted his lap. "Come. Sit." Y/N sat on his lap as instructed and put an arm around him, kissing the side of his sweaty forehead. "You did it! You're John Cena's final opponent and you're definitely going to retire him." She said with a bright smile sitting on his lap. He drank his water and looked at her sitting on his lap and smiled.
"Yes but tonight I'm not focused on that. Tonight I'm focused on you and what I'm going to do to you later." He said pulling down Y/N's face into a kiss. "Or right now."