Man the side eye that Yuta gives Garcia whenever he speaks tells such a great story about their rivalry and tension within the Death Riders.
I can't wait for this to boil over 'cause I get the feeling if they truly let these two properly cook in the ring, they could deliver such legendary matches from this.
Moxley, like a true cult leader, is going to flip this around and tell Yuta he didn’t come out to save him because he believed in him enough to allow him to fight his own battles.
I've been in my Yoots feels lately, and then with what I saw happened at All In yesterday, this happened.
Can't promise that I'm 100% back with Dark Angel- as with work and college, I'm pretty busy all the time, BUT something once in a while might pop up :)
Didn't start out like I imagined either, but I guess my mind thought there needed to be more to the story? I don't question it anymore.
How it was already eight months into the year, Emery couldn’t understand. Another month, she felt as if her world had been turned upside down. Everything she knew, everything she had, it was slipping through her fingers- and she didn’t know where to turn or even to pick up the pieces.
Kenny was still gone, with no return in sight.
Hangman had lost his mind, no longer her lovable cowboy.
Wheeler kept his cold distance from her, being aligned with the BCC.
The Bucks…. She didn’t even want to think about how that had all gone wrong.
OC and Chuckie had moderately distanced themselves from her since the Trent betrayal- though they were slowly coming around. Slowly.
Eddie was out with an injury, with no return in sight.
Wardlow had aligned himself with a new devil, Adam, and had since ignored her completely.
Kris had turned as well, no longer the friend Emery once had.
Jungleboy was long gone, replaced by this new version of himself that he aligned with the Bucks.
Darby… was there for her, but he kept a slight distance- not wanting her to get hurt because of his antics against the Bucks.
Kyle. That seemed to be the one person she had left right now that kept her sane. Her longtime best friend. Her brother. Her rock.
She wanted to be able to wrestle, to take her mind off of everything, but unfortunately, the doctors wouldn’t clear Emery. A wave of dizziness had caused a misstep in training last week, leading her to awkwardly fall from the top rope. Although she had shaken it off and walked away, the dizziness seemed to stick around. No concussion came up in the scans, and there was no apparent reason for the swimming vision. The doctors and Tony Khan wanted to be sure, though- be sure that she wouldn’t accidentally hurt herself or her opponent, so no matches until the dizziness was gone for two straight weeks.
It wasn’t the first time this had happened, though, and a part of her wondered if it was the beginning of the signs telling her to end her career. Back in the early stages of AEW, Emery had constant dizzy spells that on-and-off lasted for almost two months. That, however, had been the effect of a botched move, where she had awkwardly landed on the back of her neck. Doctors were surprised that she didn’t have a fractured spine and wouldn’t need any surgery.
Now? All these years later, with all the shit she’d done in the ring since then? With everything else going on around her? Maybe it was fate telling her it was time to hang up the boots. She needed someone to talk to…. But who? Emery didn’t want to worry any of her friends…. The ones she had left anyway. The one she wanted to speak to…. It wasn’t much of an option because of the company he kept. Not that it mattered; Yuta had made it obvious last year that he didn’t want anything to do with her.
Sighing, Emery got out of her chair and began walking down the hall but immediately had to stop and lean against the wall as her vision swam. A small bout of nausea crept into her gut, and she had to close her eyes, willing it to all go away.
“Hey—you okay girl?” Willow asked, walking up to her, concern lacing her voice.
“I’m—I’m good, yeah,” Emery swallowed, focusing on breathing evenly until it all passed.
“You sure? I can go get OC or Kyle—”
“No—no, it’s…. I’m fine, really,” Emery argued, her voice soft, “Just…. Stood up too fast.”
Okay, that was a lie—but the last thing Emery wanted to do was worry either of them, especially right before their match.
“Alright, well—if you need anything, just let me know, okay?” Willow told her, a small, warm smile on her face. As the feeling ebbed away, Emery opened her eyes to look at the upbeat and friendly person who had recently become a good friend, bonding over the betrayal of Trent and Kris.
“I will…. Thanks.”
With a slight nod, Willow walked off in the opposite direction. Emery closed her eyes again, taking a moment to compose herself before continuing down the hall. Maybe some fresh air would help?
Before she knew it, August had passed and it was now September. Yet another month with no change to her life. Orange and Chuck slowly became themselves again, being around Emery more often, and Orange allowed himself to smile a bit more often.
Darby had gone radio silent since his loss to Jack at All In last month—just when she needed his calming touch. It was weird—how someone so chaotic like Darby could be the calming presence in another person's life, but that’s how it was for her. That was precisely what she needed, more and more lately, as the dizziness only worsened with each passing week. Emery tried not to think about it, tried not to let those close to her see how much she was struggling, but it was getting more difficult to hide.
The night of All Out – it all changed, as hiding it became impossible. She, Willow, and Mark Briscoe were walking down the hallway of the Chicago arena, waiting for Orange to arrive. Emery was trying to be happy and supportive of her friends, as they all had important matches that night – but the nausea in her stomach was intensifying with each step. The two competitors walked in front of her as Emery followed along, keeping her eyes downcast, focusing on breathing through the discomfort. Their conversation became muddled as a sudden intense wave of dizziness hit her, causing Emery to nearly crash into the wall beside her. Suddenly, Willow’s concerned face was right there, asking her something- but Emery couldn’t hear any of the words. Mark was over Willow’s shoulder, his fatherly instincts kicking in, knowing something was wrong with the younger talent. He asked Willow questions, trying to figure out what was going on, but before Willow could provide any answers, she lurched forward to catch Emery before she hit the floor completely, the strength completely leaving her body.
“Wha’ should I do?!”
“See if you can find Orange—or Chuck—someone!”
“On it—yous keep her safe!”
Mark ran down the hall, rushing past all in his way, yelling in his Briscoe way for people to move.
“He’s a strange one,” Claudio remarked, shaking his head as he readjusted his Trios championship on his shoulder.
“You’re telling me,” Bryan chuckled, “Come on, let’s get to the locker room- get ready for our matches.”
The two older BCC members, followed by Yuta, began walking down the hall, crossing at the intersection where Briscoe had run past them. They heard the frantic voice of Willow Nightengale down the hall to their left, and each briefly glanced towards her before turning their attention back to in front of them. However, as soon as Yuta did, his head snapped back to the left, squinting his eyes to see who was on the ground beside Willow.
“Wheeler?” Claudio questioned, looking back at the younger man. As Bryan turned to look, Yuta’s eyes went wide in concern as he took off in a full sprint down the hall—every animosity and confrontation from the past two years gone from his mind.
“Ree!” Yuta exclaimed, skidding to a stop beside her unconscious form on the ground. Willow looked at him, uncertainty in her eyes, but he paid her no mind as he knelt beside them.
“What happened?” Yuta demanded, his hand reaching out to gently brush Emery’s cheek, pushing some hair behind her ear. A pained groan reverberated through her body, her already closed eyes squeezing themselves further together.
“I-I don’t know! She seemed fine, but—”
“She’s obviously not!” Yuta snapped, but when another pained groan reached his ears, he swallowed the lump in his throat, “I--- I’m sorry. There…. There has to be something---”
“I don’t know if it’s what’s going on… but she’s complained about being dizzy lately?” Willow offered.
“Dizzy?” Yuta repeated as Claudio and Bryan walked up to stand near them. As Willow nodded, Yuta traveled down memory lane to 2020, shortly after he joined AEW. When he had been with the Best Friends. When Emery and he were close…. When he had wanted to ask her out…. She had some dizzy spells back then, too—due to a head injury of sorts.
“Wheeler—we should go,” Claudio tried, attempting to pry the younger man away verbally. He and Bryan knew how Yuta felt about Emery and how he had tried everything to get her off his mind.
“I--- Where’s Cassidy? Chuck?!”
“Mark went off to find them—We were the first three to the arena…” Willow explained.
“Wheeler.”
He looked up to his BCC companions, a grimace on his face when he nodded. Chuck and Orange would be there soon. It’d be okay. She’d be okay. Right?
As Yuta went to stand up, he felt a tug on his jacket and looked down, his eyes widening at the sight below him. Emery had reached out, her subconscious just barely aware of his presence. Her hand was gripping the bottom of his jacket. It took everything in him not to see it as a sign to stay.
He needed to leave. But how could he leave her there when she needed him? When she wanted him to stay?
“Wheeler.”
“I--- One second….” Yuta asked of the older two as he reached up and unzipped his hoodie. It wasn’t a BCC one but a personal hoodie that he had carried for several years. Shrugging it off his body, Yuta gently placed it over Emery’s upper body, covering her head to shield her from the light around her.
“If…. If it’s the dizziness… the light will only make it worse…” Yuta explained, glancing at Willow briefly before standing up. As he did, one of the medic staff hurried over, having passed Mark Briscoe in the hall.
“Let’s give them some space…” Bryan whispered, knowing from personal experience how bad head injuries of any kind could affect a person. Yuta gave a slight nod, looking down at Emery’s form once more before following along behind Claudio and Bryan. Hopefully, the rest of the night went better for Emery and himself. As they turned the corner, Yuta heard Mark’s voice in the distance, but more importantly, when he looked up, he saw Briscoe flanked by Chuck Taylor.
“Good…. She won't be alone…”
*timeskip*
It was nearing midnight when Emery found herself walking down a hotel hallway towards one of the rooms. Not a room she ever thought she’d be going to again- but it was something she needed to do.
Especially after the ending of All Out.
Something in her told Emery that maybe…. Just maybe…. He needed her just as much as she needed him. Stopping outside the right room, she hoped he was alone. It’d make it easier on her if she didn’t have to deal with anyone else in BCC.
Dealing with BCC was never easy for her.
They had taken her Yuta from her.
Changed him into something…. Different.
Taking a deep breath, her grip tightening on the fabric in her arms, Emery reached up and knocked on the wooden door. It seemed like forever until the tell-tale sound of a lock being turned sounded and the door slowly opened, revealing a shirtless Yuta. They stood there momentarily, neither saying a word, before Emery extended her arms towards him. The black hoodie dangled from her grip, swaying in the space between them.
“I… I wanted to return this. I know it means a lot to you.”
“Willow tell you it was mine? She didn’t have to—”
“I knew it was yours,” Emery shook her head, finally looking into his eyes for longer than a few seconds, “It’s uh—got the green stitching on the inside of the pockets…. From where your gramma patched up a hole….”
Yuta paused, his face warming up slightly at the fact that she remembered such a fact. Slowly, he reached out and gently accepted the jacket from her, “Oh… uh… Right. Thanks….”
“Yeah…”
Silence stretched between them once more before Emery spoke up, “I wanted to uh… check on you… after what happened tonight…. With Bryan. I know you looked up to him—and what happened couldn’t have been easy….”
Yuta felt his throat constrict as he recalled the moment. The BCC—Mox and Claudio, mostly—turning on Bryan like they did. Holding him back from aiding Bryan. It made him sick to his stomach. It made him want to punch someone. Yuta’s grip on the jacket tightened momentarily, not going unnoticed by Emery. His stare burned a hole in a spot on the floor behind her.
“Sorry… You probably don’t want to talk about it…. I get it…. I—I understand betrayals…. More than you know…. It seems like that’s all I’ve experienced lately, heh….” Emery gave a weak chuckle, it dying on her tongue, before she cleared her throat, “It’s… late. I’ll let you get back to bed…. Good night… Yuta….”
Slowly, she turned to walk away, but before she even stepped, a hand was clasped around her wrist. It was tight at first but loosened quickly. Emery glanced up at Yuta, who was staring at her now, his brown eyes swimming with several different emotions simultaneously.
Did he dare say what he has wanted to for years? Did he finally make the move that he should’ve years ago?
Emery herself was conflicted. Everything that had happened between her and the BCC—whether that was with the Best Friends or the Elite. Could she overlook everything—could she let herself possibly give in, for this night, allow herself to finally feel something for once- something she hadn’t done in so long?
“Stay….?” Yuta asked of her, finally making up his mind.
“I…. I don’t know…. If I should….”
Yuta tossed the jacket in his free hand, somewhere in the room, off behind him. Then, taking a considerable risk, he reached forward and pulled Emery closer to him. Chest to chest. He stared down into her wide eyes, feeling her breathing hitch in her throat at the sudden force.
“Stay?” He asked of her once more, sounding more certain of himself.
Slowly, Emery shook her head once, breathing out an ‘Okay…’, causing Yuta to give a small smile. Effortlessly, he dropped his arms to her thighs and picked her up, Emery’s arms wrapping around his head as she leaned in towards him more. Turning around, Yuta closed the door with his foot and walked them into the room's darkness.
Yesterday hadn’t gone great, but perhaps they could start the new day better?
