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“Runnin’ Mania back! Main event this time! Takin’ the gold again! Ugh, ugh!”
Jey shoved the camera and the man behind it out of his way at the top of the ramp.
The crowd was a mix of cheers and boos. Some enjoyed his newfound attitude, while some didn’t.
He made his way through Gorilla, pushing past the curtain like it was his own personal enemy.
As soon as he stepped inside, he scanned the tight room for the one person who he knew was gonna kill him for this.
She wasn’t there. Luckily.
He walked past faces of shock and judgment. The face of losers, the ones that didn’t have the balls to stand up and take what they wanted like him. No one expected him to come back tonight and win Chamber. Bum knee and all.
Jey was walking down the hall, sweat rolling off his body, his chocolate locks were fluffy, his dyed and badly damaged ends poofed out even more.
He had lots of other things to do, but before any of that, he needed to find her. He had to see her first.
Jey walked with a limp, feeling the repercussions of fighting tonight after being attacked. It hasn’t even been a full 24 hours later, and he still won.
Guess he had a little bit of an advantage tho.
He took note from Jade’s book; once everyone was trapped in their pods just moments before the match started, he stormed out there with no entrance, no yeet, no fun color; the gear he was going to wear was left in his duffel, unwanted. And he took his spot back, Jacob thought he could take.
He clearly didn’t know Jey all that well if he thought some ladders and wooden pallets would take him out of the game.
Jey played dead. He went to the hospital, just to make sure no bones were broken, before he spent his night in the hospital and then hid in a rental car until it was show time.
And then he walked out there, no theme song, no yeeting, just pure rage and a desire to win and prove all the haters wrong.
Jey found her locker room with a piece of paper stuck to it. He knocked on the door, waiting only a second before twisting the doorknob.
Rhea was lying on the leather couch with two ice packs underneath her back, another one resting on her knee. She was still in her gear, her lipstick smudged across her face.
He watched her match from the car, and god, he never got tired of seeing her in her gear. The sweat on her skin made her tattoos pop.
“Congratulations, Mama.”
He said cheerfully, excited to see his girlfriend, whom he hadn't seen since yesterday morning.
Rhea had so many emotions rushing through her body, but the first one she felt when Jey threw open her door was pure excitement.
Rhea popped up off the ground, too fast for her beaten body, and it screamed at her for it.
“Oof!” Her knees buckled just a few feet in front of Jey, and he lunged forward to catch her before she even got close to touching the ground.
“Damn yo' okay, Mama?” Jey held her up, her chest pressed against his sweaty chest; his heart beating into hers like it was one of the same.
Rhea hugged him tightly like he would fall apart if she didn’t, ignoring his question completely.
“You had me scared to fucking death. I thought you were hurt… or worse.”
She spoke into his chest with a vulnerability that not many others pull out of her. The guilt from his actions caught up to him and hit right where her head rested.
He was dead focused on Jacob; he couldn't think about anything other than his revenge. It was like it took over him, since getting loaded up into the ambulance until now, he was walking around in a daze.
Not thinking before acting. Not calling or even texting his girlfriend before finding a way back into Chamber.
“I know, I should’ve told you before I went out there, I was just so set on gettin’ revenge, it slipped my mind.”
He hated that Rhea had slipped out of his mind because he never thought that would be possible, but that was the truth.
She lifted her head up, looking up at him with glassy eyes. “I've been here all day, Jey, you could’ve found me, or had Sami tell me, I've been here.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I should’ve told you, Babygirl.” He cradled the back of her head, his fingers getting tangled in her long hair. “I’m okay, tho, I was cleared by the hospital and our doctors before I got into that cage. I’m okay.”
“You scared me.” She let her head fall back into his chest my wanting him to see the stray tears that rolled down her cheeks
“I know, but I’m okay.” He grabbed her hand gently from down beside her, placing her hand on the side of his ribs, showing her that nothing was broken. “I’m okay, Babygirl, I’m okay.”
Jey kissed the top of her head, feeling how her body melted into him as both her hands were rubbing up and down his sides.
“When I saw you under that pile of ladders, I was so scared that Jacob put you on the shelf.”
“Me too.”
He’s never ridden in an ambulance before, and he was forced to do it alone and scared. They wouldn’t let Rhea come with him because there was no chance in hell that she would leave for her title match after what happened.
“God, I missed you even if it was just one day.”
It felt like the longest day of both their lives.
“I missed you, too.”
Rhea squeezed him tighter like someone would take him for her again if she didn’t hold on tight. Jey could hear her sniffing into his chest and he didn’t mind it, squeezing her back. Still holding the back of her head, gently scratching her scalp like she would do for him in moments like this. Moments of pain and quiet.
“I never meant to scare you, Babygirl, never, and I’m sorry I did. But I’m okay, hit my head more than anything.”
He recalled his vision going black after the second strike of cold metal on his back; taking that as a sign he had been knocked out and didn’t wake up until he was in a hospital.
“Good thing I got a hard head, you know?”
He heard the muffled sound of what could only be her sweet laughter for the first time since they split ways yesterday. “You're a bloody idiot.”
“A sorry bloody idiot.” He did his best Australian accent, earning him a slap to his side since he swore they didn’t hurt; she wasn’t completely convinced.
Rhea picked her head out of his chest, looking up at him with a radiant smile that showed her back teeth.
“You're lucky I’m tired, or I would beat your bloody ass for that.” Her accent grew stronger to make up for Jey’s mockery of it. “Your back, okay? I saw it was bothering you Friday?”
His fingers ran through the front of her hair, pushing it back out of her face, purring like a cat in the window.
“Yeah, Lash is a beast, and then getting stuck in there with Raquel and Tiffy just fucked it up further.” She let her hands slip away from his warm body, gesturing to the semi-melted bags of ice on the couch.
“But I still won, tho.”
She turned back around to face with a more than cocky smile stretched across her black lips.
“Cuz yo’ the best, Jade gonna see.”
There was no doubt in his mind that Rhea wasn’t going to win; she proved she was the best time and time again, and this time was no different.
Even on her worst day, she was still ten times as good as they were.
“All Jade’s gonna see are those bright lights because that’ll do.”
A cheeky grin replaced the cocky one on her face.
Rhea saw Jade’s tweet as soon as she got back to her locker room, scoffing at the idea that she, Rhea Ripley, would simply just “do” like she wasn’t the main attraction.
Jey shook his finger in her face, trying his hardest not to laugh, “Yo’ bein' messy.”
“She started it, and Mami’s gonna finish it.” Rhea moved back into his arms, floating up on the tips of her toes to kiss him, and all the emotion from the past night flew between their locked lips.
Rhea spent half of her night alone and cold on the bathroom floor, the anxiety of not knowing how Jey was, and the heartbreak of losing her and Iyo’s title by letting Lash pin her made her actually sick to her stomach. Only getting up off the cold and probably a slightly dirty floor, when there was nothing left in her stomach, passing out in her bed from the exhaustion of the combination of crying and throwing up.
Jey had an equally as hard night; he just didn’t spend it on the floor.
He didn’t get the “all clear” from the doctors until the morning, so he was left to believe he was done. No Chamber, possibly no Mania, if it was really bad, he and Jimmy would be forced to vacate their titles. It was so crazy how everything could just change in a second, but luckily, nothing was broken or fractured; he was fine. Besides losing another brother, he thought he could trust Jacob, but he made him pay for even thinking he could take his spot in his house. Jacob was a fool, and he made Jacob an even bigger one tonight, and at the same time sent a message to anyone who had a problem with him taking his spot in Chamber back.
“Ow!”
Jey pulled back, feeling the tingling of pain go through Rhea’s skin like her blood.
His eyes scanned over her, looking for any signs of where her pain was coming from, seeing none, “What?”
His voice barely went above a whisper, worried he had hurt her.
“My back, it’s killing me, as good as that kiss was.”
She giggled softly, still feeling how warm her cheeks were from it. “I need to lie back down.”
“Ok, then let’s go back to the hotel. I’m exhausted anyway, for all the money hospitals make you think my bed would’ve been more comfortable in there.”
Jey scooted past her, already starting to zip up her suitcase for her, knowing that if her back hurt standing, it hurt even more kneeling.
“Think about this, Baby, when we both win at Mania, we'll have matching titles.” She gently sat back on the couch, grabbing one of the watery ice packs and pressing it to her back. Letting out a sigh of pleasure as the cold relieved the tight muscles in her back.
“And we’re finally able to recreate the infamous Becky and Seth title picture.”
That made his ears perk up like when Luna heard the word treat. “Foreal?”
“What’s the point of having matching titles if we're not gonna let everyone know how good we look with them?”
Rhea shrugged her shoulders like it was a simple question, while Jey was still looking at her like he didn’t have every inch of her body memorized at this point.
His gaze was an undressing one, making her blush and turn away from him, stuttering out her words. “Hurry up and get my jacket.”
“I’m not the one putting naughty thoughts in my head, Mama.” A sly grin was on his lips as he grabbed her long, fluffy black and white coat off the floor; she wore it around backstage before her matches and sometimes after when she didn’t feel like changing, like tonight.
Jey pushed up on his knees, pulling her suitcase up onto its wheels with him. “Thank you.” She took her fluffy coat from him, sticking her arms through the sleeves while waiting for Jey to help her up.
She was not looking forward to the ride back to the hotel; her back was fucking killing her. God, she’s never going inside that stupid cage if she can help it.
“You owe me a massage since you left me last night.” She said it, hoping to get the response she wanted, and she did.
“Whatever you want, Mama,” He chuckled around his words, reaching a hand out for her to take. “Yo’ ready?”
“Yeah,” She took it, clasping her hand around his so he could use his strength to pull her up and off the couch. Rhea groaned, feeling her knees start to wobble, sending a wave of lightning up her spine, causing her to fall into his chest, his arm wrapping around her to stop her from falling.
“Oh fuck! You okay, Rhea?”
“Yeah, yeah, just…pain.” She snickered at the lack of words to describe what she felt. “Slow walk night?” He pulled her up and against his body so she could lean on him. “Yeah… slow walk night.”
Rhea leaned her head on his shoulder, smelling his warm vanilla and sandalwood scent on his skin, “Thank you, Baby.”
“What yo’ thankin’ me for?” He chuckled, Rhea, feeling it from his chest. “Being a good boyfriend.”
She might still be a little pissed at him for not clueing her in on his entire plan, but his constant concern for her well-being and health made any anger fade away with every second that passed; by the time they made it back to the hotel she wouldn’t even remember what she was mad about.
Jey was about to take a step forward with Rhea by his side before a thought popped into his head.
“Ooo, hang on,” Jey pushed her suitcase aside, before crouching down in front of her, a light groan slipping past his lips from his old knees. “Hop on, Mama.”
“What?” She giggled out her words, Jey’s suddenness surprising her, but in a good way.
Jey repeated himself and she didn’t hesitate. She climbed onto his back gently, not wanting to hurt him by accident or herself any more than she already was.
Jey grabbed her legs, holding them under his hips, telling her to hold on before starting up.
Rhea giggled again, shoving her toothy grin into his shoulder blade, conveniently hiding the way her cheeks turned a rosy color.
Jey’s strength always seemed to turn her on; no one else picked her up and manhandled her like he did- outside of the ring anyway, but she liked that too.
“You feel a little better now, Mama?”
“Yeah, it doesn’t put any pressure on my knee, I can still feel it in my tailbone tho, but it doesn’t hurt, just a little pressure.”
She explained, swinging her feet like she was on a swing-set, one then the other. “Let’s go,
cowboy, giddy up.”
She slapped his butt, making him buck forward like an actual horse before turning his head to look at her with a look of shock and horror at the same time as she tried to hold in her giggles that were dying to come out.
“Alright, play stupid games if yo’ want to.”
“I’m just messing with you, Baby.” Rhea couldn’t hold it in any longer, her laughter exploding through the small locker room.
Jey grasped the tall handle of her sticker-covered suitcase with one hand, holding her leather boot calf with his other hand.
“You ready to go, Mama? I’m so fuckin’ tried I don’t even want to shower foreal.”
He’s been up since the crack of dawn and just wrestled in one of the hardest matches in his life from the beginning. He could sleep anywhere right now, he wasn’t even hungry.
“Me either, but we’re both too sweaty to just go to sleep, besides you can’t give me a massage sticky.”
“A piggyback ride and a massage? You just keep winnin’, huh?” Jey opened the door, pushing his suitcase through with his knee. “Mami’s a winner, must be the bloodline’s influence.” She joked.
“That’s what we do! Back to back ba-by!” He shouted down the hallway, letting anyone close by know they were coming.
“Back to back!” She screamed, making Jey flinch away from the loud sound right next to his ear, but was happy she was excited, “And I’m gonna win this time.”
“You better, I want my damn sexy title picture you promised me.”
She scoffed while wrapping her arms around his collarbone, keeping herself up.
“I didn’t promise you anything, I just said we would do it.”
“Same difference.” He suckled his teeth and shrugged, causing her to move with his shoulders. “Whatever.”
“It doesn’t matter because your winning, no doubt about it, Mama, your that bitch. Respectfully.”
She laughed at his need to add a “respectfully”, like she didn’t know he meant it any differently.
“Been that bitch ever since NXT, Jade? Ha! She wishes she was even closer to my level.”
“Am I on your level?”
Rhea was a different breed, he couldn’t remember in all his years in this company someone rise to fame as quickly as she did.
“Of course, Baby, you can unlace my boots whenever you want to." She nibbled on the lobe of his ear, which quickly grew warm with blood.
“Gonna insult me and turn me on at the same time? WOW! That’s crazy! Lace your boots?!”
She could hear the hunger in his voice, but as long as her back was jacked up, there would be no other ridding tonight than the kind she was doing right now.
“Unlace.” She corrected, wanting him to get it right.
“Oh, sorry, unlace your boots.” He rolled his eyes, like that made it any different. It he didn’t love her so much, he would drop her (no he wouldn’t)
“Jade can’t do that.”
“Nobody better do that with the way you mean it," Jey said, his tone shifted into a more serious one.
She pressed a kiss on his cheek, holding him tighter, “Nobody will ever lace or unlace my boots but you, Baby.”
This was the first time in… forever! She had to tie her own boots before a match. Usually, Jey did it for her because she was too busy doing five million things at once, and he just needed her to sit down for five minutes and stop worrying.
“Mmm, you know who else is a baby bitch?”
“Who?” He felt like he always knew the answer, but asked anyway.
“Drew. I’m sure he’s bitching to Aldis right now about how you weren’t really in the match.”
He chuckled, knowing how right she was. Drew wasn’t going to make this easy for him; nobody would have, but he didn’t need easy to beat him. He beat him once, and he would do it again in the main event of WrestleMania.
“Ay, it can be a one-on-one, triple threat, fatal four-way, whatever they decide to do to accommodate whiney bitches, I’m takin’ gold no matter who forces their way into the match.”
“We’re both gonna win at Mania, and we'll be… those bitches?” She said suspiciously. That didn't come out the way she thought it would.
“Yeah, not that, Mama. That’s crazy.”
“No?”
“No.”
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