WrestlePrompts Stories

2. Dusty's Kids

Characters: Becky Lynch & Cody Rhodes (and a Seth Rollins cameo)

Prompt: Two people reach for the last bottle of the same drink in a gas station fridge.

"Fancy meeting you here."

The voice startles Becky enough that her fingers stop just short of the juice bottle, and she laughs with relief when she turns and sees Cody reaching for the same one. "You're having toddler issues too?" she asks, glancing down at the empty bottle in his other hand.

Cody nods. "I'd say terrible twos and all, but Libby's not quite there yet. Maybe she'll get it out of her system by then." His gaze skims over the assortment of bottles with obnoxiously bright labels, clearly aimed at young children. "I was given strict instructions to get, and I quote, the purple flavour." His shoulders flinch reflexively as he peers closer. "Is this the last one?"

Becky gives the shelf a quick glance before nodding. "Looks like it. Purple's popular because of the penguin." Since Cody isn't making a move for the last purple bottle, Becky grabs it and hands it to him. "It's yours. Roux likes the red one too," she says, tapping the raccoon on the bottle before picking it up, "and I didn't have strict orders." Her gaze drops to her purse; with her luck, that would be the cosmic cue for Seth to text her from the bus and say that Roux wants a particular flavour.

Knocking the new bottle with his empty one in a mock toast, Cody hesitates. "You're sure? I don't mind. I could probably get the blue and Libby wouldn't know the difference."

"Between a penguin and a bear?" Becky raises an eyebrow. "Honestly, it's fine. The red one will make Seth laugh, if nothing else. He's still on about the soup-or-jello thing...."

Cody's nod is almost solemn, at odds with his cheesy grin as he grabs a blue bottle as well for good measure. "Truly a battle for the ages. Well, thanks for this. I appreciate it." He raises the fresh bottle in a salute and then pauses. "You would have been a cool sister."

It's so out of nowhere that Becky almost drops the red bottle. "What?"

"You know, the whole Dusty's Kids thing." Cody's mouth twitches in a rueful smile and he rubs his neck tattoo absently. "I know I can get a bit sensitive about it, but I remember Dad talking about so many of his NXT kids and you... somehow it never bothered me when he talked about you. I felt like I could relate to you. I know we came into this business in entirely different ways, but...."

"Thank you." When Becky had stepped off her family's tour bus and headed into the gas station, she didn't expect to see anyone she knew, let alone have a heart-to-heart conversation that brings tears to her eyes, but memories of Dusty always touch her heart. He was by no means a replacement for her own father, but he was a lifeline all the same. "That... means a lot. Though I'm sure my actual brother would tell you to reconsider," she adds, hoping humour will buoy the mood.

Laughing, Cody nods. "My sisters would probably tell you the same. For what it's worth, though, I'm glad he was there for you."

"Me too." Becky's breath catches a bit and she knows she'll need to take a moment to compose herself before getting back on the bus so Roux doesn't think she's upset. "Have a good night."

"You too." Cody turns and heads to the cash register and Becky's left shaking her head, unsure how to process the random confession as she picks out drinks for herself, Seth, and the bus driver. To her surprise, when she gets up to the register, Cody is still there, pouring half of the new purple bottle into his empty one. "Siblings should share," he says simply, fastening both caps in place and putting his bottle in his bag before heading for the door.

The clerk doesn't comment and Becky's grateful, because she's not sure what she would say. She pays for her drinks—and a small bar of mint chocolate—and heads back to the bus, coat collar pulled up high around her neck. When she knocks on the bus door, Seth is already there waiting for her, hand held out for the bag. "Was that Cody's bus?" he asks, kissing her cheek once she's inside.

Becky glances out the window to see another tour bus pulling out of the gas station lot. How did I miss it before? she thinks, going on tiptoe to kiss Seth. "Yeah. He was stopping to get a drink for Libby—she likes the purple flavour too," she adds with a smile. Then she glances around for Roux. Normally her daughter would be waiting for her at the door, nose pressed to the glass. "Where's Roux?"

Pressing a finger to his lips, Seth motions to the back of the bus, and Becky follows him to find Roux sprawled on the couch, one arm thrown over her bedtime book. "Leave her," Seth whispers, shrugging off his hoodie and draping it over his daughter. Then he opens the mini-fridge and starts to unload the bag, pausing when he gets to the half-full purple bottle. "Did you get thirsty on the walk back?" he teases, setting it near the front and putting the drink for the driver on the table.

Shaking her head, Becky dips her hand in the bag and retrieves her chocolate before Seth can hide it. "There was only one," she replies softly. "I told Cody to take it, but he split it."

"He should have taken the chocolate instead." Seth pretends to make a move to snatch the bar from Becky, but he kisses her instead. "I'll go tell the driver we're ready."

"Thanks." Becky watches him take the extra drink up front as she settles beside Roux, careful not to disturb her. She wants to tell Seth what Cody said—he was one of Dusty's Kids too—but that can wait until tomorrow. She's heard so many stories from second-generation wrestlers about what it was like growing up with a parent who was always away and she's glad that no longer has to be the case. "Thanks, Dusty," she whispers, looking down at her daughter, down the bus aisle to where her husband is chatting with the driver, down at the wedding ring she doesn't get to wear nearly as often as she would like. This is her dream, and thanks in large part to Dusty, she gets to live it every day.