A Heart To Give (A Cody Rhodes x Reader AU)

Chapter 10: An Apology

Cody sits in a chair, staring at himself in the mirror. He looks at himself in the eyes and sees his past self: arrogant, rude, and full of himself. His face becomes regretful and sad as he remembers how he treated others, especially Y/N. He looks ashamed of what he has become and knows he needs to make things right. He then gets up and walks to see David, Jack, Ethan, and Adam. They all look shocked at his sudden appearance. "Hi, guys. I need to say something..." Cody trails off, nervous. "Uh... what is it, Cody?" Adam asked. "Look, I know I haven't always been the most respectful, but I need to apologize for letting my ego get out of control," Cody explained. "I think we know where this is going, Cody..." David rolls his eyes. "No, it's not what you think. I'm just sorry for how I treated you guys and Jin too. I've been a real jerk and need to make things right."

"You mean you finally came to your senses? I think we can all agree this is a long time coming..." Jack remarked. Cody nods. "I know. And I need you guys to know that I see how my ego has gotten the best of me, and I'm really, really sorry." Adam huffs. "Yeah, it's about time you said something." "I know. But I'm ready to change now. I want to start over and be a better person." "Hmm, you sure about that?" "I am. I'm serious. I've had a wake-up call, and it's time for me to stop being a jerk and to be a better person to you, my manager, and everyone else."  "Yeah, alright... we'll see how long you can keep that up..." "I appreciate you giving me a chance to redeem myself, and I swear, I'll do better."  "Sure... we'll hold you to that, Cody." Everyone sighs in relief. "Thank you, guys. I really appreciate it. Now, I still have something else important to say..." Cody pauses. "Y/N knows I've been horrible to them. I wanted to apologize directly to them, and to ask if they can also give me another chance."

"Uh... you know they're not here, right?" Adam noted. "Yes, I know. I've been meaning to reach out to them, and this was my way of showing that. They'll hear this eventually, and I know I'm taking a risk in asking them to forgive me, but I really do regret my behavior, and want to put it behind me..." "Well, you don't really know if they're gonna forgive you... what if they don't?" David told. "I know, but there's a chance they might. I want to be honest and give it my best shot, even if it doesn't end how I want it to. If they don't, so be it. But I'm willing to try." Ethan snickers. "Alright, then, I guess I'll go along with this crazy plan of yours..." Everyone nods in agreement. "Thanks, guys, I appreciate it."Everyone nods again and gives him the thumbs up.  "Okay, cool. Well, I think that's enough conversation for now, so I'll go find Y/N. Wish me luck." Everyone nods and gives him the thumbs up again as he leaves to find Y/N and apologize.

At The Magic Shop Cafe... Y/N is drinking some tea when Cody walks in. "Y/N! There you are. I've been looking all over for you so that I could tell you something," Cody beamed. You look over and motion Cody to sit down. "Uhh... hi, Cody. Is everything alright?" You ask. Cody sighs. "... no, it definitely isn't, but I'm here to try and change that. I wanted to tell you that..." He pauses, and sits down. "I'm sorry. I know that's not even close to being enough after the way I've treated you, but I really want to make it up to you. I've had a bit of a wake-up call and realized I've been a horrible person. And I'd be lying to you if I didn't admit that you helped me to understand that."

You look at Cody suspiciously. "... I know you're mad at me, and you have every right to be. But I want to try to put this behind me. I know I'll never be able to completely take back the mean things I've said and done, but..." "I hope you can at least forgive me a little. I'm trying to make things right and be a better person. And I want to show you that I mean what I say. I really do regret my horrible behavior. Can you please give me another chance?" Cody pauses. "... I don't know if you'll say yes, but I'm going to try my hardest to be a better person from now on, regardless. And I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me..." You sigh. "I... I forgive you." Cody's eyes light up a bit. "Really? I... ... Thank you. Thank you so much. I don't know how I can make it up to you, but I'll do anything to be a better person and make you proud." "Yeah, start by apologizing to everyone else and trying to be better. Then you can make things up to me," You explain. "I will. I'll do all those things. I promise." Cody is visibly relieved by Y/N forgiving him.

"Thank you so much Y/N, I appreciate it. I'm gonna do everything in my power to make this up to you." "I know you can. Just go out there and apologize to the others now and we can start to heal." Cody looks determined now. "Alright, I'll be back soon. Thanks again, Y/N." "You'll be fine, just do the right thing." "I will." Cody leaves to find the others and apologize. "Hey guys, can I say something?" Everyone looks at him curiously, wondering what he wants to say. "I... I just wanted to apologize for my behavior. And I understand that me saying this doesn't take back what I did to you guys and everyone else, but I... I... I really didn't mean to be such a jerk, and I'm just really sorry that I was. I regret my horrible behavior, and I'm not saying this just because I want to show you who I really am or because I want to impress anyone. I just want to do the right thing and make things right." It's a good apology, and everyone can tell that Cody genuinely regrets his horrible behavior and truly wants to do the right thing and redeem himself. Cody goes back to his studio to focus on making Dark Side, his apology album. He sits in his chair, looking at the blank page before him. He thinks back to all the horrible things he's done and wonders if he can ever truly be forgiven. But he's determined to try and redeem himself, no matter what it takes.

He starts to write lyrics, but can't quite put his thoughts into words yet. But he tries his best to come up with something that will show how truly sorry he is. So, he started to write "Forgive and Forget". The song goes: Forgive me for the past / I didn't mean to cause you pain / But I hope you see this now / That I want to change my ways / I know I made it hard / For you to believe my words / But just know that I'm serious / And I mean what I've said / Can't forget about it / Don't want to see you leave / So I'm trying to / Change myself, for good / It was a huge mistake / I'd do anything to take it back / Just give me another chance / And I'll set things right / I know I screwed up bad / You had every right to doubt / But I won't give up / Until I make it right /. He also writes the other songs: "My Mistake", "Why Me?", "Forgiveness", "Too Late", "One Last Chance", "You're Not Alone", "Don't Let It Ruin You", "New Me", "Not Your Hero", "Start Again", and "Never Been".