Face Your Demons

twelve

Everything became quiet.

I couldn't tell what hurt more: the silence from Fergal or the silence from his friends. It was Japan all over again. The first time, I lost the members of the Bullet Club. This time, I lost Chad, Drew, Rami, and Pamela. The only one who seemed to stay was Alyx.

Hard times will always reveal true friends, I suppose.

After returning from my suspension, the company decided to have me take on the likes of Savelina. Her powerful aspects behind her character, Nia Jax, were thought to mix well with the high flying aspects of my own. It definitely was a change of pace for the both of us, but we were up to the challenge.

They wanted to play it off as a punishment for my suspension. In the eyes of the fans, I was taken out of action for breaking the wellness policy. No one knew about therapy sessions besides the higher ups. Hopefully it would stay that way.

In front of a passionate crowd in Los Angeles, Savelina and I stood a ring away from each other. The fans exerted this wonderful energy, excited to see two different forms of talent go head to head.

Her strength was undeniable. With every knock down, I found myself taking a moment to study her, to find a point of attack. However, that point was seemingly hidden under a veil of power. For a bigger woman, she was quick; I often found it hard to collect my thoughts before she struck. It got to the point where I could barely tell which way was up.

No matter how much my body felt like a rag doll, I refused to give in. Every pin I kicked out of. I could see how upset it made her. John Cone continued to check on me, fearing that I was unfit to continue; I pushed him aside and ignored his concern.

Savelina decided she had had enough. Picking up my limp form, she wrapped her arms around me into a bear hug. Others would've had a reaction; I found myself slumping over her shoulder, my energy drained. John decided enough was enough, and he called the match.

That didn't stop her, though. She wanted to portray to the crowd that she was strong. The company also wanted her to "make an example of me".

A pain formed in my back, causing me to pound on her shoulder with whatever strength I had left. That just caused her to tighten her grip. Whimpers and tears escaped as I gave up.

The intense rift of guitars filled the arena, causing my body to tense. The fans were practically screaming their lungs out as the music continued to sound. Through hooded eyes, I saw him.

Fergal.

Not medically cleared, I was surprised the see the Irishman in the arena; hell, I was surprised to see him.

As he rushed down to the ring, Savelina threw my form to the mat and rushed to escape the ring. Fergal kept a watchful eye on her as he approached me. The hand of his injured arm rose, causing my body to tense and my eyes shut tight.

I waited for his hand to come down on me. However, it never happened. I looked up to see it placed precariously on the other side of me, his body was hovering over mine.

He was protecting me.

He didn't say a word as we waited for the medics to arrive. It was very eerie, the whole situation. The fans were puzzled, but were excited to see their favorite Demon return.

Why was he here?

Fergal sat in silence as the medics checked me over. Turning my torso left and right, checking my spinal cord and neck. They looked over every aspect that was feeling pain, only to find a couple torn and strained muscles. I was sent off with a couple bags of ice and orders to rest.

Heading back to my locker room, he was always two steps behind me, unspoken. The unknown reasons behind him being there caused my skin to crawl with curiosity. When I couldn't take it anymore, I turned to face him; his body stiffened, but his gaze remained clouded.

"What are you doing, Fergal? Why are you doing this?"

He didn't say a word as he walked past me into the unoccupied locker room. Curiosity filled me as I followed him in. He took a seat on the nearby bench as I tossed my leather jacket into my suitcase. He huffed out a breath, causing me to look over my shoulder at him.

"I told them." His voice was monotone.

"You told them?" I asked, confused by what he meant. He let out a low growl and rose quickly from his seat. It seemed like whatever it was was killing him to admit.

"I told them I hit you."

It became hard to breath. My mind raced, trying to think of any possible reason as to why he would tell. The idea of him telling scared me enough.

"W-why?"

"Because..." he started to pace the room, the vain in his neck becoming prominent, "because I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they didn't know what happened, if they didn't know what kind of a man I really was. To have everyone look at me like I was this perfect person when I had such a tarnished past killed me. I deserved every piece of shit they gave me about it. What I did was wrong, I knew that from the beginning.

Sometimes, I wish things turned out differently.

"I wish I never hit you. If I never did, we could've still been together, taking over Japan and the wrestling world as a unit. I miss you as a friend, I miss you as my girl. I wish you could see it in your heart to forgive me, but I'm not surprised that you don't; I wouldn't either.

"I understand if you never want to see me again, especially after telling everyone. But I want you to know that I will do anything and everything to be able to call you a friend again."

My heart raced as I began to choke up. Honestly, I didn't know how to react. Part of me wanted to pull him into a once familiar embrace, the other wanted me to slap him in the face. My heart was trying to listen to my head, which was trying to listen to my heart. It just made me sick.

"I..." I pulled the ice closer to me as if it had the answers I desperately needed. Fergal looked up at me hopefully. Letting out a breath, I looked him in his blue eyes, "I need time to think."

Not the answer he was hoping for, I noticed his attitude change. He managed a small smile and nodded slightly.

"Take all the time you need."

With that, he exited the room, leaving me with my thoughts. My first reaction was tears. Curling up into the corner of the room, wave after wave of sobs hit me, causing the injuries to inflame with pain. I was somewhat happy that he admitted to his mistake, but I feared it would've made me look weak in the eyes of my friends and his family.

Would my name become as damaged as his?

Disregarding the pain my body was experiencing, I packed up my belongings and hastily left the arena for the hotel.

I didn't sleep at all that night; my mind always going back to the Irish superstar.

Sorry for the shorter chapter. I had a hard time coming up with a lot of action for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed nonetheless. How did I do? Let me know in the comments. Thank you for reading. And until next time, heart you.❤️