face your demons // finn bálor

Chapter 37

Finn's P.O.V

There's shouting coming from the other room, indicating that I'm completely missing the New Year's countdown. I was running a little late to the party, due to my flight being delayed. As much as I wanted to spend the whole holiday with my family back in Ireland, I had to get home in time for Monday's show. It's up in the air whether I'm going to be debuting on the main roster soon or not, but they want me there regardless.

I walk in just as everyone is screaming "Happy New Year", and just in time to see Rami standing near the door, dumbfounded and Katherine brushing past me, sporting her new hair color. She looks upset, and seems like she didn't notice me.

"Is there something going on between you two?" He asks me.

"What are ya talkin' about? We're just close f-"

"You guys looked pretty close a few days ago. After I told you how I felt."

Yikes.

---x---

The next morning, Kitty's P.O.V

As soon as I wake up, I hear a familiar cackle coming from the other side of my bedroom door.

What. the fuck.

I manage to roll myself out of bed, glancing in the mirror and thanking my buzzed self for taking my makeup off before going to bed last night.

What even happened last night? I remember, but my mind is telling me to shrug it off as a dream.

I twist my hair up into a bun and throw a pair of leggings on under my oversized tee.

My suspicions are confirmed when I step out into the living room. Ace is awake, on the couch, watching some stupid comedy show with, you guessed it.

Colby.

I clear my throat, loud enough for them to hear. Ace jumps a bit and looks at me, casually.

"Oh, hey. Coffee's hot." Really? That's all he's gonna say?

Do I ask what happened last night? Or ask why the fuck my ex is sitting on my couch?

I'll go with neither until I've had a cup of coffee.

After pouring my mug full, I turn around and lean against the counter, looking back at the TV. The show ends, and Colby gets up, slowly approaching me.

"Hey, uh." He's got his hair tied back and wearing one of his new merch t-shirts. "You wanna come to Raw with me?"

Is he stupid? We haven't said a word to each other since the fiasco at the Performance Center a few weeks ago. Now he wants me to travel with him?

He shifts uncomfortably when I don't respond.

"Look, I know I said some pretty mean shit but I wanted to apologize and make things right." Too late. "I get it if you don't want to go with me. But we can at least go train before I leave. None of that promo stuff. Just kicking ass."

Meaning I can kick your ass? Because that, I wouldn't mind.

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There's plenty of things no one tells you about professional wrestling. Everyone is quick to say that "WWE is fake" or "TNA is fake".

Sure, some of it is fabricated. But don't you dare call it fake. We get hurt. We bust our asses. We fight.

Here I am, in the medical office of the Performance Center.

Remember a few months back when John Cena's nose was in the middle of his face on Monday Night Raw?

About that.

Wrestlers are taught how to "sell a move". Meaning, sure, we're not really going to get knee-kicked in the face. So long as you can jerk your head back just before the knee makes contact, in turn making it look like you actually got kicked in the face. Without the pain.

Does that make sense?

There's also another side to that. The knee-kicker, in this case, Colby, is meant to be more fluid or loose with the move. Not stiff. Stiffness = ow.

Stiffness + late head-jerking = broken nose. That's what happened to John.

It's really just bad communication.

Which is what just happened between Colby and I. Bad communication. Ha-ha.

Clearly, not as bad. I don't think my nose is broken. But there's definitely blood pouring out of my face and trickling down my throat.

At first, everything was fine. It was a "lock up, hit the ropes, clothesline" type of deal.

Then it turned into, "Try to sell a King's Landing. Then we'll be done for the day."

Big. Mistake.

I jerked my head back just in time, or I would have had a misplaced nose.

Just a word of advise, if Seth Rollins asks to practice his new finisher with you;

Run away.

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Sami's P.O.V

The Royal Rumble's just a couple weeks away and the majority of us on the main roster have been in and out of Florida to utilize the Performance Center to be on our A game. The rumble's also going to be my first match on the main roster.

I asked Carlos to meet me at the Performance Center to work off our New Year's hangovers. He's already here when I walk in, watching someone else practice from across the room.

"You ready?" I ask, before looking past his shoulder to see who's in the ring.

Kitty and Seth.

Just as Seth gets up from a clothesline, he grabs Kitty's waist from behind, whispers something in her ear, spins her around by her arm and knees her straight in the face.

Which looked like it was executed pretty well.

Until there's a small pool of blood in the middle of the ring and Kitty's body is shaking from crying so hard.

Carlos doesn't seem to react as fast, but I'm making a beeline to the ring as soon as it happens.

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