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#zsj fanfiction
debbiechanclub · 5 months
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So @aussiearrow told me that Torrance ends up with Robbie, after all, and oops I've just written almost 400 words for a little SJTL scene I had to get out of my head 😚
Nellie blinked when she saw Torrance standing in between Robbie and Fujita, the three of them in matching Ichiban Sweet Boys shirts. Shane and Zack were there, too, wearing the new bright orange TMDK shirts. Seeing them all together in their faction colors really drove home that Torrance was in TMDK now. It was weird.
“Okay, this is weird,” she said as she walked over to them. She pointed between Torrance and Zack. “You two in a faction together? Without me? Fucking weird.”
“Well, you’re not married yet, right?” Shane grinned, eying her left hand. “Maybe Zacky boy here could persuade you to switch your allegiance for old time’s sake.”
Zack scoffed at that. “Pack it in, mate.”
Nellie was equally unamused. “Anyway.”
“Where is your fiancé?” Robbie curiously asked. “I figured he’d have to work a few extra shows to pay off that massive rock he got you.”
Torrance lightly nudged him with her elbow, muttering about being nice. But Nellie smiled sweetly at him.
“He paid in full when he bought it, but thanks for your concern.”
“With daddy’s money, I bet,” Shane commented.
“I mean, that is what I call David, but it’s not really any of your business,” Nellie returned, not missing a beat. It made Robbie bark out a laugh.
“Okay, that was a good comeback.”
“Nell!”
A familiar Brummie accent called out to her, and they all looked to see Drilla and Clark walking toward them, their War Dogs-branded IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships in their hands.
“You ready?” Drilla asked as they arrived. He glanced toward Torrance, his brow hard. She looked away.
“Yeah,” Nellie answered, and Drilla and Clark kept walking, their gaze lingering on their opponents; Drilla’s lingering a bit longer and harder on Robbie. Nellie started to follow them—but Torrance stopped her with a question.
“You’re going out there with them?”
She was obviously surprised, and maybe even a bit hurt. Nellie was quick to explain.
“Yeah, but it’s because of him,” she said, pointing at Zack. She grinned. “See you boys out there,” and she hurried after her teammates.
Zack sighed. “Let’s make this a quick one, yeah?” he said to Robbie and Fujita.
Robbie nodded. “Two steps ahead of you.”
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inastrangerskiss · 1 year
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rush
Zack Sabre Jr. x Reader
content warning: a pub is referenced as is a drink but that is the only thing aside from that it's straight fluff
summary: they say that distance makes the heart grow fonder
a/n: this is the first fresh zsj fic i've posted in months and months (everything else was backlogged) and the first fic i've written in months and months. i hope you all enjoy!
i.
“You don’t need to rush.” He laughed.
“I’m not rushing.” 
“You’re going fifteen over the speed limit.” He said with a smirk.
You looked at the odometer and realized you were in fact going fifteen over the speed limit and Zack was gripping the handle over the door with white knuckles. Carefully, you tapped the brakes, bringing the car back to a reasonable speed.
“That’s more like it.” He said, lessening his grip just barely. “Slightly less deadly.”
Your face flushed as you watched his smile grow. You tried taking deep breaths and you tried focusing on the road but nothing could distract you from the way his body next to yours in the car made you feel. His hand gripped the middle console and you wished with all your being that maybe he’d trade the leather clad installation for your thigh. Perhaps that’d be more comforting to him anyways.
“I just want to get you to the airport on time.”
“I have over two hours. I don’t think security will be that heinous.”
“You never know.” You shrugged, trying to act casual.
It didn’t take much longer for your car to arrive at the intricate weaving that was the airport. You slowed down considerably more and tried your best to read the signs as they came. Arrivals or departures? Departures. Did you want AerLingus and JetBlue or Delta? You turned in the right direction, almost sideswiping the car on your right. 
Zack gasped but tried to maintain a calm demeanor. It was your first time driving him and he knew how seriously you were taking the task.
If he missed his flight he missed his booking. And if he missed his booking he would certainly hold it against you, you thought. And you didn’t want that.
When you approached the drop off area you put the car in park and opened your door.
“You don’t need to help me.” He laughed.
“I just want to make sure you get everything out of my trunk.” You responded.
So you pulled his suitcase from your hatch and handed them to him as he loaded the luggage onto the sidewalk. His hand touched yours as you passed one handle to him and then the next. After his suitcase came his carry-on and his personal duffel. His fingers grazed yours with every single pass.
And you tried to contain the shiver in your spine.
But, god, it was difficult.
You finished unloading everything and he hugged you tightly.
“I’ll see you when you come bacK?” You asked, as he pulled away, his hand remaining on the small of your back.
“You’re my ride, yeah?” He responded.
“Of course.” You nodded.
You’d taken a day from work just to ensure you’d be around for him.
“Well, until then.” He smiled.
You wanted to be pulled in by his strong arms just one last time. Instead, he squeezed your shoulder and started towards the entry to the airport.
He had to tag his bags. He had to check them. He had to check in for his flight.
You were last of mind.
ii.
The conversation started simply. 
Zack sent a picture of a statue and you smiled. 
“Thought this might be something you liked.” The text read. 
Then another picture came through. This time the image was a box of intricately decorated chocolate confections. 
“Want me to bring you back some?” He asked in his next text.
“Absolutely.” You responded.
You shut your phone and moved about your business, assuming that was where the conversation would be left. But, before long, you heard vibrations and saw someone had begun to call you. 
Zack’s beaming face sparkled on the screen, his contact image being a picture from the first time you had hung out one on one. He had put his arm around your waist and insisted you take a picture together to send to your other friends. You had hid your face in his chest and he laughed. 
It was still your favorite picture.
“Hello?” You asked.
“Hey!” His chipper voice responded.
“What’s up? How’s the tour?”
You tried to busy your hands that shook in the wake of excitement. He had called you. He had wanted to speak to you.
It means nothing, you tried to tell yourself. He’s just bored.
“It’s good. A bit dull.” He said. “How’s home?”
“It’s good. A bit dull.” You repeated his words, earning a laugh.
You heard a quiet beep and the sound of a door handle turning and realized he must be returning to his hotel room. Gentle shuffling followed as Zack unloaded the bags from his time exploring the new city onto the wardrobe. It was silent but you didn’t need words - you were more than happy to listen to the ambient noises of your friend settling in for the night after a long day out and about.
“Any big matches coming up?” You asked.
He was silent for a moment and you couldn’t quite understand why but you didn’t think too hard about it.
“Nah.” He sighed. “Just multi-man warm up type matches now.”
You frowned. “Mm, I’m sorry.”
“No worries.” You could tell his phone was pressed between his shoulder and his ear as he moved about. “I’m having fun.”
“More fun than you’d have at home?” You asked.
You were teasing but a part of you hoped he’d say “no”.
“Hmm.” He deliberated. “Let’s see. I could spend time exploring new cities and seeing new things and eating new food or I could explore the same old city, see the same old things, eat the same old food.”
You nodded, having expected a response of that caliber. You couldn’t be mad.
“But,” He started again, catching you off guard. “Home does have you, after all.”
Your face flushed and you were thankful there was a phone screen and a few thousand miles separating the two of you. The last thing you needed Zack to know was that his words got you flustered. 
“So, I guess maybe being home would be better.” He continued, suddenly making you starkly aware of the fact that you’d been silent for far too long. “As long as I’m not in a car with you.”
“Well you’ll be home in a few weeks.” You offered with a laugh, kicking yourself for not having anything better to put into the conversation.
“‘Spose I will be.” He said with a heavy exhale. After some more prolonged shuffling he spoke again. “And you’ll still be there.”
“Waiting for you.” You smiled, trying hard to mask the overwhelming fondness you were feeling. “And we can explore the same old city, see the same old things, and eat the same old food.”
“Speaking of food, are you taking your lunch now?” Zack asked, abruptly switching tones leaving you to feel slightly jarred.
“Haven’t yet.” You shook your head, regaining your composure. “It’s been busy.”
“Take your lunch.” He pressed. “The shop can survive without you for a little bit.”
“I have to -”
“You don’t have to do anything. You need to eat.” He said, more forcefully this time. “Don’t make me come all the way back from Japan just to make sure you take care of yourself.”
“Alright, alright.” You relented. “I’ll take my lunch when you hang up.”
“That’s not fair.” 
His words confused you, causing your eyebrow to arch as you walked to turn the sign on the door to “Closed”. 
“Why’s that not fair?” You asked.
“Because I intended to talk to you for a bit longer.”
“Guess you’ll have to save your words for another day.” You shrugged, fully aware Zack couldn’t see the physical action through the phone.
He smiled and you could hear it in his words. “Guess I will.”
“I’ll text you while I eat.” You promised.
“Don’t let me bother you.” 
“I want to talk to you, Zack.” You responded.
A small laugh slipped through the receiver. “That’s good.”
“That’s good?” You asked, once again unsure of what his words meant.
“Yeah.”
“Why’s that good?” 
“Because.” He started and you feared he’d stop there. You were thankful when he began speaking again. “I want to talk to you too.”
As you tried to find a sentence that was an appropriate mix of friendly and flirty in the mess that was your brain, his voice broke your concentration, trickling slow as honey through the receiver.
“I miss you.”
Had you started your lunch prior to this call you likely would’ve choked at the surprise of his words. Blush crept up your cheeks and you began to feel silly, the elation that came with what felt like a schoolyard crush filling your heart.
“Alright, go get yourself food.” He chirped as though his previous words had held no wait. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Talk to you tomorrow.” You nodded.
When you hung up the silence felt too silent. The absence of Zack’s voice against your ear made you feel as though you were missing something vital. An emptiness followed the dial tone.
You shook your head, trying to dislodge the dull ache of loneliness from your chest. It was meaningless.
However, five thousand miles away, as Zack picked at the leftovers from his lunch he felt that same exact dull ache. 
And he couldn’t place why.
iii.
You sat in the cell phone lot waiting. 
You felt your nerves multiplying. Zack had been texting you the entire plane ride but it had only just hit you that he was coming home. It had been a long month without him and you were worried that the Zack you had been speaking to on the phone might be different from the Zack that would be sitting next to you in your car.
“I’m excited to see you tomorrow!” He had said over the phone the night before.
“I’m excited to see you too.” You had responded.
“I’ve been wishing you were here.” He had murmured, almost as though he were self conscious of his words.
You still hadn’t recovered from that comment.
Your phone vibrated and a text from Zack saying he had gotten to baggage claim lit up your phone. That was your cue to put your car in drive and start making your way to the pick up lane. 
It may have only taken ten minutes to get from point A to point B but it felt like hours. With every rotation of your car’s tires you wondered if Zack would be the Zack you had known prior to dropping him off at the airport or if he’d be the Zack you’d been introduced to in his absence. You wondered if he remembered all of the words he had said over the phone or if he’d forget them the moment his suitcase was in your trunk.
When you saw him you couldn’t help but accept the beaming smile that unfurled across your face. You were thankful when he mirrored you, his cheeks blooming fondly.
You put the car in park and hopped out of the driver’s side, pulling the latch to pop open the trunk. As you reached for his suitcase his hand caught yours.
“C’mere.” He murmured, pulling you tight to his chest. 
You hardly knew how to react but you certainly had no complaints as you reciprocated the affection.
“Been a month since I last saw my best mate.” He said, his cheek pressed to the crown of your head. “Think a quick hug is in order.”
Best mate. The words rang out in your head as you forced a small laugh trying to not appear as heartbroken as you were beginning to feel.
He released you with a small exhale. Before you could reach for his suitcase once more he waved you back, signaling he could handle it himself.
“Don’t worry about this. Go get warm and I’ll be there in a second.” He said, gesturing to the interior of the car.
“You sure?” You asked.
“Yeah. No need for both of us to freeze to death.” He carefully maneuvered the suitcase into the trunk. “Don’t want you catching a cold or something.”
His words hit you as though they were an afterthought as you made your way back to the driver’s seat. You could’ve missed them if you weren’t listening close enough. A spark of hope lit up in your chest as you thought perhaps the comment was more than just a courteous gesture. 
Within minutes the trunk slammed shut and Zack hopped into the passenger seat, shivering for dramatic effect.
“It’s abysmal out there.” He commented as he dropped his carry on at his feet and pulled his seatbelt on.
“You say that like you’re surprised.” You laughed.
As you pulled away from the curb you could feel Zack’s gaze zero in on you and you expected some sort of smart ass remark in response. But, once you were comfortably on the road and headed away from the arrivals, you could see from the corner of your eye that he was simply smiling. The moment was fleeting as he turned to face the windshield, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck. You had hoped it might last forever.
“I’m dropping you at yours. Right?” You asked.
“Mhm.”
“I’ll have to get some gas.” You noted.
“No worries.”
You looked over to Zack, hoping to catch his eye. He was transfixed, however, by his own hands as they kneaded and picked at each other. His eyes darted to his carry-on, sitting at his feet and seemed to zone out. At first you thought he was tired. He was fresh from a long flight and a big timezone shift. It made sense if he was not in the mood to make small talk. But then, as he looked back to his hands a realization dawned upon you.
He was anxious.
You took a hand off the wheel and squeezed his bicep, garnering his attention.
“You okay?” You asked. “I promise to drive more carefully than I did when I dropped you off.”
You thought he might laugh at the comment or perhaps make fun of you but instead he offered a tight-lipped smile that could very nearly be confused for a grimace.
“Yeah, no. I’m fine.” He shook his head. 
“You sure?”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about me.” He tacked a half hearted laugh at the end of his words, causing you more concern.
You shrugged and brought your hand from his arm back to the wheel. The drive was quiet as Zack opened the carry-on and fiddled with a bag while you kept your eye open for a service station. You turned the radio on but even that couldn’t assuage the tension.
“I’m gonna pull in here.” You pointed to a rest stop. “It’ll be quick.”
Zack remained silent as you pulled the car up to a gas pump. You parked and took the keys out of the ignition, offering one final glance towards the man sitting beside you. When he kept his eyes trained on his window you opened the door and re-entered the chilly outside world.
You could feel your head spinning as you unscrewed the gas cap and selected your grade of gasoline. He was never normally this quiet. He always had something to say and, while you didn’t always welcome every word that came out of his mouth, you were sorely beginning to miss the talkative person you had called every night while he was away.
You watched the price on the screen slowly go up. You wondered if he regretted everything he had said during his time away and was now trying to find a way to return to the platonic standard you were both used to. The thought alone caused your heart to ache. It was becoming more and more clear that you had potentially fallen head over heels for someone that was very clearly not on the same page as you.
You let your mind wander to the tune of gas pouring into your tank. You didn’t hear the passenger side door open and close. You didn’t hear Zack as he came around to your side of the car.
“Christ!” You gasped as he appeared next to you. “What’re you doing? Go back-”
“I got you something.” He blurted, not allowing you to finish your sentence.
His eyes were wide like a deer in the headlights. You couldn’t look away from him. You didn’t want to look away from him.
The gas pump clicked as the tank filled up, peeling your attention back, if only for a second. You placed the nozzle in its holster and declined a receipt.
Zack didn’t move. When you turned to face him you noticed his hand outstretched to you. In it sat an unassuming brown jewelry box, a small, dark green ribbon tied in a bow around it. This was not the box of chocolates he said he’d bring back. This was not something you had ever expected to receive - especially not from him.
Your heart began to pick up pace as you took the box from him, offering a brief, confused glance up to his still terrified face.
“I just - I thought of you when I saw it.” He started.
You pulled the ribbon slowly, no longer aware of the cars as they came and went, speeding back onto the highway. The lid of the box took a small amount of effort to remove but it came off. Zack stuck his hand out, offering to hold it for you while you peeled away a tiny rectangle of cottony gauze.
Your heart started slamming against your chest.
In the tiny, unassuming box sat a thin gold bracelet adorned with a matching golden sun charm. It was delicate and you worried if you dropped it you may never find it again. With the most care you could possibly offer a piece of jewelry you lifted it up and held it from your fingers.
“If you don’t like it that’s okay.” Zack continued. “I just saw it and I thought it was something you might want and I wanted to - after all of our conversations while I was gone I just wanted to-”
You held your hand out, palm facing the ground, silencing the stuttering man. You then held the bracelet up to him in your other hand. He stared at you with his head slightly tilted. 
“Put it on me.” You smiled.
The fear in Zack’s eyes quickly melted to reveal a warm grin. You could feel the anxiety rolling off his back and disappearing into the earth as he took the bracelet from you and clasped it around your wrist. His hand lingered on your skin as he admired how it looked on you, his thumb rubbing small circles against your forearm.
“You really like it?” He asked. “Because I don’t want you taking the piss or making a joke about this. If you’re fucking with me just tell me now.”
Laughter escaped from deep within you, quickly causing Zack to glare at you.
“You’re fucking with me, aren’t you?” He muttered, a slight sneer on his face.
With a deep inhale you managed to pull yourself together. 
“No. No.” You shook your head fervently. “I swear I love it. I really do.”
“I don’t believe you.” He said, beginning to walk away, back to his side of the car. “You’re a pain in the-”
Before he could finish his insult or walk too far, you reached out for his arm and pulled him back to you. You hadn’t planned your next move as he stood, his chest nearly aligned with yours, so you did the one thing your brain had been dying to do for the last month.
You reached up and pulled his head down and quickly pressed your lips to his. He hesitated for an agonizingly long second. He had only ever thought this was possible in his dreams and a fear ignited in him that perhaps he was, in fact, asleep. You worried you had overstepped and wondered when it was right to break away but you waited one last moment.
And then he reciprocated the kiss. And it was full of need and want and love. And you smiled against his face.
When you pulled back you looked up at him.
“I love it.” You murmured, clouds of your breath getting carried away with the wind. “Swear.”
His eyes studied you, a satisfied look twinkling in his eyes. 
“Your hand smells like gasoline.” He responded, his eyes looking at your hand that was currently cupping his cheek.
“You’re the worst.” You said, trying to contain the grin that was threatening to break across your lips.
“I don’t think you mean that.” He chimed, his nose brushing yours.
“I don’t.”
He pressed a kiss to your forehead and you took a step backwards.
“Get back in the car. You’re gonna get sick if you stay out here.” He noted, gesturing indiscriminately to the weather.
You shook your head but followed his orders, getting back in the car with every intention of cranking the heat up. Zack sat beside you, still smiling from ear to ear.
“So, I’m dropping you off at your place now?” You asked.
Zack appeared to consider the question before pursing his lips. “Maybe we could get a bite to eat first.”
“I could eat.” You nodded.
“I think we might have some catching up to do.” He said, resolutely. “And anyways, my flat isn’t really the best place to have a first date.”
As though it were the pin in the grenade a hot blush rushed across your face and you didn’t bother hiding it. Instead, you shifted into drive and began rolling back towards the highway.
“I’ve seen that place. It’s definitely not first date material.” You joked.
“No. It’s not.” He agreed. “But the pub around the corner might be.”
So you drove and parked outside of the pub. You ate subpar, greasy food and laughed over a drink and watched the game playing on the television. And Zack ran a thumb over your brand new bracelet and then took your hand in his, winding his fingers between yours. 
And he kissed you once more. Slowly, this time.
There was no need to rush.
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bullet-clubs-bitch · 5 days
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Black Widow
Zack Sabre Jr X gender neutral reader
Zack helps Y/n with a tricky submission move
Requested by: @yukioni02
Main Masterlist
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I was growing beyond frustrated trying to figure out this new move. I was trying to add the black widow submission to my list of signature moves but for some reason, this move was harder than I thought. “Let’s go over it again,” I said to one of the young lions I was using as a practice dummy. I started off with a regular collar and elbow lock up, I then grabbed the head and went straight into a wrist lock. I then went to wrap one of my legs around the young lion's neck when they collapsed to the ground again. I realized that this was not my fault but it was the young lion that wasn’t being a good base. “Okay, that’s enough for today. Head back to the locker room” I told the young lion who was quick to exit the ring. “They are afraid of you, you do realize that right?” I could recognize that annoying voice anywhere. It was Zack Sabre Jr, he knew I had been struggling with this move and instead of helping he just laughed at my failure. I turned to meet the tall brit. “Good, they should know how to be a sturdy base,” I spat at him.”Still struggling with that move?” He asked me, “What do you think?” “I’ll take that as a yes. Ya know you should have asked me if you needed help. The Black Widow is almost identical to my Octopus submission” I knew what Zack was trying to do. He wanted to show off and prove he was a better wrestler than me. As much as I didn’t want his help, not being able to execute this move was killing me. “Fine” 
As much as the guy was a jerk he sure knew how to wrestle. He was a great teacher, I understood why the Dojo always asked him to teach seminars. Although I still think I do better seminars. Regardless Zack broke down the move step by step. He was surprisingly patient with me and didn’t mind my million questions. Finally, after what felt like forever I got the move. I had Zack right where I wanted him, I had my body wrapped around his, making him tap out. I let go of the submission and walked around the ring telling all the non-existent fans in the gym that I was indeed a better wrestler than Zack Sabre Jr. Just then, I felt him grab my wrist, spinning me around and pulling me chest to chest to him. After that I’m not sure what he did, all I know is that I ended up on the ground, Zack on top of me. I knew he was just messing around and this was nothing but two people wrestling but there was something in the air that made me feel like there might be something more here. The two of us were out of breath, we just lied there exhausted from our previous activities. Just then Zack said something I would never expect him to say. “Although you are a total bitch, I must say you look real pretty underneath me” I could feel myself blush at his comment. “You have no idea how much of a bitch I can be '' I told him as I flipped us over so I was now on top of him. “Why don’t you show me then”
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fang-revives · 1 year
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Those who saw the Zack Sabre Jr. / Ren Narita interactions at the WK press conference and thought "wow that's gay even for Zack" I am gently putting this perfect fic in your hands
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midnight-meattrain · 6 years
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The Passenger
A sappy little romance told in chapters.
Subject/perspective: Zack Sabre Jr. (fictional persona) X reader in first person
Trigger warnings: foreplay
CHAPTER 4 “CAMDEN”
The familiar chatter of teen girls greeted me at the stoop of my studio. Excited hugs were showered on me as the girls hadn’t seen me since I left for Warsaw weeks ago. I had been back for several days but had loose ends to gather before returning to work. Unlocking the door, the girls rushed in with a clamor of giggles. We all squeezed into the changing room to dress for technique instruction and the girls began catching me up on all the gossip of their adolescent lives. Boys they’ve kissed, girls they were feuding with, the usual tribulations of the young.
“A man? Did he leave his name?”
He hadn’t. The girls said he was tall and fit. That’s the extent of the description I could cajole before a cacophony of shrill giggling began. I had a kernel of hope for who I hoped it had been but I doubted he would return if he was unwilling to leave his name.
After class was over and the girls dwindled out onto the street, I began my ritual of stretching so I wouldn’t be stiff and sore from the small amount of exertion needed to instruct. Stretching on the barre, my head lowered all the way to my knee, I nearly leapt out of my skin when I felt an arm snake around my waist and the body it was attached to lean into me. Spinning around with my fists balled to strike I found Zack on the receiving end. Throwing both hands in the air he shouted,
“Sorry! Don’t beat me up!”
Dropping my arms at my sides in surrender I laughed out loud at the thought of my having harmed him.
“I’ve been looking for you.” he said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
“So I have heard. Why didn’t you leave your name with the girls?”
“I figured you would know it was me, unless of course you usually have a line of admirers making inquiries at your door.” he teased.
“Yes, there is usually a massive queue of panting men chomping at the bit.” I said with a roll of my eyes.
His expression was serious.
“I couldn’t wait to see you.”
An awkward silence followed. I didn’t know what to say. I had so many things I wanted to say but no bravery with which to say them. I looked down at the scuffed pink slippers, my cheeks flaming red.
Zack took a step forward. I tilted my head to look up at him. The seriousness of his expression had evolved into something else, something resembling desire. I felt it like a shift in the air’s temperature. From comfortable to boiling hot in an instant. My skin erupted in goose flesh. His hands were still jammed securely in his pockets. He took another step.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you.” I confided.
“If I take my hands out of this jacket, I am not going to be able to control myself.” he whispered in a dire tone.
“Don’t move a muscle.” I murmured, taking the final step. There was no time to be reticent or coy. I needed to act.
I stood on my tip-toes in my satin pointe slippers, pressing the palms of my hands to his chest to steady myself. His eyes closed, a pained countenance flashed upon his handsome face. I hesitantly, lightly pressed my lips to his. A sigh was caught in the back of his throat, unable to escape his closed mouth. His long eyelashes fluttered as he slowly and languidly opened his beautiful brown eyes.
“I would rather you beat me up than torture me like this.”
I reached into his jacket pocket, capturing his right hand, extracting it, prompting him to place it on my hip. His left followed. He drew my body to his. I rested my cheek on his chest, the rhythm of his heart drumming its primal song.
“The torture has only just begun, dearest.” I whispered.
A low groan unfurled in his chest. His grip on me tightened so that I was flattened against him. My fingers splayed on his back, Zack lowered his hands from my hips to my thighs, deftly lifting me so I was seated on the barre. I wrapped my muscular legs around his narrow waist. Draping my arms loosely around his neck I pulled his mouth to mine. He kissed me, gently at first, unbearably delicate then with an increasing pressure that matched his need. I traced my fingers along the prickly, closely shorn hair at the nape of his neck. His hands found the tie to my mesh skirt and he tugged, loosening the bow.
“Wait.” I mumbled against his feverish kisses, seizing his hands in mine. I heard someone moving things around in the front of the studio.
A pained whimper emanated from his throat as I pushed him backward, away from me.
One of the girls whipped into the room chattering on her cellular phone. She had lost her apartment keys and had returned in an attempt to find them. The scene she found must’ve looked suspicious because suddenly the chatter stopped and her mouth flew open. A handsome man hovering over her instructor who was undoubtedly flushed red from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes. The girl grimaced, picked up her pace to a jog through the studio space and to the shower room.
“A-ha!” She exclaimed with an exaggerated jingle of the keys and she was out the door again into the street.
“Fucking Hell.” He cursed, “I’m never touching you again.”
“Don’t say that!” I scolded him.
“Did you see the way she looked at me? Made me feel like a pervert!”
“You mean to tell me you’re NOT a pervert? Why am I wasting time with you if you’re not a proper weirdo.” I teased him.
“I’ve made a grievous error, madam for if it is a raging degenerate you’re looking for, I am your man.”
“Repeat that last bit, I didn’t catch it.” I lied.
He folded his long, slender arms around me, bending down he brushed his mouth against the hollow of my temple and with resolve he stated,
“I. Am. Your. Man.”
The end.
*Thanks for reading. The meat train is leaving the station. Until next time!* 🥩🚂
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debbiechanclub · 11 months
Text
I'll Be Honest (Looking at You Got Me Thinking Nonsense), Part 1
A “Take My Hand, Wreck My Plans” fic
Pairings: Kyle Fletcher x OFC with a little bit of ZSJ x OFC (also references to past!Jay White x OFC and past!El Phantasmo x OFC) ; Will Ospreay x OFC and past!Robbie Eagles x OFC (it's all here, folks!) Word Count: 4,829 Warnings: Alcohol use, language, angst
Nellie hasn't seen Kyle in two months. And despite previous experience to the contrary, she realizes that absence still can make the heart grow fonder.
TMHWMP Timeline | Masterlist
Read it on AO3
tag squad: @aussiearrow @cowboyslariat @knifepervert @sldghmmr @rusevday @missbrownstone @meteora-fc @bec0m @thatgirlforever5 @rocca09 @adriii-omega
Saturday, November 13, 2021 Tokyo, Japan
After being forced to immediately tap out for a second time, Nellie was reminded why she simultaneously loved and hated training with Zack: she learned a lot, but he brought out her competitive streak in the worst way.
“You suck,” she breathed as he released her from the hold.
“Oh, don’t be like that, darling,” Zack smirked. “Thankfully, you don’t have to beat me to make the final tomorrow.”
Nellie rolled her eyes.
“No, but I’ll beat you if we don’t make it because you maimed my partner’s arm,” Torrance piped up from the ring apron. It made Taichi laugh, but Zack waved her off.
“Nell can handle it,” he said. He offered her his hand, and she took it and he pulled her up from the mat. Tomorrow, Nellie and Torrance would have the most important match of their short tag team career when they would face off against Mayu Iwatani and Rin Kadokura in the Block A final of the Goddesses of Stardom Tag League, and hopefully go on to the tournament final to earn a shot at the Goddesses of Stardom Championship. And because it was the biggest match of their tag team career thus far, Nellie figured why not enlist the best tournament tag team she knew in Dangerous Tekkers to help prepare her and Torrance.
“We have been going at it a few hours, though; I don’t want to push you too hard,” Zack said. “Is there anything else you want to go over?”
He looked between Nellie and Torrance, who looked between each other. “I’m good if you are,” Nellie said. Torrance agreed.
“Yeah, I’ve done enough sparring with Zack to last me a while.”
Zack grinned. “A bit more intensive than sparring with Robbie, is it?”
“Oi! I know you’re not talking shit.”
Robbie Eagles appeared almost as if Zack had summoned him. Nellie looked at Torrance again in surprise. But apparently, she hadn’t known Robbie would show up, either.
“What’re you doing here?” she asked him. “Don’t you need to be at Korakuen soon?”
“Yeah, but I thought I’d stop by on the way over, see how it’s going,” Robbie answered.  “And I walk in to hear Zack sullying my good name as a trainer.”
Zack shook his head. “No, mate, not as a trainer; just as a wrestler in general.”
Taichi laughed. Torrance did too and tried to hide it. Robbie gave Zack a flat look. “Fuck off,” he said, and then to Torrance and Nellie, “Are you packing up?”
“Oh, yeah,” Torrance answered. “I need a hot shower and a nap after what they just put us through.”
“As I said,” Zack commented, “more intensive than with Robbie.”
Robbie ignored him. “Are you not coming to the show?” he asked. But Torrance didn’t even need to think about her answer.
“Hell no. Taiji and Riley will both be there; you know I don’t like how they get around each other.”
The mood took an awkward turn then; so awkward, that Taichi took the opportunity to leave, waving to everyone as he went. But Torrance had a point: Robbie knew better than anyone, even Nellie, how Riley and Ishimori’s influence on each other’s behavior had played a part in Torrance and Ishimori’s break-up. He’d witnessed it firsthand during the brief period his and Riley’s time in Bullet Club had overlapped, and he’d been one of Torrance’s closest confidants after she’d left Ishimori. More than confidants, actually. But that had changed after Torrance and Nellie’s trip to London two months ago.
“We’re getting dinner and probably both having an early night,” Nellie said for Robbie’s sake more than Torrance’s. He looked like a wounded puppy, and she couldn’t take it. “Big day tomorrow, and all.”
Robbie nodded. “No yeah, I get it,” he returned. “I know you two will kill it.”
Another awkward silence started to creep in, and Torrance took it as her cue to exit. “Well, I’m gonna go; thanks again, Zack.” She looked at Nellie as she started to backpedal away. “I’ll text you later.”
“Yeah, see you,” Nellie said, and Torrance retreated into the locker room.
Zack tutted. “That was brutal, mate,” he said to Robbie. “I feel bad for calling you a shit wrestler now.”
Robbie gave a wry laugh. “Thanks. Well, good luck tomorrow, Nell. I’ll see you guys later.”
“Yeah, good luck tonight,” Nellie told him, and he waved and went back toward the exit.
“Are he and Torrance not a thing anymore?” Zack asked once Robbie was out of earshot.
Nellie sighed. “It’s complicated. I don’t know if they ever really were a thing, to be honest.” She grabbed her water bottle and phone from where she’d set them on a chair nearby. “But I’m gonna head out, too.”
“Hold on—Robbie reminded me,” Zack started, and Nellie paused to look at him. “Taichi was wondering if you’ll be accompanying us at all for World Tag League.”
Nellie’s mouth went dry. Admittedly, she’d been wondering the same herself, and with the annual tournament starting up tomorrow, she’d half-expected Zack to ask now that they were finally in a good place with each other again. And, unless she was imagining it, Nellie thought she saw a glimmer of hope in his eye that her answer would be yes.
But she couldn’t give him that. “I don’t know,” she uncertainly returned. “I mean, I’m not even in Suzuki-gun anymore, am I?”
It was more statement than question. As much as Nellie had liked to believe she’d been a full-fledged member of Suzuki-gun, she’d always felt like more of an affiliate, only there because she was with Zack; more included than Miho, but still less than everyone else. And so, when she and Zack had broken up, the tie had been severed—and it had taken him and Nellie a while to learn how to be just friends. She’d been a ghost in the weeks and months following their break-up, not attending a single NJPW event until she’d gotten together with Jay, and even then, she’d remained backstage. Wouldn’t it be out of line for her to just show up again after more than a year and a half away?  
“It’s not Suzuki-gun, it’s Tekkers,” Zack reasoned. “And Taichi wouldn’t have mentioned it if he didn’t want you there.”
“What about you?”
The question came out before she could stop it, and she fidgeted, anxious. Zack’s eyes softened once more.
“I would like to have you out there with us again, yeah. We make a good team, Nell… platonically or otherwise.”
Nellie’s phone suddenly buzzed in her hand, and she looked down. It was a text, and the name on the screen made her stomach flip for a whole separate reason other than Zack hinting that maybe he was over just being friends.
“I don’t know, I’ll think about it,” she noncommittally returned; and then, like Taichi and Torrance minutes before, she hurried to leave. “Good luck tomorrow, though,” she offered. Zack sighed inaudibly.
“Yeah, thanks,” he said, and Nellie waved and headed off, unlocking her phone to respond to Kyle’s text as she went.
* * * *
Hours later, Nellie sat across from Torrance at their favorite greasy burger joint and downloaded her on her brief conversation with Zack—and Torrance’s assessment was decisive. 
“Oh, he’s totally looking in the rear view hoping objects are closer than they appear.”
Nellie nearly choked on her drink.
“Seriously,” Torrance went on. “He sees you single again living your best life and now he wants you back.”
She shot Nellie a look that challenged tell me I’m wrong. Nellie sighed.
“I don’t know. You remember that night I talked to him after we had those tarot readings… he said it was inevitable we’d break up.”
“And now he knows he put his foot in his mouth,” Torrance returned. She smirked. “You and Zack are soulmates; your tarot reading said so.”
Nellie’s expression went flat. “And you thought Robbie was the Knight of Cups.”
Torrance visibly paused. “Okay, fair,” she admitted. “But all that aside, are you thinking of doing World Tag League?”
The corners of Nellie’s mouth turned down in thought. Part of her did miss accompanying Dangerous Tekkers to the ring; she’d had a lot of fun being an extra obstacle for their opponents throughout the 2018 and 2019 World Tag League tournaments. But a bigger part of her knew it wouldn’t be the best idea for her to participate this year.
“I don’t think so,” she decided. “Weirdness between Zack and me aside, I have enough on my plate with Stardom and RevPro already. Plus, Juice and Finlay aren’t in the tournament this year, and I always have the most fun fucking with them.”
Torrance smirked. “You’d do it in a heartbeat if Aussie Open were in it.”
Nellie didn’t want to smile, but she couldn’t help herself. “Probably.”
“Are you excited to see Kyle next weekend?”
Nellie paused. Again, she didn’t want to admit it. And yet, “I really am.”
Torrance grinned wide. “I knew you were, I just wanted to hear you say it.”
Nellie gave her the side-eye as she took another drink. But she couldn’t deny it—she was excited to see Kyle again. This was the longest she’d been away from England since she’d won the RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship, and she and Kyle had never talked more. Texts, video calls coordinated around the time difference between Tokyo and London… a cheeky photo here and there. It wasn’t often that they didn’t send each other good morning and goodnight. And, terrifyingly, Nellie was starting to wonder if she wanted to tell everyone else to lose her number.
“So, are you gonna do more than just make out and cuddle with him this time?” Torrance asked.
Nellie sighed. “Why did I know you were gonna ask that?”
“Because you know you need to get dicked down,” Torrance returned. “Exorcise the ghost of Jay.”
Nellie laughed out loud. “Thanks, now I’m just thinking of Kyle’s dick like it’s some sort of holy instrument.”
“Maybe it is, you don’t know,” Torrance returned. “He could give you a religious experience.”
For the second time, Nellie nearly choked on her drink. “Anyway,” she segued once she’d recovered, “speaking of next weekend… are you gonna make it official with Will?”
Torrance went quiet and, when she didn’t answer after a few seconds, Nellie started to worry. But then she said, “Yeah, I think so.”
Nellie breathed out. “Thank God. You need to put Robbie out of his misery. I felt like I needed to take him out back and shoot him when you told him you weren’t going to the show tonight.”
“Well, I don’t know why he even asked!” Torrance proclaimed. “And I don’t know why he thinks there’s still a chance of there being anything between us, either.”
“Probably because he knows exactly how quickly you can change your mind.”
Torrance frowned at her. “Jeez, Nell, just come for my jugular.”
“I’m just being honest,” Nellie returned. “You know I thought you and Robbie would’ve been good for each other, but I also know neither of you could get out of your own way, so I don’t really blame you for jumping ship as soon as Will came along with clear intentions for what he wanted. But the sooner you make it crystal clear to Robbie that you’re with Will, the better.”
“I know, I will,” Torrance returned. “Actually, Will and I FaceTimed after I got home from training, and I almost wanted to say fuck it and make it official then. But I know I’d rather do it in person.” She drained the last of her drink and set the empty glass down on the table. “I don’t feel like going home yet,” she suddenly decided.
“I don’t either, actually,” Nellie agreed.
“Well, let’s go get a drink or two somewhere,” Torrance said. “We’re on a tag team run no one expected; we deserve to celebrate a little.”
“A little being the operative phrase,” Nellie stressed. “We need to be able to function tomorrow.”  
“I know,” Torrance assured. “Like I said—just a drink or two.”
* * * *
Nellie should have known a drink or two would turn into three or four, and before she knew it, it was after midnight. But she was beyond worrying about being able to function for tomorrow’s match. It was late afternoon in London, and halfway through her third drink, Nellie hadn’t been able to stop herself from texting Kyle anymore. And, as inebriated texts so often went, the more they texted, the more risqué the messages became.
This isn’t fair, Nell. I haven’t seen you in two months and you’re teasing me with a week still left until you’re here. It’s cruel and unusual punishment.
Nellie bit back a grin as she responded. Do I need to send you something to tide you over?
“How’s Kyle?” Torrance asked with a knowing smirk.
“Fine,” Nellie returned; no more, no less. But then her phone pinged again.
Are you implying there’s something to tide me over for?
Heat rose in Nellie’s core, and she considered just telling him yes. But there was no fun in that. Maybe if you’re good, she typed back.
Kyle’s reply was immediate and simple. Fuck, Nellie.
Nellie grinned across the table at Torrance. “Do you think I should tell him you said his dick might be a religious experience?”
“What?” Torrance coughed. Rather than explain, Nellie just showed her her phone. When she was done reading, she let out a loud burst of laughter. “That’s up to you. But maybe you should send him something to tide him over, because the poor boy clearly isn’t gonna make it another week.”
Nellie laughed; but she looked back down at her phone in thought .
“You’re going to, aren’t you?” Torrance guessed.
“Maybe?” Nellie admitted. She was surprised at herself. “Jesus, I’ve never sent anything like that to anyone I wasn’t in a relationship with, but Kyle has me acting strange.”
Torrance smirked. “Religious experience,” she reiterated. “But also—you’ve sent Zack nudes?”
“That’s your takeaway here?” Nellie laughed.
“Yes!” She gasped in realization. “Did he send them to you?”
“Seriously?”
“Well! It’s hard for me to imagine Zack sending dick pics.”
“Are you trying to?”
Torrance’s eyes widened. “Okay, I’ve been drinking. That’s my excuse.”
“Uh huh,” Nellie returned. “I’ll be sure to tell Will that you’ve brought up both Kyle and Zack’s dicks in conversation.”
“In relation to you!” Torrance defended.
Nellie grinned; but it morphed into a yawn. “Okay… I think I’m ready to head out. It’s almost one, and drinking any more would be a bad idea.”
“And you want to get home and send Kyle a little something.”
Nellie didn’t justify that with a response. “I’m gonna go pay my tab,” she said. She reopened her messages with Kyle as she walked to the bar.
We’re heading out now. FaceTime when I get home?
I’ll be impatiently waiting, Kyle replied.
“Nellie!”
She stopped in her tracks. The sound of that voice threw her; she hadn’t heard it in months. But she turned toward it and did her best to pull her face into a smile when her eyes met Riley’s at the other end of the bar.
“Fancy meeting you here!”
He pulled her into a hug that Nellie robotically returned. Under different circumstances, she wouldn’t have been at all nervous to see Riley. But this was the first time she’d seen him since she and Jay had broken up, and she knew it would only be a matter of time before they’d have to address the elephant in the room.
“Don’t you have a big tag match tomorrow?” he asked. “Well, later today, I guess.”
“Ishimori isn’t with you, is he?” Nellie blurted, and she didn’t fully realize she had until Riley looked at her funny. “Torrance is here, too,” she explained with a glance back at their table, but it was empty. Torrance must have gone to the bathroom.
“Ah,” Riley nodded in understanding. “No, he’s not. Robbie isn’t here, is he?”
Nellie blinked. The question was a stark reminder of just how estranged Torrance had become from most of Bullet Club. “No. He and Torr aren’t a thing anymore.” She just left it at that. Riley didn’t need to know anything else.
“Well, thank God for that,” he breathed. Nellie pursed her lips, but Riley had already moved on. “You want a drink? It’s been a while.”
“Oh,” she fidgeted and glanced at the bartender who’d walked over to them. “We’re actually heading out. Like you said—big tag match tomorrow.”
“Oh; yeah, of course,” Riley said. There was an audible note of disappointment in his voice, and it almost made Nellie decide to stay for just one more round. But then the bartender asked Riley what he wanted and took Nellie’s name to run her tab. It was an awkward few seconds before Riley spoke up again.
“Hey, I know this is late, but… as much as I love Jay, he’s a fucking idiot.”
There it was, like finally ripping off a Band-Aid. Nellie frowned at him. “It’s been three months, Riley. You don't need to try to make me feel better.”
“I know, but I haven’t seen you since you two broke up,” he pointed out. “Have you not talked to him at all?”
She shook her head. “Not really. He’ll like an Instagram photo every now and then and throw me completely off-guard, but that’s about it. Why? Has he said anything to you?”
She knew Riley had seen Jay—they’d taped multiple episodes of NJPW Strong together over the last month—and she couldn’t help but wonder. Had Jay asked about her? Had he seemed at all regretful, as confused and sad about how things had ended between them as she still sometimes felt during quiet nights alone in her bed? As much as she wanted to know, Nellie wasn’t sure what she wanted the answer to be.
But Riley bobbled his head. “A little. I don’t know; I got the sense he felt awkward saying too much to me because he knows we’re close.”
Nellie laughed a bit at that. “Okay, but not closer than you and him are.”
“You don’t think so?” He sucked his teeth in disagreement. “I don’t know. I mean, we used to fuck.”
She snorted through her nose; but even though it was tactlessly made, he had a point. Nellie’s connection with Riley had always been special, in its own way. He’d been the first person to make her feel welcome when she’d left home to work for RevPro, nervous and alone and abroad for the first time. And yeah, at first maybe it had only been because he’d wanted to get in her pants, but they’d forged a genuine friendship—a friendship that might have been more, once upon a time. But Riley hadn’t been able to pull his head out of his ass, and so Nellie had moved on. And even though he’d acted cool about it, even a bit uncaring, when she’d started dating Jay a couple years later, Nellie had always gotten the sense that Riley was a bit wounded by their relationship, deep down. She knew some part of him still carried a torch for her. Some part of her still carried one for him, too. And then her lips tingled with the memory of something they shouldn’t have done, and she realized how close they were standing to each other, and the next words blurted out of her mouth like nervous vomit.
“I’ve sort of been talking to someone.”
Riley cocked his head at her, clearly surprised to hear it. “Who?”
Nellie hesitated. “Kyle Fletcher,” she mumbled. Riley didn’t hear her.
“Who?”
“Kyle Fletcher!” she loudly repeated—and Riley’s reaction was about what she expected.
“Kyle Fletcher?” His eyes practically bugged out of his head. “That twink Australian kid I used to live with? Isn’t he like, twenty?”
“Twenty-two,” Nellie firmly corrected. “He’ll be twenty-three next month. And he’s not a twink anymore, either.”
The bartender returned with Riley’s drink and her bill, and Nellie was grateful for the interruption. She should’ve just kept her mouth shut. Riley knew Kyle, really well—they’d lived together in England when they’d both moved there from opposite corners of the globe with a shared hope of making it in the business of pro wrestling. In fact, Nellie had first met Kyle not at RevPro, but during one of the occasions she’d spent the night with Riley. It made the current situation more than just a bit ironic.
“Man, you really like keeping it in my social circle, huh,” Riley commented.
“Oh fuck off, it’s not intentional,” she returned. “And it’s my social circle, too!”
“I know; I’m just giving you a hard time,” he said. “But it’s just a rebound, right?”
The question caught Nellie off-guard. She honestly hadn’t thought about whether Kyle was just a rebound or not. But the way Riley had asked—so assumptive, almost dismissive —made her feel suddenly defensive of Kyle. She almost wanted to tell him no, he’s not just a rebound.
“Why do you say it like that?” she returned.
Riley didn’t hesitate. “Because he’s twenty-two.”
Nellie rolled her eyes.
“I’m not judging!” he quickly added. “Do what you want with who you want, it’s none of my business. I just want you to be happy, Nell. I still don’t like that Zack broke up with you after you moved across the fucking world with him, and then Jay basically abandoned you. You deserve better than that. So, if Kyle’s making you happy, then by all means, fuck that twink’s brains out.”
“He’s not,” Nellie started to repeat, but she let it go with a sigh. “Thanks for the blessing though, I guess? I don’t know; I kind of figured you’d take Jay’s side. Not that there’s sides to take, but…”
She trailed off, leaving it at that. But Riley shook his head.
“No, I’m not taking sides. But for what it’s worth, if I had been in Jay’s position, you wouldn’t be talking to Kyle Fletcher right now.”
“Sorry, there was a line for the bathroom.” Torrance appeared not a moment too soon. She gave Riley a tight smile. “Hey; welcome back.”
“Hey; thanks,” he said. “Don’t worry, Ishimori isn’t here.”
Torrance’s brow puckered. “I wasn’t worried about it,” she dismissed. “We’re leaving, anyway.”
With that, she moved up to the bar on Nellie’s other side to ask for her bill. Nellie looked awkwardly back at Riley. She had to say something to cut the tension.
“So, first night of BOSJ… did you win your match?”
Riley rolled his eyes. “No. I tried to do the One Winged Angel, but Wato countered it and stole the pin.”
“What?” Nellie couldn’t help the way she laughed. “The One Winged Angel? Come on, Riley.”
“What?” he returned. “I was just trying to pay homage to one of Bullet Club’s best.”
Nellie just shook her head and rolled her eyes. She’d never really understood Riley’s antics. It was another reason she knew they wouldn’t have worked out as anything more than what they’d been.
“Ready?” Torrance came to stand next to her again. Nellie nodded.
“Yeah.” She looked back at Riley. “Well, good luck in the rest of the tournament. But maybe try sticking to your own moveset from now on?”
Riley rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. See you later.”
Nellie waved to him, and she and Torrance turned and left the bar. “What was that about?” Torrance asked as they pushed out the doors into the chilly autumn night.
“He tried to pull off the One Winged Angel,” Nellie explained.
“Ha!” she burst. “As if he could.”
* * * *
I’ll be home in five minutes, Nellie texted Kyle from the backseat of the Uber taking her home.
Okay :) Call when you get settled.
She smiled at the screen. Something about him using that style emoji warmed her heart.
The Uber pulled up to her apartment complex just over five minutes later, and she walked a little bit more quickly than normal, eager to get inside and settled. She rushed through her nighttime routine, too, brushing her teeth, washing her face, and applying her night cream before she changed into a soft pajama set and climbed into bed, phone in hand. She grabbed her charging cable and plugged it in, got comfortable, and called Kyle.
He picked up halfway through the second ring. His smile lit up her whole room even from thousands of miles away. It always did. “There’s my future tag team champion.”
Nellie grinned. “Don’t jinx it! We still have to win our block final before we even get to the tournament final.”
“I’m not jinxing anything!” he confidently proclaimed. “Next time I see you, you and Torr will be the number one contenders to the Goddesses of Stardom Championship. And I’m not just saying that to flatter you, by the way; I really believe it.”
Fuzzies warmed Nellie’s stomach. “Well, I am flattered, so thank you. That means a lot coming from you.”
“Well, you’re a great wrestler, Nell, genuinely,” Kyle returned. “You wouldn’t be the Undisputed British Women’s Champion if you weren’t—a two-time Undisputed British Women’s Champion, might I add, and the only American to hold the belt. And I know you’ll successfully defend it at Uprising next week, and then when you and Torr win the Stardom tag titles, we’ll be double champions together and take over the world.”
She laughed. “Oh really? That’s not a prediction, it’s a spoiler, is it?”
“I’m manifesting it,” he confirmed. “And when it happens, you might as well just join United Empire.”
“There it is,” Nellie smirked.
“Well, there’d really be no reason for you not to join, would there?” he rhetorically asked. “I mean, you already look good in green.”
Her stomach fluttered again. “You make a compelling argument.”
A corner of Kyle’s mouth quirked up. “I’ll try to make it even more compelling next weekend.”
With that single statement the tone of their conversation shifted from being playful to something deeper. There was desire in the way Kyle had said it; Nellie could see it in his face, sense it through the screen. It emboldened her to be upfront with him about how she’d been feeling, even if it scared her.
“Can I be honest?” she asked.
“I hope you would be,” he returned.
“I wish you were here.”
It was silly how nervous she was to admit that to him. But it was true. Nellie hadn’t felt this sort of schoolgirl giddiness toward anyone since Zack. With Riley it had just been about sex; any deeper connection they could have fostered was stifled by his complete emotional ineptitude. Then with Jay, everything had been so fast, so hot and then suddenly so lukewarm. They’d been in thick of their honeymoon phase when Jay’s loss to Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom 15 had unexpectedly pushed him over the edge, and even though he and Nellie had come back even stronger from that brief interruption, Jay had left Japan again just three months later, and their relationship was just sort of snuffed out by uncertainty. But these two months getting to know Kyle in a new light had felt more balanced, steadier and more deliberate. And yeah, part of Nellie was ready to admit that she was curious to see where it could go. But another part of her still wanted to guard her heart.
Kyle’s smile put another chink in her armor, though. “I’ve wished I was there or you were here since I woke up next to you the morning after High Stakes.”
Nellie couldn’t help it—she laughed. “Do you just think up lines like that and put ‘em in your pocket to use on girls?”
“Excuse me,” he returned, mocking offense. “It wasn’t a line, thank you very much. But I can understand why you’d think that because of how incredibly smooth it was.”
Another laugh. “It was incredibly smooth; I’ll give you that.”
“But I mean it,” he earnestly added. “And in the interest of being honest, I was honestly a bit disappointed when you told me you and Torr would be competing in the Goddesses of Stardom tournament, because I knew it meant you wouldn’t be back in England for a while. But at the same time, I was happy because you two absolutely deserve this shot and all the recognition that comes with it. But that being said… next weekend cannot get here fast enough, because all I’ve been thinking about for the last week is seeing you again.”
A wide grin broke out over Nellie’s face; a giddy schoolgirl, a million butterflies. Kyle had her acting strange—but she was more than willing to go along for the ride.
“Same,” she told him. “Next weekend definitely can’t get here fast enough.”
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debbiechanclub · 1 year
Text
Knights and Kings
A “Take My Hand, Wreck My Plans” fic
Pairing: Zack Sabre Jr. x OFC Word Count: 4,650 Warnings: ANGST; alcohol use; language
Nellie and Torrance are both in need of relationship advice, and they expected to find it at the bottom of wine bottles and ice cream cartons―not a deck of tarot cards.
TMHWMP Timeline | Masterlist
Read it on AO3
Tag squad: @comeasyoudar @statdaddy @knifepervert @sldghmmr @rusevday @missbrownstone @meteora-fc @bec0m @thatgirlforever5 @rocca09
Saturday, August 1, 2020 Tokyo, Japan
“Thank you for letting me crash here,” Torrance said. “I promise I won’t overstay my welcome.”
“Stop,” Nellie returned. She handed her a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc and sat down on the opposite end of the couch, pulling her feet up onto the cushion. “You can stay as long as you need. I’m sure it won’t be long, anyway.”
Torrance laughed dryly to herself as she eagerly lifted the glass to her mouth. “That makes one of us.”
She took a long drink, and Nellie frowned. When Torrance had called and told her she needed a place to stay because she and Ishimori were “taking some time apart,” Nellie had thought she meant just for the night. But when she’d shown up at her apartment just over an hour later—suitcase in tow, eyes red from crying—Nellie had realized it was a bit more serious than just a night.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. “Or do you just want to drink and binge-watch K-dramas?”
Torrance laughed again, a bit more genuine that time. “All of the above.”
Empathy surged in Nellie’s veins. “I didn’t realize you and Ishimori were having issues again.”
“Again,” because Torrance and Ishimori were one of those couples who always seemed to be either hot or cold. Nellie had seen it for herself during the two months she’d crashed in their spare bedroom after she and Zack had broken up. But she’d also seen their love in all the little things they did, in the way they chose each other every single day. From where she was sitting, this break had come out of left field.
But that wasn’t the case for Torrance. “It started not long after you moved out,” she revealed. “I think you were providing a buffer for us, and we didn’t realize it until you were gone.”
Nellie’s frown deepened. So this had been building for a month, then. She had noticed that Torrance hadn’t been her usual self the last few weeks, but she hadn’t thought too much of it—most people weren’t themselves these days. New COVID cases were surging again in Tokyo, and Stardom had just two shows planned for August after only just starting up again at the end of June after a three-month hiatus. So, Nellie had just assumed Torrance was depressed over the general state of things; she hadn’t thought to ask if anything else was going on.
And plus, Nellie had been dealing with her own personal matters lately.
She pulled herself out of her thoughts and refocused on Torrance. “So what exactly started, then?” she asked. “After I moved out.”
“Just, bickering,” Torrance breathed. “Constantly, about everything, about the stupidest, littlest shit. And I’d been hoping it was just a rough patch and that we’d get through it, but we haven’t and now… I’m doubting our entire relationship.”
A weight settled on Nellie’s chest, and she looked regretfully down into her own glass of wine. She could relate all too well.
“It’s exactly like what happened to you and Zack.”
Nellie flicked her eyes back up at her. Torrance was already shaking her head.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, you’re not wrong,” Nellie ruefully returned. “It is exactly like what happened to me and Zack.” She paused to take a sip of wine, her mouth suddenly dry. “You know you could have talked to me about it.”
“I know,” she quietly said. “I actually almost did call you after Taiji and I got into it last week, but then I realized it was Zack’s birthday and I didn’t want to bother you with my shit when I knew you were probably dealing with your own.”
Nellie’s mouth moved too fast for her brain. “It probably would have been better if you did call.”
There was a beat of silence as they both realized what she’d said. Nellie froze. Torrance noticed.
“Why? Did something happen?”
Nellie shifted uncomfortably.
“Shit, something did happen, didn’t it?” Torrance figured, and Nellie knew there was no avoiding it now. So, she spit it out.
“I slept with Zack.”
Torrance’s jaw unhinged. “On his birthday?”
She nodded.
Torrance stared at her a few seconds longer, mouth agape. “Well, I’m glad I didn’t call, then,” she remarked.
“No, it’s not good, Torr,” Nellie woefully returned—but Torrance was already asking her next question.
“Did it happen here or at his place?”
Nellie sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She might as well just give her all the details. “His place. I texted him happy birthday because it felt like the right thing to do; we’re still friends. But then we started talking, and he said he was getting takeout from this udon place we both love, and asked if I wanted to come over. It was only like six-thirty, so I figured it was fine and I could leave before it turned into hook-up hours, but then one thing led to another and… yeah.”
She took a gulp of wine, her heart pulsing in her neck. In truth, she knew she should have declined Zack’s invitation that night; she should have called Torrance and had her talk her down. But she was having a harder time moving on from Zack than she was willing to admit. Some days, she gave herself grace for it. Of course she was having a hard time—she’d uprooted her whole life and moved across the world with the person she loved only to have it all fall apart. Anyone would have a hard time moving on from that.
But other days—like today, the entire last week—she felt like a fool.
“Was it good, at least?” Torrance asked, cutting into her thoughts.
“Torr,” Nellie breathed, half a smile on her lips. “You’re not helping.”
Torrance pulled her mouth to the side of her face. “Well, I guess we both need tonight.” She let out a tired sigh. “Please tell me you have ice cream or chocolate or something else we can eat our feelings with.”
Nellie pushed out her bottom lip. “I don’t. But there’s a 7-Eleven a few blocks away.”
* * * *
Neither of them was concerned about impressing anyone, and a few minutes later they both left Nellie’s apartment in oversized t-shirts, bike shorts, messy buns, and masks to walk the few blocks to 7-Eleven as the last remnants of twilight died in the darkening sky. And it didn’t take long for Torrance to resume her line of questioning.
“Have you and Zack talked about it at all?”
Nellie snorted. “No. I left practically as soon as the sun came up. It was my first walk of shame since back when I was hooking up with Riley,” she lowly added.
“You snuck out?” Torrance balked.
“No, I didn’t sneak out,” Nellie clarified. “I told him I was leaving. But he was still half-asleep, so.” She left it at that and gestured to an alleyway on their right. “It’s this way.”
They cut into the alleyway, lined with tightly packed open-air bars and restaurants. Paper lanterns and electric signs hung every few feet advertising food and drink in kanji, but the atmosphere wasn’t as lively as it would have been under normal circumstances. It made Nellie recall one of her very first dates with Zack at an izakaya just like these, a smile on her face as she turned toward him on a barstool, his hand on her thigh—
“Would you like your cards read, my dears?”
Nellie and Torrance both slowed to a stop. An older woman with kind, dark eyes stood outside a stall toward the end of the alley. Nellie looked up at the sign overhead; in bright neon letters it read in English, “PSYCHIC TAROT PALMISTRY TEA LEAVES.” Her brow furrowed in confusion. This stall hadn’t been there any of the previous times she’d walked through here.
Torrance hesitated. “Oh, I don’t know—”
But the woman cut her off. “Yes, come. You especially need a love reading; I can tell from your aura.”
She beckoned them into the stall. Torrance and Nellie exchanged an uncertain glance.
“Come, come!” the woman repeated. “You want to know if you and your partner are too incompatible, yes?”
Torrance’s eyes widened. Nellie could see her overthinking it in real time.
“Okay, that’s a really general statement,” she quietly attempted to assuage her.
“There’s no need to be afraid,” the woman said. “The cards will only tell you what you need to hear.”
Torrance and Nellie tapped eyes again. “Yeah, that’s what worries me,” Torrance muttered under her breath; but she moved forward into the stall. Nellie followed. She had to admit, she was intrigued—and there was something comforting about the old woman’s presence.
There wasn’t much to her set-up; just a small folding table covered by a woven tapestry with one chair on one side and two on the other, a neatly stacked deck of tarot cards set in the middle. An electric tea kettle and paper cups sat in the corner, presumably for those who wished to have their tea leaves read. They all sat down around the table. The woman looked at Torrance first.
“All I need are your name and the name of your partner, nothing more.”
Torrance shifted; so they were jumping right into it. Her voice wavered a bit as she answered. “Um, I’m Torrance, and my boyfriend’s given name is Taiji.”
The woman hummed as she nodded and reached for the cards. She held them intentionally in her hands for a moment, her eyes closed, focused; and then she reopened them and started to shuffle. Overhand, varying her pace—sometimes quick, sometimes slow—until one of the cards popped out from the pile, making itself known. She laid it facedown on the table, and then repeated the process two more times. When she was done, she set the rest of the cards off to the side. The air in the room seemed to thicken as she did.
“This is a traditional three-card love spread,” she explained, deliberately pronouncing each word. “Many people think, ‘the more cards, the better.’ But with too many cards, the message can become muddy and lost. A three-card spread cuts right to the heart of the situation.”
She placed her finger on the card on the right. “This card represents you.” She moved to the card on the left. “This card represents your partner.” Finally, she put her finger on the card in the middle. “And this card represents your relationship together.”
“Okay,” Torrance breathed, nervous. But the woman smiled at her, and even though her mouth was hidden behind her mask they could see it in her eyes, sympathetic and kind.
“Again, the cards will not tell you anything you do not need to hear,” she repeated; and then, without warning, she flipped over the card on the right. It displayed a striking graphic image of an angel pouring water between two cups. At the bottom, it read in capital letters, TEMPERANCE.
“Ah, a major arcana card!” she noted. “This is an important message.”
Torrance’s brow furrowed with anxiety. The woman went on.
“Now, the card looks upright to you because we are sitting opposite one another. But because I am the one doing the reading, it is reversed. And Temperance reversed indicates that you must look inward first before you can move forward.”
Nellie glanced at Torrance out of the corner of her eye. She fidgeted in her seat again, the corners of her mouth turned down. But she remained quiet, interested in what else the woman had to say. And so, she continued.
“Something is imbalanced in your life, and you must think about what it is that you truly want. Not anyone else—you. It is the only way to find harmony again.”
Torrance went rigid. Clearly, the woman’s words resonated with her; perhaps too much.
“It’s not a bad card,” Nellie cut in. “It’s just saying you should take a step back and figure things out. You’re doing that now.”
The woman smiled. “Your friend is right. And if you’re doing this, you are already on the forward path.”
Torrance nodded in understanding. “Okay,” she said again.
“Let’s see Taiji’s card now…” The woman reached for the left card and flipped it over. It pictured a robed king holding a longsword in his hands: the KING OF SWORDS.
The woman considered the card for a few seconds. And then she asked, “Does Taiji have very high standards?”
“Yes,” Nellie immediately commented. Torrance rolled her eyes; but she didn’t disagree.
“Yeah, he does,” she dolefully confirmed. “For everything.”
The woman nodded. “The King of Swords is someone who is very controlled and ambitious, and sometimes that can come off as…” she fluttered her fingers, searching for the right word. “Overbearing—cold—especially in relationships, as they tend to be reserved in showing their emotions. To them, love means pushing their partner to do and be their very best, and they desire someone who will do the same for them. When the two partners are aligned in this concept, it makes for a very strong and beneficial relationship.
“But,” she pointed meaningfully back at the Temperance card. “Do not forget what Temperance has told you. If your desires and needs don’t align with Taiji’s, then it will benefit neither of you.”
Torrance gnawed on the inside of her lip. Nellie couldn’t think of a positive way to spin that message.
“Alright,” the woman said with a single nod. “Now, your relationship together…”
She flipped over the middle card. A knight sat atop a gallant horse, a cup in his outstretched hand. The KNIGHT OF CUPS.
“Hm,” the woman remarked.
“What?” Torrance asked, leaning forward, an edge of panic to her voice. “What does that mean?”
The woman thought for a beat. “Well,” she began, “the Knight of Cups could mean one of two things here, both very positive. First, it could indicate that you and Taiji will take the positive actions necessary for you to move forward together as a couple… or, alternatively, it could represent someone new coming into your life. Someone much more emotionally in-tune with your needs than the King of Swords.”
Nellie snapped her eyes at Torrance. She sat frozen, shocked; but Nellie swore it looked like someone specific had popped into her head.
The woman noticed it, too. “Ah… is there someone else already who could be the Knight of Cups?”
“What?” Torrance reacted. “No,” she shook her head, cleared her throat. “I’m just surprised. This is… eye-opening, for sure.”
The woman smiled again, her dark eyes wrinkling at the corners. “Good! That is the cards’ entire purpose! And now, we will see what they have to say to you.”
Nellie snapped to attention. That meant her.
“You are single, yes?” the woman asked. “Newly single.”
Goosebumps prickled over Nellie’s skin. How had she figured that? “About three months now, yeah,” she returned.
“Mm,” the woman hummed and nodded again. “Then you have a choice. Either I can do a general love reading, or, if there is someone specific on your mind,” she said this as if she already knew, “you can give me their name and I will do a reading like your friend’s.”
Nellie hesitated, a lump in her throat. If Zack knew she was doing this, he would give her so much shit. He was a hardline atheist; he didn’t believe in anything but provable facts, something that had been a point of contention in their relationship. She had always believed in something more, some force bigger than herself.
And she wanted to know.
“His name is Zack.”
The woman picked up the deck. “And yours?”
“Oh. Nellie.”
“Thank you,” the woman nodded, and she started to shuffle.
The first card popped out almost immediately; she pulled it from the deck and laid it on the right. A few seconds later, the second card emerged, and she laid it on the left. Not long after, the final card seemed to jump from the deck of its own volition. The woman laughed lightly to herself as she placed it in the center.
“That was quick.”
Nellie rubbed clammy palms on her legs. She didn’t know if that was a good or bad sign.
The woman reached for the first card. “Your card,” she said; and as she flipped it over, Nellie was struck by the imagery. A large red heart pierced through its center by three swords, storm clouds in the background.
She scoffed to herself. That was a little on-the-nose.
“Ah… the Three of Swords reversed,” the woman noted. “You are having trouble moving on from the relationship that recently ended.”
It was a statement, not a question. Nellie stiffened. “You could say that,” she quietly returned.
“Mm,” the woman hummed again. “It is not so bad, though. The Three of Swords indicates that you need to go through this period of grieving to move forward. But you must be careful not to live in that grief and get stuck. You must keep yourself open to what lies ahead.”
But what lies ahead? Nellie wanted to ask. Maybe the cards would tell her.
“Now Zack’s card,” the woman continued. She picked up the left card and flipped it over. A knight charged forward on a horse, a staff in his hand. At the bottom, it read KNIGHT OF WANDS—and like Nellie’s card, it was reversed.
“He’s the person you recently broke up with, yes?” the woman asked.
Nellie blanched. How did she keep doing that? “Yeah,” she confirmed. “After almost two years. We moved here together in January and then… yeah.” She looked down, surprised at her candor. Maybe she’d just needed to say it.
The woman studied her a beat longer before looking back down at the card. “Like the King of Swords in the previous reading, the Knight of Wands is highly ambitious. But he is more impulsive than disciplined. He struggles with impatience, and sometimes fails to think before he speaks.”
“Do you know Zack personally?” Nellie quipped. The woman’s eyes crinkled in amusement before she continued.
“However, because the card is reversed, it indicates that he’s been feeling very frustrated. There are obstacles in his way, ones he cannot control, and he’s unsure how to proceed. Additionally, his frustration might not have anything to do with your relationship at all, but it affected it nonetheless. He must reconcile all this before he can move forward to what he wants.”
Nellie curled her hands into fists on her legs. There had been extraneous strains on her and Zack’s relationship that had played a factor in their break-up, of that there was no doubt. Living together for the first time in a foreign country where neither of them spoke the language, in the midst of a fucking pandemic, unable to do their job, the thing they loved, the thing that had brought them together in the first place. It had piled up on top of them, and they’d broken under the weight of it all.
“Does this resonate with you?” the woman asked. Again, Nellie had a sense that she already knew the answer.
“Yeah, it does,” she said. “But I don’t know if I’m part of what he wants.”
The woman’s eyes sparkled. “Well, let’s see if the final card will tell us.”
She reached for the third and final card, and Nellie reflexively held her breath as she watched her flip it over. The first thing she noticed was the bright red background. Then, a man and a woman, each holding a cup in their hand, the man reaching out toward the woman. TWO OF CUPS, it read.
“I believe you are part of what he wants,” the woman said. “The Two of Cups. This a soulmate card, my dear.”
* * * *
Nellie tried to pay the woman for the readings, but she refused the money. “The spirits had me seek you out,” she said. Nellie didn’t argue. She just thanked her and practically ran out of the stall, her head spinning.
Soulmates? Her and Zack? Please. She didn’t even think he believed in the concept.
“Wait up!” Torrance called as they exited the alleyway. Nellie spotted the 7-Eleven up ahead and started walking faster. Torrance had to jog to catch up with her. “Well, that was intense,” she remarked.
Nellie didn’t respond.
“Nell.”
“What?”
“That woman just said you and Zack are soulmates, and you’re clearly feeling some type of way about it.”
They came to an intersection, and Nellie jabbed the crosswalk button with her fingers. “She also said that card didn’t necessarily signify romantic soulmates.”
“Okay, but that was a love reading.”
Nellie kept her gaze trained on the crosswalk signal, willing it to change. “It was probably a bunch of bullshit,” she dismissed.
But Torrance shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know, she seemed pretty intuitive to me.”
“Oh yeah?” Nellie returned. “Who’s the Knight of Cups?”
She looked probingly down at her. Torrance blanched. “Okay fine, we won’t talk about it.”
* * * *
But long after they’d returned to the apartment, loaded up with ice cream, Japanese pastries, and more wine, Nellie still couldn’t stop thinking about it. And then, two more glasses deep and well into a Netflix binge session, she got a text. From Zack.
Are you free?
She nudged Torrance and wordlessly showed her the message. Her eyes bulged.
“Now he chooses to mince words?”
Nellie rolled her eyes. “I’m telling him I’m not,” she said and started to type back—but Torrance stopped her.
“No, don’t! You two need to talk.”
Nellie’s brow furrowed in disagreement. “I’m not leaving you here by yourself to go talk to Zack.”
“What, don’t trust me with your stuff?” she joked.
“That’s not—”
“I know,” Torrance interjected. “And seriously, I’ll be fine. Please go talk to him. We don’t both need to be miserable tonight.”
Nellie ran an uncertain hand through her hair. On the contrary, there was no guarantee that talking to Zack wouldn’t just make her more miserable. But Torrance was right. They did need to talk.
“Fine,” she said. “But I’m coming back.”
She didn’t bother changing, but she did pull her long, dark hair out from its messy bun and comb it out with her fingers, double-checking in the bathroom mirror that she looked decent, and then she was out the door. Zack lived two buildings over in the same complex, in what used to be their apartment. Nellie admitted it wasn’t ideal still living so close to him, but options were limited in the current market, and she hadn’t wanted to overstay her welcome with Torrance and Ishimori. Besides, she liked this neighborhood; she was familiar with it. She needed that more than ever right now.
Less than five minutes and she was at his door. She’d never responded to his text, she realized, but it was just as well. He wanted to see her; at least, it had sounded like he did. So, she raised her hand and knocked.
It wasn’t long before Zack answered. He seemed surprised to see her. “So I guess you are free, then?”
A swell of embarrassment flushed Nellie’s face. She was wrong, she shouldn’t have just showed up. Maybe he’d just wanted to talk on the phone, over text—not face-to-face. She must look like an overeager fool.
“Sorry, I should’ve—”
“No,” he cut her off with a shake of his head. “Come in.”
He pulled the door open further, and she gave him a tight smile and moved inside. Soft music floated out from the record player in the corner of the living room; a half-full glass of beer sat on the coffee table. So he’d been drinking, too.
“Do you want anything to drink?”
She looked back at him as he shut the door. “Um, water, actually. I had some wine and I’m starting to get a headache.”
“Ah,” he smirked. “Wine drunk. So that explains you just turning up.”
He disappeared into the kitchen, and Nellie let out a breath. She needed to relax. She moved around to the couch and sank down into the cushions, listening to the music. It was one of Zack’s favorite bands; they’d seen them live in England before all this. She’d gotten him that record player for Christmas. It made her wonder what was going through his head before he’d texted her.
“Here you go.”
Zack reappeared with a glass of ice water. She thanked him and took a long drink as he sat down next to her. It wasn’t until she set the glass atop a coaster on the coffee table and sat back that she realized how close they were.
“So were you just drinking by yourself?” he asked. Cheeky like always.
Nellie pursed her lips. “Not that that would be anything to judge someone for these days... but no. Torrance is over.”
Zack’s brow furrowed. “She is over? And you just left?”
“She practically shoved me out the door, trust me,” Nellie returned, and the implication was obvious: she’d told Torrance what had happened. The mood shifted like the needle on the record player to the next track on the vinyl. There was no avoiding it now.
“So, why’d you want to know if I was free?” she opened.
He laughed shortly. “Is it not obvious?”
“No, it is,” she said. And then, more quietly, “Where’s your head at?”
Zack sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Honestly, I don’t know, Nell. But it shouldn’t have happened, should it?”
Nellie’s heart dropped to her stomach. She felt the same didn’t she? Then why did it hurt so much hearing him say it? “I guess not,” she returned.
“I’m not saying that I regret it,” he quickly clarified. “I don’t, at all. Nell, I would take you to my bed right now.”
“But?”
“But. There’s a reason we broke up. Reasons, plural.”
Nellie’s nose burned. She thought of the tarot reading again, the Knight of Wands reversed, all the outside stresses that they’d been under, that they were still under. She wanted to bring it up to him—the circumstances, not the tarot reading; he’d laugh her out of the apartment if she brought up the tarot reading—but it felt like it wouldn’t make a difference.
And yet. “What if the reasons were all extraneous?”
Zack looked confused. “What?”   
She pivoted to face him on the couch, and her knee bumped his. “I mean, what if the reasons we broke up weren’t actually issues between us, but outside issues that affected us?”
He sighed again. “Nell, we were fighting about everything.”
“Yeah, because we were cooped up here together, unable to work, unable to go anywhere or do anything, really. You don’t think that maybe that had something to do with it, that maybe it was just the circumstances we were under and not actually us?”
“I’m sure it did have something to do with it, but what if it just sped up the inevitable?”
The air was knocked from Nellie’s lungs. Was that really how he felt? “Oh.” She was a fool.
“Darling,” Zack started—and then he caught himself, realized what he’d said. Nellie’s eyes steeled.
“Don’t call me that right now.” She stood up from the couch. “You’re right; it shouldn’t have happened.”
She started for the door.
“Nell—”
“I should get back to Torrance,” she said, and with that she walked out.
The Knight of Wands, his impulsiveness.
The Three of Swords, its necessary heartbreak.
The Two of Cups—soulmates.
Nellie wanted to believe that maybe there was something to it. But it felt like it was all just bullshit.
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debbiechanclub · 1 year
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The Official, NEW New TMHWMP Definitive Timeline
I figured it was about time I stopped talking and starting doing, so here it is: the official, final, definitive timeline of the relaunched "Take My Hands, Wreck My Plans" ficverse.
As you may have previously seen, I'm scrapping everything that has heretofore been written as part of TMHWMP (everything) and rewriting it as a series of interconnected one-shots (and probably a few mini-series) spanning the course of Nellie's career and relationships. And because of that, I figured a timeline would be useful to help you lovely people who have stuck with me to make sense of it all―especially since I won't be writing or posting the forthcoming fics in chronological order, but instead as inspiration strikes.
A friendly heads-up before you proceed: There are a few minor spoilers ahead. However, I've left out the major things (*cough* who Nellie ends up with *cough*) and will be updating/adding to this timeline as I write more.
Again, thank you so much to everyone who's stuck with my creative process for Nellie (and Torrance!) over the last two years. It means more to me than you know.
* * * *
Nellie Keegan DOB: September 19, 1992 Hometown: Allentown, Pennsylvania
2012–2017: Nellie begins training at the Chikara Wrestle Factory in September 2012, shortly after her twentieth birthday. She subsequently makes her in-ring debut in July 2013 and wrestles for various independent promotions across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S.
August 2017: Nellie debuts for World Wonder Ring Stardom as a participant in the 2017 5STAR Grand Prix. ― Meets Torrance Taylor.
January 2018: Nellie debuts for Revolution Pro Wrestling in the inaugural RevPro British Women’s Championship Tournament. She’s eliminated by Jinny in the semifinals. ― Meets El Phantasmo (Live at the Cockpit 24). They go out after the show and spend the entire night flirting with each other. They kiss, and Nellie considers inviting him back to her hotel just for the hell of it. But she decides against it, not wanting to risk developing a reputation backstage on her very first night working for a new promotion. However, she and Riley make plans to hang out the next day. ― After spending the day with Riley, Nellie meets Zack Sabre Jr. at the RevPro show that same night. They have instant, undeniable chemistry; but Zack doesn’t seem at all interested in any kind of relationship, and because Nellie has already sort of begun something with Riley, she and Zack just leave it at that. But they exchange numbers and keep in touch. 
January–August 2018: Nellie continues working for RevPro and other BritWres promotions, and she and Riley develop a tendency to casually hook-up whenever she’s in the UK. Though she tries not to, Nellie also develops feelings for Riley—but he’s too emotionally clueless for a relationship.
August 2018: Nellie signs a contract with Stardom and returns to Japan for the 2018 5STAR Grand Prix. ― Nellie and Zack reconnect. Realizing that they’ll finally be spending a lot of time in the same places (Japan and England), they start dating. This creates some tension with Riley. ― Meets Jay White.
Late 2018–2019: Nellie becomes an official member of Suzuki-gun and begins managing Zack in both NJPW and RevPro while also focusing more on her career in Stardom. At the same time, Nellie begins hanging out more with Bullet Club thanks to Torrance and Riley. She and Zack make plans to move to Tokyo together after the new year.
2020: The pandemic hits. ― January: Nellie and Zack move to Tokyo. ― Late April: Under the stress of living together for the first time in a foreign country during a pandemic, Nellie and Zack break up. It’s a difficult but mutual decision. Nellie moves in with Torrance and Taiji Ishimori until she can get her own place. ― August: "Knights and Kings" ― October: The world slowly starts to open up again and, unexpectedly, Nellie begins a relationship with Jay White when he returns to Japan.
2021: Things get complicated. ― January: Following his loss to Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom 15, Jay takes a leave of absence from NJPW. The uncertainty of it concerns Nellie as she and Jay are so new into their relationship, but they get through it. ― Nellie is still a member of Suzuki-gun, and she continues to accompany Zack for his bigger matches. She believes they've both put any lingering romantic feelings behind them; but their friends―particularly Torrance―believe otherwise. ― May: After winning the NEVER Openweight Championship, Jay disappears from Japan again. ― August: With Jay unable to return to Japan due to visa issues, his and Nellie's relationship suffers, and they break up after months of uncertainty. ― September: "What Happens in London" → Single in England on her birthday, Nellie has some fun with Kyle Fletcher
More to come... 😉
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debbiechanclub · 2 years
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“When It Concerns You”
Prequel 1.5 of ? to “Take My Hand, Wreck My Plans.” Find the entire series here.
Pairings: Zack Sabre Jr. x OFC with a little bit of Jay White x OFC
Synopsis: Whatever’s been going on between Nellie and Zack finally comes to a head when he takes her home after her birthday get-together.
Word Count: 1.3k
Warnings: Drunkenness mostly.
Notes: Have a surprise Nellie/Zack fic. This takes place the same night as “Blow It Out, Make a Wish,” so if you haven’t read that you might want to. Enjoy!
Tag Squad (please let me know if you would like to be added or removed!): @hdbngsprnva @statdaddy @lastrocknrolla @bec0m @betsy-bradock @linziland13 @librathepheonix13 @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @meteora-fc @kawaiikels @rocca09 @thatgirlforever5 @gabbynorth98 @brokenglassslippers @adriii-omega 
Friday, September 18, 2020 Tokyo, Japan
It was nearly 3 a.m. when Nellie decided she should probably call it a night. A lot of the others—namely Los Ingobernables de Japon—were still going strong inside the club; everyone was excited for the start of the G1 Climax and that things finally seemed to be getting back to at least some sense of normal. But even though Juice and Jeff had tried to persuade her to stay, Nellie knew she’d regret it tomorrow if she did.
“Did you call the Uber?” she asked Zack as they stepped out onto the sidewalk. They lived in the same apartment building, so it only made sense to share a ride back. But Nellie knew that even if they didn’t, there wasn’t a chance in hell he would have left her to get home on her own. Not this late. Not after all she’d had to drink.
“Yeah.” He looked at his phone. “It says he’s four minutes away.”
She nodded as she looked down at her own phone and opened up Instagram. She’d posted a gallery of a few pictures from the night: one of everyone together at the hibachi restaurant, a couple obligatory bathroom mirror selfies of her and Torrance, another selfie of her and Zack on the rooftop. The post already had several dozen “likes” and a few comments. Jay had liked it; so had Riley, who’d also commented with a heart eyes emoji. She wondered if Jay had seen it. She wondered if Riley had noticed that Jay was in the first picture.
“Nell, you’re swaying,” Zack said with a bit of a laugh. He gripped her shoulders to steady her. “Are you alright?”
She smirked up at him. “I haven’t been this drunk in a while.”
“I know you haven’t,” he returned, and she wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged herself to him; she got affectionate when she drank. Zack reciprocated the embrace. “Did you have a good time?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes. Thank you for throwing me a surprise birthday party.”
“Well, it was mostly Torrance. But I’ll go ahead and take all the credit.”
She laughed against him; but then the breeze picked up and she shivered. The temperature had dropped from what it had been earlier in the night.
“Are you cold?” Zack asked.
“Obviously.”
“I told you you should have brought a jacket.”
“And I told you I didn’t want to deal with bringing a jacket,” she returned.
Zack didn’t say anything in response to that. He just laughed and rubbed her back to keep her warm. Nellie’s conscience told her she should probably pull away; this wasn’t something exes did, even if they were still friends. Especially if they were still friends. But she didn’t want to pull away.
“I think this is us,” Zack said after a moment. He unwrapped his arms from around her and the chill in the air hit her again as a silver sedan pulled up to the curb. He confirmed it was their ride, and then he opened the back door and guided her into the car with a hand on the small of her back. And when she shivered that time, Nellie knew it wasn’t because of the cold.
* * * * * * * * * *
“You don’t need to walk me to my door,” Nellie said as they both stepped off the elevator onto her floor.
“Well, I am, so deal with it,” Zack returned. She rolled her eyes in amusement.
“Are you gonna tuck me into bed, too?”
“No, I only do that for Taichi now, sorry.”
She nodded. “So I’ve been replaced. I see how it is.”
“No,” he said. They slowed to a stop as they arrived at her apartment. “No one could replace you.”
A fuzzy, familiar feeling warmed Nellie’s stomach. “Well, thanks for walking me home,” she quickly said. Maybe if she could get inside, the feeling would just go away.
“Of course. I’m glad you had a good night,” he gently said; and the way he looked at her then was familiar, too. He hadn’t looked at her like that in two-and-a-half years, but she remembered it all too well. It pulled and tugged at her heart. And before she could tell herself not to, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him. Zack pulled her close, tight. The warmth in her stomach grew.
This isn’t something exes do.
“Zack… what is this?”
“What’s what?” he asked.
“What we’re doing.” She pulled back at looked up at him. “The last few months… it’s felt like when we first met.”
She knew she didn’t need to explain what she meant; he knew. The flirting, the tension, the little gestures. It had been steadily building ever since she’d finally managed to get her own place after crashing with him for far longer than she’d intended upon uprooting her whole life to move from Philadelphia to Tokyo in February. It was funny how that worked, how there hadn’t been any of this tension during those months they’d lived together. It was almost as if the separation had created it. As if they’d realized they missed each other.  
As if they’d realized that, maybe, they wanted to give them another shot.
“I don’t know, Nell,” Zack admitted. “I’ve been trying not to read into it.”
“What?” She couldn’t help her disbelieving scoff. “Please, you don’t read into anything,” she said.
But the look in his eyes said otherwise. “I do when it concerns you.”
Nellie shivered again. She needed to get inside; she might do something she’d regret if she didn’t. Their lips were too close.
She cleared her throat and stepped back from him. “Well, I should get some sleep.”
“Yeah… yeah,” Zack agreed. He rubbed the back of his neck, his senses returning to him. “‘Night, Nell.’”
“‘Night,” she returned, and she unlocked her door and pushed into her apartment. She needed water. She needed sleep and a clear head. It was just the alcohol; she didn’t need to revisit the past. She had plans to get together with Jay on Saturday, for crying out loud.
She sighed and got a glass of water from the kitchen, gulping half of it down right there. But before she retreated to her bedroom, she pulled her phone from her clutch and typed out a text to Jay. Made it home, she wrote and sent it off. Given the hour, she didn’t really expect a response. But she got one less than a minute later.
That’s good. I just got back to the hotel myself.
Nellie shouldn’t have been surprised to see that. She knew how Bullet Club partied.
Her phone buzzed again. Did you have a good night?
I did. But I’m definitely ready to crash. She pressed “send,” and then bit her lip in thought. I’m looking forward to Saturday, though, she added. Again, it wasn’t long before he responded.
I am too. I think I already know where we should go.
Nellie grinned. Well, don’t tell me yet. I like surprises.
She refilled the glass of water and walked back into her bedroom. Jay had already texted back by the time she toed off her shoes.
Good to know, he said, a winking emoji at the end of the message. It was Nellie’s cue to end the conversation. It was good to leave him wanting.
Goodnight Jay, she sent with a smiley face.
Sleep well, he returned, and Nellie set her phone on her nightstand and got ready for bed, doing her best to keep her thoughts looking forward to Saturday—and not back at whatever was going on between her and Zack.
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bullet-clubs-bitch · 2 months
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Tumblr media
Literal LOML
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inastrangerskiss · 2 years
Text
adoration
Zack Sabre Jr. x Reader
content warning: some fluff left over from the holiday season
summary: it had been over for months - you weren't about to let zack walk right back into your life.
The party was loud and you were alone.
Friends came up to talk to you, to exchange gifts, to regale you with stories of their trips to far away places during the holidays. You spoke to everyone. You spoke to anyone.
But you wouldn’t speak to him.
Him.
The man standing in the corner by the punch bowl, a beautiful girl hanging off his arm. The man wearing a suit the shade of the night you walked away from his outstretched hand. The man who kept glancing at you from his safe distance, looking more interested in your misery than whatever his date had to say.
His eyes scanned your face as he nodded to something she whispered in his ear.
It had been hours of this now.
Part of you considered simply walking up to him and holding out your hand. Part of you considered just straight up leaving the party, going home and crying into your pillow until the sun rose.
It was over. It had to be over.
But there was something about how the Christmas lights reflected in his brown eyes. How they cut bright shapes into his golden, blonde hair.
In his hands sat a plate and on the plate sat appetizers you had made. He didn’t know it was your handiwork but it hadn’t escaped him that every dish was one of his favorites. It hadn’t escaped him that every dish was vegan, exactly the way he liked it.
He watched you as a mutual friend walked up to you, taking your hand in theirs and pressing a kiss to your cheek. The jealousy welled up in his chest as you pulled the friend into a tight hug. There was a warmth shared between you and the friend that he had only been able to dream of, the last few months.
“Zack?” The girl in front of him waved her hand, trying to regain his attention.
He snapped his eyes down to her only to be drawn away again by the sight of you walking away with your friend, heading towards the coats.
“Yeah, love?” He murmured, trailing off as he watched you.
“Are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah, course.” He nodded.
And so she continued talking. But Zack didn’t hear a word from her mouth.
“Hold that for me for a second, would you?” He asked as he handed off his plate to the girl before opting to walk away.
The plate nearly fell out of her hands onto the floor but Zack never saw.
He was on the trail of something he needed desperately - more than water, more than food. He was on the trail of closure for a year of misery.
So he followed you. And he wove down the hall, past party guests, to the bedroom where everyone had been instructed to leave their jackets. He watched your dress disappear behind the door just before he burst through himself.
You turned quickly, not expecting the sudden intrusion. But there he stood, at least a full foot taller than you, his eyes wide and somewhat frantic. His cologne was the same cologne he had worn the last night you saw him. When it wafted towards you it made your heart tremble.
“I need to talk to you.” He exhaled.
You didn’t know what to say but you must’ve nodded because your friend said a quick goodbye leaving you both alone.
“Why?” You managed.
“Why?” He asked, his face wrapped in confusion.
“Why do you need to talk to me?”
“I think it’s only fair after this much time apart.”
You had no right to be so standoffish. You were the one who had left him. You were the one who had stepped away from his body. It was your fault that the two of you had become strangers.
But it also wasn’t.
He had been the one that had given you the ultimatum in the first place.
Stay together and move with him to Japan. Or break up. He “couldn’t tolerate the separation” he had explained. He told you that he was no good at distance and that the hours long Facetime calls were not enough for him. And at first you were flattered, because; who doesn’t want to be wanted in such a way? But then you realized there was no way you were going to uproot your life for a man. You had a job and friends and family.
Zack was not enough to sway you to leave them all behind.
So you walked away from the relationship. You walked away from him.
And in so many ways you had regretted leaving him. You missed waking up beside him when he was home. You missed watching him cook over Skype and sharing your meals via a video call. You missed hearing his voice talk you to sleep at night when he couldn’t hold you.
But you refused to change your mind.
Zack shut the door, and turned back to you. As if no time had passed he took your hand and walked you to the foot of the bed. You sat slowly and he sat beside you.
“What do you want to talk about?” You asked.
“How’ve you been?”
“Zack, I don’t -”
“Just tell me how you’ve been.”
“I’ve been fine.” You sighed. “And you?”
“I’m okay.”
“What do you want then? Your date’s probably getting lonely out there.”
“That’s not my date.”
“The girl you were talking to?”
He dropped his chin into his hand and stared at the ground.
“She’s just some girl that I met here. One of my mate’s friends, I think.”
“That’s not the point anyways -”
“It is though, sort of. Isn’t it?” He turned to you with that same old glint in his eye that you had loved so dearly.
“It is?”
“I don’t want you thinking that I came here with a date.”
“You’re within your rights to.” You muttered.
“I haven’t even thought about anyone else since you left me.”
The room was quiet, the air thick with tension. You thought about how long this last year had felt. You thought about how long you had missed him and all the nights you spent on the same mattress in the same apartment hoping and praying he’d walk through the door.
But he never did.
“I don’t know what to say to that.” You finally managed.
“Can we talk about it?”
“I think it’s too late for that.” You spoke softly as you reached for your coat.
His hand met your arm. He didn’t hold you back but his touch weighed you down like a lead balloon. You bit your lip, willing the sadness you had known for so long to go away.
“Please.”
His voice was desperate, a pleading expression washing over his face.
“Fine.” You sighed, sitting on the end of the bed so Zack stood just ahead of you.
He seemed almost shocked that you had agreed. His eyes darted around the room for a surefire strategy to win you back, coming up empty as they settled back on you.
“Where should I start?” He asked.
“How’s Japan?”
You didn’t actually want to know. He knew you didn’t actually want to know. The smug smile on your face was just meant to rub salt in the wound. Bitterness crept into the back of your throat like poison.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does though, Zack. It really does. And do you know why?” The words began flying out of your mouth as a year of anger finally boiled to the surface. “It matters because it’s the choice you made.”
“I had to go! That wasn’t up for debate!”
“You didn’t have to go alone!” You shouted, finally releasing the pressure that was welling up in your chest.
Zack’s face looked as though you had slapped him into the new year. Hot tears began fighting to break free from the corner of your eyes. You didn’t want them ruining your make up but you only had so much control over yourself. You pulled in a shuddering breath and tried to mitigate every emotion that had barbed itself into your mind but you found yourself beginning to drown.
“You chose to be alone out there. You chose that for yourself.” You continued.
“You made the decision at the end of the day.” He bit back.
“I wouldn’t have had to if you hadn’t given me an ultimatum.” You warbled. Errant tears started slipping down your face but you palmed them away quickly. “You wouldn’t have given me an ultimatum if you wanted me to stick around.”
He was silent. You knew he was trying to find a new way to rid himself of blame, to feel better about the situation. This had been a fight you had both been training for. You had arsenals built for the occasion.
“I would’ve stayed,” You continued. “I wanted to stay.”
“I never wanted you to leave.” He murmured so quietly you almost missed it.
He stared at his hands, flexing and curling his fingers intermittently. He withdrew the moment the words left his mouth. He turned away, a hand reaching for his neck as he angsted over his latest confession.
You couldn’t help yourself but shoot your eyes to the floor. You wanted to feel happiness in the light of his apparent regrets but a year of pain wasn’t going to be reversed by one sentence.
When he turned back to you, you saw a blush burning hot on his cheeks, as though he had just confessed to actually liking you. You felt your defenses begin to fall as he walked closer to you.
“You did this to yourself.” You muttered, shaking your head. You had to steel yourself against the fondness you’d always have in your heart for his presence.
“Can I undo it?”
“Do you have a time machine?”
He laughed softly and you winced. You refused to hear it.
“I’m serious.” He insisted.
“So am I.”
He opened his mouth but shut it with a resigned nod. Slowly, he sat beside you, his hands folded in his lap.
You had missed the way the bed dipped when he came to sleep beside you. You had missed the warmth that always radiated off of him, as though he were a human furnace. You had missed the cologne he wore to every party without fail.
You remembered how you could almost drink it in when you put your head on his shoulder. It was your comfort, your reminder that you’d go home soon.
You wanted to go home so badly.
So you leaned your head on his shoulder to taste it just one last time. His hand met your arm, wrapping around your body. You felt sadness in the physical contact. You felt loss.
“Gonna be weird if this is over.” He spoke against the crown of your head.
“It’s been over.” You sighed.
“Yeah but this is, like, really, really over.”
“It’s not like we’ll never see each other again.”
Zack shrugged. “Yeah, but what if I have to see you with another person.”
“I had to see you with another girl.”
“If I had seen you with someone else I don’t know if I’d be able to be normal about it.”
Carefully, your fingers found his. He didn’t fight it. The ten digits wove together, his warmth comforting your cold. You wanted to stay in this moment, contextless, for the rest of your life.
“You would like Japan, you know?” He attempted a chipper tone but it came out as a small echo of former happiness.
“I never wanted to go there. I’ve told you that.”
“Could’ve shown you in a video call.”
“Zack, it’s not my fault that we -“
“I’m not saying it is.” He reassured you. “It was my fault. You’re right.”
You sat up straight, confused by the certainty in his voice. He meant it. There was no other shoe waiting to drop. His thumb ran small circles over your hand as if to sign his name to the confession.
“I wish I hadn’t made you choose. You’re the only person I’ve wanted to talk to this past year.”
“Did you ever think to call me?”
Zack laughed quietly to himself. “I blamed you for this up until a few minutes ago.”
“I can’t believe you. You make your own hells. You know that, right.”
He nodded.
“There were so many pictures that I took that I wanted to send you.” He sighed.
“Guess you didn’t hate me enough, then.”
“You’re not easy to completely hate.”
He smiled and you felt yourself smile back. You hated how easily he worked through every wall you had put up. The more he worked the more you loved him, the more you loved him the more you missed him. And right now you found yourself missing him like you would miss air in your lungs.
“It’s really over, huh?” He exhaled, shaking his head morosely.
“I think so.” You murmured in response.
“I should probably head out. Not sure I’m in the mood for a party after all this.”
He stood, pulling his hand from yours painfully slowly. Carefully, he found his jacket in the pile of outerwear that had been tossed haphazardly by the pillows and pulled it on over his blazer. You watched him, unable to figure out what to say to make him stick around if only a moment longer.
As he walked to the door you felt your heart getting torn from your chest once more, a quivering, quaking sadness renewing within you. You bit your lip, trying to stymie the tears that were rapidly approaching.
“Zack?” You called.
He quickly turned back to you, hand pulling away from the doorknob.
“Yeah, darling?”
“Now that it’s over maybe… maybe we could, like, start again?”
He studied your face before raising a confused eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, like, one door closes another one opens, right?”
“Like, you want to try to be friends?” He asked.
You pondered the question for a moment before lowering your head slightly, casting your eyes to the floor. You knew what you were about to say wouldn’t make any sense but you had watched this relationship die once you didn’t want to experience it again.
“Like, would you want to maybe go out to dinner?”
“On a date?” His voice was almost incredulous but a smile betrayed his tone. “After all this?”
You nodded, still avoiding eye contact.
“I know you’re going back to Japan after the holidays so it won’t mean much but -“
“I’d love to.” He interrupted, surprising you. “I’d like to do that a lot, actually.”
“Seriously?”
“You’ve just asked me out and now you’re surprised I’ve said yes?” He laughed.
“Well you’re only in town for so long I didn’t know if you’d think it was pointless or a waste of time.”
Zack walked close to you, placing a finger under your chin and lifting your gaze up to his. The same, annoying, cocky grin had returned to his face and you had forgotten just how much you missed it.
“Did I make it too easy?” He smiled.
You nodded a tiny nod, pursing your lips to hide the giddiness within.
“Fine, I’ll make it a little more difficult for you then -“
“That’s not what I meant!” You exclaimed, pushing his hand away.
“I’m only going to agree to going out if you can promise me one thing.”
With a roll of your eyes, you stared him down. He looked elated and it took all of your willpower not to pull him to the bed and wrap him up in your arms.
“What’s that?” You asked, a smirk pushing at the corners of your lips.
“If the date goes well, we don’t end things just because I’ve gone back to Japan.”
You wanted to slap him straight out of the room but all you could manage was an exaggerated scoff. But he didn’t laugh and he didn’t smile at you. He wasn’t asking for a favor from you. He was asking for your forgiveness in the only way he knew how to.
So you reeled yourself back in and nodded.
“If the date goes well we won’t end things when you fly back to Japan.” You agreed.
“Beautiful.” He murmured, pressing a kiss to your cheek.
He stood once more and walked to the pile of coats, expertly fishing yours out, leaving you to wonder how he knew what you had come in wearing. He handed it to you and, without questioning, you allowed him to pull the sleeves up and over your arms.
“What are we doing?” You asked.
“I figured you were on your way out when you came in here. Least I can do is walk you to your car.”
“Are you leaving too?”
“What’s the point of being here if you’re not?” He smiled.
His hands fell to your shoulders and ran down your arms, sending a shiver up your spine.
He walked you out of the party and to your car. He opened your door and you slid into the driver's seat, turning the key in the ignition and blasting the heat the moment you were facing forwards. Zack leaned against the top of your door, the tip of his nose turning red in the cold.
“Maybe you could call me?” He offered. “We could set up a time and a place for that date?”
“Sure.” You nodded, finding it hard not to be entranced by the way the clouds of his breath laced through the air.
“I’ll see you soon, love.”
“I’ll see you soon, Zack.”
With that he moved to shut your door. But, before he could, he stopped himself and turned to you.
“Hey, by the way?” He started.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for always being the one to make the appetizers. It’s nice always being able to eat something at these parties.”
You smiled.
“Wouldn’t want you to starve.” You chirped.
With that he closed your door and laughed silently to himself. You drove home and waited all of five minutes before texting him.
You thought about going to dinner with him and what you might wear. You gathered recipes to show him and to give him to bring back to Japan. You tried to make a mental list of things to tell him about that he had missed during the last year.
But none of it mattered.
Because the moment he texted back saying “I missed you so much” you forgot about everything else around you.
It was all over. So it began.
39 notes · View notes
inastrangerskiss · 2 years
Text
as you were
Zack Sabre Jr. x Reader
content warning: none just fluff
summary: zack certainly knows how to run his mouth
“We’re just one day in, one day in.”
Zack’s voice rang loudly through the backstage hallway. You couldn’t help but find some of his grandiose statements to be amusing. However, you kept your head down and focused on your work. This was the only quiet place in the gymnasium that had working outlets and you had several more hotel reservations to arrange.
“Yeah this is a new time. This is a new time and it’s perfect.”
As he spoke you felt his eyes flutter over to you. At first you thought you were mistaken. He was ranting and raving like a lunatic - naturally, he was looking all over the place. But then came the hint of a smile flashed in your direction. It was quick but you noticed it.
You felt it.
It caused a furious blush to break out across your cheeks and a warm heat to rise in your chest. When he saw the way the tip of your nose and the outer edges of yours ears had become a deep shade of red, a tiny, lilting laugh tumbled free of his mouth. He played it off, acting as though he had meant to chuckle, as though he had found one of the many insults he had been hurling in the direction of the camera to be funny.
“As you bloody were.” He muttered, slinging his championship belt over his shoulder.
You went back to what you had been doing, scrolling through emails and collecting reservation numbers. He walked past the cameras, lingering for a moment out of frame.
You thought he would go back to the locker room just like everyone before him had. You thought he’d ignore you. But he stopped. And then he tilted his head in your direction.
“So, how’d I do?” He asked, a cheeky smile growing on his face.
You looked up and around, wondering if he had decided to talk to the reporters. But there he was, his eyes trained on your every movement.
“Me?” You asked, pointing to yourself.
“Yeah you.” He smirked. “You’ve watched everyone else, I assume. How was mine?”
You sat back in your chair, arms crossed over your chest and your lips carefully pursed. You didn’t feel nervous with his attention on you - at least, not as nervous as you would’ve expected. You felt comfortable. His aura felt familiar.
It felt just a bit like home.
“Not bad. Not the worst I’ve seen all day.” You returned.
Zack laughed to himself, his eyes raised, impressed by your nerve.
“Not the worst.” He repeated quietly to himself before shrugging. “Guess that’s better than nothing.”
“You’re all over the place when you talk.”
“I am not!” He protested, smiling in spite of his tone.
“You were looking all over the place. You called out like three people.”
“You were distracting!”
Had his words been a physical force you were sure you’d have been sent flying into the nearest wall. A nervous giggle broke from your lips as you ducked your head to hide your bashful reaction
“I wasn’t doing anything!”
“Yes, you absolutely were!” He retorted. “You were over there with your… with your… well, you know!”
“My laptop?” You asked.
“No! Just like -”
“What is it Zack? My day planner? My computer bag?”
“You smiled at me!”
“I did not!”
“Yes you did!”
Carefully, you shut your laptop and shook your head. “If I did it was just because I was being nice. I was not trying to distract you.”
“Well.” He huffed. “You did.”
He stood still for a few minutes, staring at his title belt while you stared at your phone. You watched him from the periphery of your vision, trying to keep the smile twitching in the corners of your mouth from running out of control.
“The promo was actually pretty good.” You finally chirped. “You’re good at, y’know, talking.”
“Not the first time I’ve gotten that.” He sheepishly muttered.
“You know what they say - practice makes perfect. And you sure never seem to stop talking.”
“Alright, alright.”
Zack waved you off with a roll of his eyes and a small laugh. He absentmindedly wandered closer to you until he was leaning against the table you had spent the evening working at. As the distance closed between your bodies, you felt your heart rate speed up.
“Did you see my match?” He asked, sitting in the chair you had been resting your feet on only a half hour prior.
“I did not. I was working. I didn’t see any of the matches.”
“How do you sit through a two hour show and not watch any of it?”
“Did you watch me book your hotel room for next week?”
His eyebrow arched slightly. “What? No?”
“So why is it so important that I watch you work if you don’t watch me work?” You asked, a cocky expression drifting across your face.
Zack studied you for a moment before smiling back at you and holding his hands up in mock surrender.
“Fair enough.”
“I’m sure you looked good though. You did last night, at least.”
“You saw last night’s match?”
“I watched it back in the hotel.”
You looked away and Zack followed suit but you could see the way his cheeks blossomed as he trained his eyes onto the faux woodgrain of the table. You could see the way his face broke into a satisfied little grin when he realized that, although you had missed his match tonight, you would make a point to see it later.
He wanted you to watch him. For whatever reason, this man that you hardly knew was dead set on having your attention and you were inclined to give it to him.
“So, is this the sort of spot I can normally find you or…?” Zack trailed off.
“What’s this all about?” You asked abruptly, a curious grin challenging his enthusiasm.
Zack’s eyes widened slightly as he sat back in his chair. A nervous laugh wandered from his throat.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what are you trying to get? A better hotel room? A flight without a layover? A car to bring you to the airport so you don’t have to call a rideshare? A lot of these things you don’t need to chat me up for. Except for the hotel room, that sort of has to get passed through the head office but -”
“What are you talking about?”
“Clearly you’re here for something. Right?”
“I didn’t even know you worked here until today.” His voice sounded indignant but his face remained smiling and kind. “Believe me, darling, had I known I would’ve tried to ask you out a long time ago.”
And with that you froze.
You found yourself unmoving, unblinking, staring at Zack and you could only imagine how silly you looked. He patiently waited for you to return to the conversation, tracing the lines of the woodgrain near your fingertips as time passed. When he finally began to worry you would remain frozen until the end of time, he gently patted your hand with his.
“You still here?” He asked with a small smile.
“Yeah. Yeah, sorry, I think I must’ve misheard you.”
“I’m asking you if you’d like to go out with me.” He spoke, quietly.
The brashness he had flaunted earlier had been entirely stripped away, the cocky smugness was gone. All that was left was a man with bright eyes and an optimistic grin.
“Okay, so I heard you right.” You hesitated. “Are you sure you’re not just trying to get something out of me?”
Zack ran a hand over his face as he laughed.
“Yes. I am sure. All I’m trying to get out of this is a date.”
You pursed your lips as though you were deep in thought but you had made your mind up when the conversation had started. Slowly, you held your hand out to him and he stared at it before taking it in his. You both shook for a moment while he tried to contain both his confusion and his amusement.
“Why are we doing this?” He asked, not removing his hand from yours.
“It’s a date.”
“Seriously? You realize we haven’t decided what it is we’re doing on this date, right?”
You shrugged. “That’s okay.”
“We haven’t decided when, either.”
“Well, you could start by riding back to the hotel with me.” You chirped.
Zack couldn’t help but smile at your pleasant demeanor. It wasn’t until his thumb twitched slightly against the back of your palm that you realized neither of you had let go of the other. You held on still, not yet interested in parting.
“If you want,” Zack started. “We could watch tonight’s show together, back at the hotel. Since you said you didn’t get to watch it.”
You tightened your grip slightly against his hand as excitement grew inside your chest.
“I think that’d be fun.” You nodded.
“Right.” Zack stood quickly from the table, surprising you. “I’m in no shape to impress someone such as yourself right now. Can I trust you’ll still be here if I go and shower?”
“Of course.”
“Here.” He pulled the title belt off of his shoulder and slid it towards you. “Guard this for me?”
You ran your fingers over the gold plate in the center and looked to Zack, the metal reflecting shapes of light against his face. You nodded once more.
“It’s safe with me.”
He studied you for just a second longer before breaking out into a beaming grin.
“Fantastic.” He murmured.
And so you sat and you waited and you held onto the IWGP Tag Team Championship belt. And when Zack came out, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, he wrapped an arm around your waist and walked you to his rental car. And when you got back to the hotel you watched the evening’s matches on the television while laying in Zack’s bed, atop the duvet and the sheets, your head on his shoulder, his hand on your hip.
And that’s where you stayed, talking and laughing until the sun rose.
Light broke through the clouds. His fingers wove themselves between yours. Sleepy eyed and smiling, you watched the sun draw lines across the floor.
And you lay in his arms. And you drifted in and out. And you were happy.
As you were.
41 notes · View notes
debbiechanclub · 2 years
Text
“Blow It Out, Make a Wish”
Prequel 1 of ? to “Take My Hand, Wreck My Plans.” Find the entire series here.
Pairings: Jay White x OFC with some very strong hinting at Zack Sabre Jr. x OFC and El Phantasmo x OFC. Nellie has a complicated personal life.
Word Count: 6k
Warnings: Alcohol use; language; angst.
Synopsis: Nellie’s friends throw her a surprise birthday dinner; but she gets an even bigger surprise in Jay’s long-awaited return to Japan. 
Timeline: Takes place four months prior to the start of the main fic.
Tag Squad: @hdbngsprnva @galacticstat @kingswitchblade @champhangman @bec0m @betsy-bradock @linziland13 @librathepheonix13 @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @meteora-fc @kawaiikels @exe-babymox-exe @rocca09 @thatgirlforever5 @gabbynorth98 @brokenglassslippers @adriii-omega
Thursday, September 17, 2020 Tokyo, Japan
“What time is it?” Nellie gave Zack a harried look as she sat down on the edge of her bed and pulled on a pair of clean white Vans sneakers. He looked at his watch.
“7:13.”
She huffed in frustration. Their reservation was at 7:30, and the restaurant was twenty minutes away at least. She was going to be late for her own birthday dinner.
“It’s fine,” Zack assured her.
Her brow furrowed in surprise. “Really? You hate when I make us late.”
But he just shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe I’ve finally gotten used to it.”
Nellie skeptically pursed her lips; she didn’t buy that for a second. But she let it go and quickly finished tying her shoelaces before she jumped up, grabbed a necklace from her dresser top, and turned to face her large floor mirror that leaned against the wall. They were going to one of the nicer hibachi restaurants in the city, and she wanted to look nice. She figured she couldn’t go wrong with a little black dress; but when she fastened her necklace—a dainty gold Virgo coin pendant—and looked herself over, she wondered if the short hem and figure-hugging fit were too much for just going out to dinner with Zack, Torrance, and Ishimori.
“Is this too much?�� She turned to face Zack, smoothing her hands anxiously over her hips. His gaze seemed to linger as he looked her over.
“Not if you’re trying to get laid tonight.”
Nellie’s body flushed hot; she hadn’t expected that response. But she made a quick recovery. “Are you offering?”
“Are you?” he returned.
She breathed a wry laugh and turned back to the mirror. She and Zack had been flirting more and more over the last few months, and she didn’t really know what to make of it. Honestly, she’d tried to brush it off. They were exes for a reason; they were just going stir-crazy after months spent in quarantine and growing nostalgic for the past. But she’d be lying if she didn’t admit that some small part of her wondered if there was more to it than just that.
“But to actually answer your question,” Zack added, “no, it’s not too much. You look great, Nell.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “Thanks.”
He nodded. “But we really should get going.”
She playfully rolled her eyes. “There’s the Zack I know.” She grabbed her leopard print clutch, already filled with everything she needed. “Alright, let’s go,” she said. “I needed a drink twenty minutes ago.”
* * * * * * * * * *
They arrived at the restaurant almost fifteen minutes late; thankfully, Torrance and Ishimori were already there. But when the hostess walked them to their table, Nellie discovered that it wasn’t just Torrance and Ishimori waiting on them—it was Torrance and Ishimori and an entire group of their friends and colleagues from NJPW.
“SURPRISE!” Torrance exclaimed, a giant smile on her face as she animatedly threw her arms into the air. And Nellie was surprised. She’d hadn’t suspected this at all.
“What?” She turned to Zack in shock. “Did you know about this?”
He grinned. “Yeah. It’s why I didn’t care we were late; Torrance told me to stall because not everyone was here yet. Happy birthday, darling.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze, and Nellie’s heart filled with so much gratitude that tears pricked at the back of her eyes. She hadn’t realized how much it meant to her to see so many of her friends gathered in one place until that moment.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Torrance bounded over and practically tackled her with a hug. “Are you surprised?”
“Very,” Nellie said. “How the hell did you pull this off?”
She shrugged her shoulders up to her ears, clearly proud of herself. “I’d say that’s just how amazing I am, but it honestly wasn’t that hard with everyone finally back for the G1. It just worked out that most of the participants also happen to be our friends.”
“I’d use that term loosely,” Zack commented. He dodged away toward the table when Torrance tried to smack him.
“Well, thank you,” Nellie genuinely said. But as happy as she was to see everyone, her heart turned wistful. There was one person missing, all too noticeable in his absence. “It’s too bad Riley isn’t here.”
It had been six months since she’d last seen Riley—since she’d last touched him, felt him—and she didn’t know where they stood. One minute she’d been planning a trip to spend a week with him in Vancouver, and the next the entire world was in lockdown. It was the worst sort of irony; and the longer things dragged on, the less and less she and Riley communicated. At first, she’d taken it with a grain of salt. They were stranded sixteen hours apart from each other, not by choice but by circumstance, out of sight and out of mind. But now, half a year later, sometimes late at night Nellie couldn’t help but wonder if Riley had intentionally let things fizzle out between them. Was he in Vancouver slowly but surely forgetting about her via a string of nameless other women? But who was she to blame him if he was? She’d tried to forget him herself. It hurt less that way.
“I know,” Torrance frowned, breaking into her thoughts. “I wish he was here, too. But don’t think about all that tonight. It’s your birthday, and we’re going to get drunk and have an amazing time.”
Nellie gave a little laugh as Torrance pulled her over to greet everyone. All her teammates from Suzuki-gun were there, as were Juice Robinson and Jeff Cobb, both of whom she’d met wrestling in England prior to ever coming to Japan. Kenta was even there; outside Riley, Ishimori, and Torrance, he was one of the only members of Bullet Club who Nellie actually considered a friend.
But the one person who caught her completely off-guard to see was Jay White.
In a word, Nellie’s acquaintance with Jay had always been a bit cautious. But not because she didn’t like him—because she did. She couldn’t deny that she was attracted to Jay, both physically and mentally; he enticed and intrigued her in a way that no one ever had. But things had been so complicated with Riley that she hadn’t even wanted to think about getting involved with anyone else, let alone one of his teammates. She could only imagine the mess that would create.
But that had been before the last six months. She had Riley hadn’t spoken in weeks. And the way Jay was smirking at her as he walked over to give her a hug had Nellie’s knees weak.
“Hey,” he said. “It’s been a while.”
It was an intimate embrace, his hands spread over her lower back, her arms looped under his. His cologne smelled good—a little too good—woodsy and warm and sensual. He felt good, too.
“Hey. It has been,” she returned, and when they pulled apart, she hoped her cheeks didn’t look as hot as they felt. “Like what… seven months?”
He thought about for it a second before he nodded. “Yeah, the last time I was here was in February. It feels good to be back. Happy birthday, by the way.”
“Oh, thanks,” she smiled and nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’m surprised to see you here, actually.”
The corners of Jay’s eyes crinkled as he smirked again. “More than everyone else?”
Nellie bit the inside of her lip. “A little bit, yeah,” she admitted. It only made him grin wider.
“Well, I’m happy to be here. You look fantastic, by the way.”
He looked her over. Her cheeks definitely burned then. “Thanks. You do, too.”
He wasn’t wearing anything special—just a plain white t-shirt and slim fit jeans, his dark hair pulled half-up into a bun at the back of his head—but it was unfair how good he made it look. It didn’t help that he was also wearing that chain necklace she liked on him so much, and an expensive-looking watch, and that stupid pinky ring. He was the only guy she knew who could pull one of those off.
“It’s actually not tonight though, right?” he asked. “Your birthday?”
“Oh, no,” she confirmed with a shake of her head. “It’s Saturday. But Torrance wanted to do dinner tonight because I’m leaving for Osaka on Saturday to be there for Zack’s first G1 match on Sunday. At least, that’s the reason she gave me.”
She fidgeted, realizing she’d rambled a bit. But Jay just smirked. “Well, I’ll make sure to win my first match on Saturday for you, then.”
Nellie stiffened and her mouth went bone dry. She needed that drink now. A strong one.
“Nellie!”
She whirled around at the sound of Torrance calling her name. She couldn’t have interrupted at a better moment. “You’re sitting next to me,” she said with a point at a seat in the middle of the hibachi table.
“Well,” Nellie quickly said as she turned back to Jay, “I’m being summoned.”
He nodded. “Of course. We have all night to catch up,” he said with a touch of her arm; and as Nellie left him to take her seat, she could still feel the ghost of his fingers and the goosebumps they’d left on her skin.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Looks like Nellie needs another drink.”
Jeff leaned forward from the other side of Zack and eyed the half-drank cocktail in front of Nellie. She scoffed and picked up the glass to show it to him in protest.
“It’s still half-full!” she exclaimed.
He gave her a pointed look. “It’s half-empty.”
She just rolled her eyes and set the drink back down, a smirk on her lips. Half the table had seemingly made it their personal mission to get her drunk. Juice had ordered her a second drink as soon as she’d finished her first, and Taichi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru had joined her in a shot for good measure. Even the hibachi chef had squirted sake into her mouth from a squeeze bottle as part of the entertainment. Nellie was embarrassed to admit, she already had a decent buzz going, even with all the food she’d eaten. Apparently, her tolerance had taken a nosedive after so many months not going out drinking with Riley, Torrance, and Ishimori all the time. She needed to slow down.
Then again, with the way she and Jay had been catching each other looking from across the table all night, she might want the liquid courage.
“Okay, I’m stopping,” she said as she pushed her plate away. She was officially stuffed.
“What about dessert?” Zack asked.
She shook her head. “I don’t even want to think about dessert right now.”
“Alright, I’ll ask later, then.” He sent her a cheeky wink, and the subtle, double-meaning wasn’t lost on her. Or maybe the alcohol was just causing her to read into it. She wasn’t sure now.
But before she could overthink it, a waitress arrived with a fluffy slice of soufflé cheesecake, a single birthday candle stuck in the middle. Nellie glared at Zack as it was set down in front of her. He held up his palms in defense.
“Don’t look at me, I didn’t have anything to do with it!”
She whipped her head around at Torrance, who quickly shrugged. “I didn’t tell them to bring it,” she said. “But they knew this was a birthday thing.”
Nellie skeptically pursed her lips. “Well, just don’t sing—”
But she was cut off by Juice loudly bursting out with “Happy Birthday.” Nellie curled her lips into her mouth as the rest of the table started to sing; but her embarrassment quickly turned to amusement. Half sang in English while the other half sang in Japanese, and it sounded awful.
“Wow, we suck at this,” Jeff remarked, and everyone laughed.
“Make a wish!” Torrance proclaimed. Nellie’s face flushed again, suddenly all too aware of everyone watching her. But a wish popped into her heart, and she leaned forward and blew out the candle. As she sat back up, her eyes met Jay’s through the curling wisps of smoke. He smirked. She bit the inside of her lip and looked back at Torrance.
“You have to help me eat this,” she said as she nudged the cheesecake toward her.
“Don’t need to tell me twice,” Torrance said and eagerly picked up a spoon. “By the way,” she added, “apparently a bunch of people are going out to some club not far from here; sort of like a kick-off party for the G1, I guess. I figured we could head over there if you want.”
Nellie nodded as she dug into the cheesecake. “Sounds good to me,” she agreed; and as she brought her spoon to her lips, she couldn’t help but glance over at Jay again. And again, he was looking, too.
* * * * * * * * * *
Torrance hadn’t been kidding; when they arrived at the club, it was a veritable who’s who in NJPW. Sanada, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, Yoshi-Hashi, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, just from who Nellie had seen thus far; all Los Ingobernables de Japon and CHAOS, she realized—and she’d just walked in with Suzuki-gun and Bullet Club. It was bound to be an interesting night.
But first, she needed a drink. It had only been a few blocks, but the walk from the restaurant in the humid mid-September air had sobered her up quite a bit, and she needed to fix that, stat. But before she could start for the bar, someone slipped their hand onto the small of her back. She looked up. Jay.
He leaned into her ear to be heard above the music. “Can I get you a drink?”
Nellie’s stomach fluttered at the ghost of his lips against her skin. She nodded and turned her head to look up at him. “Sure.”
He smirked that crooked smirk of his again. “Come on.”
His touch fell away from her, and he led her through the crowd, making sure she stayed close. A spot opened up just as they reached the bar, and he guided her into it, his hand on her hip that time. He let it linger there a little while longer before he pulled away, sliding his fingers across her back.
“What’s your poison?” he asked.
Nellie bit her lip in thought, eying him. And then she said, “Surprise me.”
Even in the dark of the club, she could see a mischievous spark in his eye. “I’d say that’s a dangerous choice, but I’m a creature of habit, to be honest.”
He signaled the bartender and ordered them each a Johnnie Walker Gold Label, neat. Nellie arched her eyebrows at him. “That’s kind of expensive to just be buying me a drink, isn’t it?”
But Jay shook his head. “Not at all. It’s your birthday.”
Her body reacted with a bit more than just stomach flutters that time. She tried to ignore it.
“So, you just got back from England, didn’t you?”
Nellie’s eyebrows arched and she nodded, excited that he’d asked. “I did! I was there over last weekend. It was the first show I’d worked for RevPro since March.” She smiled. “It felt so good to be back there again.”
He grinned. “Trust me, I know the feeling. You’re still the RevPro women’s champion, right?”
She nodded proudly. “Seven months as of this past Monday.”
He nodded. “And you’re an Artist of Stardom Champion, as well? Didn’t you win those two pretty close to each other?”
“Exactly one week apart,” she confirmed. She hadn’t realized Jay knew that. It was flattering to know that he did. “I’m hoping to add the SWA Undisputed Championship to my collection next.”
Jay smirked. “I’m surprised you and Torrance haven’t gone after the tag titles.”
“Oh, trust me, we want to,” Nellie said. “We just haven’t had the right opportunity yet. And plus, right now my main focus is finally defending the RevPro title again. I don’t want people to think I’ve only been champion this long because I couldn’t defend it, you know?”
He shook his head. “Anyone who thinks that isn’t worth listening to. Besides, I doubt anyone thinks it, anyway. You’re a great wrestler—you wouldn’t be a double champion if you weren’t.”
Nellie fidgeted at the unexpected praise. That meant a lot coming from Jay. “Thanks,” she shyly returned. “I don’t think I’m half bad myself.”
He grinned again, and she fidgeted some more. Thankfully, the bartender arrived with their drinks.
“Was Phantasmo there?”
Nellie nearly missed her glass as she snapped her eyes back up at the question. She hadn’t expected him to ask that—at all. The suddenness of it gave her whiplash. “At RevPro?” She shook her head. “No. I haven’t seen him since the last time I was there in March. We haven’t really talked in a while, actually.”
She wasn’t sure why she added that last part; it wasn’t necessary. But Jay nodded, almost imperceptibly. Interested to know. “Well, it’s his loss.”
For the second time that night, Nellie’s mouth went dry. It took all of her not to grab her drink and down the Scotch in a single gulp.
Jay reached for his glass and lifted it up. “But here’s to things getting back to normal. And your birthday.”
Nellie eyed him for a second; and then she smirked. “To my birthday,” she said. And she clinked her glass with his and took a sip, their eyes deliberately meeting over the rim.
* * * * * * * * * *
“To my best friend in the whole wide world—besides Taiji, of course. Happy birthday, Nellie!”
Everyone echoed Torrance’s sentiment, and they all kicked back their shots. Nellie grimaced as the liquor burned down her throat, warming her all the way to her belly. Somehow, she’d ended up drinking with Bullet Club. No, not somehow—she knew exactly how. She wanted to hang out with Torrance, and Torrance, of course, was hanging out with Bullet Club. But it was more than just Jay, Ishimori, and Kenta now. Yujiro Takahashi, Evil, and Gedo had showed up, and then Jay had worked his magic and gotten them a VIP booth somehow. And so there Nellie was, sitting right next to him, their thighs touching each other.
It was getting harder and harder for her not to think about touching the rest of him.
“Did you ditch your boys, Nellie?” Kenta asked. “I thought you were in Suzuki-gun.”
Nellie pursed her lips at his smirk. She was used to being teased for keeping company with Bullet Club so often, but she usually heard it from Tama and Chase. She should have figured Kenta would pick up the slack in their absence.
“No, I didn’t ditch them. They went off to harass LIJ, and I wanted to hang out with Torrance.”
“You sure it wasn’t someone else you wanted to hang out with?” Torrance asked with a sly smirk into her drink. Nellie stiffened, caught out; but thankfully, no one else seemed to hear her.
“Just admit you’d rather be in Bullet Club,” Ishimori grinned. He nudged his chin at Jay. “What do you say, Jay?”
Jay waited a beat; and then he said, “I’ll take it under consideration.” He sent Nellie a wink. Her insides turned to mush.
“Alright, let’s get you another drink!”
Suddenly, Torrance grabbed Nellie’s wrist and tried to pull her along. “But I don’t want another drink right now,” she protested.
“Then I have to go to the bathroom,” Torrance amended. “Let’s go!”
Nellie rolled her eyes, but she grabbed her handbag and begrudgingly allowed Torrance to pull her away from the table. She knew damn well that the bathroom was just a bullshit excuse to get away from the guys, and she wasn’t all surprised when they came to a halt off to the side of the bar and Torrance fired, “Okay, what’s going on with you and Switchblade?”  
“Nothing!” Nellie insisted. But Torrance didn’t buy it.
“Oh, bullshit. You two have been eye-fucking each other all night, it’s super obvious.”
Nellie fidgeted again, embarrassed. She hadn’t thought it was that obvious.
But Torrance shrugged. “I say go for it. You deserve some good birthday sex.”
“Torr!” Nellie proclaimed. Her hands flew to the side of her face, horrified at the thought. “Oh my God, I’m not having birthday sex with Jay.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because! It’s way too messy.”
“Why?” Torrance repeated. “Because of Riley?”
“Yes, because of Riley!” Nellie confirmed. “Remember when I said a month ago that things were left completely up in the air between me and him? Well, it’s still like that, and I don’t know what I want to do about it. So the last thing I need to do is sleep with his friend and teammate on a drunken whim and complicate things even further.”
She ran a frustrated hand through her long, dark hair and looked away, surprised at her sudden confession. That was the first time she had ever admitted, either out loud or to herself, that she didn’t know what she wanted. She was confused, torn between the logic of her head and the longing of her heart… and she’d been far too emotionally exhausted to figure out which one was right.
“Okay, maybe I jumped the gun suggesting birthday sex,” Torrance sheepishly admitted. “And I know this whole thing with you and Riley sucks… but Jay’s obviously interested, Nell. So, maybe this is the universe telling you it’s time to figure it out.”
Nellie gave a wry laugh. “The universe introduced a fucking pandemic right when I thought I had figured it out.”
Torrance frowned; but Nellie suddenly felt her phone vibrate in her handbag. She pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was a text from Zack.
Get your arse to the rooftop.
She rolled her eyes. “Zack’s requested my presence,” she announced.
“Tell him you’re too busy being a VIP with your new teammates,” Torrance smirked. Nellie’s eyes widened.
“Yeah, no. I should go up there for a bit.”
Torrance nodded. “Okay. I’ll let you know if anything changes down here; I’m gonna get another drink.”
“Alright,” she agreed, and as Torrance turned toward the bar, Nellie made her way back to the table. She wanted to tell Jay where she was going; after the way they’d been flirting all night, it would be rude to just let Torrance relay the message for her.
He was deep in conversation with Kenta when she arrived, but as she sat back down next to him, he turned toward her and put his hand on her bare thigh, just above her knee. Nellie didn’t know if it was intentional or just reflexive; but either way, the feel of his hand on her body like that lit a fire in her core.
“Everything alright?” he asked into her ear, likely because Torrance hadn’t returned with her. She nodded, stalling to swallow the lump in her throat.
“Yeah. But I’m gonna go up to the rooftop. Suzuki-gun’s up there and I should hang out with them for a bit.”
Jay was surprisingly quick to nod in understanding. “Oh, of course. I didn’t mean to monopolize your time.”
Nellie bit her lip. But do you want to?
“Do you have my number?”
She blinked in surprise as the question cut through her thoughts. “No, I don’t think so.”
He held out his hand. “Here, I’ll put it in your phone.”
Nellie responded by unlocking her phone and opening a new contact card. She handed it to Jay and he input his information, his other hand still on her thigh. It made her question whether she really did want to go up to the rooftop.
“There,” he saved it and handed her phone back to her. She clicked on his number and sent him a text—a single smiley face emoji.
“There; now you have mine, too,” she said.
He smirked. “I’ll text you if we decide to go anywhere else or anything,” he said. She nodded, and he gave her leg a squeeze before he let go so she could stand up and slide back out of the booth. She ruffled Kenta’s hair as she passed by him.
“Bye, Kenta!”
“Hey!” he shooed her hand away. “Watch the hair.”
She just grinned and went on her way. The club was massive, and she was thankful that she’d worn sneakers as she walked up the two flights of stairs to the rooftop. She didn’t realize how stuffy it had been inside until she stepped out into the late-night air, still humid, but not quite as hot as it had been earlier in the evening. Unsurprisingly, the rooftop was just as packed as the rest of the club, and it took her a few minutes to spot Zack in a large area of cushy lounge chairs and couches that were almost exclusively occupied by NJPW wrestlers. She smiled and practically skipped over to where he sat next to Sanada. He gave her a crooked grin when he saw her. It was obvious he was feeling the effects of the drink, too.
“There’s the birthday girl.”
“Did you miss me that much?” she asked—and because there wasn’t anywhere to sit, she helped herself to Zack’s lap. But he certainly didn’t seem to mind. He slipped his hand down her hip toward her thigh, his fingertips just grazing the exposed skin where the hem of her dress rode up. He smirked up at her.
“Yeah, you’re pissed. Who’s been plying you with alcohol?”
“Bullet Club.”
He gave her a flat look. She rolled her eyes.
“Don’t be jealous,” she said, and she couldn’t stop herself from combing her fingers through his hair. She’d always liked his hair.
“I don’t get jealous, darling,” he returned, and the air of cockiness in his tone threw her off-kilter. That time, she knew he’d done it on purpose. He knew it turned her on. Zack knew better than anyone what turned her on.
Thankfully, Sanada diverted her attention. “Happy birthday, Nellie. I’m a little upset I didn’t get an invite to dinner.”
She pouted at him. “Don’t be upset with me! Blame Torrance and Ishimori; I had no idea they were turning it into a surprise party. He knew,” she motioned her head at Zack, her fingers still in his hair. His eyes widened in protest.
“Don’t blame me, either. I had nothing to do with the guest list. I would have invited you,” he said to Sanada. “Not Naito, though; he’s a dickhead.”
Nellie rolled her eyes as she looked back at Sanada. “Has he been bothering you? Because I’ll kick his ass if he has.”
“Please,” Zack scoffed; but Sanada laughed.
“Yes, he has been, just because I’d pay to see that.”
“You’d be wasting your money,” Zack remarked.
“Hey!” Nellie lightly tugged on his hair. “I could take you.”
A wide grin spread over his face. It didn’t take long for her to realize where his mind had gone.
“Oh my God, you’re a fucking pervert,” she said, and she turned his face away from her as she finally pulled her fingers from his hair.
“You’re the one sitting on my lap and pulling my hair out in public,” he returned.
Nellie didn’t have a good comeback for that, so she just pursed her lips in defiance. It only seemed to satisfy Zack more.
“Do you want a drink?” he asked.
She thought about it for a second. “A beer. And water, please.”
“Alright,” He patted her thigh, and she stood so he could get up from the seat. “What kind of beer?”
She shrugged as she sat back down. “You know what I like,” she said; and she didn’t realize the way she’d said it until it was already done. There’d been a little too much suggestion in her tone, in her body language as she’d crossed her legs to get comfortable, and for the dozenth time that night she burned hot with embarrassment. But Zack just smirked, a little too knowing, and turned and disappeared toward the bar.
* * * * * * * * * *
Nellie wasn’t sure how long she’d been up on the rooftop. She’d finished the beer Zack had gotten her some time ago, and she’d switched to nursing the glass of water. The clock had passed midnight—it was officially her birthday. And to people who didn’t know them, it probably looked like she and Zack were together.
Space had opened up on one of the couches, and they’d moved to sit next to each other even though they didn’t have to, her body angled toward him, his arm just grazing the back of her bare shoulders as it rested casually behind her, sending goosebumps over her skin. She was trying to ignore it again. They were exes for a reason; they’d both been drinking; she was just touch-starved because she hadn’t felt anything but her vibrator in half a year.
Zack let out a loud, booming laugh at something Taichi said, and Nellie looked over at him. She studied his jaw, his nose, his lips. He was so handsome it was stupid.
“You don’t stand a chance unless Nellie is out there with you to distract him.”
She snapped out of her reverie when she heard Sanada mention her name. She’d missed half the conversation, but she assumed it was about the G1 Climax.
“Oh, piss off!” Zack returned. “I don’t need Nellie to beat Evil! And what’re you sticking up for him, anyway; have you finally recovered from the knife wound in your back?”
Nellie rolled her eyes in amusement. Zack was good at a lot of things, but he’d always had a special talent for running his mouth.
Sanada’s eyes narrowed. “When’s our match?”
“I don’t bloody know,” Zack scoffed. “But I’ll definitely have Nellie with me then, because she’s all I need to beat you.”
Nellie shot him a look. “Really?”
“What?” he innocently asked. She just smirked and looked away; but while the others laughed and carried on the conversation, Zack kept his gaze on her. She could see him studying her out of the corner of her eye, just like she’d studied him a minute before. And then he asked, “What’s on your mind?”
She looked back up at him. “What makes you think there’s something on my mind?”
“Because you’ve been quiet since you got up here, and you don’t get quiet when you’ve been drinking unless there’s something on your mind,” he pointed out. It made her smile and lean her head back, bumping against his arm. Of course he’d know that; it was obnoxious sometimes how well Zack knew her. So, there was no point deflecting.
“There’s a lot on my mind,” she admitted.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked after a moment. But she lifted her head and looked away again.
“Not really.”
Just then, her phone buzzed next to her on the couch cushion. She snatched it up, eager for a way out of the current conversation, and saw a text from Torrance.
Your potential new man is leaving with the guys to go to some cigar bar. You better come say goodbye.
Nellie frowned at the message. She was more disappointed than she thought she’d be to see that Jay was leaving. But she tried not to let her alcohol-steeped brain take it to heart. He’d only just gotten back to Japan. If he wanted to spend time with her outside of tonight, he’d make the effort.
Alright, I’m coming down, she sent back. She stood up from the couch and looked at Zack as she adjusted the hem of her dress. “I’ll be back,” she told him. He just nodded, and she turned and made her way to the stairwell that led back down into the club. It was narrow and not well-lit, and she held her hair out of her face to look down at the steps as she walked to make sure she didn’t misstep—
“Hey.”
She glanced up. Jay stood a few steps below her, coming up the opposite side.
“I was just coming up here to find you,” he said, and he walked a few steps more until he stood on the stair right below her. Nellie’s stomach fluttered.
“Yeah? I was coming down to find you,” she said. “Torrance said you’re leaving?”
“Oh—yeah. Watch out.” He put his hand on her hip and gently guided her out of the way of a trio of young women coming down the stairs. Once they’d passed, he looked back up at her. “Maybe we should get out of the way.”
“Probably,” she agreed.
He offered her his hand, and she accepted it and let him lead her down the stairs to a landing that offered a little more space and light for them to talk. But they were still close enough that she could smell his cologne. It was lighter than it had been earlier in the night, but it wasn’t any less enticing.  
“So Torrance texted you, I guess?” he figured.
“Yeah. She said you and the guys are going to a cigar bar.”
“Yeah…” he drew the word out and ran a hand over his beard. He seemed dubious; a little annoyed. “It’s Bullet Club stuff. Some people seem to have forgotten who’s in charge over the last seven months. And with the G1, I can’t let that slide, so… I should go with them. Even though I’d honestly rather stay here with you.”
Nellie bit back a grin. Suddenly, she wasn’t quite so disappointed that he was leaving. It was sexy when men handled their business a certain way… and Jay definitely had that way about him. “No, I get it,” she said. “I appreciate you coming up here to tell me.”
“Of course,” he returned. “But you said you’ll be in Osaka Saturday?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Maybe not for the show, but I’ll be there.”
“Alright,” he said. “Well, we should get together then.”
The certainty in his tone made Nellie weak all over again. “I’d like that,” she sincerely answered.
He smiled, wide and genuine. “Well, I’ll see you Saturday, then. Happy birthday, Nellie,” he said, and he pulled her into a hug. She lifted onto her toes and wrapped her arms around him, and they drew their bodies close, much closer than when they’d hugged back at the restaurant. Her hand slipped to the back of his neck; his beard tickled the delicate skin of hers as he hugged her tighter. She could hear her heart beating in her ears. She wondered if he could feel it in her chest.
Jay pulled back first, but not all the way. He kept hold of her hips, and Nellie slid her palms down to his chest as she lowered her heels back to the floor. She looked up at him from underneath her eyelashes; lips parted, breath bated. She could just lift her chin and kiss him. She wanted to. But maybe she shouldn’t. Maybe their first kiss shouldn’t be like this, half-drunk in a dark club stairwell, the bass of the music reverberating through the floor. Jay must have had the same thought, because he finally pulled away, however reluctantly.
“Let me know when you’ve made it back home,” he softly said. “Just so I know you got there alright.”
“I will,” she smiled. “Goodnight, Jay.”
“Goodnight, Nell,” he echoed. And as he turned and disappeared down the stairs, leaving her with her heart still thrumming in her chest, Nellie suddenly thought about Riley; about how she didn’t know what she wanted.
But she did know that she was excited for Saturday—and that was enough for now.
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midnight-meattrain · 6 years
Text
The Passenger
A sappy little romance told in chapters.
Subject/perspective: Zack Sabre Jr. (the fictional persona) X reader in first person
Trigger warnings: none this chapter
Chapter 3 “SAINT PANCRAS”
I absentmindedly kept hold of Zack’s hand and he didn’t seem to mind. At a certain point, he even turned his wrist, positioning us palm against palm, our fingers interlocking. We only let go when his cellular phone buzzed in his pocket and he broke the bond to reach for it. A flood of embarrassment consumed me as I had initiated the contact that went on for too long.
I told him about the small studio in Camden I have been renting for the past two years. He asked how I came to teach and I shared the story of the career-ending injury to my knee and that the only other option for a life spent training for a very specific thing was to teach it.
A look of empathy knitted his brow.
“I’ve known a lot of people who can relate.” he shared.
I imagined that was true.
“Did you have anyone to care for you when you were hurt?” He asked, he was teasing me now, referencing my faux pas from earlier, as he gently pressed the tips of his fingers to the bare flesh of my leg, targeting the scar on my knee. The act both intimate and audacious. A gesture I didn’t expect from him.
“No.” I choked on the word, distracted by the trail of fire left behind his touch. “Same problem as you, I would make a terrible fiancée.”
“Impossible. You’re well-read, lovely to look at and a Hell of a conversationalist. How are you not the total package?” He teased.
“I toured with a company, couldn’t stop training for a second lest I be replaced, it was an exhausting, isolating life.
“And now?” He asked.
“I’m in transition now, I suppose. I haven’t acclimated to this new life yet.” I admitted.
“I would have loved to have seen you dance.” He mused aloud.
I looked away, a stabbing pain in my chest. I didn’t want to think of that old life anymore. He read the change in mood and raised the armrest that divided the space. He slid over so he closed the gap between us, wrapping one strong, lean arm around my waist, he lovingly laid his head on my shoulder. In a soft whisper, he said
“I think I made an excellent decision by leaving Brussels. Nine hours on a train with a gorgeous woman with whom I have an astonishing amount in common was a gift.” I caught a glimpse of the spire of St. Pancras out a far window while my head was turned away from him. The pain of an impending separation intensified. The sweet words he whispered were wreaking havoc on my marrow.
He reached for my hand, turning our bodies to face one another. The passengers of the Eurostar were beginning to file past us.
“Would it be too forward for an uncultured Northerner such as myself to ask to come see you in Camden?” He asked, a tender inflection in his voice. The boundaries were blurring between what was considered too forward and what I was longing for. Was it so wrong to want to feel good for once?
“This uncultured Polish girl would love that.” I answered, squeezing his hand tightly. The Eurostar’s passengers had all emptied in the storied depot.
“I need to know something before I go.” I blurted.
“What? Yes, of course, anything.”
He affirmed.
“What happened on your last favorite day?”
“Favorite day?” He quizzed.
“You know, you have days you remember and days that blend into all the other meaningless ones. What happened on your last favorite?”
He thought about it for a few moments, chewing on the inside of his cheek.
“I had a match in Tokyo at the Ota Gym. That was my last favorite.”
“Impressive.” I said, sincerely.
“Will you remember this day?” I asked.
“I have no doubt this day will be burned on my temporal lobe for eternity and I suspect this will lead to many more.” He replied without pause.
“More what?” I asked, fishing for a confirmation.
He didn’t offer anything more than a sly smile and a quick kiss on the corner of my mouth before leading me off the train with his hand on the small of my back.
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