"Here are your winners, Luna and The Club!" JoJo called from ringside, a wave of boos followed her.
My smirk was big as Drew and Mike Chioda raised my hands in victory; Chad's arm was raised on the other side of us. Chad chuckled as he met us in the center of the ring with the Too Sweet. Drew and I smiled and raised them too, causing a mixed reaction of cheers and boos from the crowd.
Nothing felt better than having the crowd boo at my character, as odd as that sounds. Being treated as a heel was one of the best moves of my career. As a heel, you could be wicked and deceitful; as a heel, you could manipulate those around you; as a heel, no one could hurt you. After everything in Japan, I wasn't going to let anyone hurt me.
Returning backstage, Chad laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. I giggled and patted his hand.
"Say Lun, Drew and I are heading to Fergal's tonight while we're in town. He wanted us to extend the invitation to you as well."
My heart stopped momentarily and my breath hitched. Talking to him over the phone was fine. However, I didn't know if I could handle seeing him in person. Goosebumps covered my skin and I felt hot and cold simultaneously.
"I... I don't know, guys..." Words sputtered from my mouth as my brain racked the possible outcomes.
"Luna, he really wants to see you. It would mean so much to him if you came." Drew grabbed one of my hands and rubbed his thumb along the side of it. His smile was sweet and his eyes full of understanding; besides Fergal and myself, he knew the most about what happened back in Japan, but not everything, "I'll be right there if you feel uncomfortable."
Picking at the skin of my bottom lip, I avoided his eyes and thought. Avoiding Fergal meant the continuous string of heartache. Approaching Fergal meant possible closure. We could make amends and bury what happened back in Japan.
I didn't know, though, if I could bury it. To stop dancing that dance with him. It wasn't so much Fergal that scared me. It was the man he became that night. Almost a devil, a demon.
The thing about the devil is that he is real. And he's not a little red man with horns and a tail. He can be beautiful. Because he's a fallen angel, and he used to be God's favorite.
Letting out a deep breath, I tightened my hand in Drew's. The song that I danced to with him needed to come to an end. The notes that were once sour started to show signs of light. Light that shined down on the situation before me: to do the right thing. I needed to forgive Fergal Devitt.
Slowly, I nodded my head in acceptance. Drew smiled and squeezed my hand as Chad cheered. They both pulled me into a hug, which I weakly returned.
Tonight, I would face my demon.
Orlando was slightly cold as the three of us started towards Fergal's. The boys were exchanging laughs and sexual jokes in the front seat as I kept to my own in the back. Lights from street lamps and buildings we passed filled the car with warmth before disintegrating. My head rested against the cold window, admiring the warmth before it vanished.
Sweat on my hands caused me to wipe them on my jeans as a sickening feeling built up in my stomach. Nervous chills ran down my spine and I started to twist the dainty ring on my right hand. I constantly reassured myself that things would be okay, but my mind told me likewise.
Crucial moments from that night in Japan caused the sickening feeling to grow and for me to twist the ring quicker. The anger, the sadness, the pain. Everything that broke me those years ago.
"We're here." Chad smiled as we pulled into the parking spot. He cut the engine and got out of the car.
Reaching for the door handle, I was surprised that Drew beat me to it. Quite the gentlemen, I suppose. I offered a thank you, to which he smiled. Chad bounded up the steps to Fergal's apartment as Drew and I followed behind.
Each step closer to his place caused my heart to beat faster. I debated turning around and getting as far away from this place as possible. However, I didn't have a car, and if I tried to run, they could easily catch up to me.
Chad knocked on the Irishman's door with the biggest smile on his face. Soon enough, the door opened to reveal the toothy smile of Fergal.
"Hey, baby." Chad joked, smiling at his longtime friend.
"Oh, hey, babe." Fergal responded before pulling him into a side hug.
The contraption on his arm caused my stomach to drop. From the elbow down, his arm rested into a bulky sling positioned a certain distance from his torso. His grey Lego shirt caused me to smile, but I quickly hid it by turning my head away. Amidst all the pain we was in, he was still that dorky Irishman I befriended three years ago.
"You guys look great." He commented as Drew hugged him next.
"You look even better. Look at you." Drew laughed, causing him to laugh as well. Oh, how I missed the sound of that.
Then, he noticed me. His jaw slacked as he looked me up and down. A blush of uncomfortableness came over me, causing me to advert my eyes. Taking a step towards me, he smiled.
"Thank you for coming, Luna. It really means a lot."
I managed a weak smile to hold him over.
"You're welcome."
His looks lingered a little longer than I was comfortable with, causing me to rub my arm out of nervousness. He then cleared his throat and smiled towards us.
"Why don't you guys come inside?" He stood to side and motioned us in.
We smiled towards him and headed inside.
"And that's time that the twins almost landed those model's at the bar." Chad laughed, and the other two followed. I just smiled and took a sip of my water.
It was nice to recall times of our times in Japan before everything turned sour. However, there were some stories that I didn't recognize. Even though I left soon after Sebastiàn's passing, the legacy of the club lived on with those three men.
Throughout the night, Fergal kept glancing over my way and fiddling with his beer. At one moment, he rose from his feet and moved to the seat next to me on the sofa. Drew and Chad continued on with their conversation as I tried to listen on; with Fergal next to me, though, I found my attention being turned.
"Can we talk?" He leaned over and whispered in my ear.
Chills covered me as his breath tickled my neck. I gripped harder to my drink to keep the nerves at bay. Biting my bottom lip, I hesitated to look over at him. Meeting his blue eyes, I felt my heart melt.
For a moment, I saw the man I first became friends with back in New Japan; I saw the man I considered my best friend; I saw the man I fell in love with. However, the moment faded and I saw the remains to that man - the superman of NXT, the one children looked up to and the women swooned over, the Demon King, the one who struct fear in the hearts of his opponents.
Prince Devitt.
Finn Bálor.
Fergal Devitt.
A man by many names. A man with many talents. A man with many achievements.
I nodded my head towards his question, causing a smile to form on his face. He motioned towards his room, somewhere more private to speak. With the two too deep into conversation for them to be pulled out, we sneaked into his room.
Shutting the door behind him, my stomach lurched. That night flashed before my very eyes before I snapped back to reality. He let out a deep breath, his eyes transfixed on the floor.
"What do you want, Fergal?" I asked, my nerves causing my voice to quiver.
Without much notion, Fergal approached me and pulled me into a kiss.
My body froze, not knowing if I should kiss back or not. His good hand found it's way to the side of my face to cradle it. Tears formed and fell as I didn't return the kiss. Confused, he stopped and stepped back to look at me.
"I... I am so sorry..." He apologized when he noticed the tears. Moving his thumb to wipe away the ones that trickled down, I pushed it away. I bit my bottom lip to stifle a cry as I looked up at him. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes, which he tried hard to will away, "It's just that... I don't want us to be strangers again."
"Fergal..." I turned away as more tears fell from my eyes, "It's not just the goodbye that hurt me. It's the constant flashbacks I experience of that night and all the times we were happy that hurt. Oh, how badly I wish I could bring back those happy times. I miss them...
"I remember every word you said that night. Every name you called me, every lie you ever told me, everything that described your real feelings towards me... and that's what kills me inside. Because every time I see you, I act like I'm over you, like I've moved past whatever happened in Japan. I tell myself that I hate you. But deep down... deep deep down, past all the hate I have in my heart for you, I know that I love you. And every time I see you, I fall for you. I love you, Fergal Devitt. But I hate that I love you.
"You are the reason why I don't drink. You are the reason why I'm afraid of people touching me. You are the reason why I don't let people in because I'm terrified that they will be exactly like you; you, the man that proclaimed that he never loved me, the man who toyed with my emotions like I was your little puppet on a string... the man that broke me. And, to be honest, I don't know where my feelings are at for you right now. Part of me wants to forgive you, but the other part is afraid of getting hurt again."
"Then let me prove myself. Let me prove that I am still that man you met on your first day in New Japan. Let me prove that I am still in love with you. Let me prove that I will never, in a million years, hurt you again. Let me prove myself."
A small sob shook my body and tears followed. The armor around my heart told me not to trust him, that he was a dangerous man that would hurt me again. I didn't know if I could bare getting hurt again.
What if I did forgive him, though? There was the possibility of things getting better and us possibly becoming friends again.
As I weighed both options, I thought about something Jonas told me countless times when it came to Fergal.
"The best way to escape from the past is not to avoid and forget it, but to accept and forgive it."
After thinking it over, I let out a deep breath and looked up at him. His eyes filled with hope as he awaited my answer.
"You have until you return from this injury to prove yourself to me."
I hope you enjoyed. How did I do? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading. And until next time, heart you. <3