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Iyo Sky was trying her best to accept the change in circumstances with a good attitude and optimism. She wasn’t one to back down from challenges or long odds. This was just something new to overcome.
Her positivity was getting increasingly difficult to maintain as the losses mounted. She didn’t qualify for the Elimination Chamber. Then, she lost the tag titles. Furthermore, she was cheated out of participation in the gauntlet for the Intercontinental Championship. Months ago everything was coming up roses. Now, not so much.
It seemed as though everything was falling apart and turning to ash in her hands. She was trying to maintain her training regimen, even adding more to it, but it didn’t seem to help. She hadn’t lost the Intercontinental Championship gauntlet because she didn’t execute her gameplan. She hadn’t lost because of a failure in her technique or tactical skill. She lost because Raquel Rodriguez was angry at having been beaten and lashed out.
She lost because she wasn’t able to withstand the onslaught of punishment that Raquel had dished out. And even then, she wouldn’t have had the opportunity to execute that perfect pin if Stephanie Vaquer had not intervened to prevent Liv Morgan’s disruption of the match. It was all so frustrating.
Still, she put on a brave face. She smiled. She laughed. She assured Rhea that she was fine. There was no reason to burden her with all of this when Rhea had her own problems to deal with on Smackdown. Iyo wished fervently to be by Rhea’s side again, but she knew that this was for the best. Rhea had earned this opportunity and needed to give it her all. The best thing to do was to be supportive.
Iyo was genuinely happy for Rhea. Winning the Elimination Chamber right after their tag title loss was an amazing feat of strength and determination. She knew first hand how tenacious and talented Rhea was, especially when gold was on the line. Jade Cargill was not ready for Rhea. That didn’t stop Iyo from feeling lonely and out of sorts without her.
Since their time in Australia they’d been rarely apart. They did everything together for months, and it just felt easy. Being with Rhea was just…right. It was something that fit her like her gloves. She felt as at home with Rhea as she did flying through the air in the ring. This time without her had been extremely difficult.
She busied herself trying to find further opportunities to get to Wrestlemania but as the weeks passed, the avenues to get there began to decrease. Soon, she would just be out of luck and would have to watch from the sidelines. That thought was so painful, considering that mere weeks before she and Rhea were planning coordinating outfits for the tag title match.
And so it was another Monday Night Raw and Iyo had no match on the schedule. She felt forlorn, lost, unused to just hanging out in catering. The show went on. People were out there wrestling. She felt a pang of jealousy and sadness because of how badly she wanted to also be performing.
She watched Bayley and AJ Lee fight for the Intercontinental Championship. She recalled Bayley taking a moment to check on her before going into the ring during the gauntlet. She briefly considered reaching out to Bayley, but dismissed it. Not now. It was not the time.
As Iyo watched AJ execute another perfect Black Widow on Bayley to retain her title, she felt so many mixed emotions. She wondered what Rhea was doing, if she was feeling similarly lonely. She wanted to do something to get herself to Wrestlemania. She was running out of ideas, and it felt so bleak.
If she could get to Wrestlemania, she could at least be near Rhea again. That thought was driving most of her actions these days. She missed Rhea terribly. It was as though a piece of her was far away. Talking to her every night helped so much, but it was like putting a bandage on a gaping wound that seemed to grow as time went on. It was the worst.
The show continued, and there was a non-title match on the card between Stephanie Vaquer and Raquel Rodriguez. Raquel was, of course, accompanied by Liv Morgan. Iyo watched, already getting a bad feeling about what Liv might be planning. There was no way that Liv would let Raquel handle this on her own.
The match began and Stephanie demonstrated excellent technique, as per usual. Iyo admired Stephanie’s sheer skill. Their match had been something special and, even though Stephanie took the title from her, she didn’t feel any anger towards her about it. It had been a wonderful challenge.
Iyo wondered if she would ever have the opportunity to have another match of that caliber again. Logically, she knew that this was a slump, and it would pass. But viscerally, she felt as though she were being closed in on, and was running out of time.
Raquel and Stephanie continued their bout. It was fairly even at this point. Grudgingly, Iyo had to concede that Raquel had improved substantially in the ring over the last few months. Something inside her had changed or a switch had been flipped, but this was the most focused version of Raquel she had ever seen, going back to their days in NXT.
Stephanie was still getting the better of Raquel, however. She even managed to apply the Devil’s Kiss to her, much to Liv’s chagrin. Stephanie seemed keen to let Liv get a taste of what was to come in their match at Wrestlemania. Still, Liv was doing what she did best, which was to be a gadfly and try to find any way she could to turn the match in Raquel’s favor.
At one point, Liv hopped on the apron and began yelling at Stephanie. Stephanie took a swing at her, which allowed Raquel to seize the advantage over Stephanie. Iyo was so sick of Liv and Raquel’s antics. Before she even realized what she was doing, her music was playing and she was out to the ring. She was yelling and pointing.
Who was she yelling at, anyway? At this point she was so angry it didn’t matter. The last few weeks just bubbled to the surface and she just needed to get it out. Liv even seemed a bit confused at first, gesturing to herself as though to say ‘You’re mad at me?!’ And the truth is that, yes, Iyo was mad at Liv. She was also mad at Raquel, and Nia Jax, and Lash Legend, and Ivy Nile, and above all she was mad at herself for letting things get to this point due to her own failure to handle her business.
She stormed towards Liv who retreated towards the announce table. She took a swing at Iyo, which she ducked, but was unable to prepare for Raquel to send her flying into that table. Liv and Raquel shared a laugh at Iyo’s expense, but her arrival had provided enough of a distraction for Stephanie to fly towards Raquel from the apron and knock her to the ground. Then she grabbed Liv and sent her flying over the barrier to the timekeeper’s area.
Iyo laid there, sore in both body and spirit. She had given Stephanie enough of an opening for her to take advantage and get the pin. Stephanie won the match, but that did nothing for Iyo and her need to get to Wrestlemania. Medical staff helped her to get backstage as she was a bit unsteady on her feet. They assessed her in the med bay before the doctor stepped out to get some more bandages.
The worst thing about this was that she felt so damn helpless. It seemed that the more she tried, the more she failed. Maybe this just wasn’t going to be her year. Maybe she should give up and try again next year. She started to cry as the frustration and loneliness and feelings of self doubt washed over her.
There was a knock on the door and Iyo hurriedly tried to make herself presentable before it was opened. She assumed that the doctor was returning, so it was quite the shock when Stephanie appeared. She barely managed to dry her eyes.
“Hi, Iyo-san”, Stephanie walked in a little sheepishly.
“Stephanie I…” Iyo wasn’t sure what to say. She hadn’t expected this.
“Thanks for your help tonight”, Stephanie pressed, walking in and closing the door behind her.
“Don’t mention it. You’ve helped me before. I owed you for last week.” Iyo replied.
“Iyo…” Stephanie, who was usually quite self-assured, seemed unsure what to say.
“Don’t worry about it.” Iyo managed a smile. “I hope you win at Wrestlemania.”
“I will win”, Stephanie said. A measure of her confidence seemed to return, but then she paused and pressed to speak again. “…Iyo-san…are you alright?”
“Oh, I’m fine. Just a few scrapes. No big deal!” Iyo demurred, attempting to keep the focus on her immediate injury and not anything else.
Stephanie wasn’t having it. She pressed closer to Iyo, putting an arm around her shoulder and really looking into Iyo’s eyes. “…Iyo…Please. Are you alright? Really alright?”
Iyo attempted to demur further, but something in Stephanie’s eyes made her feel she could be honest. Still, a part of her resisted. She didn’t want to be a bother. “…Yeah!” Iyo laughed ironically.
“I know that Rhea’s not here anymore, but you can talk to me. Let me help.” Stephanie’s arm was still around her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze.
“I’m fine. Really!” Iyo lied through her teeth.
“You’re not, and I can tell.” Stephanie frowned and then closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. Iyo was going to proffer another denial, but Stephanie opened her eyes and spoke again. “Iyo…you know that I respect you. Not just as a competitor, but as a woman I consider a friend.”
“I respect you, too, Stephanie. I see you as my friend.” Iyo replied.
“So let me be a friend to you now and talk to you about what’s bothering you. You’re not yourself the last few weeks.” Stephanie urged her to speak her mind.
Iyo was about to concede this when the doctor returned to finish up her bandages. Stephanie stepped out to give Iyo privacy, but left her room key behind. A silent invitation. Subtle. Precise. Just like her movements in the ring.
Once Iyo finished up with the doctor, she got an Uber to Stephanie’s hotel. Even as she was going there she wasn’t sure what to do, what to prepare for, or what she’d say. She stood outside the door, hesitant. Wondering if she was doing the right thing.
She sighed in irritation at herself. This was stupid. She had come all this way and it was just a waste of time to deliberate over this. She knocked twice on the door and waited. It didn’t take long for Stephanie to open it.
Stephanie had clearly taken the time to get herself comfortable. She was in a burgundy robe that came about to her ankle. She smiled at Iyo, Iyo smiled back, and she silently bade Iyo to walk into the room.
The hotel was fairly standard, not opulent. A small sitting area with a sofa, love seat, and TV. A queen sized bed, it seemed. She gestured for Iyo to take a seat on the couch, and then hustled to provide a small meal. Iyo couldn’t help but smile and relax a little as Stephanie set out some food she’d cooked. She was always making something and sneaking into catering to make something quick.
Tonight, it was empanadas and red wine. Sitting down to eat seemed to make things more relaxed, and Iyo was always glad to share a meal with a friend. They settled on the couch together in a comfortable silence.
“So…how pissed do you think Raquel is?” Stephanie asked.
Iyo huffed a laugh. “Very. But she started this with me. Last week was—“ Iyo stopped herself. She didn’t want to go there, to that place where she was angry.
Stephanie put a hand on Iyo’s knee. “I figured that was one of the reasons you helped me. I appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it. You’ve helped me, too.” Iyo smiled again.
“You must miss Rhea a lot.” Stephanie said softly.
“…Yeah. I do.” Iyo couldn’t even deny it.
“I know it can feel like you’re alone, but you’re not.” Stephanie looked pointedly into Iyo’s eyes.
Stephanie’s eyes were striking. A rich pool of dark brown. They were entrancing, and she had a way of conveying so many emotions with a single glance. Right now, her eyes were inviting Iyo to relax. To speak her heart.
Iyo took a deep breath. “…I just feel like I’ve been screwing everything up.” The admission was so hard to make. The words were like lead.
“How do you mean?” Stephanie asked.
“I hate…losing. Anything.” Iyo replied. Stephanie nodded sympathetically. Every woman in the locker room was loath to take an L. “I just keep losing and losing lately.” Stephanie nodded again. Urging Iyo to speak further. “I didn’t win the Elimination Chamber qualifiers. We lost the tag titles. Raquel cheated me out of the International Championship gauntlet. I’m running out of time!”
Without realizing it, Iyo had gotten to her feet and began to pace. Stephanie followed Iyo with her eyes, letting Iyo continue to say what she wanted or needed to say. She silently urged her to continue.
“I promised Rhea she could handle her business on SmackDown. That I would take care of things here on Raw. But now look! Look at how things are shaping up. If something doesn’t change soon, I’m going to miss out on Wrestlemania completely. And who knows when I can see Rhea again?”
As her anxieties tumbled out, she increased the speed of her pacing. She wrung her hands as she spoke further. The more she spoke, the more it seemed she needed to say.
“And Kairi. I’ve been so worried about her for months now. Since we won the titles. Asuka is getting more and more angry. I’ve never seen Kairi like this before.”
The frantic pacing continued. She started to cry. The weeks of trying to keep all of these feelings at bay really took their toll.
“Maybe I’m being punished.” Iyo said.
“…Punished? For what?” Stephanie gently prodded her.
“For not being a good kohai to Asuka. For being a bad friend to Kairi. Bayley, too. I don’t even get to be a good girlfriend now because I can’t see her and we’re so far apart. Wrestlemania may be our last chance for another few months!”
She stopped pacing then. She stood still. She sobbed. She hated herself for this, for her failures. And she hated it doubly because she was burdening someone else with her own responsibilities.
Stephanie allowed the emotional whirlwind of the Genius of the Sky to pass, the flurry of words and the back and forth movements needed to play themselves out. She patiently waited and listened for the signs that those winds would calm. Now that they did, she simply walked over and hugged Iyo tightly.
Iyo didn’t respond at first. It was as though she didn’t realize it. For a few moments it was as though Stephanie were holding a statue. But, by turns, Iyo relaxed and returned the hug. Her cries ceased.
When Iyo came down from her emotional tempest she realized that they were no longer in the sitting area, but rather in Stephanie’s bed. Stephanie had pulled Iyo close to her, letting Iyo rest her head on her shoulder. Iyo blinked at the change in circumstance, but she didn’t move.
Stephanie rubbed Iyo’s back, her shoulders. “Doesn’t it feel better to talk about it?”
Iyo suddenly felt embarrassed. “S-Sorry for…er…” she couldn’t even find the words.
“For what? I wanted to know what was bothering my friend. I’m glad you trusted me enough to talk to me.” Stephanie gave Iyo a squeeze, and then pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
That movement. That single soft, fleeting touch. It was Stephanie’s turn to stiffen in embarrassment now. That wasn’t in the plan. It was instinctive, unbidden. Iyo looked into Stephanie’s eyes again and she smiled.
“Thank you for checking on me. I’m sorry I worried you.” Iyo said, laying her head on Stephanie’s shoulder.
Stephanie seemed to relax as time went on. That self-assuredness returned when she spoke next. “Just know you can talk to me. I’m here for you.”
“…Do you want to know the worst part?” Iyo asked, voice quiet.
“What’s that?” Stephanie replied.
“…It’s so hard to sleep alone now. I was used to it before. I can’t seem to adjust to it now.” Now that the dam had broken, all of her fears and concerns were spilling out.
“Well…we can fix that tonight. If you want.” Stephanie said with a sincere, soft smile.
Iyo looked up into Stephanie’s eyes. She took in that smile, and then leaned up to kiss her. Stephanie stiffened again, but Iyo continued the kiss and in time Stephanie returned it. She seemed to stop holding back. They both did. They melted into each other.
Stephanie took a moment to wrap her arms tightly around Iyo. Her hands went around Iyo’s waist, encircling it. That wasn’t difficult since the halter top Iyo was wearing left her torso exposed. There was fire in Stephanie’s fingertips. There were flames in her touch. Desire was in her burning kiss. Iyo couldn’t get enough. She wanted to add more of her own fuel to the fire, so she rolled Stephanie onto her back.
She straddled Stephanie’s hips, looking down at her as she slowly loosened the knot tying the robe together. She exposed more of Stephanie’s skin little by little, looking down at her body. It was nice to be on top of her this way, instead of in the ring. But, much like their usual bouts, Stephanie leaned up to seize the moment and pulled Iyo back down into a kiss. She got on top of her.
They went back and forth this way, kissing and reversing positions. It was for more of the thrill than anything else. They undressed during the kiss and pressed into each other. Iyo got onto her back and pulled Stephanie to sit on her face. Her tongue slid into Stephanie’s wetness. Stephanie, meanwhile, reached back to spread Iyo’s leg and gently started to tongue Iyo’s wetness.
The 69 was heavenly. It was so exhilarating to get the Devil’s Kiss from this position. Iyo happily grasped Stephanie’s thighs as she worked her tongue on Stephanie’s clit. They took their time, savoring each other’s taste and moans. It was so good that they kept it up for some time.
Later they both found themselves laying face to face, kissing each other. And it’s only now that Iyo realized that she had a FaceTime call coming through. It was Rhea. She turned on the camera.
“Hey, Rhea!” Iyo said with a grin.
“Hey! I just wanted to—“ Rhea is interrupted by the camera angle changing to reveal Stephanie sheepishly waving to her. Rhea laughed. “I wanted to make sure you were alright and it seems like you’re in good hands!”
“Hi, Rhea.” Stephanie said with a shy smile.
“Glad to know Iyo’s not alone.” Rhea smiled back.
“Sometimes I just need a reminder of that.” Iyo joined in the mutual contentment.
Some things were going to fall into place. Somehow.