Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Summary: With all the new Divas arriving on the scene as of late, Nikki Bella feels surprisingly inadequate, in spite of her natural bravado. A strangely calming voice finds her in the middle of her internal struggle. RollinsNikki, oneshot
Oookay! This is my latest offering as well as my 70th (OMG) fic in the WWE fandom, and I kind of wanted to do something special - so I picked the adorable couple of Nikki and Seth! I have always been fond of this pairing but have never written them before sooo I figured why not? Let's try out a new pairing for the big 7-0. I really wanted to write something for them and here it is! Thanks to everyone for sticking it out with me this far. I hope y'all enjoy!
The Definition of Worth
The constant thudding of her shoes against the cement was the only sound that mattered to Nikki Bella on this intolerably hot day. Her earbuds had long since fallen out in her determination to run faster, harder. They beat against her thigh in a disjointed rhythm; but despite this, they did nothing to deter her concentration.
The summer heat was almost stifling, stagnant in her lungs. It hardly felt as if she were breathing at all. She didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, and she did not care.
Nikki tried her hardest to control her breathing, to prolong the sweet burn in her muscles. She needed to work harder. Relevance was a fleeting thing in the WWE, and she could feel hers fading into oblivion.
They had tried, of course, she and her sister. Had tried to retain whatever relevance that remained to them. AJ Lee had left, and this was their time. AJ Lee was the star of the division. AJ Lee was the rebel - the charming, unorthodox rebel. AJ Lee was loved by the masses. AJ Lee didn't have to rely on a reality show to garner fame and recognition -
Nikki shook her head violently, gritting her teeth as she continued to run. This was no time to dwell on Divas of the past. And that's what the converse-wearing brunette was. The past.
But...wasn't she, as well?
Although Nikki was still with the company, she could feel the importance draining from her, withering her veins. A part of her thought, manically, about Snow White, and how she was starting to feel like the Evil Queen and not the princess, not the star, not the main attraction.
You are no longer the fairest of them all...
That thought was enough to spur her forward. She could feel the soles of her feet as they connected harshly with the pavement beneath her. On and on and on. The frantic beat soothed her more so than her music ever could, which both surprised her and was expected.
"Nikki, how do you feel about the new additions to the Divas division?"
She grit her teeth at the memory, running so fast now that her legs screamed at her to stop. If she were particularly insane, she'd scream back at them to shut up.
"I'm honestly really happy that there are some new faces. The division is in need of some spicing up." A smirk. "And I can't wait to show them who's boss."
Nikki didn't want to admit the bile that she tasted in her mouth as she said those words to Michael Cole. Of course, she was happy for the competition. She wanted the division to be the best it could be. She wanted to take it to the level that her predecessors had done before her. She wanted to elevate the division to the level that Trish and Lita brought it - hell, even AJ, even Paige.
But she wanted to do it better.
She thought that was probably one of her redeeming qualities. Her drive, her determination. It could also be considered detrimental, if one were to listen to anyone close to her, but she digressed.
Her breathing came quicker now, her mind solely focused on her goal.
That is, until someone tapped her on the shoulder.
Millions of images flew through Nikki's head in that instant. The countless hours she'd spent watching those murder shows on Investigation Discovery. The many, many female joggers who had gotten kidnapped while out on their evening run. The buxom Bella planted her feet and was about to swing when -
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Seth Rollins' brown puppy dog eyes are wide in both nervousness and amusement, his hands brought up in front of his face in surrender. "Hey, whoa, hey..."
This, as expected, caused Nikki to stop completely, flipping her long ponytail over her shoulder. "I'm used to getting that reaction from guys, but please at least try to make some sense, Rogue."
The reference caused Seth's lips to twitch up at the corners. "Never took you for a fan of the X-Men."
"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," she pointed out, not unkindly, with a flirty edge that would make most men's knees weak.
Seth, however, is not most men. At least, that she knew of. He had a pretty great poker face, after all. A great face in general, really...
"Were you following me?" she asked, quirking a questioning brow.
"Not intentionally." Seth shrugged his shoulders. And, oh hell, does he have to be shirtless? Sure, she'd seen it countless times during matches and the like, but it never lost its appeal. "I just started out on my usual run and thought I noticed you, but wasn't sure."
"So you creeped on me."
"You make it sound so bad."
"Because it is bad," Nikki ran a hand over her hair. "You can be both hot and creepy, you know."
"You think I'm hot?" Seth grinned that shit-eating grin of his.
"Oh, shut up," Nikki spat, but not without humor. "Everyone and their grandmother thinks you're hot."
For that, she was rewarded with a laugh. It was strange, how such a simple thing could cause lightning to crawl up and down her spine. For a while, the two of them exchange witty comments here and there. Almost like a dance of sorts. A familiar one, at that. A dance of which Nikki was the expert.
And then, a strange change in tone. Seth leaned his weight on his left hip and crossed his arms, a odd look of concern crossing his normally calm face. "You looked like you were thinking about something pretty intently, though."
"Ah, and you had to make the conversation all serious," she jabbed, but he didn't bite. She wrinkled her nose. This was a dance she did not know.
"Am I not allowed to care about what goes on in that pretty head of yours?" Seth tapped his temple almost for emphasis.
Nikki smirked. "You think I'm pretty?"
"Oh, shut up," Seth parroted. "Everyone and their grandmother thinks you're hot."
"Grandmother?" Nikki questioned, smiling brightly now.
"Yes. Even chicks. Even old ones."
Nikki out-and-out laughed, but Seth was still looking at her as if he expected something more. For some reason, it didn't sit right to just ignore his question, and where the hell did that come from? Since when did Nikki Bella care if she hurt The Great Traitor's feelings? She scowled, crossing her arms and almost mimicking Seth's posture.
"I'm irrelevant." She huffed out of her impatience with him and those damned eyes. The brunette focused her gaze anywhere but on his face. Nikki couldn't stand to see those gorgeous brown eyes pitying her. "I'm irrelevant and it sucks."
Simple. To the point. It was more than she'd given anyone.
She could feel Seth looking at her, and damn it, she looked back. There was a smile on his face and she almost wanted to punch him.
"What?" he asked. "Because of the new girls?"
Nikki pursed her lips, giving him his answer.
"Right, right," Seth nodded, almost like a student finally gaining understanding on a difficult topic. He stepped forward, grasping her wrist, fingers lightly pressing against her pulse, which was racing - and not just from the run.
The Architect leaned in and huskily whispered. "You're Nikki fucking Bella." His breath was hot where it fanned against her exposed neck. "You will always be relevant."
Nikki hadn't realized she had been holding her breath until she let it out in a shudder.
"You..." she responded breathlessly. "You...really know how to flatter a girl."
"It's not flattery if it's true."
Suddenly, she was filled with the urge to grab him and crush her mouth against his. Her fingers twitched with the need of it. And, just as she had decided to go through with her impulse, Seth slipped away from her immediate vicinity, spinning once on the balls of his feet before beginning to lightly jog.
"Now, how about letting me join you on your run?" he said, plodding along, still facing her, smirking in that boyish way of his as he continued to jog backwards. "I'll get us a smoothie afterward."
Nikki could not fight the toothy smile that spread across her face. There was a strange lightness in the space in her chest that had previously housed the weight of all her decisions. It had seemed like his words - simple as they were - had made them feel unworthy of her time.
"Deal," she said, charging forward and passing him in several smooth, long strides. Seth looked surprised, but his eyes registered the challenge.
"So, I've unleashed Super Bella, huh?"
Nikki looked back at him over her shoulder and winked, her smile bright. "I'm Nikki fucking Bella!"
The sound of Seth's responding laughter was music, and as the two of them ran side-by-side, Nikki Bella just couldn't help but think that this was how things were supposed to be - the two of them together, just like this.
End.