Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, other than Kelly.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Threesome, M/F/M, Assumed Infidelity, Misunderstandings, Crying, Hurt/Comfort, Break Up, Make Up, etc.
A/n: So, I know that its totally late to jump on the Enzo/Cass post-injury fanfic bandwagon, but... I've had this idea for awhile, and it's been bouncing around inside of my brain until it developed into this special snowflake. The love between these two is too beautiful to pass up the chance to explore it further in fanfiction!
It was less than an hour before the 2016 Payback pay-per-view and Cass had just attempted to put his fist through his locker. The metal gave an immensely dissatisfying crunch as it crumpled beneath the blow, white-hot pain erupting like fireworks within his hand as his knuckles scraped metal and began to bleed.
He bit down on the inside of his mouth, the coppery tang of blood thick on his tongue as he fought the urge to hit the locker again, and again, and again... It would be easy to pound his pain into the metal, to allow his mental anguish to manifest in a physical manner that he could control. Something deep inside his chest was torn and bleeding, and he didn't want to remember.
He didn't want to remember the way her mouth had slid over his own, the way that his hand had trailed underneath her t-shirt and mapped an intimate course along her pale, delicate skin... His heart thundered painfully within his chest, blood pulsing in his ears like a rushing waterfall. Cass couldn't remember the last time he'd felt such a raw, unfiltered pain. And it ate at him how one little girl could devastate him so badly.
Why had he been so foolish, to let her into his heart? Why had he trusted her, after everything that she'd done? He'd seen what her mother had done, the devastation he'd caused in breaking up the Shield. Perhaps that had been her plan from the very beginning - to worm her way into both Enzo and Cass' hearts, and then pit them against one another while their defenses were down. To hurt them, just like her mother had done to his former partners.
"Cass?" Her tiny fist beat against the locker room door. He didn't doubt she'd run the entirety of the backstage like an obstacle course in an effort to find him.
He yanked the door open, almost recieving a fist to the face for his efforts. Kelly, blue eyes swollen and brimmed with tears, let her hand slowly fall to her side. "What the hell do you want?" Cass hissed, "Ya have a lot 'a nerve, showin' up 'ere after what ya did."
Kelly swallowed hard, "But that's just it - I didn't do anything. He kissed me! I swear!"
"Yeah, well, ya certainly didn't look too eager ta push 'im off." Cass grumbled.
"Please, you have to believe me." She stared up at him, eyes pleading. "I wouldn't hurt you like that!" Here, she paused. There was a long moment of silence where she tried to meet Cass' eyes and failed. "After everything that's happened, you can't honestly think that I..." she trailed off, uncertain.
Cass shrugged, turning his back on the smaller woman to grab a spare t-shirt to wrap around his still-bleeding hand. "I don't know what ta think anymore."
Kelly made to speak, before shutting her mouth again. She vaguely resembled a fish out of water, opening and closing her mouth only for no sound to ever leave her lips. Finally, she whispered, "You don't trust me."
"Can ya really blame me?" Cass bit back. Kelly flinched, and suddenly it was the younger who could not bring herself to maintain eye contact. "Ya don't exactly have the best track record wit relationships, kiddo. Think about it. Ya fuckin' cheated on Enzo wit me -,"
Kelly cut him off, "That was only because I didn't think he'd be open to the idea of adding another person into our relationship -,"
Cass continued as if she had never interrupted, "Ya ever hear 'bout a lil' word called 'communication'. That's what happens in healthy relationships where one partner wants somethin' outta the other. They talk 'bout it. They don't just go kissin' other people's boyfriends!"
"You weren't complaining about it at the time!" Kelly insisted, her blue eyes hard. On this point, she refused to back down.
"I'm just sayin' that ya seem ta have a little problem keepin' yer hands to yerself when ya see somethin' or someone ya like. That's all." Cass said.
Kelly scowled, "So you're calling me a slut."
He wasn't exactly sure where he'd expected this conversation to go, but knew it had taken a dangerous turn the moment that dreaded four letter word was brought up. Kelly Rollins was many things - a slut was not one of them. She could be manipulative, conniving, and occasionally downright vicious when it came to acquiring the things she desired. These were all characteristics that Kelly openly embraced and would not deny.
Kelly struggled with feelings of self-love and acceptance, and she made no effort to conceal this fact from her lovers. She was the forgotten child, who'd been all but stampeded by a life she'd never asked for. She'd learned first-hand that sometimes, the only way to ensure that you were remembered was to make an impact by whatever means necessary - damn the consequences. But she was certainly no slut.
Kelly sniffled, and for the first time Cass realized that the tears had resurfaced with a vengeance. "You know what? I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you think that I'm so much like him that I'd sell out at the drop of a hat. I'm sorry that you think I don't love you enough to tell you the truth. I'm sorry that -,"
The door to the locker room swung open, an oblivious Enzo whistling happily as he strutted inside... only to stop in his tracks when he saw the damaged locker. "Woah. The hell 'appened in 'ere? Ya tryin' ta break yerself before our match, big guy?"
Kelly swallowed hard, her blue eyes focused on a particularly interesting piece of carpet. Cass frowned at her, "Go ahead, sweetheart. Why dontcha tell 'Zo here why I decided ta try and put my fist through the locker?"
"I keep trying to tell you, you've got it all wrong!" Kelly exclaimed, rubbing the tear stains on her cheeks away with such ferocity the skin was turning red.
But Cass wasn't listening, "Kelly 'ere decided she was gonna try ta suck the face off some jobber, and let 'im feel 'er up a little before his dark match."
A dark look came over Enzo's usually bright face, and something inside of Kelly twisted uncomfortably. That was the same look that Enzo had given her after the incident with Cass... "Is what he's sayin' true, Kells?"
The small blonde looked as if she'd been struck across the face, "How many times do I have to say that I'd never hurt the two of you like that?"
"I saw ya with my own eyes!" Cass exclaimed.
"Well, you saw wrong!" Kelly shot back, her voice laced with venom.
Kelly was outright sobbing now, desperate for a way to convince the two men before her that she was telling them the truth. With no ideas forthcoming, she opened her mouth to speak again - the only sound that came out was a choked whimper. She lowered her gaze to the floor once more, hands clenching into fists at her sides. And then she shoved past Enzo and stormed out of the locker room, slamming the door shut behind her.
Kelly had just finished lacing up her boots when there was a knock on her locker room door. "If it's Enzo or Cass, you can go fuck yourself!"
The door slid open slowly, and Dean popped his head inside. "Nah, just your old man. Is it okay if I come in?"
"Oh, of course." She turned, pulling her jacket out of her gym bag and slipping it over her shoulders. "Not that I'm not excited to see you, Papa, but... don't you have a match?" She did not turn away from her task, so she missed the pained look that came over her father's face.
"Not for awhile yet." Dean hurried to reassure her. "But, there is something important I need to tell you... Earlier tonight, Enzo had an accident in the middle of his match and is on his way to the hospital."
Kelly had frozen mid-button, and slowly came to face her father. Tears were shimmering in her bright blue eyes, her entire body trembling as the weight of exactly what Dean had said settled over her. "He... How badly was he hurt?"
He paused, then, "He hit his head on the edge of the ring apron and was unresponsive for several minutes. He'd just started to come around when -,"
"He was knocked unconscious?!" She whispered. Dean was at her side in an instant, helping her to sit down on the bench.
"For about five minutes, probably less." Dean replied, taking a seat beside her on the bench and pulling her into his arms. "He was able to answer some basic questions from the paramedic, though. His condition is promising -,"
"Why didn't anyone come and get me? I need to go and see him. I need -," and suddenly, she went silent. "They wouldn't want me there, anyway."
Just thinking about what happened earlier had her stomach in knots for an entirely different reason. She hadn't thought much of it when the idiot had asked her for 'a kiss for luck' - she'd told him that she was in a committed relationship and that she didn't feel comfortable with that level of intimacy with someone she'd only just met. His response? He wasn't looking to cheat on his girlfriend, either. He just wanted to live in the moment and make the most of a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Which was all well and good, but Kelly was still uncomfortable with the proposal, and had turned him down again. And suddenly the seemingly harmless idiot was not quite so jovial. He had her pinned up against the wall, his mouth pressed to hers so forcefully she could feel herself bruising. One monstrous hand was working its way beneath her shirt, and despite how she struggled beneath his grasp, he refused to release her.
Now, several hours removed from the incident, the initial anxiety and hurt that had flourished within her had been replaced with anger. Anger that her desires had been so rudely ignored. Anger that her attempts at explaining what happened to her lovers had similarly been ignored. Anger at herself for not being strong enough to fight back. She didn't realize her hands had clenched into fists at her sides, her short nails cutting the tender skin of her palms, until Dean set a hand on her shoulder.
"The dumbass was right about one thing: that was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Because once I share with Triple H what you told me, I can guarantee that he will never wrestle for WWE, or any other company." Dean hissed lowly. Reaching forward, he brushed a stray lock of blonde hair from Kelly's face. "I am so sorry, angel."
Kelly shook her head. This wasn't his battle - he had nothing to apologize for. "Thank you for coming to tell me about Enzo."
"Do you want me to drive you to the hospital after your match?" Cass had taken the rental that all three had driven to the arena in, leaving Kelly stranded.
"I doubt that they'd want me there, anyhow." Kelly said softly. "I'd just be a third wheel, an extra body in the doctor's way. Maybe it would be better if I just had an early night and went back to the hotel after my match."
Dean looked far from convinced, "I think it would make you feel better if you went."
"I wish I knew what would make me feel better."
What she did know was that she was on the brink of a major turning point, both in her career and her personal life. In a little under five minutes, she was about to compete in her first pay-per-view match for the number one contendorship for the WWE Women's Title. On the other hand, thanks to a gigantic misunderstanding, both of her lovers had made it abundantly clear that she was no longer welcome in their presence.
There was another knock on the door. This time it was the stage hand, who'd come to tell her that she needed to come to the guerilla - her music would be coming on shortly. Dean offered her a painfully wary half-smile, before kissing her on the cheek and wishing her the best in her upcoming match. And Kelly, who would've grumbled about her father treating her like a baby under any other circumstances, found herself hovering just a few moments longer in his embrace...
Cass sat in the emergency room waiting area, a cup of lukewarm coffee in his jittery hands. He thanked whatever diety was listening that Enzo had taken the time to list him and Kelly as his next of kin, so that he wasn't just flying blind, waiting for news on his loved one's condition that would likely never come.
The doctor was hopeful. He'd said that Enzo was awake and responsive upon arrival to the hospital, and was able to recount the events that had led up to the incident that had caused the concussion. He'd need to stay in the hospital for a few hours under observation, just to make sure that he wouldn't slip off into a coma should he fall asleep, but he'd be able to go home before the night was over.
Cass' first instinct had been to call Kelly. It was only after he'd punched in the numbers that he realized that nobody had told her what had happened - she probably didn't even know that Enzo was in the hospital. And some baser part of him, the part that was still fuming over what had transpired earlier, screamed that she didn't deserve to know. That she'd showed her true colors that night, and had done irreversible damage to their relationship and thus, should not be here.
As it turned out, the decision was made for him when the phone began to ring. He answered without thinking, perhaps assuming that he and Kelly had been thinking alike and his young lover had decided to try and call after her match. Only, it wasn't Kelly's voice on the line. "Am I speaking with Mr. Morrissey?"
Cass frowned. He didn't like the clipped, detached way that the woman on the other end of the line was speaking. "Yes. Who is this?"
"My name is Dr. Kinsey. I'm one of the on-call surgeons at Einstein Hospital." Something knotted painfully tight in Cass' stomach and he suddenly found it difficult to breathe. He didn't think he could handle another potentially life-threatening injury tonight... "I'm calling on behalf of Kelly Rollins. You're listed as her emergency -,"
The big man cut her off, "What happened ta her? Is she okay?" God, the one time that he's not there, all freaking hell breaks loose.
He could hear her shuffling through some papers, before responding, "She took a fairly serious fall and shattered her left knee cap."
"Oh my God..." Apparently, tonight had just been fated to be a disaster of epic proportions. "I'm actually already at the hospital. Can I see her or is she headed inta surgery?" He didn't want to leave Enzo, but he couldn't just leave Kelly on her own either. Even after all that happened...
"She's actually headed into surgery right now. Because of the damage she sustained to her knee cap, there is also some harm to the surrounding ligaments. We'll have to go in and repair the damage and stabilize what we can, to ensure it will heal properly." Dr. Kinsey said.
Cass swallowed hard, "Thank you, doctor."
Before he had time to fully process what Kelly's surgeon had told him, Enzo's doctor came over to inform him that Enzo was awake and mostly coherent, and he could go in and see him. He didn't think he'd ever moved so fast in his life, as he stormed into that hospital room and wrapped his arms around Enzo's prone body, squeezing for all he was worth. The smaller man was laughing, which was a good sign.
Cass passed on an apology from English and Gotch, which Enzo waved off rather unceremoniously. He knew that they had not intentionally tried to hurt him (not that they hadn't seized the upon the opportunity to make it seem as though they had), and even if they had, there was no use dwelling in the past. It had happened, and it was over and done. Right now, his only goal was making a triumphant return.
"Where's Kells?" Enzo asked finally, addressing the elephant in the room. "I know we had dat fight earlier, but I can't believe she wouldn't be here."
Cass felt a sharp stab of regret for ever thinking that he shouldn't call her. "Actually, Kel got hurt in 'er match earlier tonight. She's headed into surgery now."
Enzo sat up so fast that the room actually started spinning for a minute, "The hell ya mean, she 'got hurt'? Where's our girlie?"
"Ya know how she had dat number one contendorship match tonight?" When Enzo nodded, Cass continued, "She took a bad spill and landed on her knee. Shattered the bone and messed up some ligaments. She needs surgery ta correct the damage."
Enzo was already disconnecting the multicolored cords that attached him to the various medical devices spread across the room - including the heart monitor, which was registering an alarming increase in heart rate. "We need ta go see her. She can't wake up alone, ya know what dat'll do ta her."
Cass gently pushed the smaller man back toward the bed, "And what if ya hurt yerself worse tryin' ta get ta her? That'll be real good for her psyche."
Enzo was silent for a moment, before a dark look came over his normally exhuberant face. "We was real shitty ta her earlier, y'know? Kells... she's alotta things, but she ain't a liar. We hurt her bad 'n we need to correct the damage dat we did." He finished firmly.
Cass found himself staring at his hands. The same hands that had been pounding his anguish into the metal lockers just a few hours earlier were now trembling with anxiety for what would become of his girl. He felt sick to his stomach over the fact that he'd ever doubted her, and he hadn't the slightest about how he should make it up to her. It was like if he'd told Enzo he didn't trust him as a partner anymore. The damage went so much deeper than just a few words said in anger.
"As soon as the doc clears ya, we'll head on over and do just dat. You got my word."
If looks could kill, then Enzo and Cass would not survive to make their triumphant WWE return. Dean was keeping vigil at his daughter's bedside, holding one of her unmoving hands while he glared at her two lovers. He seemed to be hunched protectively over her, hiding the majority of her body from view. From this position, it was difficult to see whether or not she was conscious. It wasn't until she spoke that it was clear she'd even acknoweldged their presence.
"It's okay, Papa." Dean backed down a little at the sound of her voice, which was raspy with disuse. "I need to talk to them. Alone."
Dean was silent for a moment, as if considering. Finally, he gave a resolute nod, before turning his steely gaze onto Enzo and Cass. "Hurt her again and I guarentee than they will never find your bodies." He kissed Kelly's forehead, "I'll be right outside if you need me, sweetheart."
As soon as he'd left, the amiable look fell from Kelly's face and she fixed the two men with a nasty glare. "And what the hell do the two of you want?"
"Look, Kel - we know dat we treated ya like shit. I treated ya like shit." The anger that Cas had felt earlier was now directed inward, and he could only hope that his words were making it through to the young girl. "Ya have ta understand dat we acted dat way because we love ya, and it hurt real fuckin' bad to think a ya with -,"
Enzo didn't even let Cass finish, supplying, "Remember how I was after ya kissed Cass 'ere for the first time? I was a fuckin' wreck, 'n he's my best friend. When yer on the outside lookin' in, it's real hard ta keep an open mind 'bout this sorta thing. We jumped ta the wrong conclusion -,"
Cass interjected, shooting an exasperated yet fond look at his smaller partner. "I was the one dat led us ta make the wrong decision -,"
"Would ya stop tryin' ta make this all yer fault, ya big lug? I jumped on board, no questions asked, didn't I?" Cass opened his mouth to comment, realized he had nothing good to say to that, and promptly shut it again. "Well, snookums - can I still call ya that? - what we're tryin' ta say is dat we're sorry."
"And we really just wanna make this whole mess right wit ya." Cass said firmly. "Whatever ya want, whatever ya need, ya have our full, undivided attention."
Kelly was silent for a moment. She would never admit to it aloud, but she enjoyed watching the way that they squirmed under her intense scrunity. Finally, she mumbled, "That's a pretty hefty offer. Do you two have any idea of what you're truly offering right now?"
They shared a glance. Both knew that Kelly would never take advantage of their affections, but the way she had asked the question certainly carried with it an air of foreboding. But finally, they agreed. "Yes, and we're willing to accept the consequences - whatever they might be."
Kelly seemed to consider this for a moment - these two men had hurt her tremendously, even if their explanations made absolute sense. On the other hand, all three of them had been to hell and back in just a few short hours, and she really wanted to bring about an end to all of their suffering and just move on from this horrific night. And so, with more effort than she cared to admit, she reached out toward Cass and took his hand.
The big man practically jumped out of his skin, completely unsure of what to do in this new situation. He was as jittery as he'd been that first time, when she'd taken the lead and pulled him into her arms, kissing him for all he was worth. Kelly gave him a small smile, smoothing her thumb over the back of his hand. Initially unsure what to make of this, Cass found himself squeezing her hand in return.
"I think, what I want... is to be carried into the hotel room, be given breakfast in bed, and to be cuddled while we binge watch Futurama on Netflix." She said firmly. "Think that you two can manage that?"
And Enzo had the nerve to fucking start laughing. Only his girl would give up a chance at make-up sex if it meant watching Futurama. "Sounds like a plan, Kells."
It took a little over a day for Kelly to be released from the hospital, and, true to his word, Cass had driven Enzo back over to pick her up. He carried her to the car, careful to avoid jostling her wounded leg; upon arrival at the hotel, he once again carried her to the fifth floor and placed her in the middle of the bed. Dinner, thankfully, had been prepped in advance, and he spread it out before her like a buffett.
It was somewhere in the middle of their third Futurama episode, with Brannigan attempting to wheedle his way into Leila's pants, that Kelly whispered, "I love you two, y'know. Even if you're a couple of idiots... at least you're mine."
"I love ya too, Kelly Bear." Enzo said as he squeezed her tight. Kelly couldn't help but laugh - concussed Enzo came up with the best nicknames.
"And I love ya, too." Cass said, planting a kiss on the crown of her head. "Thanks for forgivin' us."
"That's what you do for the ones you love." Kelly said with a shrug. "Just don't get any ideas about trying this again."