Things had changed. Everything had changed. No ECW, no questionable surroundings, no depending on each other to get them through the day, but Rob wrestling at the WWE and Sabu God knows where.
If anyone asked him, Rob would still say Sabu was his best friend, no one else, but after years of meeting only sparingly, giving each other a quick hug – well, Rob gave Sabu a hug and Sabu would snort derisively –or giving each other a rundown of their last accomplishments on the phone, he wasn't sure if Sabu would feel the same way. If he ever had.
And now, now both were here, and Rob could feel the nerves hit home. This was his WWE, his home, and Sabu was a visitor, but it didn't feel like it. He still felt like he'd forever follow Sabu's lead. Right now Sabu was busy rummaging through his bag, having quickly thanked Rhino for the match and then hurried off. It had taken Rob, injured as he was, a bit longer to follow.
"Do you need something? It would take a while, but I could get it for you."
Sabu looked up, a flash of familiar annoyance in his eyes. Rob had always managed to annoy the man one way or the other, but then that had been part of them. Rob would be cheerful, supportive, while Sabu would bitch and moan about it.
"If I need something I'll ask for it. No use for you to act like a crippled errand boy."
Exactly the reply Rob had expected, yet he'd asked anyway. Leaning against the wall, keeping the weight off his injured leg, he watched as Sabu continued his search for something. It was so strange, all this, almost like going back in time and reliving the good days. Only they had changed, aged, and unlike those times, Rob didn't know what to say.
A special evening, many had called it – mostly those not affiliated with Hardcore Homecoming – and for Rob it had been. Seeing the familiar light off, light on scheme, and Sabu appearing to – ironically – come to his rescue, it hit home. He'd missed it, and even though Sabu had given him a growled warning beforehand, he couldn't help but stumble towards him and pull him close. Leaning on him, hugging him – he was injured, the perfect excuse to just hold on a little longer – he could pretend just for a second that things were as they'd been before.
He'd whispered something, too, something that had startled both of them. "Missed you." Nothing more but a faint whisper against Sabu's neck, but Rob had felt the twitch, the shudder, whatever he was to call the sudden way Sabu had tensed up. There had been a flash of surprise in Sabu's eyes, too, and Rob himself hadn't really known what to do or say after that, so he let go. Hands had steadied him, and though it had been very brief, the hug had made Rob feel better. At least he was still allowed to do that.
"So, ehm, how did Hardcore Homecoming go? I haven't had a chance to ask about it yet."
There had been the scratches and cuts on Sabu's body that Rob had instantly noticed, obviously the result of barbed wire, but he hadn't really asked Sabu about the match beforehand. He had noticed a slight limp, though, and Fonzie mentioned something about Sabu's head getting stuck between two 'ropes' of barbed wire. Both ideas made Rob flinch just thinking about it, but Sabu seemed fine. As fine as Sabu got, anyway.
"It was good."
Rob waited for more, but Sabu didn't continue. By now he had downed some pills – Rob wasn't even going to ask – and had peeled all of the remaining band aids from his body. Those he could get to, at least. Sighing at himself, Rob pushed off the wall and hobbled over. Reaching for one of the band aids on Sabu's back, he carefully peeled it off, trying to ignore Sabu's obvious flinch. It couldn't hurt, really, Rob reasoned.
Instead of stopping him, or making a snarky comment – Rob had expected both – his friend simply stood there, staring at the wall. So Rob continued, shaking his head at the fact that there were so many red lines on Sabu's body. He knew there was a reason why he disliked barbed wire matches.
"God, you really did roll around in there, didn't you?" Rob muttered, which resulted in an amused snort.
"It wasn't that bad."
"Not bad? You've got cuts all over!"
It wasn't that Rob was surprised by it, really, he'd seen much worse, but he hadn't really been this close to Sabu in a long time, and it brought back memories. Memories he cherished, but despised at the same time. He didn't need to be reminded of the happier times, especially since they hadn't seen each other that much the last year. Not being able to be there for Sabu when he was so terribly sick, it had hurt Rob beyond belief.
"You always did fuss over nothing."
Sabu turned around, rubbing the back of his head – Rob had seen Sabu's head connect with part of the table – and grabbing his bag. Pulling on a jacket, Rob realised Sabu wasn't spending one more minute in here. Was it that bad? Surely there couldn't still be that much hatred for the WWE? Rob knew the only reason Sabu was here was because of the money, but he had hoped that Sabu would be pleased to see him. Guess not.
"Are you leaving already? Aren't you going to celebrate with us afterwards?"
Dark eyes caught his, and Rob saw anger. Anger and pain, which in itself wasn't surprising. What kind of pain, though, he wasn't sure.
"There's nothing to celebrate."
He wasn't sure why, but that hurt. Of course, he knew One Night Stand wasn't the real reunion, that had been Hardcore Homecoming, and not the one the boys preferred, but this was his night. He'd pushed for it, he'd asked people to show up, and he'd also been the one hoping Sabu showing up wouldn't be all about money, but also about Rob. Out of friendship, or whatnot, out of loyalty. At least now that question was answered.
"I see," Rob whispered, his knee suddenly feeling very painful. Sitting down, ignoring the stabbing pain in his leg, he watched as Sabu paused. They looked at each other, but once again Rob wasn't sure what to say. He'd never really known what to say. Not when it mattered.
"Perhaps," Sabu started, his voice suddenly sounding very rough, "Perhaps I'll be back here next year. I'm sure Vince will want to make more money out of this."
Rob nodded. "I look forward to it." And he would. But probably for different reasons than Sabu did.
A quick nod, sad eyes – something Rob wanted to ask about – and then Sabu was gone. He contemplated going after him, asking what that had been all about, but he knew Sabu would be long gone by the time he'd even gotten out of the room. It didn't happen often that Rob was the injured one, but Sabu would take full advantage of it.
Staring at the tiny band aids on the floor, Rob sighed. Perhaps he'd have the courage to say something, anything, next year. What, he wasn't sure, but it needed to be said. Perhaps next year. If at all.
The End