She lost.
She lost and she feels amazing.
Her opponent's arm is raised, chanting ringing through the arena for one Mia Yim.
Kaitlyn's never been good at hiding her emotions, always wearing her heart on her sleeve, something that's almost always had her come up short.
But she doesn't even stop herself from crying now. She shakes Mia's hand and Mia thanks her. This amazing woman and incredible athlete who's been at this since the age of eighteen, thanks Kaitlyn.
Kaitlyn gives her a crushing hug. Her muscles ache, she probably lost a false lash at some point and she needs the longest shower humanly possible, but she just wrestled what felt like the match of her life.
Mia lifts her arm and Kaitlyn lets her, keeping the other pressed against her stomach. The crowd erupts and Kaitlyn drinks it in, lets herself cry some more.
The girls offer their support backstage, a few welcome backs here and there that make her heart swell.
She's just gathering herself, snagging a bottle of water from catering and draining half of it in a few gulps. She chances a look at herself in the little mirror backstage and is thankful she doesn't look like the train wreck she was expecting. And the false lashes remain in place!
"There she is."
Kaitlyn's head snaps up at the gorgeous, raspy voice she knows all too well. Kaitlyn drinks in the sight before she decides to dive in for the hug: all blonde curls, high heels and pastel pink dress.
"Nattie!"
She's sweaty and gross and a crying mess, but she doesn't care and neither does Nattie, probably, judging by the death grip of a hug Kaitlyn gets.
"Oh my gosh, honey," Nattie chirps. "Look at you! Gosh, look at you. You look amazing. You were amazing."
"I lost. I don't even care. Did you see her kick out of my spear?"
"I had the pleasure of catching every second," Nattie tells her. "How do you feel? I know coming back to a crowd like that must have your heart racing."
"I can't even explain it. The rush of it is still clouding my brain. I've forgotten how much I love the adrenaline rush. It's infectious."
"Like a disease," Nattie agrees. "You got that wrestling bug back, huh?"
"Oh, you have no idea."
"You'll get used to it again soon," Nattie says with a wink, "I know that after that showing, they're going to want you back for some more projects."
"You're kidding," Kaitlyn beams.
She lost.
She lost and she's… happy?
It's a little hard to tell from the camera shots, but it's not your average post-match reaction when you lose, Seth thinks. Then again, the woman in question is full of surprises lately.
Mia Yim lifts her tattooed arm in victory and Seth lets himself look at gratitude visible on her face. It gives him a warm feeling he doesn't want to think about, so he clears his throat and turns away from the screen as the two women share a hug.
"You're obvious, dude," Ambrose tells him. He flicks his eyes between the screen and Seth, giving him a knowing look.
"Why do I put up with you?"
"Because I give you an excuse to be here to gawk at your next victim."
"You're crazy," Seth says. He gives Dean an incredulous look, inwardly cringing at the 'next victim' comment. "Who says I can't enjoy some fine women's wrestling?"
"Sure thing, buddy," Dean says dismissively. He's holding Renee's jacket in both hands. "So why this one? Kaitlyn? Is it because she has a sleeve now? I know what you're like with those girls with tattoos who look like they know of all those awful bands you listen to."
Seth shrugs, distracts himself with the strap of his watch, which is a lot more interesting than Dean. "She's a catch. Had drinks with her, Roman and E the other day. First time I've ever gotten the chance to have a proper conversation with her."
"So you two hit it off?"
What? Maybe? How was Seth to know, they ate their food and spoke civilly. Maybe he had a little more fun than he was expecting from a casual brunch, but he was in good company. Dean can wipe that smirk off his face.
"Wouldn't say that. Just learned a bit about her that I didn't expect and that I like."
"Oh, do enlighten me."
Seth thinks back to their afternoon. Not a second of it was awkward, thanks to Kaitlyn and E's banter that filled in the gaps of conversation. She even spoke to Roman a bit, got him laughing, and that guy's cool as a cucumber. He'd watched her sip iced tea and dig into Pad Thai, all the while watching him intently as he talked about anything from taking physio for his back injury to his dog.
"She's vegan. Teetotal. Has a little Boston Terrier named Simon. It's all very interesting."
Ambrose raises an appreciative eyebrow. "Good for her. Well, Renee likes her. They stayed in contact when she left. So, you know, she'll probably be getting us on double dates before long. So, do behave yourself and go talk to her about plants and your weird screamo music."
"I don't think that's a good idea, man. The dating thing, that is."
"Oh? Why not?"
Seth pauses for a moment, unsure of how to word it without it sounding like gossip. Kaitlyn very bravely spoke of some of the problems she faced after the divorce, but it's still not his business. "Well, you heard what happened with her not long ago. Her marriage collapsing and all that shit she went through. I hardly think she's ready to dive back into the dating pool."
Dean shrugs, because of course he knows nothing about it. "I think you should just follow her lead. If she seems interested, then dip your toes in. There's no harm in that, dude. Maybe she needs someone nice."
Seth heaves out a sigh. "I'll… give it a think. Or whatever."
"Well, it's down to you at the end of the day, bro."
It really isn't, Seth thinks.
Kaitlyn's cooled down by the time she's changed into some comfy joggers and tied her hair up. She has big plans of going back to her hotel room, watching shitty TV with her room service and then crashing. Big plans.
She slips back into the halls and spots Dean Ambrose by catering. He's probably here for Renee, she thinks. Seth comes into view a beat later and Kaitlyn's stomach does a little flip.
It wouldn't be weird to go over there to say a quick hi before she leaves, surely. They're friends now, she supposes? She doesn't think too much on it and heads over.
"Hey," she says politely, mostly to Seth. "You guys stay for the show?"
"We did indeed," Dean Ambrose preens. "Seth and I had a little date with the gym and we came back here so I can pick up my beloved wife."
"Cute," Kaitlyn says. "And Seth is needed for that?"
"No," Seth adds quickly. "Thought I'd catch some of the show since it isn't aired until next month."
Kaitlyn lets a grin spread across her face. "Eager, huh?"
"You could say that," Ambrose mumbles.
"Ignore this one," Seth says, "Who should be looking for his wife."
"Noted!" Ambrose pipes up. "Later."
Ambrose slips out of their little triangle and heads in the other direction. Maybe him leaving wasn't the best idea, actually, because now she's alone with Seth and all out of life trivia that doesn't slip into the personal stuff.
"I can drop you off at your hotel, if you want?" Seth offers. "You look about ready to fall asleep."
"God, no kidding. Thanks, but I literally drove here, so I'm good for a ride."
"No problem," Seth says easily. "Great match out there, you had a pretty impressive moveset going on."
She shrugs like it's nothing. "Would've been a bit underwhelming if I'd come back with the same routine. I loved my powerhouse moves from before, but I wanted to mix it up a bit. Be better than before, you know?"
"Definitely. Just get in as much training as you can. You thought about getting any dives or kicks in there?"
"Absolutely. I'm a lot faster than I used to be so I wouldn't mind giving it a go."
Which is true. These days, since going vegan and getting her mental health together, she feels as good as she did when she ran track as a kid.
"I could totally offer some guidance," Seth says casually, and Kaitlyn can't tell if he's joking or not.
"Teach me a Phoenix Splash?" she jokes.
"There's always a time and a place," he says.
"I'll keep that in mind," she laughs. Training with Seth Rollins is just about anyone who cares about wrestling's dream. Her stomach flips at the thought of training with someone so experienced. "It was nice seeing you again. I should really be heading back."
"Yeah, all good. I parked out front, so I'll catch you later?" Seth says hopefully.
"You will," Kaitlyn confirms with a nod, returning his polite smile.
She leaves the arena with a smile on her face for more reasons than one.