Foolish Hope and Endless Hurt
Summary: Sami knew that he would have to leave NXT if he lost to Adrian at Takeover. No one could have known that he was putting more than his career on the line. One-shot.
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of WWE. I own nothing.
A/N: So, this is the product of a tumblr prompt that typhoidcandy (typhoidcandycanes for the holidays and known on here as ramenreignss) sent me. She gave me the pairing of Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville (who she knows are my favorites and I'm fairly certain she gave me this just to make me cry) with the quote, "I want to forgive you… But I can't." I posted it on tumblr but I tweaked it a little bit before I posted it here. It's super short and, to be honest, I don't think it's all that great but I figured that I might as well get some feedback on it. It's the only way to get better, right? Let me know what you think and I hope you all enjoy.
Another A/N: Also, for anyone who doesn't know, the SunTrust Center is the tallest building in Orlando, Florida. That's going to come up at the end. I promise that I'm not giving you this information for no reason.
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The numbness that Sami had been feeling for the past week had yet to fade. His career was over; at least with respect to WWE. He could go literally anywhere, don his mask again, and compete as El Generico. He would be loved, he would be cheered, he would be respected… But he wouldn't be Sami. There was a freedom to competing as himself that he would never know as El Generico. He would miss it.
Hunter and William Regal had been blowing up his phone, calling and texting over and over to try to get a hold of him. He knew that they would try to convince him to come back, to change his mind; but he would keep his word. He promised that if he lost his match against Adrian at Takeover: R Evolution, he would quit NXT. And lose he did. Adrian had cheated, but that was neither here nor there. He had lost and he would leave.
He would miss NXT. He would miss the fans. He would miss the friends he'd made and the opportunities to travel with the main roster. He would miss Adrian. Dear God, he would miss Adrian so much.
But the man that he had faced at Takeover, and even in the weeks before, was not Adrian. At least, not as Sami knew him. Sami knew that Adrian was a tough and fierce competitor, that he would do anything to win, but what he did… Cheating to win, even when he knew that Sami's career was on the line… That was something that Sami didn't know that Adrian was capable of. He couldn't blame Adrian, though. He was the one who put his career on the line and he had told Adrian to treat it like any other match.
After losing, Sami had left Full Sail University completely dejected; almost in a trance. Hunter, Regal, and the majority of the locker room had tried to stop him as he quickly packed his gear and left. He'd ignored them, having to practically barrel through a blockade Superstars trying to stop him from leaving. Somehow he had managed to return to the apartment he shared with Adrian, pack the few things he'd bothered to bring from Montreal, and made his way to a hotel.
Adrian hadn't tried to call him. Sami suspected that was for the best. A clean break; a quick ripping of a band-aid. Despite competing against Adrian, Sami had fallen quite hard for him. But maybe the Adrian he thought he knew wasn't the real Adrian. Maybe the real Adrian was the man who had come forth over the past few weeks. The liar; the cheat. Maybe Adrian hadn't loved Sami liked he had claimed. Yes, a clean break was for the best. Adrian might not be hurting, but Sami was. He couldn't let himself hold on to what wouldn't be. He knew that now.
Just as he packed the last of his clothes into his final bag, a knock sounded on the door. Raising his eyebrows, he glanced over to the door, "Sami!" Adrian's voice called, giving Sami the feeling of being punched in the stomach, "I know you're in there. Open the door!" Sami stood where he was, trying to force down the tears welling in his eyes, "Damn it, Sami! Open the door! Please!"
Sighing, Sami closed his suitcase and walked over to the door, looking through the peephole. There he was. Adrian Neville in all his glory. Fuck, he loved that man so much. Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Sami slowly unlocked the door and pulled it open, "What do you want, Adrian?" Adrian didn't reply. He pushed past Sami into the room, taking in the packed bags, the folded blankets... Everything that made evident Sami's plan to leave, "What the hell, Adrian!?"
"What are you doing?" Adrian asked, desperately, "Where are you going?"
"Home." Sami replied, trying to keep his voice stoic. Adrian couldn't know how much it hurt him to leave.
"Home?" Adrian asked in disbelief, "Sami…" He placed his hands on the taller man's shoulders, rubbing them up and down soothingly over the strong biceps and triceps that Sami had worked so hard to build, "Home is ten miles that way," He jerked his head southward, "With me."
Pulling away -knowing that the longer Adrian touched him like that, so calming and loving, the harder it would be to leave- Sami shook his head, "No. I'm going back to Montreal. Do some more training, find a few try-outs…"
"Sami!" Adrian implored, grabbing the man once again. God, why did he act like he cared so much? It was ripping Sami apart inside, "Come. Back. Please. Hunter and Regal haven't terminated your contract yet. They don't want to. Just come back and tell them you've changed your mind. Everything will be fine. You'll be back in the performance center tomorrow…"
"No." Sami replied bluntly, "I gave my word. You won, so I'm leaving."
"Damn it, Sami, don't put this on me!"
Sami shook his head and pulled away yet again, "I'm not. I made the stipulation. It was my choice."
Adrian forced Sami to hold his gaze, "Then why are you looking at me like I'm Satan?"
Sami groaned and ran his hand through his hair, "It's not just about the title or NXT, Adrian," He growled, pacing, "You and me… We can… We're not… We're over, Adrian."
"Wh… What?" Adrian asked, dumbfounded, "Sami…"
"I could have lived with losing. I would have figured something out. Hell! Maybe I would have gone to Hunter and told him I changed my mind." Adrian tried to protest, "If it had been a fair fight. You're too good to cheat like that Adrian. I put the stipulation on that match, I know that, but… I can't trust you anymore." Adrian's face fell, "We could have moved past Takeover together, but if you're willing to cheat just to retain a title knowing what would happen if I lose… What else is more important than me? What else would you throw me aside for?"
Adrian shook his head violently, "Sami, that's not…"
"I want to forgive you… but I can't." Sami found that he could no longer fight back the tears as Adrian looked like he might faint, "I gave everything I had to you, Adrian Neville. And you chose to value a scrap of gold and leather over what I thought we had."
"Sami, please don't…" Adrian breathed out desperately, "I love you…"
"How can you say that?!" Sami shot back fiercely, "After everything? God damn it, Adrian, we…" Sami wasn't able to finish as Adrian lurched forward and captured his lips in a sloppy, desperate kiss. Sami's body immediately wanted to respond, but he forced himself to stop. Angrily, Sami shoved Adrian away, the smaller man stumbling backwards and falling on the bed, "Please don't…" Sami said, an unnatural growl reverberating in his throat, "Don't hurt me more than you already have."
Without another look, Sami grabbed his few bags and bolted out the door. It took Adrian several minutes to regain is faculties and race after Sami. He searched everywhere, the lobby, the bathrooms, the carport… Nothing. Sami was gone. As his blood pounded in his ears, Adrian could feel nothing but his rapidly beating heart and the overwhelming desire to throw himself and the NXT title belt off of the SunTrust Center. He had fucked up and lost the one person who meant the world to him. He would never forgive himself.