"For the record I'm NOT okay with this," Kenny says sternly as he watches Skylar put the finishing touches on her dark makeup.
She rolls her eyes, "Hoshi, it's one date. You're making this a way bigger deal than it needs to be."
"And you're putting an awful lot of trust in someone called 'The Villain'," his ridiculous use of air quotes makes her giggle. Earning her a cranky look from her over protective brother.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry Hoshi," she looks his reflection directly in the eye.
He sighs, "I know you'll be fine. But he's one of my best friends. This could get awkward really fast."
She turns around to look at him face to face, seeing the concern in his eyes. A knock at the door pulls her attention away from her brother. "Kenny, I'd never put your friends between us. You know that," she tells him honestly. "I've gotta go. I'll be back later."
He's already past her and opening the door. "Hey Marty," he greets his friend as though nothing in the world is bothering him.
"Kenny!" Marty hugs his friend warmly. "Skylar."
She grabs her winter coat off of the rack next to the door and greets Marty with a smile. A quick hug to Kenny and she steps outside the door. Kenny drops his spare key into her hand and watches them start down the hallway.
"Behave you two!" He calls after them. "I mean it!"
Marty and Skylar take to the streets on the unseasonably warm Tokyo evening. They begin with a stop a few blocks from Kenny's place for a bite to eat. They each pick up a little something from the street vendors. A quiet park is their next destination. The streets are lined with trees covered in beautiful sparkling Christmas lights, a perfectly romantic setting. The conversation flows throughout the night. They wander, chatting and laughing the whole time. About their pasts, breaking into the business and wrestling in general. He takes her to Roppongi and shows her a little taste of the Tokyo night life. They stop at another street cart for dessert. Fresh made crepes with ice cream and seasonal fruits. A bench near the park gives them the perfect place to sit and enjoy the decadent dessert. Though the air is brisk the crepes are absolutely perfect. When they're finished Marty takes her hand to help her back to her feet. He leads her on a shortcut through the park where they take in the snow dusted scenery under the glow of the illuminated trees.
Marty stops and faces Skylar. One hand reaches up to caress her cheek. He steps closer to her, leans in and their lips meet. One quick kiss followed by another a little deeper. Their foreheads rest on each other as their lips break apart. Both quiet for a moment Skylar let's out a snicker.
"Nothing huh?" Marty asks with a chuckle.
She shakes her head, "Not a thing."
"Damn, me neither," he sighs. "Well, figured it was worth a shot."
"Totally worth a try," she smiles. "It was a great kiss. Just no sparks or fireworks."
The corners of his lips turn up in a cute smile, "Same. As much as I wanted that not to be the case."
She blushes, "I'm sure this will make Kenny very happy."
"Haha, yeah I suppose it will," he laughs.
They spend a few more minutes in the park before Marty walks her home. Now that any awkwardness is out of the way they begin to become fast friends. A tight hug goodbye and he makes sure she gets inside before leaving with a promise to hang out more this week. She closes the door behind her and turns the dead bolt. Kenny's eyes are on her from the moment the latch clicks. He pauses his game and stands up from the couch. A few slow strides and he's crossed the floor to welcome her home.
He gives her a serious once over, making one hundred percent sure that she has returned unharmed, "How'd your date go?"
She shrugs nonchalantly, "It was fine. We had a good time."
"What did you do?" He pries ever so slightly.
She goes on to give him a rundown of their evening leading up to the walk home. "Then we stopped in the park down the road," she pauses as if to make him wait on purpose. "We kissed, and that was about it."
"Oh come on!" He snaps. "You kissed Marty!? Really?"
"YOU'VE kissed Marty!" She shoots back. "I don't see what the big deal is!"
He holds up a finger as if to argue, but he can't seem to find an appropriate retort, "Well played Koneko."
"You don't have to worry," she tells him. "As nice as Marty is, I felt nothing when he kissed me." She pauses to let her words sink in. "Me and Marty won't be dating. We're just gonna be friends."
It takes a few moments but he finally cracks a smile, "I'm sorry it didn't work out.. But I'm REALLY not sorry."
She shrugs, "I don't really have time to worry about dating anyways. I've got a debut to prepare for."
"Speaking of your debut... I've got an idea," he stops, letting the anticipation build. "I talked to the New Japan office tonight. How would you like to walk me to the ring at Wrestle Kingdom?"
She can feel her jaw fall slack in a stunned silence. She fumbles with a response, "I'd love to! I just have to clear it with Hunter!"
"Give him a call later," Kenny tells her. "I'm sure we can work something out and make it happen."
Before they know it Christmas Day is upon them. With most everything in the city closed down for the holiday Marty, Matt and Nick come to Kenny's place. Skylar and Kenny are hard at work on a traditional Christmas dinner when their friends arrive. The group gathers in the living room while Skylar checks the timer for their dinner. She joins them a few minutes later to see Kenny trying to coerce them into playing Street Fighter with him. She wedges herself onto the couch between Nick and Marty just as her phone buzzes.
"How much longer until you come home?" A text from Finn.
"I fly home on the sixth. Why?" She quickly replies.
A few minutes pass by before she receives a response. A video from the back seat of a car with Gallows and Anderson up front waving their hands around wildly and talking in some new wacky voices. "I shouldn't have to suffer through this alone," is the text that follows.
She literally laughs out loud and watches the video one more time. "Is that Gallows and Gun?" Matt asks from the other side of Nick.
"Yeah," Skylar chuckles. "Ferg sent me a video of them driving somewhere today. They're making him nuts."
"You should send him back one of us all!" Nick suggests excitedly.
She flips her phone camera into selfie mode and records a quick video clip of them all hanging out and wishing their friends a Merry Christmas. Matt and Nick throw up Too Sweets while Kenny shoots the camera a glare before going back to his game. She sends it out to Finn before settling in to play Street Fighter with her brother. She texts back and forth with him between games as Kenny grows increasingly annoyed. When her phone rings he huffs, assuming that it's Finn.
"Oh shut up. It's Hunter," she tells him as she gets up from the couch and goes to the spare room. "Hello?"
"Skylar, it's Hunter," he greets her quickly. "I got your message about Wrestle Kingdom. I called the New Japan office directly yesterday and talked to Gedo."
His extended pause worries her a bit, "How did that go?"
"Really well actually," he sounds surprised. "In exchange for you appearing on their show we'll be using some of their footage on Raw."
"That's amazing," she nearly squeals.
Hunter chuckles, "It's really good news. Great publicity for both companies. Do you have everything you need out there to be on TV?"
"I'm not actually wrestling. So I didn't bring any actual ring gear. But I've got plenty that will work for a couple of valet spots," she explains.
"Good. I'll be watching the show. Face time me before you go out. It'll be just like you going through gorilla here," he tells her.
She laughs, "Will do boss."
"Hey, merry Christmas. I'll talk to you in a week or so," he says as he hurries her off the phone.
She clicks the hang up icon and squeals to herself in the quiet spare room. A giggle escapes her as she dances around the small space excitedly. Before she can settle herself down her phone rings again. She smiles when she sees Seth's name appear in front of her eyes.
"Merry Christmas!" she answers bubbly.
"Merry Christmas beautiful," he responds with a laugh. "Are you that excited to hear from me?"
She blushes and her stomach flip flops at the sound of his voice, "It's definitely an improvement to an already awesome day!"
"Glad to hear it," she can almost envision him smiling on the other end. "Training without you has been really boring. I hope you don't decide to stay in Japan."
"I don't think you have to worry about that," she tells him. "New Japan doesn't even have a women's division."
"I have a feeling that that wouldn't stop you," Seth snorts.
Skylar mulls that thought over for a second then snickers, "You're probably not wrong."
"Yeah, I didn't think so," he laughs. "So when will you be coming back?"
"I'll be at Raw the week after Wrestle Kingdom," she assures him. "Still don't know when I'll be debuting though... Are you going to watch Wrestle Kingdom?"
"Uhh... I wasn't planning on it," she answers honestly. "Why? Should I?"
"I think you should," she hints.
He seems to get her implication, "If it'll make you happy, I'll definitely watch."
"It would. It would definitely make me happy if you got a chance to watch it," she tells him.
"Then for you, I will," he promises.
"You're the sweetest," a smile spreads across her face. "Let me let you go though. I've gotta get back this family Christmas thing we're doing."
"No problem. I'll talk to you soon. Merry Christmas Sky," he says before they say their goodbyes and hang up.
She flops back onto the bed reveling in the two phone calls. Grinning from ear to ear she clutches her phone to her chest as the butterflies continue to flutter in fear stomach. She waits for a few more minutes before rejoining the group in the living room. Her brother shoots her a look, which she ignores, as Nick insists on putting on a Christmas movie.