A/N: As I do with BtB sometimes, this is just a bonus story. I haven't written as much h/c lately, so I decided now would be the time. This won't affect any future chapters of EuM, just me playing around a little bit beyond EuM's sandbox. Hope you all enjoy anyway! And Happy Holidays! :D
This email is to notify you that you will be having a joint autograph session with Sin Cara at Toys'R'Us on December 21st, at 8:00 PM. More information will be following shortly...
Ricardo Rodriguez sighs as he rereads the message, glancing at the time. He has two hours before he needs to leave for it, relieved that it's Sin Cara he's being partnered up with. The man doesn't talk much, and they'd done autograph signings together before, at Axxess events, so he foresees no massive problems. He stares at himself in his bathroom mirror before splashing water on his face and toweling it off, trying to focus. It had been a long week, traveling, commentary, the standard WWE drama, along with making the first steps towards slowly repairing his friendship with Alberto. Which had been the very last thing he had expected, but leaves him both scared and hopeful.
Honestly, a couple of hours sitting around and signing autographs for fans sounds like just the distraction he needs right now, so he's happy to leave Alex's apartment and head for the address indicated on the second email he had received a couple days after the first. It's a typical Toys'R'Us, line after line of various toys and he beams when he sees his action figure in among the shelf full of them a couple of rows away from where he and Sin Cara are going to be sitting. Christmas being soon, many children and their parents go through the store in just the short amount of time that they're there, making Ricardo's head spin as he signs autograph after autograph, chatting with fans when he can, the line not letting up the entire time they're there. Finally the store is about to close so the line dwindles and Ricardo signs the last fan's magazine just before the last notice for everyone to leave sounds across the intercom.
He grins at Sin Cara and recaps his pen, relieved that it had gone smoothly as he leans over to collect some of the Christmas cards fans had brought him to look at later. He's just about to stand up and find the WWE representative who he'd seen wandering around not that long ago to let him know he's leaving when Sin Cara actually speaks up, voice muffled behind his mask. "A que huele?"
Ricardo blinks, too surprised by the fact that he'd said something for the first time in the entire time they'd been here to even realize what he means. When he stands, however, he realizes- there's a familiar smell in the air that's quickly becoming overwhelming and he swallows, knowing immediately what it is. Gas, he thinks, glancing around in worry as he grips Sin Cara's sleeve, biting his lip. Why they hadn't been found yet, alerted that there's a problem, he doesn't know, or perhaps no one had noticed it either yet, busy preparing to close the place for the night, or- The very thought that they'd been forgotten back here, left to... No way, he thinks. "Come on, let's go!" He pushes the other man towards the aisle leading to the doors, feeling guilty but unable to do anything about the cards he abandons on the table, vowing to come back for them as soon as things are safe once more.
But that doesn't happen. The doors are just in sight when- there's a loud explosion that rocks through both Ricardo and Sin Cara, all of the lights going dark as they're knocked to the ground by the force of it, their ears ringing in time with the smoke alarm that suddenly sounds, the acrid smell washing over both men only seconds later. Ricardo gasps and crouches on his hands and knees, knowing better than to stand but also aware that they can't just stay here, unsure where the fire's origin is at but not wanting to stick around to find out. "Go!" he yells as loud as he can to be heard over the alarm and everything else, pushing at Sin Cara to mimic his actions. Finally the man begins to crawl forward, Ricardo following him towards the doors, hoping with everything in him that they're unlocked so they can escape, and that they're not leaving anyone behind.
Sin Cara has just gotten up to his knees to grip the nearest handle, barely managing to pull the door open halfway when Ricardo hears a foreboding snapping sound overhead and looks up, eyes widening in horror as he realizes that the ceiling is cracking apart- due to the flames or the explosion, he's not sure, but Sin Cara is directly under it and- "Watch out!" he cries out, surging forward and pushing the man with every ounce of strength he has left, sending him outside to relative safety.
Time slows to a stop as the ceiling completely falls apart then, covering the young man's body entirely before he can make it out of the doors too.
Alberto Del Rio is driving around Miami, bored and feeling a little antsy. Christmas is coming up and his brother will be visiting soon, but for now, he has nothing to do but rest and wait for the trainer to clear him after his concussion thanks to that perro Sin Cara. So of course, to him, resting means exploring the city he lives in at the fastest speed he dares driving at. He's just stopped at an intersection infamous for its lengthy wait time when his phone buzzes. He glances over at it, too impatient to bother with handsfree options, before scooping it up. "Hello?"
He receives no answer and pulls it back, surprised to find that the screen shows Ricardo's name. Of all of the people least likely do to a prank call to Alberto, it would be him... "Hello?" he tries again, frowning all the harder when the silence continues, odd cracking noises and a weird buzz all he can make out in the background of the phone call. "Mi amigo, what's going on?" He only gives it another minute before hanging up, a strange foreboding shiver trailing down his spine. He had an autograph signing at some... Toys'R'Us tonight, he thinks, ignoring the people behind him who are beginning to honk as he tries to figure this mystery out, ignoring that the light has turned green. Finally tiring of their distracting cacophony, he begins to drive until he finds a nearby parking lot, pulling in and stopping quickly to check on his phone's browser. Finding what he needs, he begins to drive, relieved to find that he's not that far away from the address provided on the website.
He's almost there when he smells it- sees it. Horrible smoke billowing up into the night sky, flames crackling against the roof of the building. He gapes at it in disbelief, growing more and more worried as he pulls up in front of the store, bombarded with the sound of fire truck sirens as soon as he's out of his car, but he ignores this as well, knowing that his best friend has to be in the midst of all of this somewhere and- He stops short when he sees Sin Cara near the exit of the building, his bright mask hard to miss even in the smoke and darkness. "You!" he yells, storming up to the man and grabbing him by his collar, glowering at him. "Where is mi amigo?!"
Sin Cara points desperately towards the doors and Alberto squints through the smoke stained glass, realizing with horror- the doors aren't fully shut, bowing outwards due to a massive pile of debris as smoke pours out of the gap. "He's still inside?! Why are you out here then!"
"Me salvo la vida," he chokes out, still pointing towards the doors. Snagging Alberto's sleeve, he pulls desperately at the door and Alberto shakes his head, not understanding. "Alli!" he finally forces out, pointing at the pile of debris on the ground just inside of the doors.
This Alberto understands, his heart sinking. "No, no," he breathes, pushing Sin Cara aside to open the door himself. Ignoring everything- the flames, the smoke, the sirens approaching ever closer- he drops to his knees and begins digging through the mess, only able to accept one thing- that his friend is under all of this and needs help. There's no other option that he'll accept as he scrambles desperately, coughing through the smoke to unearth more and more and- finally, after what feels like forever, he finds his friend's sooty hand and blinks down at it, immediately digging with even more determination, ignoring Sin Cara as he holds the door open and allows Alberto more space to throw the mess as he unearths more, breathing a little easier when he finds his shoulder, and then his head. He looks bruised and covered in smoke, but he's breathing, dust billowing up from the ground with each exhale, and Del Rio rests a hand on his cheek for a moment, murmuring in what he hopes is comforting tones, before going back to work, having him unburied down to his back when finally the fire trucks arrive, firemen immediately pushing him back outside and taking over in unearthing Ricardo as the others begin to fight the fire as quickly and efficiently as they can, things growing even more stifled and rushed with their equipment and loud voices as they begin to overwhelm the flames.
Sin Cara and Del Rio stand a few feet away from each other, waiting and watching, until the firemen drag Sin Cara away to check him out, give him oxygen, whatever else he might need. Alberto, however, ignores their every attempt at doing the same to him, unwilling to move from this spot until his best friend is alongside him. Finally a flurry of activity hints towards what he's been waiting for, relieved when the firemen drag Ricardo out and settles him carefully on a nearby stretcher, drawing him towards the waiting ambulances that had followed the firetruck while Alberto had been distracted watching them attempt to rescue his best friend. He ignores them as they try to hold him back, rushing to stand by his friend's side while the EMTs examine him and prepare him for transport to the local ER. "I'm going with," he declares, paying no heed to their hesitant response. "I'm his best friend. I need to be there." It's something he hasn't been able to say that often the last few months and he's glad to be able to come out with it, no plans or any other ridiculous thing keeping him from admitting the truth finally.
They agree, not wanting to waste time by trying to dissuade him, so he gets into the back with the stretcher and cups Ricardo's hand, looking into his face as the EMTs scramble around, adjusting the oxygen levels on the mask they have on him, and whatever else they're doing to keep him stable on the road to the ER. He feels dirty, his hands and clothes thoroughly covered in soot while he had been trying to rescue the young man unconscious in front of him, but he doesn't mind. "Amigo, hang on, we'll be there soon," he tells him quietly. "But you don't need me to tell you that, do you? We still have so much to discuss and settle between the two of us, you're going to be just fine so we can do that, aren't you?" He smiles waveringly, leaning closer to him. "I just got you back, mi amigo, and you're already scaring me to death. Saving that perro Sin Cara's life... But you wouldn't be mi amigo if you didn't do stupidly brave things such as that, hm?" he asks, remembering all that Ricardo had endured the three years they worked together in attempts to help Alberto.
He sighs and shakes his head, remembering something. "Did you find his cell phone?" he asks one of the EMTs.
"No," the man says, watching Ricardo's blood pressure as he reports back to the ER one final time before they arrive.
Alberto blinks and checks his friend's pockets, finding his wallet in one and... nothing in the other. He glances up at him, paling slightly at the thought that Ricardo had been conscious while trapped under there and his main thought had been to call Alberto. He squeezes his hand, hoping that he is wrong, that the phone had somehow fallen out of Ricardo's pocket and struck by something, causing it to dial him by mistake; anything to keep Ricardo from being alone, scared and in pain, and aware of any part of it.
When they arrive at the ER, nurses aren't as lenient as the EMTs were, pushing Alberto into a room next to Ricardo's for examination and some oxygen of his own, even though he had been half inside the open doors, getting more than enough oxygen in comparison to his trapped friend, and he suspects that they're only doing this to keep him away from Ricardo while they examine him and prepare him to be admitted. Which he's fine with- as long as they accept that none of their little hints or tricks will get him to leave the hospital until his friend is awake and coherent, no matter how long it takes. He's finally allowed to sit with Ricardo while they prepare a room for him- after he lays for a few minutes with pure oxygen pouring into his lungs- brushing the man's hair out of his eyes. "What's wrong with him?" he asks a nurse as she bustles around.
"Are you a relative?"
"I'm Alberto Del Rio," he says, like that should answer every possible question. Which, normally, it probably would come close, but hospitals are whole other situations. He sighs. "He used to work for me. I should be listed on his emergency contacts, he would want me to know." She checks the records in her hands before looking at him, hesitating as he stares back at her. "Well?"
"We've done x-rays and cat scans just to make sure, but it seems he was lucky. We'll be keeping a close eye on him the next couple of days just to make sure we're not missing any serious head trauma and we're going to keep him on oxygen and attached to a saline drip for awhile, but Dr. Palomo seems confident that he'll be fine. He should be awake soon. You can stay with him until we transport him to an actual room." She smiles before leaving the room.
Del Rio rolls his eyes skyward before turning back to the younger man, smiling faintly. "They say that like I'm going to leave just because they tell me to. They don't know the Mexican aristocrat, do they?" He's still sitting there, tapping a thumb against Ricardo's palm and waiting for them to move him to his actual room, when he hears a soft shifting sound and looks up, pleasantly surprised to find his best friend's lips parting as his eyes flutter, his free hand curling into a fist against the sheets. "Hey, hey, mi amigo," he breathes, leaning over him. "It's ok, it's ok. You're going to be fine."
Ricardo groans, still trying to say something and Alberto waits expectantly until finally he forces the words out, Del Rio rolling his eyes when he realizes that the slightly slurred words he'd struggled to spit out were, "Sin Cara."
"He's fine," he tells him simply, smiling when he opens his eyes and stares up at him. "You saved his life, mi amigo. You should be proud." When Ricardo's fingers curl around his hand, a relieved look in his eyes, he smiles. "I know I am."
Alberto is awoke early the next morning by Ricardo's nurse coming in to check his oxygen levels and other vitals. "How's he doing?" he asks, smirking when she jerks as if unaware that he'd been there the whole night, slumped in the biggest chair they have which is still way too small for his frame, dozing now and again and listening to Ricardo breathe the rest of the time. He feels pretty rough but it was worth it, needing to see for himself that the younger man would be ok.
"Yes, he's doing just fine," she nods once she's calmed down some, making a few more notes before leaving the room to continue her rounds.
Alberto sighs and stands, resting a hand on Ricardo's head. "Hear that, amigo? They'll confirm soon that everything's fine, and then we'll work towards getting you back home, how does that sound?" Speaking of... he had called Alex late the night before, just to let him know, but now in the light of day the reality hits him- when Ricardo's released, he won't be going back to Alberto's house... no, he'd be going back to Alex's apartment, where Alex would watch him, take care of him, ensure he gets to every follow up appointment something like this might require, and whatever else. Alberto shakes his head, closing his eyes. He and Sofia used to gladly take care of all of that, but now... it won't be his place, not after the last few months, and he has no choice but to accept it. "It'll be alright. I understand." He sits down next to Ricardo on the bed and examines his hand. "I made my decision last August, and I'll have to live with it. This is one of those things that will come from it... Besides, I trust that Alex will make sure you're fine."
He's still sitting there when there's an almost frantic knock on the door almost an hour later, Alex Riley himself peeking his head in. "Dammit," he breathes faintly, entering the room completely. "I went to bed early and I didn't get your message until this morning. I rushed right here." He takes the other side of the bed, staring down in shock at his roommate, shaking his head. "Is he- is he going to be ok?"
"Yes, he'll be fine," Alberto says, tense as his alone time with his best friend is taken away just like that. "They're keeping him for observation but I have no doubt that everything will be alright." He wants to stay, would do anything to just sit here and wait until he can see his friend's eyes again for himself, but he can't help feeling like he's on the outside looking in. Alex has been one of Ricardo's closest friends for the last five months, when he'd thought Alberto hated him, and he doubts he truly deserves to be here with the younger man while he recovers. "Call me and let me know, please?" But he's just barely stood up, about to depart, when something weakly snags his wrist and he stares down in surprise to find the younger man had once more regained consciousness and is holding onto him.
"No," he mutters through the oxygen mask. "Por favor, stay. I... want you here too, Alberto."
The Mexican aristocrat's eyes soften as he takes in the weary desperation in Ricardo's gaze, finally nodding. "Alright, mi amigo, I'm not going anywhere," he whispers, settling back in next to him on the bed, relieved to see him awake once more after so many quiet hours. "Are you hungry? Or thirsty?" he offers, noticing as Ricardo's gaze then switches to the water pitcher on his tray. When he nods, he and Alex begin to work together quietly to help him drink, Alberto supporting him in sitting up while Alex holds the glass for him, making sure he doesn't choke or spill it as his hands are still a little shaky. When he's finally done, Alex puts the glass back on the tray and moves to sit down in a nearby chair but Alberto hesitates, not wanting to move away too soon, content to remain here half-hugging his friend. Judging by the faint smile on Ricardo's face as he looks up at him, he can only guess that he doesn't mind all that much, so he stays there until the nurse returns, greeting Alex before beginning another vitals check and asking Ricardo what he wants to eat.
Alex is in and out for a few hours afterwards, fielding calls from Mike, but Alberto remains, talking lowly with Ricardo whenever he's awake, which is becoming more and more often, to his utter relief, or watching him sleep whenever he dozes back off. Eventually he leaves just long enough to notify the only WWE tech he can stand talking to about what's happened to Ricardo, encouraging him to pass the news along before returning to the hospital room.
To their relief, no signs of head trauma manifests, the worst of Ricardo's injuries proving to be bruises and first to second degree burns on his hands and neck from the hot debris that had touched his flesh, the extent of his injuries diminished in large part thanks to the dress jacket he had on at the time. He's released early the next day, just in time to enjoy Christmas at Alex's apartment. But more than anything, he's just relieved to take a bath, careful not to get his hands wet, clean some of the leftover soot off of his skin and hair, which Alex helps him to wash out after he soaks for awhile.
He wakes up early on Wednesday to find that, yes, it's Christmas, and yes he's still sore and wrapped up in bandages to the point that he can barely twitch some of his fingers, but he's breathing, and it's all good enough for now. Pulling himself out of bed, he yawns lazily and pads out of his bedroom, blinking in some confusion as he hears voices but not bothered enough to consider who they may belong to, eyes shut blurrily as he instinctively walks into the living room and slumps down on the couch, sighing tiredly. Alex's laughter makes him tilt his head but he says nothing as his less harmed hand is lifted and his unbandaged fingers are gently wrapped around a mug of coffee, lips twitching. "Thanks, Alex," he mutters, lifting the ceramic up to indulge in the aroma before taking his first sip.
"Ay, well, he was close," a voice says teasingly, causing him to pause midswallow and look up, eyes wide open now. "Feliz Navidad, Ricardo," Alberto tells him with a faint smile.
He gapes before turning to look at Sofia, Memo Montenegro and Alex, shaking his head in amazement. "Eh, eh, lo siento, Alberto," he stammers. When his former employer waves it off, used to Ricardo when he's still mostly asleep and in need of caffeine, he coughs anxiously and tries to salvage this. "Feliz Navidad, all of you," he says with a smile, looking around at all of them.
"Feliz Navidad," Sofia breathes, walking over and hugging him gently. "Ah, Senor, must you always get hurt?" she asks, catching his eye and realizing her own flub. "Lo siento... Ricardo."
Memo echoes the holiday well-wishes from where he's sitting, half-waving at his brother's former ring announcer before turning his attention back to the tree flickering in the corner of the living room, examining the ornaments scattered along its branches. Alberto smirks at his reaction to the tree before turning back to his best friend. "How are you feeling then, mi amigo?"
"Better," he nods, staring down at his hands. "Gracias... I, um. Sin Cara dropped in to thank me before I was released from the hospital and he told me how... you fought to dig me out before the firemen arrived."
Alberto nods grimly. "I didn't get too far, but I did my best, mi amigo."
Ricardo stares at him and shrugs. "I, um. I'd say you did pretty great... considering... I never would've thought you would've wanted to help me at all even a month ago." He sniffs and wipes at his face, immediately feeling bad for saying such things when the whole room falls tense and quiet. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" But Sofia rubs his back soothingly and Alberto leans forward, interrupting him.
"Mi amigo, don't apologize- we all understand. You had every reason to think such things of me, I gave you no reason to suspect otherwise and I'm so sorry for that." He pats his face, smiling sadly at him as they stare at each other, Ricardo overwhelmed by the understanding in Alberto's voice and eyes that's been missing so thoroughly the last few months.
"Alright," he breathes, hesitantly taking another sip of coffee and listening as Alberto and Memo begin to talk back and forth in Spanish, Sofia smiling faintly as the brothers discuss life in Puerto Rico and how Memo is taking to it since being released by the WWE months ago.
Alex eventually sits down next to Ricardo, grinning over at Sofia as she smiles at him, and wraps an arm around his roommate's shoulders, careful not to mess with the bandages still protecting the faint pink flesh on his neck. "Mike called last night, said he'll call sometime this morning and talk to you for awhile. He's sorry you couldn't spend Christmas in California with them all, said you'll be missed but we'll reschedule, alright?"
Ricardo nods. "Gracias, Alex, that sounds good."
Eventually, Sofia and Alex go to the kitchen to look in on the small ham they're cooking for Christmas dinner, talking over what side dishes to have along with it, when Alberto looks up and smiles at Ricardo. "I almost forgot, mi amigo. I'll be back in a moment." Ricardo blinks, perplexed, as he leaves the room, exchanging questioning glances with Memo before the Mexican aristocrat returns with what looks like a supersized Ziplock bag in his hand, sitting down next to Ricardo and turning to face him with the bag between them. "The firemen found these after they cleared out the building and most were still in tact, so they gave them to me for you."
Ricardo blinks and gingerly reaches out for them, opening the bag with some assistance from Alberto. The contents still reak of smoke and he suspects what's inside as soon as he smells it, coughing slightly as his still recovering lungs protest, but he ignores Alberto's attempt to pull it away from him, digging out the various envelopes and smiling at the slightly soot covered cards he had received at the autograph signing and had to abandon to try to get to safety. "Gracias," he whispers, looking from person to person and feeling so thankful that he had survived- that he could spend Christmas here, with his friends, reading well wishes from fans scrawled all over the colorful cards that luckily hadn't been touched by the explosion or fire.