Memo has since gone home, leaving Alberto alone to prepare for the extensive European tour ahead. He hadn't been needed for Raw, so he had stayed home to finale some last minute things before his flight. He sighs and collects the last of the things he will need for the next couple of weeks, stuffing them into his suitcase, before nudging the leg hanging over the side of his bed with a small smirk. "Are you still awake?"
Ricardo stirs and blinks at the ceiling before sitting up. "Si, El Patron. Just thinking." He glances around the room as Alberto sits down next to him. "You're finished packing, hm?"
"Si. I've gotten quite good at it, I believe," Del Rio says, dark eyes flickering over uncertainly as Ricardo nods. The fact that he had had to need to, and the reason why, still makes him squirm guiltily whenever he thinks back to the year prior. Shaking such thoughts away, he drapes an arm around Ricardo's shoulders and leans into him. "You will be alright while I'm gone, si?" While he waits for Ricardo's answer, he thinks about how terrible the first overseas tour without Ricardo was, and every subsequent one since. He sighs, realizing he'd almost missed the younger man's responding nod. "You're sure? I'm aware this is a terrible time to leave, when Riley is-"
"Don't worry about Alex," Ricardo interjects. "I'm... fairly certain things will be fine. If not..." He hesitates. "If not, I've become more capable of defending myself. He- he won't hurt me." But there's a kind of desperation in his voice, as if he's fighting to believe them himself, and Del Rio's chest clenches when he remembers that, once upon a time, the former ring announcer would sound the same way when talking about him.
Alberto moves sharply, cupping his face and peering deep into his startled eyes. "Mi amigo, if he does anything, you come here, si? You stay here, you let Sofia take care of you, you just... you be safe, si?"
"S-si," he stammers, surprised by his friend's vehemence. "I will, Alberto." There's a quiet kind of prompt from the older man and Ricardo anxiously licks his lips before speaking further, hoping that he can still read his silent cues correctly, even after all this time. "Te prometo."
"Good!" Alberto tells him simply, patting his face before releasing him and turning to finish packing. "I will be seeing you at Raw, si?"
"Si," he says. "It will be good to be back in London."
Alberto glances over at him and they share a grin. "Si, it most definitely will be, mi amigo."
Training that week is a bit strained, but Ricardo has his mind set on his tag team match with Kalisto for the NXT tag titles, and he won't let the other man down. Nor will he let himself down. So, even when Alex asks to come along and they obligingly switch their training one on one into a triple threat match sort of circumstance, he takes deep breaths until his mind clears, remembering what he had said to Alberto should Alex attempt something. Trying to relax in the knowledge that, should things go south, at least Kalisto would be here to assist, the tag title match mattering to him as well.
But things go well, Alex even seems pleased from the very start of the training session, to Ricardo's relief. His roommate had been happier lately, and Ricardo hopes this means good things to come for both of them. He owes Alex a lot for taking him in so abruptly all of those months ago, their friendship since that period of unheaval in his life meaning a lot to him, so it had hurt for him to react in such a fashion when Ricardo had begun to be booked in NXT.
He sighs and wipes some sweat off of his forehead, the three of them taking a break to rehydrate after trying their lucha styles out against Alex's more power-based moves. He's just finished a bottle of water when he spots a flash of color out of the corner of his eye and turns to find Alicia Fox staring at them from the corner of the room, his eyes widening further when Alex wanders over to her and talks with her for a minute before leaning in to kiss her faintly. "Um," he almost squeaks, surprised by this turn of events. I guess that explains why he's happier, he thinks, trying to figure out how he feels about the circumstance. He wants Alex happy, yeah, but the way Alicia had acted on, first, Raw and then Main Event... If it ends badly, Alex may spiral even worse than before... But he's never been the type to try to dictate any of his friend's lives so he just smiles weakly when Alex rejoins he and Kalisto, choosing not to comment on Alicia's presence as they return to the ring, vowing to keep an eye on the situation.
The next night, he and Kalisto make their intentions to win the tag titles at NXT Takeover known before returning backstage, beaming at each other. The crowd response was promising, Ricardo's heart still racing at the long-missed sound. He takes a deep breath and claps hands with Kalisto before they go to watch the rest of the show backstage, see what the other NXT talent will be up to, scout any future rivals they might end up with, especially if they should win the titles. After all, in this business, one never knows who or what could be lurking around the corner...
There's an NXT houseshow the following night. Ricardo isn't booked, but that's fine. He's merely looking for something to do to pass the time until he can leave for London, always enjoying his time overseas, so he walks backstage a little before the start of the show to find Alicia Fox there once more and she stares over at him for a long moment before flouncing off, Ricardo blinking in confusion before he realizes- she's throwing her arms around Alex in a tight hug, and he's dressed in his gear, and... "Oh," he breathes, this all clicking into place for him as he realizes. "Oh." He gingerly walks closer to the two and stares at Alex's new gear, now understanding why he'd been so eager to leave for NXT tonight, and yet wondering why he hadn't mentioned anything to him about all of this.
It takes a long time for Alex to notice him and when he does, he slowly breaks away from Alicia. "Ricardo! Do you have a match too, man?" he asks easily, as if the last few weeks hadn't happened. Ricardo shakes his head, opening his mouth but unable to get a word in edgewise as Alex talks over him. "Oh, that sucks. So why are you here? Supporting Kalisto?"
"Eh," he says, awkwardly shuffling around. Relieved when Alex gives him a minute to speak, he swallows. "Just passing some time until I head out to London... so you're competing tonight? I'm happy for you, I know how much you've wanted to compete again."
"Yeah, it feels good to be back in my boots," Alex grins, clapping him on the shoulder. "You know how that goes." Ricardo nods, glancing from Alicia to Alex. "I have told you, we're together now, right?" He leans in to kiss a giggling Alicia, looking surprised when Ricardo shakes his head. "Oh, sorry, I guess it slipped my mind... I've been busy between her and training for this match."
"I see," Ricardo says lowly, wondering when exactly his and Alex's friendship had become this, that his roommate hadn't even thought to tell him that he'd been booked, or that he had a girlfriend. "Well, I'm gonna go look for Kalisto. Good luck tonight." Alex mutters something that Ricardo can't catch, already lost in Alicia once more, the former ring announcer walking off with a sigh.
It's just his luck, however, that supporting Kalisto and wishing Alex well becomes more complicated when the two men fight in a triple threat match against Viktor, half of the NXT tag team champions. Ricardo watches this, wide eyed, from backstage, swallowing uncomfortably when Viktor wins, leaving both his roommate and tag partner annoyed and aching. He closes his eyes, hissing slightly. A loss after almost a year of action for Alex isn't a great start, nor does it bode exactly well for their tag title match in ten days. Kalisto is muttering to him in Spanish when Alex appears backstage, looking pissed and tired, Ricardo nodding to his tag partner. "Uno momento," he tells him when he pauses for a moment, approaching Alex hesitantly. "Alex? Are- are you ok?"
Alex stares at him for a moment, a look in his eyes that Ricardo isn't sure how to read, preparing to back away slowly just in case, Alberto's words echoing through his head, when Alicia approaches and rests a cool hand on his arm. "Come on, Alex, let's get out of here, get some food," she tells him, barely looking twice at Ricardo.
All the former ring announcer can do is watch as he nods and walks away without a word spoken, taking a deep breath. He hates leaving things like this but a bigger part of him is relieved that he'll be flying out to London tomorrow, leaving all of this behind for a few days, give him a chance to clear his mind before the NXT pay per view.