It all starts with an innocent enough retweet. In this day and age, Ricardo guesses that that's how a lot of things go anymore. The last thing he had honestly thought about, however, was everyone else in the WWE who would be seeing the tweet and whispering their little rumors and gossip about it. Which honestly, after what Mike and AJ had been through, he knows he should be more careful, but things have been ridiculous lately between his getting ready for the NXT pay per view in a few days, and everything going on with Alberto. So he hadn't taken the time to consider the repercussions.
Here's an idea. Add another TV power couple to the mix by pairing realPaigeWWE with RRWWE- and by adding vivadelrio to #TheAuthority.
Ricardo tries to joke it off, replying to the person who had tweeted it, telling them to give him a chance to get into Adam Rose's party bus first. He smiles and wanders off to handle another interview, ignoring the glances he receives during and after it. He had learned long ago, while under Alberto's employ, to not let any of them get to him. But he can't deny that, for a minute, he considers the thought of it. Paige had caught his eye long ago, when she'd tried out in England years back, unable to look away from those words from the tweet. Power couple...
He's jerked from his thoughts when Alberto appears in front of him, eyebrow raised curiously as he claps him on the shoulders to attract his attention. "Hola, amigo."
"Oh, hola Alberto." He grins at his former employer before glancing down when Alberto taps his phone, a curious look in his eyes. "Ah, I suppose you've seen that RT from earlier."
"Si, I did," he says with a vague frown. "Mi amigo, I admit I would like to be World champion again, and I have helped them in the past but why would I be interested in being the Authority's lapdog?"
"It was that fan's idea, not mine," he says, slightly defensively. "I only retweeted it because I thought their idea for me was a little... a little interesting." He falters as Alberto's piercing gaze locks on him, causing him to squirm uncomfortably. "Wha- what?"
"Mi amigo, do you think... if I began to allign myself with the Authority and they deemed me best for business, it might make my decision regarding my contract, eh, easier?"
Ricardo's eyes widen, flushing in embarrassment as he stares down at his feet. "Eh, El Patron, I- I don't..."
Alberto sighs and squeezes his neck, deciding to take it easy on him. This is not the time to make him feel bad, not with everything he's going through. "Amigo, come now. Don't worry about it, por favor. I didn't tell you any of this so you could spend the next few months fretting. I just wanted to give you a head's up in case." Ricardo nods grimly and Del Rio winces. "Perhaps it was a mistake..."
"No, no, El Patron, I'm glad you thought you could trust me enough to tell me. It's just... it's going to take time to adjust to, I guess." Ricardo looks up at him, frowning. "Lo siento, I didn't mean to make you feel put on the spot with that tweet, I just... it was silly-"
Alberto sighs, shaking his head. "Don't look so guilty, mi amigo. I just don't want to make things harder on you than they already are, especially when you have your tag team title match to focus on this Thursday."
The former ring announcer nods jerkily, fumbling with something in his pocket. "Eh, El Patron, before I forget, so much has been going on... I know we texted on your birthday, but I have your actual present here." He pulls out a small, box and holds it out to the older man, watching anxiously as he pries it apart and pulls out a small golden pin, his eyes lighting up as he realizes what it is. "You can... place it on your scarf, or- or anywhere you wish," he says awkwardly, watching as Alberto analyzes the letters spelled out in the gleaming jewelry, Mejor Amigos, in a loopy scrawl. "I know it's not much, but you're a bit difficult to buy for."
Alberto laughs, squeezing his arm affectionately. "I know, mi amigo." He runs his fingers over the solid gold and smiles, looking up as Ricardo shifts his sleeve, revealing the matching pin clasped to the blue fabric. His eyes soften.
The younger man coughs, looking sheepish. "This way, no matter where either of us end up, we'll... we'll, um, have a physical reminder of our friendship."
"Ah, Ricardo." Alberto sighs and pulls the former ring announcer closer, hugging him. "Gracias, mi amigo. I'll treasure it." Wanting to break the suddenly sad tension in the air, he turns Ricardo back towards catering and rests an arm around his shoulders. "So, this thing with you and... Paige being the new WWE power couple..." He smirks when his former ring announcer flushes for a different reason, fumbling with the sleeves of his shirt.
Mike comes up a minute later and Del Rio sneers as his best friend finds a cheap excuse for what they were talking about, going on about Adam Rose's party bus or something along those lines, Alberto's lips twitching as he takes in the ease that Ricardo has around Miz, clearly relieved to change the subject off of Paige.
They all go their separate ways a little later, Mike wandering off to film something for Memorial Day, Ricardo for an interview, and Alberto smiles faintly as he trails the hallways, looking for something to do when Stephanie McMahon, of all people, calls him over as he walks by. He stops short and turns to look at her. "Si?"
He thinks perhaps maybe it'll have something to do with Daniel Bryan giving up the World title, but no... She just wants to tell him about his rematch against Sheamus to be held that night and he can barely resist the urge to roll his eyes, wondering what he'd have to do to get fresh challenges. "Si, fine," is all he says. "If that is all..."
She nods, her expression becoming tense as he turns sharply and leaves her behind, hands pressing into fist at his sides as soon as he's out of her sight. "That Irish perro, again and again and again and again..."
Ricardo's earlier comment to Miz about sneaking into Adam Rose's bus had originally been a joke, but the more he thinks about it, the more intrigued he becomes. So when Adam Rose's debut match starts, he finds himself in the parking lot, staring up at the tall vehicle. Unfortunately, when he gets to the door, it's locked, unwilling to budge no matter how hard he pulls. "Ay!" he grunts, wanting so badly to see inside of it. "Well." He huffs and sits down, dejected, on the steps leading up to the woefully locked door, glowering down at the cement beneath his feet. "Hmph."
He's still sitting there when footsteps head his way. "Look, sorry, I'll get out of your way," he starts to say, expecting it to be Rose's posse ready to toss him from the bus, but when he looks up, it's not a group of people- just one. "Oh," he chokes out, scrambling to his feet. "Paige, ho- hola."
"Hola," she says, the Spanish somehow sounding natural in her British accent. She smiles at him. "I saw that RT from earlier... Power couple, hm?" Her dark gaze follows him as he shifts anxiously, unable to catch her eye. "Hey, come here a second." She grips his sleeve and tugs him to the side of the bus, Ricardo staring at her in amazement as she peeks around the corner, clearly waiting for something, which comes only a few moments later, Adam Rose's posse suddenly appearing in a wave of insanity.
"Wh-" he starts to say before her hand rests over his mouth, muffling the rest of his sentence. "Mmph-"
"Shhh," she tells him faintly, still watching as the group dances around the bus, waiting as the guy dressed up as a lemon pats his sides and arms looking for the key. "Lemon over there dropped it when Swagger attacked him, I was able to grab it before anyone noticed it. Now." She squeezes his hand and winks at him with a pleased grin. "Let's return it to them and get you on that bus, hmm?"
He watches in shock as her plan works, Adam Rose looking at Paige with no lack of intrigue as she offers his very own key to him. "Well, you are a rosebud, aren't you?" he asks, spinning his lollipop around between his teeth as he analyzes her. "Alright then, come on in." He holds the door open for her and eyes Ricardo up and down as Paige drags him inside, not letting him get stuck outside again.
It's loud and dark and amazing inside, reminds him of a rave. Ricardo laughs as he turns to find Paige taking it all in, her lips twisting thoughtfully. "Hey, thanks for getting me in here," he calls to her, smiling. "I don't know if this is your scene, but-"
"Not my scene?" she calls back to him, her lips twitching into a smile of her own. "Well, let's see, hm?" She grabs his hand and draws him deeper into the bus, loosely dancing to the music as he watches, eyes widening. He follows her lead, quickly losing all track of time and ignoring all of the others dancing around them, eyes locked on only her.
He's more than a little dazed when he gets off of the bus, the party coming to an abrupt end when it's time for the busses to leave the parking lot. His ears are ringing, his eyes are spotted with leftover flashes from the strobe lights, and he's not sure he can walk straight, but he'd never had so much fun. Sighing loudly, he staggers back into the building and feels his way down the hallway, looking for Alex, Alberto, Mike, or all of the above. Ultimately they're not hard to find, all three of them sitting in the locker room, none of them looking exactly thrilled. Ricardo swallows, approaching them gingerly. "Guys? What's going on?"
Mike's eyes flicker from Alex to Del Rio, a look of sympathy on his face as they glance up at Ricardo, neither his best friend nor roommate looking very happy. "I lost my match against that perro, Sheamus," Alberto mutters tensely.
"Alicia beat up the timekeeper, and then kissed him," Alex says, staring down at his hands.
Ricardo swallows. "I see..." Great, spend one hour in a party bus, and the whole world crashes down around everyone else... He sighs and scrubs at his eyes as he sits down between the two of them. "I'm sorry." Guilt overwhelms the awkward silence as he considers how happy he'd been only five minutes ago, sighing faintly.
He and Alberto return to Florida the next day and, after a full day of training and preparing for NXT Takeover with Kalisto, Ricardo explores Full Sail late Thursday morning, breathing deeply as he stares out at the grounds. "Hmm." He had left the apartment early, just wanting to absorb everything before people begin to arrive and things get moving. He's not nervous, per se, trusting in his own training, and everything he'd seen from Kalisto. But there's a giddy kind of anxiety thrumming beneath his skin and he's not sure what to do with himself in the hours leading up to the event. He's just started to get twitchy by the silence when people finally begin to arrive, various competitors arriving and others just there to watch the developmental stars do their things, scope out the future of the WWE.
He retreats back to the locker room to change into his gear in peace, not wanting to give up his secret entirely, just getting his mask on when the door opens and Kalisto peeks in, his face lighting up. "Hola, El Local," he greets him smoothly.
"Hola, Kalisto." Ricardo finishes zipping his body suit up before standing straight, smiling at him. "Ready for this?"
"Si, of course. Are you?" Kalisto begins to change into his own gear. "I like this color scheme. It makes us look more authentic as a tag team, with lasting power," he mumbles distractedly.
"Si, I'm ready." Ricardo stares at him for a long moment. "You think we do? Have lasting power?" He feels ridiculous asking, especially now, when they potentially could be tag champions in a matter of hours, but he'd had so many disappointments and betrayals over the last year. Any possible comfort he could receive from Kalisto's answer would perhaps help calm his anxiety.
Kalisto looks up, blinking. "Of course I do, mi amigo. We're both lucha, eh? Who better to understand each other than us?" He claps Ricardo on the arm. "We have to hit the ground running, of course, because we are new as a tag team whereas some of these teams have been together for months, if not years, but I have no doubt in our ability to see us through."
Ricardo's eyes gleam with the reassuring warmth of his partner's claims. "Gracias, mi amigo. That's exactly what I needed to hear." He leans down to pull his boots and elbow pads on, slowly checking off each item in his mind as he goes, making sure he doesn't miss anything. He wants... needs... everything to go perfectly tonight, and fixing his gear up properly is the first step.
Alex is the backstage interviewer tonight and, as Ricardo passes by him, he turns and claps his roommate on the shoulder. "Hey, good luck tonight, man," he whispers, grinning down at him.
"Gracias," Ricardo mutters back, his smile growing. He had missed his roommate's support a lot, just how much flooding over him once again as he stares up at him. "I'll see you later, hm?"
"Yep, knock 'em dead, man." Alex turns back to setting up his interview section and Ricardo rushes off to catch up with Kalisto, neither one of them wanting to be too far away from the other, especially tonight when the Ascension could target either of them at any time to give them the edge in their later match.
They've just walked past the main hallway when Ricardo hears his name being called, delaying his forward motion yet again. He turns to find Alberto smirking at him, the Mexican aristocrat motioning him over. "What's up, El Patron?" he asks quietly, joining him curiously. He's not surprised to see him, since he'd mentioned coming, but there's a smug, pleased look on his face that never bodes well...
"I have a couple of surprises for you," he tells him lowly. "First..." He pushes the exit door open and steps aside as it stays open, Ricardo blinking as Mike and AJ walk in, hand in hand. Del Rio grins as his best friend laughs and greets Miz, nodding at AJ. "And... one other thing..." He rests his hand on Ricardo's shoulder, leading him towards the gorilla position, Mike, AJ and Kalisto tagging along to see what else Alberto is up to. "Look outside and see who you recognize."
Ricardo takes a deep breath and peeks past him, staring at the crowd. He doesn't recognize anyone at first until he looks to the side of the entrance ramp and spots her in the first row, directly to the side of the ring. "Sofia!" he exclaims, clapping a hand over his mouth when techs setting up begin to look at him oddly. "Gracias, El Patron, this is great," he murmurs, turning to hug Alberto. "I'm happy you all are here."
"As if we would all pass up the opportunity to support you on your big night," Mike tells him, arm loosely wrapped around AJ as she clings to him. "None of us fly cross-country enough, you know." Ricardo chuckles and moves to hug him, Mike squeezing him back. "Besides, Florida isn't that far away from Georgia for Smackdown tomorrow, if... you know, any of us are needed..." He winces at this thought before barreling on in standard Miz fashion. "John said to tell you good luck, and he'll be cheering you on. He'd be here but he's busy with ... Hercules, or... um... that Bounty Hunter movie, or... you know, one of the other thousand things he's got going on right now. I don't know, I can't keep everything straight." He laughs as Ricardo nods against him, pulling away.
Kalisto inches forward and finds the match board, resting his fingers against the frame as he scans the schedule for the evening. "Eh, El Local, our match is second on the card." Ricardo pulls away from his friends and turns to join him, frowning down at it. "Good thing we've gotten ready a bit early."
Alberto steps forward and nudges his former ring announcer, the sounds of the first match starting echoing through the arena behind them. "Mi amigo, we're going to go find a vantage point to watch, so you two can do whatever last minute things you want to do." He pats his neck and smiles down at him. "I have no doubt you'll do great out there. And I will see you afterwards."
Mike steps up next. "What he said, and an added 'good luck' though I doubt you'll need it." He brushes off the shoulders of Ricardo's gear and laughs, tugging on the cape that puts the finishing touches on his outfit. "I like this gear, man. You put so much detail into these things. You put the rest of us to shame. Now go out there and blow 'em all away."
"Thanks. All of you. I'll- I'll do my best." He smiles at them as they leave, turning to refocus on Kalisto. "Well, time to get started, mi amigo." Kalisto nods, looking out at the ring once more to make sure they have time before they begin limbering up so their lucha style will be easier to manage.
Unfortunately nothing they could've done would've prepared them for The Ascension. From the second the match begins, they get beat down. Kalisto is stuck trapped between Konnor and Viktor, beat on continuously while Ricardo watches helplessly from the apron, trying to get the crowd behind his partner as they try to achieve tags, anything to alieviate what Kalisto is suffering. He swallows, the potential that they have to actually win and become tag team champions slipping through his fingers, sweat trickling down his neck as he bites his lip, desperate to get in there and try to turn the tides. Finally Kalisto manages to break free and tag in Ricardo, but it's too little too late- he gets knocked off of the apron shortly afterwards, leaving Ricardo to face the both of them alone, and his fear about losing this match leaves him a little off-balanced, messing up a second-rope move. He barely has the time to dwell on it, their opponents still on the offense, and he does successfully manage a moonsault a little later, but it's not enough. Not even two minutes later, he's been sweeped off of his feet and kicked in the skull, leaving him sprawled out face first against the mat before he's ruthlessly rolled over and pinned, the match officially slipping through their fingers as his head pounds, the disappointment hitting him harder than anything else.
Recollecting himself and rolling out to meet up with Kalisto is difficult, facing his partner and having to swallow that he'd ultimately lost the match for them. "Lo siento," he breathes. "I didn't mean... I wanted to do better... I've failed us."
Kalisto sighs, shaking his head. "I was overwhelmed too, Ricardo. It's not your fault. You managed more offense than I did, I believe." He groans, scrubbing at the visible parts of his face. "Don't blame it all on yourself. We are a team, this disappointment is on me as well."
Ricardo leans against him and sighs, wanting to believe him but not sure if he should, after tonight's failure. "Perhaps... if you're willing to give me another try, we can try to become #1 contenders again at some point in the future."
Kalisto nods, squeezing his shoulder. "I would like that, amigo. But for now, we need to move so they can start the next match. Can you stand?"
"Si, can you?" His tag partner nods again and between the two of them, they find their way to an upright position, leaning against each other all the way to the back. Alberto and Mike greet them and Ricardo releases a soft breath as he sees the sympathy on their faces, Alberto patting him on the back as they walk to the locker room as one, Ricardo leaning in to listen as Alberto murmurs to him in encouraging Spanish.
"Just one of those things, hm, mi amigo? Brush yourself off, and prepare for the next opportunity." Alberto smiles at him, searching him to see just how well he's actually taking the loss.
"Right," he says doubtfully. Del Rio stares at him, seeing more than Ricardo probably wants him to in just that one glance. "I just- I botched a move, and if I hadn't, maybe we would've... been more successful, actually walked away the winners tonight..."
"Oh, amigo," Alberto sighs. "We all make mistakes, it's just how you learn from them that matters. I can't tell you how many times I've botched over the years, even recently, and I have been competing regularly for years. Besides, you haven't had a lot of proper match time recently, so you need to give yourself a bit of a break. Things will work out."
"I suppose," he sighs, relieved to get out of his bodysuit and change into street clothes. "We need to wait for Alex, I know, but I can't wait to go home." He adjusts his mask, knowing not to take it off at the arena where anyone could see and make him.
"How about we go outside, wait by the car for him then?" Del Rio suggests, thinking perhaps some fresh air would help Ricardo to relax, get his mind off of his loss. He also really wants to leave this stuffy old arena himself, never caring for developmental. "Come, amigo. It'll help."
"Alright," he agrees, glancing at Kalisto to make sure he's coming too before allowing himself to be dragged outside, Mike and AJ lazily following them. It's slowly inching towards darkness out there and Ricardo glances around, finding the parking lot all but deserted. He hesitates for a moment before peeling his mask off, sucking in a deep breath of the fresh air. "Gracias, El Patron." He leans against the hood of his car and stares up at the night sky, some stars just visible despite the city lights. Mike and AJ are near their rental car so Del Rio joins Ricardo, sitting shoulder to shoulder as the rest of the event rolls on, just audible through the building's walls behind them. He texts Sofia to let her know where they're at, and she eventually finds her way out of the building, Del Rio meeting her by the public door to get her back into the parking lot. She immediately throws her arms around Ricardo, telling him how proud she is of him, and encouraging him to keep his chin up. He smiles and rests his head on her shoulder, Alberto relieved to see that her presence had done for him what the fresh air hadn't, calming him down and distracting him.
None of them talk very much for the next couple of hours, just enjoying nature, until finally the event ends and Alex comes out, glancing around the parking lot until he spots them, moving to sit on the other side of Ricardo. "Hey, man, are you ok?"
He's sore and tired and still pondering over every mistake he'd made during that short amount of time he'd had in the match but he forces himself to nod, to smile, not wanting to worry Sofia or any of the others. "Yeah, I'm ok, Alex. I just wanna go home, get some sleep."
Before Alex can respond, Alberto intercedes. "About that, amigo. With Miz here, I was thinking the group of us could return to my house, take it easy before we find out if we have to leave in the morning. If it's alright with Sofia, anyway."
She smiles at him. "Whatever you want, senor."
"Well, then. Everyone's welcome to come." He glances around from Alex to Mike to Kalisto. "There's plenty of food, and we can watch a movie or- whatever you all feel like." He sounds awkward, still not entirely used to hosting people... especially in this sort of a situation.
Alex chuckles softly and leans in towards Ricardo. "C'mon man, you feel up for it?"
It's so clear that these plans had been in the works for awhile, be it a celebration for their victory or a distraction from their loss, and Alberto is so clearly trying, housing people that he can't really stand, that Ricardo can't just deny the invitation, no matter if he feels up to being surrounded by people or not. "Of course," he agrees. "Kalisto, you in, man?"
"Sure," he agrees, the others eagerly responding in similar fashions. This agreed on, they all separate to take the various cars back, Ricardo grinning when Del Rio and Sofia end up in his, not wanting to drive with Miz and AJ yet again.
"All they do is kiss and sweettalk each other and, ehh," he shudders, accent thickening in his disgust and Ricardo laughs. "Newlyweds. Bleh. Mi amigo, I hope you and Paige are never like that."
Ricardo blinks, his face flushing hotly. "Uh, eh, we're just friends, El Patron. There's nothing... like that between Paige and me."
Alberto chuckles. "Sure, amigo, whatever you say." He smirks as Ricardo releases a soft breath through his nose, so focused on the road ahead that Alberto almost expects it to crumble under the weight of his stare, clearly not wanting the subject to continue. Del Rio grants him that much, not intending to add to his inner turmoil after the night he'd had. He's reminded further not to push when Sofia clears her throat from the backseat, the housekeeper's subtle way of telling him to back off.
They all arrive within the same five minutes, Ricardo, Alberto and Sofia waiting by the front door until Mike, AJ, Kalisto and Alex join them. "Sofia, are you up for preparing something quick and easy in the kitchen?" Alberto asks her as they walk inside and settle into the living room.
"Of course," she says, their voices fading into the other room as Kalisto and Ricardo slump onto the L shaped couch, Mike and AJ claiming a chair across the room, and Alex sprawling out on the floor between the two pieces of furnitures so he can talk to all of his friends easier.
Sofia's just entered the room with various kinds of sandwiches stacked high on a tray, Del Rio following behind her with large glasses of soda on another, when she makes a soft tsking sound. Alex smiles at her, standing up to take the tray from her, glancing over at the couch where Ricardo and Kalisto are both fast asleep, sprawled out across the cushions. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure Mike and I can put a sizeable dent in the food... and whatever's left, we'll wrap up so if they wake up in the middle of the night, hungry, it'll be there for them."
"Gracias, Senor Riley," she tells him with a soft smile.
"Stay and eat with us, por favor," Alberto tells her before she can leave the room, resting his hand on her wrist. She smiles at him and nods, settling in between Ricardo and Kalisto, vowing to get sheets for them both to make sure they rest comfortably. Alberto grins and takes the edge of the couch, giving Ricardo plenty of room to rest on peacefully, before digging into his own sandwiches. The house normally isn't this full, or loud, but he likes it, even if he doesn't like most of the people in the room, and the ones he does are asleep.
Sun shining over his face wakes Ricardo up early the next morning and he stretches, feeling stiff and sore... but strangely content, despite the whispery memories of failure and mistakes clouding his mind. He sits up before looking around the room, surprised to find himself in Del Rio's living room. But more than that, he's confused and somewhat humored to find Kalisto asleep on the other portion of the couch, Alberto at his feet with his head resting against the back of the couch as he sleeps sitting up, Mike and AJ curled around each other in the chair across the room, and Alex laying on his side, his face pressed against the wall as his deep, even breaths sound loudly against it. Ricardo bites back his laughter before laying back down, thinking about last night. He sighs and fishes his phone out of his pocket, quickly tweeting about it, confirming that he still wants to have gold around his waist as El Local before switching accounts and replying to some things under his personal account.
Not long afterwards, the soft scent of cinnamon starts to fill the room and Ricardo smiles, knowing that Sofia must be fast at work on breakfast for them all. The others quickly begin to stir at that, most of them pausing to check their phones before they actually start moving. Alberto looks up with a smirk, nudging Ricardo's feet. "Amigo, I'm glad you haven't given up on winning title belts yet, but I personally don't need to see tweets about Dancing with the Stars and your hips? Save that for Paige on the party bus."
He flushes darkly, gaping at his employer as Alex and Mike look up. "What?!" they demand as one, adding to Ricardo's embarrassment.
"Ay dios mio," he groans, burying his face in his hands as his former employer laughs, his eyes softening.
"Alright, enough of this now. Let's go get some brunch before Sofia gets mad at her efforts being ignored," Alberto calls out after a moment, spending the next few moments ignoring Miz' pointed stares as they all make their way back to the kitchen, perfectly fine with drawing some of the attention and whispers away from Ricardo's still bright red face.