To The Stars - 14. September, 2018 (B)

Sunday, September 30th

Diego had seen Sean's house both inside and out in hundreds of photos the boy and Ollie uploaded on their Instagram accounts, but being here for the first time was something entirely new. On the outskirts of Knoxville, at least half a mile from the next house, the two men lived together in a rustic, old-fashioned house with a horde of animals to keep them company. It was cute, Diego thought as he and Rachel arrived together. Of the two, Ollie was the 'husband.' He was the more outgoing, the assertive and the masculine one. At home, though, it seemed Sean called the shots. He was the 'wife.' Diego wasn't quite prepared when he saw it in person. It looked like an oversized cabin in the woods with animals fenced in the one and a half acre yard. Upon exiting his car onto a muddy driveway, Diego found himself immediately greeted by an unusually friendly pot-bellied pig that must have weighed at least eight hundred pounds. He laughed and rubbed it behind the ears, patting its fat belly.

"Why did I wear open-toed shoes?" Rachel whined in dismay as she stepped gingerly onto the mud. Diego laughed at her, and she glared at him.

"Here, I'll bring you in," he offered, and her pretty face relaxed.

"Don't you dare drop me," she pointed accusingly at him, and he hoisted her up over his shoulder with a laugh, pretending he was about to drop her into the mud and snickering when she smacked the back of his head for his misbehavior. "I'd kick you in the balls if that wouldn't make you drop me for real!"

"Di! Rach! Look at this!" Ollie burst through the front door with Gloria in tow, and the two of them giggled at the sight of Rachel's bum wiggling as Diego carried her onto the wooden veranda, lit up by the outside lights on the side of the house.

"Rachel! Tell me you brought some other shoes!" Gloria exclaimed, and Rachel groaned. "We're going camping out in the woods tonight! Did you forget?"

"I forgot you were invited!" Rachel shot back at her, looking over her boyfriend's shoulder, and Gloria gave her an obscene gesture in return, the two giggling.

"I need a massage and an early night," Diego pretended to grumble, putting her gently down and turning back for the luggage. "Not sleeping bags and bug bites."

"Hey, if you're tapping out already, then it looks like tonight's drinks are on you," Ollie teased him, following him out to the car. "Need a hand, brother?"

"You wanna carry Rach's luggage? I won't stop you," Diego smirked, and Ollie, dressed in his outdoors shirt and cargo pants tucked into his combat boots. He looked like he belonged in an army camp more than he did out in the woods by the house.

"How you doin', buddy? You and Lovecraft still having problems?" Ollie inquired, and Diego grimaced. It had not been a pleasant week since Lance kicked him out of his birthday party.

"What can I say? The kid hates me. He won't even look at me," Diego opted not to wheel his suitcase on the mud and carried it instead. "Did I do the right thing, Ol?"

"You did when you told Lance his boy wanted to fool around," Ollie shrugged and effortlessly hoisted Rachel's unnecessarily large travel bag into his strong arms. "But you didn't when you hit the kid. He's half your size, Di. It looks a lot like that gay panic BS."

"That's not what it was!" Diego defended himself, and Ollie shrugged. "I mean it! I didn't hit him because he was hitting on me. I did it because he's a slimy twat and he's bad for Lance."

"Oh, you're looking out for him," Ollie teased, nudging Diego's ribs as they walked side by side onto the deck. "That's sweet of you, you big softy!"

"He's young, doe-eyed and naive," Diego replied, defensively. "I dunno, Ol. He's a pain in my ass, but I've gotten attached to him. He's like my third daughter."

"That's the most backhanded admission of love I've ever heard," Ollie giggled and slapped Diego on the back. "But you know there are better ways to look out for him than punching his boyfriend in the face, yeah? If you did that to Seano, I'd kick your ass so bad you'd never sit again."

"I've been punching your boyfriend in the face for money all year," Diego reminded him, and Ollie shrugged.

"Is that all you've been doing to him?" Ollie grabbed Diego's arm. All at once, the taller man drastically became more menacing. Diego panicked.

"What do you mean?" Diego asked, trying to conceal his panic.

"Seano thinks you're a hot piece," Ollie's leer gradually returned to the goofy grin he was used to. Did he try to scare a confession from me? "I know you're into chicks, but I gotta ask, you know? Sometimes he takes his coffee white instead of black. I know he digs a latte too, and you're a pretty decent latte if you get what I mean."

"He rubs me down sometimes," Diego admitted, and that was the truth, but he was hoping that would be enough to both quash Ollie's suspicions and avoid revealing what the two were getting up to most Monday nights. "Is that a problem? He said you're okay with it."

"No problem, brother!" Ollie grinned.

"Really? You're not jealous or anything?" Diego could barely believe he was pressing his luck right now, but he couldn't stop himself. He needed to know.

"Nah, I got no reason to be," Ollie looked to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. "We have this arrangement, you know? The guy likes to play around a bit. I don't mind. Sometimes we even play around together. That's just who he is, and I love him. He loves me back. I don't get jealous, man. If you wanna let Seano get handsy, that's fine by me. As my friend, though, I'd expect you to tell me what's going on. That's all. Happy ending or not, I wanna hear about it. You know?"

"Wait," Diego stopped Ollie as he started to move, and Ollie looked keenly into his eyes. Does he know something? Or is he being legit? "Between you and me, just us, I have... thought about it. Is that... is that bad? I mean, we are friends, and since you're so honest with me, I think I should be honest with you." I'm not totally honest, Diego thought guiltily. But it's a start. "Don't tell anyone."

"Ooh so there is some chemistry there," Ollie's face was difficult to read, but the bigger man was nodding. "You and another guy? Damn, brother! I didn't know you had it in you!" He slapped Diego cheekily on the arm. Diego was surprised and confused by his reaction. "I don't blame you, though. If anyone could turn a straight fella, it's Seano, right? But I gotta tell you no, sorry."

"Why?" Diego was crushed. He thought he was getting somewhere.

"You and Rachel!" Ollie exclaimed, making sure to keep his voice down. Oh, yeah. Diego actually laughed out loud. He'd forgotten about her. Although the two had not said the words yet, their relationship had dissolved. They were little more than friends who shared a bed nowadays. That was why they'd suddenly started getting along so well. "You ain't a cheater, Di. You gotta do right by her. If she says you and Seano can have a bit of fun, then you got my blessing too, but not til you're a single pringle or Rach gives you the go ahead. Hey, better you than some strange fool, am I right?" Ollie swung his arm around Diego's neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Your secret's safe with me, brother. Thanks for being honest. You're a good guy."

Diego, with several different emotions going through him all at the same time, was numb as he Ollie more or less dragged him into the warmth of the house. It seemed strange to be going camping on a Sunday night. While Ollie, Rachel and Gloria were free to fly home tomorrow, he, Sean and Lance were in Knoxville until Tuesday morning. However, Diego and Sean would not be able to have a rendezvous in a hotel room this go around. KADA was performing in Tennessee, so Sean and Oliver just stayed at home. Rachel and Diego were not fans of their rustic, basic lifestyle, however, so they opted to stay at a hotel. Gloria and Lance had both graciously accepted the hospitality of their farm-loving friends and had been here since Friday night. Diego flinched when he saw Lance's red eyes glancing over at him angrily when he entered the oversized living space. Kitchen, dining room and living room all in one, a fifty by seventy feet space. Huge!

Lance was cuddling with a Great Dane called Nigel almost the same size as him. Sean hopped to his feet with a big smile at the sight of Diego, passing the ginger cat on his lap over to Gloria and as good as running over to greet him. Yeah, okay, we definitely could be more subtle, Diego thought as he let his luggage hit the wooden floor and met Sean's embrace. Is it any wonder Ollie's got his eye on us? Diego couldn't wait to tell Sean the excellent news. Ollie was okay with them messing around together! Already a hell of a weight was lifted from Diego's shoulders. Sneaking around behind the big man's back was just unfair. Of course, he was not going to admit to Ollie that they'd already been having sex and snuggling before tonight - that would only hurt his feelings. That was best left unsaid.

Wasn't it?

"You guys took forever!" Sean barely wore any clothes in his house. In most of his Instagram posts, whether indoors or out, he was barefoot and wore no shirt regardless of the weather. It wasn't surprising. While Sean did not speak too often about his Cherokee upbringing, Diego knew that it was a fairly traditional childhood and the boy spoke the language, lived on the land by Grand Lake and still retained his pride and superstitions. Diego wasn't sure how to ask about such things because Sean was hypersensitive where stereotypes and disrespect of his heritage were concerned. Well, if that meant the younger man was more comfortable in but a pair of tight denim shorts, Diego wasn't going to complain about it. Sean's skin was always warm to the touch. He often liked to brag that his blood ran warm, and it seemed to be the truth.

"We had to stay late," Diego reminded him, separating before he got an erection. "Did a shoot. Rach and I with our title belts."

"They didn't ask for Lance?" Gloria asked, loving the attention she was getting from the kitty on her lap.

"No, they only needed the champion," Lance replied coolly. "Not the guy who made him relevant."

That remark stung, and Lance looked at him with the same intensity as he did at the club. Since Diego punched Danny's stupid face, Lance had not even been keeping their professional relationship alive. Although he played his part on television and the weekend shows, he otherwise wanted nothing to do with Diego, and it was odd that he agreed to be here when he knew that his nemesis was as well.

"None of that. Just don't talk to each other if you can't behave," Rachel had her eyes on her phone, but she was still noticing what was going on around her, sitting happily on one of the many sofas. There was going to be animal hair everywhere, Diego thought miserably. Ahh well. It was worth it to be here, even if Lance was intent on being a pest. Being a pest was the story of his life.

"Okay, so I know you were all looking so forward to going camping," Sean began, itching the back of his calf with his foot. Diego was liking where this was going. "But I don't like the look of the weather forecast. We might have a storm coming our way."

"Wuss!" Gloria teased, but Sean didn't give in.

"No, I'm serious," Sean waved his phone around. "If you've got your hearts set on camping out tonight, we can, but it might be a rough night."

"Trust in Seano," Ollie added, bringing a couple of beers from the fridge and passing one to Diego, the two clinking their bottles together. He's permitting me to get sexual with Sean! What a celebration the two would have next week when they could have sex guilt-free. "I don't think he's ever been wrong before and I dunno about you fools, but if he says 'I told you so' one more time I'm gonna kill him."

"What's a bit of rain?" Gloria shrugged. She wasn't drinking alcohol, which was a new thing for her. It wasn't to say she was an alcoholic, but she lived to have a good time. "Unless you have a bunch of leaky tents."

"Hey now, Sean knows his onions," Lance interjected with a rare smile on his cherry red lips. "Why camp out in a storm when there's a house right here?"

"Oh Lance, you're so cute when you think you're speaking English," Gloria teased him, and he rolled his red eyes. "Come one! We came here to camp! Why are we chickening out?"

"Because it's warm inside and there's a storm coming and why are you even so desperate?" Rachel scoffed at her. "If you want to sleep outside then good luck darling-heart, but I'm happy in a bed or even a sleeping bag - as long as it's under the roof."

"You're afraid of a little rain?" Gloria rolled her eyes playfully. "No wonder KADA's going down the toilet!"

"It's not going to be just a little rain," Sean explained, looking out the window. The clouds obscured the moon and Diego had no idea what he was looking at, but he dare not ask if it was some instinct Sean had from his upbringing or something. "I'd love to go out, I really would. You don't know how sad I am that we've finally got a bunch of us here and the weather's throwing a tantrum. I've wanted this for a while. All of us here living on the land for a night."

"Don't worry, Seano!" Ollie walked over and put his arm around the boy's slender, toned waist. It drove Diego crazy to see that. He wanted Sean all to himself. "It's not like this is the last chance we'll get. We'll have a sweet sleepover anyway, yeah?"

Diego flashed a look at Lance, whose eyes were nice and busy on his phone while he rested his head on the dog's chest and rubbed its ears with his free hand. Like Rachel. Good. Probably talking to that slimy twat. Twat. Why do I keep saying twat? It's an English word. Must be Lance's influence.

"Does anyone need an early night?" Gloria asked, snuggling with the loudest purring cat in the world.

"Nope!" Most of the room replied.

"Does anyone need a sober night?" Gloria asked.

"Nope!" Most of the room laughed.

"Then that's good enough for me!" Gloria cheered and opened her hands so that Ollie could toss her a beer, which she caught with a loud thank you.

The night was surprisingly enjoyable. Diego had become spoiled and delicate thanks to his lucrative job and lavish lifestyle, so it was a unique experience being here for the night. It smelled strongly of the country and animals, but it wasn't an unpleasant aroma. Sean and Ollie were terrific housekeepers and for the most part, the house was spotless. Diego spotted three dogs and two cats, and he met several birds and fish on top of that. Although he'd met the pig, Kevin Bacon, he still had not seen the cow, the two sheep, the goat or the chickens, and he was looking forward to meeting them in the morning. Sean's intuition and the weather report were accurate, and the rain came down heavy. It seemed beautiful, the water splashing down on the massive skylight above them. Diego was having a great time. He loved seeing everything that was important to Sean. He looked at the framed pictures of Sean and his family. His sisters, parents and a gorgeous photo of teenage Sean being piggy-backed by a cheerful older man wearing a headdress - Sean proudly pointed him out as his grandfather, the community's chief. It wasn't as though the young Cherokee's origins were shrouded in mystery, but Diego did not know much about him. He very much enjoyed seeing this side of his love's life.

"I hate my job sometimes," Sean admitted a while later as Diego sucked down a beer and looked through all of the photos and trinkets. Diego looked up and frowned sadly. They were getting drunk, and that was when things tended to get too honest.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Diego asked. The two were not alone, but they were good friends now. It wasn't uncommon for them to be tender together.

"Being Waya with my family is... it's special," Sean sighed and slumped back onto the couch. Gloria wrapped a muscular arm around him and cuddled him close, planting a sloppy, wet kiss on his forehead. "Being this... one-dimensional Cherokee stereotype is awful. Every time I go out there I feel like I'm stabbing my family in the back. Every time I go out there, my family, my tribe, they lose respect for me. I don't even want to visit them anymore. I'm too ashamed. I can't show my face there while I'm selling out everyone I grew up."

"So why don't you tell Michelle that this persona winds you up?" Lance suggested, no longer cuddled up to Nigel, the dog. The thunderstorm outside spooked the pup and he went to ground. "Surely she'd listen."

"Oh, thanks, Lance!" Sean lashed out at him sarcastically. Diego loved it. "You know, that's never occurred to me before!"

"Hey, dial it back," Ollie soothed his boyfriend with a gentle stroke on the arm.

"I'm sorry," Sean apologised immediately, and Lance nodded. "Look, wrestling isn't an industry that favours guys like me. I'm not tall or built or a celebrity. The only reason I have the job at all is that I'm Cherokee. It doesn't matter how hard I work. I take bumps that even Jimmy is scared of. I'm just tired. I'm tired of being little and unappreciated and a goddamn sellout!"

"Oh, I hear you, sweetheart," Gloria sighed long and loud. Oh, dear. When did we all become so depressing? "I haven't been satisfied in the company in a long time, either."

"I thought you didn't mind jobbing," Rachel piped up, her eyes leaving her phone for a moment. "You always say that you're happy to put girls over."

"Oh, I am," Gloria smiled over at her. They were dear friends. Gloria trained her and put her over on television several times. "Seeing girls like you having the time of your life makes me think it's all worth it in the end. I love wrestling. I don't mind that I'll never have another championship run when the title is in hands as capable as yours. I don't mind that I lose every match I'm in. That's not what I'm unhappy about, though. I don't get to wrestle, love. Not really. What I do in the ring with these new girls is... it's insulting. It's not what I want to do. I want to wrestle! This new women's division is horrible. I used to wake up every day loving life and enjoying what I do, but now... I don't see the point. I'm not allowed to wrestle to the best of my ability because so few girls can keep up with me. Now we have an army of recruits who haven't wrestled a day in their lives, and that's another nail in my coffin. I know what it's like to be unhappy, Sean. I do. What about you, Rach? What eats you up inside?"

"Things are going well for me right now," Rachel smiled, but it was a hollow smile. Diego saw right through it. She wasn't happy, he realised. She was the women's champion. She was gorgeous, young, rich and successful, but she wasn't happy. "But... it sucks, the way the company is going. I mean, how are we supposed to be taken seriously? That bitch Marg says to me 'Rachel, champion, go out there and wow the audience. You have two minutes.' Two minutes! How am I supposed to get the fans invested when I'm wrestling for ninety seconds, and I don't even get to cut a freaking promo? Like, this is a three-hour show! Why do the women make up ten minutes max? It's horrible. I hate it! Where's the fun in being a champion of a dead division? Ugh."

"There we go!" Ollie cheered ironically. "There's my depressed girl! How about you, Lance? What's getting up your grill?"

"I don't think I want to answer that question," Lance replied with a caustic, angry tone. "Ask someone else."

"Alright! Point taken," Ollie quickly replied before Diego had a chance to get his claws into his nemesis. "Di! Your turn to spill your guts! What skeletons are hiding in your closet?"

Diego immediately flinched. Did... did Ollie intentionally use those words? Was he teasing him? Was he... what was he doing?

"Ahh... I've got a lot of regrets, I suppose," Diego replied, shining red under his dark brown skin. "I'm enjoying a place in the company Sean was supposed to have. As much as I try to make things right with Lance, I screw it up all the time because I'm a homophobic bellend. One of my children is a psychopath, another has ADHD, the third was beaten by his mother, and I don't even know what's going on with Troy. I betrayed my sister, and I don't know what happened to her. I have done wrong by every person in this room and even if they have forgiven me, I never really do forgive myself. I..." he swallowed his words. He came dangerously close to admitting he was into both boys and girls. "I'm sorry. For everything I've done to you guys. I am not deserving to be here with you all. I don't deserve you all as friends."

"We're glad you're here," Sean piped up after a short pause, and everybody - except Lance - muttered reassuring agreement. The conversation got deeper per person who weighed in.

"I got a question for y'all," Ollie shimmied away from his boyfriend and sat where he could see the other five. He eyed all of them off, Diego blushing as those eyes met his briefly, and stood up. "Why the hell do you all put up with this crap? Why are you all letting yourselves be so unhappy all the goddamn time? Damn, guys! All of us are young! Even Gloria!" He laughed when she playfully called him a filthy word. "We can do anythin'! All of us! We're living our dream, and even though our dream isn't as shiny as it looked in the brochure, it's still la dolce vita, eh Lancey?"

"I see what you did there," Lance smirked, his pretty red hair resting around his shoulders.

His hair was naturally straight, a red sheet tumbling down to his shoulder blades like lava trickling from a volcano. Lance wore it in some very creative and elaborate styles, so Diego wondered how he found the time to do that. All that and the makeup, the outfits, everything. It was a passion of his no doubt, but Diego didn't understand why he put so much effort and money into his image. It seemed pointless. He was the fine the way he was. The way he is right now. In a simple black tee with tight white jeans. No makeup. Just his contacts. He looked great. Why wasn't that good enough for little limp Lance?

"It's coming down pretty hard," Rachel pointed out suddenly, hopping up to have a look at the dimly lit deck through the window. "Do you hear that wind?"

"Yeah, one hell of a storm," Diego mocked Gloria, who pushed his face in response. "Who wanted to go camping out there? Who's eating her words?"

"I'll make you eat something else in a minute," she threatened him, cupping his cheeks with a powerful hand. "I was wrong, alright? There! You win!"

"Are your animals going to be okay?" Lance asked suddenly, and Diego thought about the outside pets. They'd be soaking wet and freaking miserable.

"They've got the barn," Sean reassured them. "It's nice and dry in there. Maybe I should go and check just in case."

"I don't think you should go out there," Rachel beckoned the boys over.

Diego went to see for himself, and Ollie switched the outside light on. He got an ill feeling in his stomach.

"That's bad," Diego mumbled. "Look at that lightning." It lit up the whole sky behind the ominous clouds every few seconds. Man, this was a doozy. Any flights out of Knoxville would probably be cancelled anyway.

"Does this house leak?" Lance asked as the only person who hadn't yet come to investigate the weather. He was content where he was, it seemed.

"We're good," Sean mumbled, slinking underneath Diego and looking through the window for himself. "I better go and check on the animals, though. I don't want to lose any of the chickens to the wind."

"I don't want to lose you to the wind either, cutie!" Ollie scoffed, but Sean rolled his eyes.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Gloria offered. Damn, she's so keen to dance around in a storm, isn't she?

"If you like. I might need some help," Sean admitted, slinking away and disappearing down the hallway.

Gloria, tipsy but not quite drunk, put on her jacket and her big hiking boots. She was prepared to camp, unlike every other person in the house. Diego didn't have much interest in going outside. He'd lived in Oklahoma long enough to know that you didn't mess with the weather. He thought Sean, an Oklahoma native, would be smart enough to do the same, but he guessed he was wrong. Sean remerged in much more fitting clothing with his hair tied into a convenient bun. He wore a thick jacket with long jeans tucked into purple gumboots. They were so adorable.

"I'm coming too," Ollie reassured him, and Sean smiled and kissed him on the lips. Ugh. I should have offered to go. "Let's get these animals sorted!"

The three of them left, and Diego and Rachel watched from inside the house. It seemed madness to go outside, but the three figures disappeared into the night.

"Well, I hope they don't die," Rachel said quietly and sat back down on the couch, hopping back onto her phone and vanishing into the background as she so often did.

Diego looked over to Lance, who ignored him completely. Come on, he encouraged himself. You can do better with him. You just told everyone how you regret screwing him up. Well, make it something you don't need to regret anymore. Make it something you can be proud of. Diego sat down next to the boy's head. Lance's eyes looked up at him, and he made no effort to sit up for the conversation.

"What?" He asked in his posh accent, angry and irritable. Diego had to smile. He was used to being the difficult one.

"I don't want to fight," Diego sighed. It was almost like talking to Nina. A much older Nina. "Tell me how I can fix it."

"You can't," Lance snapped, closing his phone. "You want to know what my biggest regret is, Diego? It's you. It's always been you!"

"Should I leave?" Rachel asked suddenly, and Diego remembered she was there. "I think I better leave. I'll be back in a minute." She hopped up off the couch and sauntered down the corridor.

"I shouldn't have punched Danny," Diego admitted, as much as he disagreed with what he was saying. He absolutely should have. Danny was a creep who was using Lance for... well, he didn't know, but he remembered the conversation. Danny didn't like Lance. He was pretending to because Lance was rich, famous and... lonely. Vulnerable. Across the globe from his family, his friends and everybody he loved.

"How could you do that?" Lance asked, shuffling a little away from Diego. He doesn't like me. He doesn't trust me. He's a fantastic kid, and I did everything I could to break his spirit. What the hell is wrong with me?

"I told you why," Diego sighed and twiddled his thumbs. "You didn't want to hear it."

"I don't even care if you're straight up and he was on the pull," Lance looked at him and wiped his eyes. He cries a lot. Like Julian. Now, if only I could understand a word that comes out of his stupid cockney mouth. "You never, ever bank on someone, Diego. You don't. Even if they're a cheating plonker. You just... don't."

"Wait, what are you saying?" Diego asked, shaking his head. "I don't mean to be rude, but I don't understand what you're saying to me. All that English stuff. Can you repeat it with words a Brazilian dumbass can follow?"

"Hehe..." Lance smiled and giggled, which was a good sign. "I'm sorry. Look... I spoke to James, and he told me you were square."

"Square?" Diego furrowed his brow, and Lance laughed again.

"Sorry! He told me you were telling the truth. I know you were trying to do the right thing, okay?" Lance looked down at his crossed legs. "That was... that was proper sweet of you, but... you hit Danny. You hurt him. I can't forgive that."

"Why?" Diego turned to look at Lance properly. "He is not good for you! I hit him to teach him a lesson!"

"You know who used to hit me to teach me a lesson?" Lance asked and Diego finally realised why what he did was such a huge faux pas. "Most of the boys at school. My big brother and little sister. Every chav in the street who didn't like the look of me. All my life."

"Lance..." Diego looked at him with pity. When Lance's eyes returned to his, they were no longer full of rage. They were full of pain.

"I didn't think you would do that to someone," Lance continued after a short pause. "Okay, you've gone out of your way to make me miserable and you and the boys cut up my clothes and you told me to quit and stop being so gay. I can live with that, Diego. I always have. But... that's different. I can't look at you the same way. I don't trust you anymore. I can't. I'm calling it, Diego. It hurts me a lot because so much of me still loves you so much. You were my bloody hero, honey. But... we're just never going to work out. So tomorrow, I'm going to call Michelle and ask if she can organise someone else to train me. Maybe Gloria or James. Just... not you. And at the earliest opportunity, I want them to split us up on-screen. You're not good for me."

Diego was shocked at what came out of his protégé's pretty pink mouth. He was even more appalled at how hurt he was by the kid's words. It was like he was being broken up with. Or like one of his children decided to emancipate themselves. It stung. A lot. Lance didn't just hate him and distrust him; the pom didn't want anything to do with Diego anymore. Whatever respect still he had for his mentor - former mentor, Diego reminded himself sadly - was gone now. Dead. All because I stood up for him and screwed it up, Diego thought sadly as he slipped off the couch and left Lance alone. He deserved better from me from the start. Whether I like him or not, he did revitalise my entire career. What thanks have I ever given him? I punched his boyfriend in the face.

"Didn't go well?" Rachel asked from the dark. She was perched on the closed lid of the toilet with the door open, so clearly she wasn't using it. "You look down."

"He... yeah. He wants to split us up on screen and get a new trainer," Diego was surprised at how hard it was to keep his voice steady.

"I thought you'd be happy about that!" Rachel exclaimed, hopping up and walking over to him. "All you've done since he came along was talk about what a pain in your ass he is. Don't tell me you have a soft spot for him now!"

"I guess I do," Diego sighed, looking down. "Rach... do you think we need to break up?"

"You and Lance or you and me?" Rachel asked with a grin, and that's when Diego knew that she was ready for the breakup as well.

"You and me," Diego managed a smile. "You feel it too, don't you? You have for a while."

"I have. I've been thinking about it too," she admitted, putting her arms around him. He hugged her close and kissed the top of her blonde head. "I just didn't because we've never gotten along so well and it was so good being your friend again that I didn't want to ruin it by breaking up. Is that stupid and selfish?"

"Probably," Diego started laughing and so did she. "I've done the same thing."

The two of them stood there, giggling about their situation. It felt good to get that off his chest, and he knew by the strength of her hug that it was mutual for her. Good. He didn't want to lose her.

"We can be friends, right?" Rachel asked, breaking away and looking up at him. She wiped a tear from his cheek - he didn't even know he'd been crying.

"I hope so!" He replied, kissing her forehead one more time. "We were always good at that. We were a terrible couple."

"Do you want to tell the others?" Rachel asked him, touching his hand with hers. It felt nice.

"I don't think I can do anything like that tonight," Diego shook his head, and she nodded with understanding. Suddenly, there was a ruckus in the living room and the two went to investigate.

"Why is there a goat inside?" Rachel asked the most obvious question, but a distressed look on Sean's face answered Diego's question. The storm was really bad.

"We have to get them all inside and down into the basement," Sean lead the vocal and terrified goat with Ollie's help as best they could towards the other side of the house. "There's going to be a twister."

"A what?" Lance asked, immediately horrified and on his feet.

"There's not even a tornado watch," Diego pointed out. "Are you sure it's not just a bad storm? Plus, this is Tennessee. We're not even in the Alley."

"A twister?" Lance asked again.

"Trust my baby," Ollie grunted as he hauled the bleating animal towards the basement stairs. "I ain't ever seen him be wrong before."

"Can you just help?" Sean asked desperately. "I know storms, okay? I know when there's a tornado coming! Get these animals into the house and down into the basement!"

"Oh my god!" Lance went white under his golden tan and covered his mouth with quivering fingers. "Oh my god! We have to go then, don't we? We have to get out of here!"

"I second that," Rachel piped up. "I didn't sign up for this."

"In that?" Diego pointed outside. The winds were easily gusting at seventy miles an hour already, and the rain poured down. Lightning lit up the sky and thunder echoed through the house. "I don't think that's a good idea. Is your basement secure?" He asked his question to Ollie, who nodded feverishly. "Then if a tornado does come, we will be much safer down there than we will be outside."

"Where is Gloria?" Lance was a mess. Hysterical.

"She's in the barn getting the animals ready to come in," Ollie reassured him. "If a twister does come this way, then it'll probably back off if it sees her." He chuckled, but Sean wasn't in the mood.

"I don't think this is funny!" He hissed at his boyfriend, opening the door and trying to force the scared animal down the stairs. "I'm serious! We've gotta get everyone down here."

"Come and show me," Diego beckoned to Sean and walked over to the huge square pane windows in the south wall of the house. "Where do you think the tornado will come from? I don't see anything bad." He'd seen three tornadoes in his life, all of them in Oklahoma when he lived in Tulsa. They were scary and dangerous, sure, but there was often warning. Nobody here had an alert on their phone, so he was sure Sean was overreacting.

"This side!" Sean ran across the wooden floor in his little gumboots and pointed out the east window. He looked where the younger man pointed and squinted out the window. There was nothing until lightning flared briefly and Diego could see for himself an angry and dark cloud wall. Dismay and horror began to well in his stomach. "You see?" Sean whispered, pointing at a specific spot, and Diego waited for the lightning to flash once more, and there was no mistaking it. There was definitely a funnel forming. The clouds were beginning to rotate. Uh-oh.

"Maybe it won't hit the ground," Diego was trying to convince himself, but Sean shook his head.

"I'm not taking that chance. I want everyone in the basement. All the animals and all of you guys," he decided. "It looks like we get to camp after all! Downstairs, though. Can you help Gloria, Ollie and me get everyone inside? Rach, can you find the cats and the dogs? They can't have gone far."

Diego nodded his head. Then, as though fate decided to test him, the noise of the tornado siren began to wail in the distance. Everyone in the room cursed in fear and alarm. Diego's mouth went dry.

To be continued in September (C).
It was intended to be one chapter, but you know how it is - I get carried away and overcommit! So I (lazily) cut it right in half and answers to questions raised in this installment will be found in the next chapter, which takes place immediately after.
Thank you to everyone who reads To The Stars. This chapter isn't wrestling-centric, but it's important. Trust! ❤️
A link to an entrance/avatar I created for Sean Fox for anyone interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYYSOfIkJ1s