To The Stars - 17. October, 2018 (B)

Saturday, October 6th

"Hey," Sean's voice through the phone was sweet to hear. It'd been entirely too long since he'd heard it. Although they'd been at the same show on Friday, Sean had avoided him, and Diego was okay with that.

"Hi," Diego replied a little coldly. He didn't appreciate being thrown under the bus by the boy he loved - the boy who allegedly loved him too. He deserved to come out when he was ready, not when Sean had a crisis of conscience. Ollie did not have to know about their affair, especially after he'd given them the go-ahead to sleep together. All that did was hurt Ollie. That wasn't fair on him. The cheating wasn't fair on him at all, but what purpose did Sean's revelation serve?

"Umm..." Sean's voice trailed off.

"Mmm?" Diego was angry with him still. "What do you want?"

"Don't do that," Sean whined. "You know what I want!"

"Actually Sean, I don't know what you freaking want!" Diego snarled back to him. Wow. He'd suppressed his emotions enough to avoid letting it affect his work and family life, but he didn't realise how mad he was. There just wasn't time for personal issues when he was working in England. "Do you know what I want? A good explanation as to what the hell you thought you were doing last week!"

"I don't think I have one," Sean began sniffling on his end. Oh, come on. That's not playing fair. Don't cry. That's cheating. "Not a good one, at least. I lost everything, Diego. I just... I wanted to stop feeling bad."

"Oh, cool," Diego grumbled, remaining unmoved by Sean's tears. "So you make Ollie, Rachel and I feel bad instead. You tell everyone what we've been doing together. Your boyfriend and my girlfriend. With no warning!"

"I know--" Sean tried to speak, but Diego cut him off.

"It was not the time or the place, Sean!" Diego shouted, and Jimmy grimaced with a look of pity. "I'm sorry about everything that happened that night. I know it was the worst day of your life. I understand. But... why would you do that?"

"Alright, I screwed up!" Sean shouted back, and Diego heard him crying. His heart immediately softened. It was Sean. He still loved Sean so dearly, even if he was furious with him. "How do I fix it?"

"How should I know?" Diego sighed, rubbing his forehead with his thumb and forefinger. "Look, you and Ollie need to sort your stuff out first, okay? I'm not even supposed to be a part of it."

"So you don't want to talk to me?" Sean asked him, and Diego rubbed his forehead with his thumb and forefinger. Why is everything so hard?

"I didn't say that!" Diego reassured him. "I'm mad at you, but I'll be okay. Is Ollie going to kill me?"

"Ollie's not mad at you," Sean sounded like he was sulking. "He's mad at me. He won't talk to me at all."

"He hasn't spoken to me either," Diego pondered what the usually jovial black man was up to. Rachel, although the two agreed to be friends, was not happy that Diego had been sneaking around behind her back, and she was cold as ice.

"Can you talk to him, maybe? For me?" Sean pleaded, and Diego sighed. "No, please. He won't answer my texts, and I've left, like, a hundred voicemails."

"Sean, I don't want to do that."

"Please? He's angry at me. Not you. I'm the one who screwed everything up. Just try and talk to him? I'm worried and--"

"Sort it out yourself," Diego snapped irritably, causing Jimmy to shoot some desperate glances. He didn't have much luck eavesdropping. He must have been keen to know what was going on. "Bye, Sean."

"No, I--" Sean tried to get in, but Diego hung up.

"Wow, I wish I'd been there to see it for myself," Jimmy mumbled, tying his long, brown hair into a neat bun. Some silver hairs were beginning to show above his ears, but they looked good on him.

"No, you don't," Diego shook his head. "The only good thing to come out of that night was Lance, Gloria and I deciding to get our shit together."

"Yeah, it was nice to see the old Gloria back in the ring," Jimmy grinned.

In the ring, James Vause looked like an uncaged animal. A rabid creature bent on destroying anyone in his path. So tall and muscular, pale with fine brown hair on his chest and belly. But here, in the hotel room they decided to share - partly because Jimmy was lonely since his breakup and partly because Diego didn't want to be alone with his thoughts - Jimmy was smartly dressed and well-groomed. He was handsome in his early forties, but if it weren't for the parts of his long hair that were beginning to grey, he could pass for someone in his early thirties. He took fantastic care of himself. Diego thought he was attractive, but he wasn't quite Diego's type. Diego liked pretty boys and pretty girls. He lusted after Sean, Rachel and currently Jane Stefanov. Oh, the things he wanted to do with her. But he still felt things for Sean. Strongly. But... was it worth hurting all these people to make it happen? Diego wasn't sure. He was tired of being the asshole.

"It looks like Gloria's getting a push of some sort," Jimmy continued speaking, and Diego took his eyes off the man's insanely athletic body, barely hidden by his pale blue shirt and waistcoat. "Or at least, a storyline. That's what Michelle says. The queen wasp wants Heather to be the next champion, but Michelle's pushing for Gloria, so I guess we'll see who wins out."

"Why in the hell wouldn't it be Gloria?" Diego was incredulous. "Gloria, Irina, Betts, Pearl and Rachel are good wrestlers. They should play hot potato with the championship until the other girls can catch up. Did you see Heather with Gloria? She was a total Lance. Like, Lance's first match kind of Lance."

"Diego, please!" Jimmy quipped with a grin. "I've been working so hard to forget that match ever happened."

"How can we when we see like, a replay of our most embarrassing match in KADA history repeated every time one of those girls gets in the ring?" Diego rolled his eyes. "I hope Gloria turns on Rachel and gets another championship reign. It's been what, five years since her last one? Two years since she won a match?"

"She doesn't mind being a jobber," Jimmy remarked, strolling over and filling up a glass with chilled water from the mini-fridge. He didn't want to drink beer last night. He was a health nut and went on a fairly rigid schedule. "She has fun putting over the other girls - but you know, the wrestlers. Not the bikini models. That's just insulting."

"Would you be okay with being a jobber?" Diego asked him, and Jimmy shrugged and cocked his head the way he did when he was deep in thought.

"It depends on the opponent and the storyline, I suppose," Jimmy stroked the ginger whiskers on his chin with a huge hand. "I'm a thirteen-time champion when you add up every promotion I've wrestled for. I'm a big guy with a big dossier. So if they wanted me to put Kodeine over a few times, I'd be glad to. Or you, Ollie and Sean. But if they told me I'd be losing to Chandler or Lance, I'd be pretty mad about it. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I'm a huge draw at KADA Wrestling. It'd be bad for business and bad for me."

"I was jobbing a lot last year," Diego recalled losing a lot last year.

While he was still making appearances in the main event status, he lost nearly all of his matches. There was a good reason for that. Diego, a veteran and a solid wrestler with an imposing, sturdy appearance, looked tough to beat. Sean looked incredibly strong in those matches he defeated Diego in - until Diego, both fed up with jobbing and attempting to put as much heat on Lance backstage as possible, used the Brit's reputation and Marg's greed for ratings to flip the script and take the push instead.

"And then you beat me for that shiny belt," Jimmy grinned, and Diego smiled. One of the best matches of his career. Jimmy's too.

The big man's career was still going nice and hot. Although he wasn't currently in the title scene - it was all about Kodeine and Diego's rivalry building up at the moment - he was still looking incredibly strong. After losing his rematch for the Heavyweight Championship, Jimmy moved to rivalries with other wrestlers and won all of them. Michelle and Margaret didn't see eye to eye on many things, but they both agreed that big bad Jimmy had a lot of value and they always kept him ready to slip back into the main event. He would probably be Kodeine's next rivalry after the ugly, acne-scarred douchebag took the belt from Diego.

"Yo."

Diego's blood turned cold when he heard Oliver Vickery's voice on the other side of the hotel room door. Do I hide? Do I pretend I'm not here?

"Di," Ollie knocked on the door three times. "You there?"

"Are you here?" Jimmy whispered, ready to cover for him if he didn't want to talk to Ollie.

"Hey," Diego called out. He'd tried to hide things and keep secrets, and that only ever hurt people. It was time he stopped doing that. "I'll be right there."

"It's cool, man," Ollie didn't sound angry. Maybe Sean was telling the truth about Ollie being more upset at the Cherokee than the Brazilian. Diego believed Sean was lying to him. How can Ollie not be furious? Maybe he is, and he's just reeling me in. Perhaps I'll get a bloody nose for my trouble.

"How are you doing?" Diego asked as he opened the door.

Ollie was a handsome man. He had the richest black skin Diego had ever seen and one of the catchiest smiles. He wasn't smiling today, but he wasn't angry or upset. At least, he didn't look it. He remembered the look of utter heartbreak on the man's face when Ollie flicked a beautiful engagement ring into the rubble in front of Diego, and he felt horrible all over again.

"Bit of a dumb question Di," Ollie slapped him on the shoulder as he invited himself in. "Big Jim, how you doing?"

"Just fine," Jimmy looked very uncomfortable. "Do you want me to leave?"

No, Diego begged with his eyes.

"If you don't mind, man. Don't worry; I'm not here to make a scene!" Ollie reassured them both. Diego didn't want him to, but Jimmy decided he trusted Ollie not to shove a broken glass in Diego's face and took his leave.

"I'll go for a wander," Jimmy decided as he shut the door behind him. They didn't have a signing for two hours yet, and it was only eight in the morning. Jimmy had enough time to walk around the streets of London. I wish I were with him. The tension was painfully thick.

"I'm so sorry about everything," Diego immediately blurted out. Ollie's bright, onyx-coloured eyes, almond shaped and intelligent, assessed him. "That was not the way I wanted you to find out."

"Are you saying you did want me to find out?" Ollie asked. He almost sounded amused. "C'mon, man. None of this cliché stuff. Let's be real. Would you have told me if Sean didn't?"

"Probably not," Diego folded his arms uncomfortably. Ollie sat next to him on the bed. "Maybe? Honestly Oliver, I probably would have buried it because nothing good could have come from letting you know about it. But... I didn't want to keep doing that to you, so I asked you if you would let me and Sean... yeah."

"I respect your honesty, man," Ollie nodded, his face drooping with sadness. Oh god. "Was it just sex?"

Diego was stumped. How do I answer this? Just be honest, that voice said to him. Stay the course. No more lies.

"I like him a lot," Diego admitted. He was terrified now.

"Oh, yeah, man. I know how that feels," Ollie rested his elbows on his knees. He was in a trendy blue tank top and long pale blue jeans with expensive looking lace-up shoes, purple sunglasses perched on top of his crew cut with an elaborate floral design shaved in. "The little guy's my whole world. Well... he was."

"You still love him?" Diego asked. He felt pity for Ollie. He never deserved any of this.

"Oh, hell yeah," Ollie's words lacked the usual happy-go-lucky enthusiasm he usually exhibited. "I always thought we were soul mates, y'know? So I didn't mind if he played around a bit. That's just Sean. That's how he rolls. I get it. I respect it. If that's what makes him happy, then I'm okay with it, you know what I mean? I just don't get how he could knife me in the back like this. With one of our best pals. Do you want to know a few secrets, Di? I hate those frickin' animals. I never liked our house. I hate living out of town. I did that all for him to make him happy."

"You're the one who asked us why we put up with being unhappy!" Diego pointed out, and Ollie sniffed.

"Yeah, man. I didn't know that I was unhappy until that twister hit and my life turned to crap," Ollie began crying on the bed, and Diego had no idea what to do. "I don't blame you, man. I know what it's like to fall in love with him. I would have let you have a turn. You even came out to me, man. That was special. So yeah, you could'a been a better friend to me, but Seano's the one that broke all the rules. The rules we had just for him, y'know? I... I can't believe that he... after all I've done!"

Diego did what he would do if one of his children began crying. He shuffled over and put his arm around Oliver, who put his arm around Diego. This is weird. I repeatedly fooled around with your boyfriend, and now we're here comforting each other? Gay guys make no sense at all. It was strange to be with Ollie in this way. He was over six feet tall and incredibly broad and fit. Seeing him cry was... too weird.

"I have no idea what I'm supposed to say or do," Diego admitted, holding Ollie close. "Please tell me. What do I do, Ol?"

"Man, I dunno," Ollie took a huge breath to calm himself down. Whatever aftershave he used, it smelled amazing. "If he and I were meant to be together, he never would'a betrayed me like that."

Oh, goddammit. That was the worst possible answer Diego could have received. Pragmatically, it was the best outcome, but now the dreams and fantasies of having Sean Fox all to himself were tainted with the guilt and shame of what he'd done. He couldn't think of Sean without seeing Ollie toss that engagement band.

"I have no idea what I want anymore," Diego sighed. "Especially with this bi stuff. You asked me why I wasn't happy, Ol, and I guess that twister did me a favour. I know I want to fix my family. I want to find my sister and see my oldest boy again. I want to be a good person. I don't know if getting involved with Sean is what's best for me right now."

"Heh, poor Seano," Ollie managed a bitter laugh. "Looks like he's going to end up with nobody. Which is probably what he deserves."

"Ol, you can be angry with me if you want," Diego scooted away a little. Just in case Ollie took him up on his offer. "Seriously. Punch me right now if you need to. But I need to know right now if this is going to be a problem. At work or with our friends. Okay?"

"Oh, don't think I'm not cut up about everything, man," Ollie shook his head sadly. "I wanna hate you a lot. He's my baby. But it takes two to do the nasty, you know? And he's the one with the commitment, yeah? I already lost him. I don't want to lose our friends. Or even you, man. Yeah, you did me dirty, but I understand too much of where you're at. You're working out that you're into dudes. It's new and scary, hey? And your head doesn't know what to do so you let your heart - and your dick - make the decisions for you. You were even brave enough to come and talk to me about it. I mean, you cucked me, but I gave Seano the freedom he wanted, and he still cheated on me. I lost my house and my boyfriend. My future. Do I need to lose you too? Do I need it to be weird when we're with our pals?"

"I'm glad you're not angry," Diego chose his words carefully, but it was weird. Whether or not anyone wanted it to be. "With me, at least. I don't think it needs to be awkward, but please tell me if you change your mind."

"Yeah, man, you can bank on that," Ollie may have sounded amiable when he spoke, but Diego wasn't comfortable with his choice of words.

"We're worried about you," Diego told him, hoping to get away from that potentially explosive topic. "Where are you staying when we go back? You're welcome to stay at my house any time."

"That's a sweet offer man, but I don't think that would work out," Ollie got to his feet and turned around, putting his hands behind his head and managing a faint smile. "I have dozens of relatives who always rag on about how I never visit, so don't worry about me. I'm good, man. Or at least, I will be. When we go home, I'll be with my family, and I'll work stuff out."

"It's just... we're on tour," Diego grimaced and Ollie exhaled heavily. "We're living in each other's pockets. I need to know that if you do decide you have a problem, we'll solve it back in the states."

"I'm a professional, Di," Ollie reached his hand out to Diego, who looked at it and grabbed it, letting the bigger man pull him to his feet. "I don't let personal stuff get in the way of business. Can't let that wasp bitch have an excuse to fire me, after all."

"True," Diego maintained his grip on Ollie's hand, but they were friends, it seemed. He'd been terrified of how Oliver Vickery would react. He adored Sean. But it looked like the man's gentle nature won out, and he was putting his career and friendships before all the pain Diego caused him. "Do you want to find Jimmy and have some coffee?"

"Nah," Ollie shook his head and flicked his sunglasses over his eyes, his brilliant white teeth making an appearance. "Coffee sounds good, but I have things to do. Thanks for having this talk, Di. Thanks for being a grown-ass man and being honest."

"Speaking of," Diego knew he was venturing into tender territory, but he owed it to Sean. "Sean is desperate to hear from you. Please don't leave him worried."

"Alright," Ollie told him tersely before waving goodbye and opening the door. "Have fun with big Jim."

~

Friday, October 12th

Lance's first singles match on the main roster since the... well, we don't talk about that anymore, Diego thought to himself. He watched his young protégé as he admired himself in the hand mirror.

"How can one person be so vain?" Diego wondered aloud, and Lance didn't even look at him. The red boy smirked, though. Diego could see it in his reflection.

"You once told me that you've been working on your body for twenty years," Lance remarked, applying the last of his brilliant red lip gloss. "If that's not vanity, what is? Narcissism isn't just for femininity."

"Well, that shut you up," Gloria remarked as she did a drive-by, invading the conversation as she drove past. "You look more beautiful than I ever did, my little peacock," she kissed Lance on his contoured cheek, causing him to grimace. "Knock that Kodeine silly out there, just remember that you're the man going down."

"Heel or not, Leeds is still my home turf," Lance told her, reaching out and hugging her with his spare arm.

Officially, yes, Diego and Lance turned heel when they cheated last week and gave the red boy his first official KADA victory, but they were still in England, with Scotland, Ireland and Wales to go yet. Lance was a massive star in these parts, so being a heel - the person the fans ideally would boo - was awkward for him. Diego had gone through enough transitions between babyface and heel for it to be almost automatic at this point, but this would be Lance's first time playing a bona fide heel. It was going to be interesting to see him act the part when he'd been a happy-go-lucky dancer for his tenure with KADA Wrestling thus far.

"Plus, Kodeine is a wiener, I don't think anyone's going to be rooting for him," Gloria smirked.

She looked divine. She'd been trying harder with her appearance lately. Perhaps it was the appearance of all these younger, beautiful women, or that busty, petite blonde women had been the ones to occupy the Women's Championship for so long. Her long black hair still had bright blue streaks through it to match her indigo attire, which was fierce and gothic. Her boots reached her thighs, and her brassiere and shorts had a certain dominatrix quality to them. She'd stepped up her game both in-ring and out since the tornado threatened them. It was as though she found a new lease on life, but when Diego would ask her about it, she kept her answers reasonably vague.

"Hello, by the way!" Diego demanded attention and Gloria saw right through him.

"You're the neediest little starling, but I love you," she fondly kissed him on the cheek as well. "Did you hear the news? I'm turning on Rachel tonight! It looks like I've been getting Marg's attention because she approved it."

"You're winning?" Diego asked her, almost shocked. Gloria's career, in Diego's eyes at least, had been dead in the water for years.

"Well, Rachel's scoring the win, but I'm going to beat the crap out of her afterwards," Gloria poked her tongue out as she did when she was excited. "Some real wrestling happening in the women's division, boys! Don't you dare miss it!"

"Oh, I won't!" Diego hugged her and squeezed her tight, but she squeezed him harder. The two gradually tried to suffocate the other with their grip until Gloria finally gave in, the two of them choking and laughing. "I'm happy for you."

"Good luck tonight, little peacock!" Gloria left, her indigo and black cloak trailing on the floor behind her. "If you screw up, blame the other guy!"

"That's not awful advice," Diego grinned, and Lance laughed. "You ready? We're up in a few minutes."

"Oh, my Brazilian bonitão," Lance shot back and Diego laughed. "You've internet stalked me long enough to know I have always been ready!"

"You know, that nickname is very nice of you, but it does not make too much sense," Diego took the mirror off the boy so he would stop staring at his reflection.

"So what? According to you, nothing I say makes sense either," Lance smiled at him and beckoned with his finger for Diego to follow him to the curtain.

Diego, not competing tonight, was dressed in a smart black shirt with some light grey jeans and expensive new loafers. Lance's hair had gotten longer since they first met and it was impossible to keep puffy and wild without enough hairspray to plug the hole in the ozone layer, so tonight he had it tied back in a big ponytail. He would be in Lance's corner, but he also had a part to play in the segment. Tonight, Kodeine was facing Lance Lovecraft in a singles match to redeem the loss Diego caused him last week by kicking him in the head from ringside. The story was progressing well, Diego thought, but at the same time, Jimmy Vause had been getting pushed heavily by squashing local talent at every show. Knowing that clueless Alabaman airhead, she would rush Jimmy into the storyline for a cheap, brief pop in ratings and pay per view sales, then have no idea how to progress, leaving Michelle with a hell of a mess to clean up.

"You're going out like that?" Kodeine immediately asked when the duo approached. I used to sound like that, Diego realised. I'm glad I'm not that person anymore. That person was a homophobic bellend. Like Kodeine. "All that makeup and stuff? Why?"

"Worry less about why I wear make-up and ask yourself why you don't," Lance replied coldly, and Diego couldn't help but snicker. He'd been on the receiving end of Lance's rapier wit - his tongue as sharp as his mother's - enough times to appreciate when it happened to someone else, particularly someone as loathsome as Kodeine.

"Make sure you don't screw everything up tonight," Kodeine looked at Lance with contempt. "Some of us got here because we're talented, not because we sucked the right dick."

"Excuse me?" Diego angrily replied. "This guy right here has been busting his ass and working non-stop so he can be the best wrestler he can be. If you say anything like that again, I'll knock you down, entender?"

"He's been busting his ass? Sounds about right," Kodeine sneered and wiped his nose with his sleeve. "Looks like I know whose dick he's been sucking, too."

Diego, incensed, took a step towards Kodeine, but Lance tugged him back by the hand.

"Oh, let him have this little win," Lance's voice was flippant, but his grip on Diego's hand was firm. "He's about to wrestle a match as a nobody against a person the crowd recognises as a hero. Let him have his licks. The fans will deal with him."

"Hmph," Diego nodded, satisfied with Lance's line of thinking.

Kodeine was jealous. His push was unfortunately timed - during the tour of the UK, he was booked against Diego and Lance, who were massively popular in this neck of the woods. The crowd jeered and booed him when he was supposed to be the heroic guy. In the USA, things would right themselves, but right now, Diego and Lance were all the rage and Kodeine was an afterthought.

"So go on out, big man Kodeine," Lance taunted the other man as the segment on camera drew to a close. Their match was next on the card. "Don't feel like the world's smallest man when the whole world cheers for the Queen on her way out," he gave a petty little wave, and Kodeine rolled his eyes. It was true, Diego knew. Lance was a star with prominent roles in several different avenues. He saw right through his haters.

Kodeine's music hit and as Lance predicted, the crowd booed loud enough to make the two boys behind the curtain giggle as their opponent tried his best to get them on his side. He wasn't a likeable person. He had severe acne scarring, a crooked nose, an ugly burgundy buzz-cut and one of his teeth was missing. On the other hand, Diego and Lance were aesthetically pleasing - albeit in radically different ways - and on Lance's home turf. The moment Froot began playing, the crowd shifted drastically into a massive cheer and then a chant for "Lovecraft," and Diego happily escorted his young protégé down the ramp, watching the way he interacted as a heel. He didn't excite the crowd, and he didn't appease them with his dance moves. He strutted his way down in time with the beat of his theme song, and Diego followed close by. Wow, the love was intense. Diego was sad that he had to be aloof and cold to the crowd members close by because they were reaching out to him. They loved him because he and Lance were an on-screen item. What irony, he managed to think as Lance finished his stoic but provocative entrance. Now that I have their love, I can't return it because I'm a villain.

The match played out reasonably well, Diego thought. Ever since the tornado, Lance and Diego had gotten along incredibly well. They'd formed a real trust; they had a bond now. That meant Lance felt safe in their training sessions. Lance, although instinctively scared to take bumps, was gradually getting over his fear. Kodeine, though, was not someone Lance trusted, especially after the altercation backstage. Diego encouraged Lance to incorporate much of his dancing talent into his moveset, and the boy listened to him. He was graceful and smooth when on the offence. Beautiful to watch. But things always did get awkward when Kodeine was the one who had a chance to beat up Lance. Mistiming, miscommunication and poor selling. Unfortunately, that weakness plagued Lance since the very beginning. Afraid to take hits. Afraid to let himself feel pain. Poor kid, Diego thought. All the crap he went through ended up being the biggest obstacle for his dream career in the end. It was going to be okay. Diego was slowly working through it with him, using signature moves from Kodeine's moveset to help Lance work matches with him.

Lance played the part of a heel very well. Minus the supportive crowd, he was arrogant and verbal, mocking Kodeine the whole time he had control of the match. He was excellent with his kicks, Diego noticed. His kicks were agile, graceful and accurate, and his natural dancing talent and flexibility were essential points in his corner. In the end, Kodeine landed his finisher, a savage looking kick to the jaw. It seemed so real from the angle Diego watched it from that he was sure his protégé lost consciousness mid-match. The boy teetered before falling on his shoulder blades. He took the bump! Kodeine covered him for the pinfall, drawing boos from the crowd, and took the victory, but Diego was thrilled that Lance sold the superkick so well. He nailed it!

It was his turn, now. As Kodeine began to celebrate his victory, Diego's role was to attack him afterwards. Diego slid in the ring while his opponent wasn't looking and kicked him in the head the same way he did when he cost his nemesis the match the week before, hitting a loud slap on his thigh to simulate contact, and Kodeine sold it beautifully. He might be a jerk, but he's a good wrestler. Diego then lifted the ugly man onto his shoulders and delivered a Silva Spiral to a fantastic reaction from the crowd before making sure his partner was okay, then he demanded a microphone.

"In three weeks, I am not just going to beat you, Kodeine!" Diego warned the man he'd just laid out on the ring canvas. While this was in character and for the cameras, there was some personal feeling creeping into his promo. "I'm going to destroy you! Everyone in the world sees you for who you are. An ugly duckling. But unfortunately for you, you're not going to survive to become a beautiful swan like my Lance."

The crowd cheered loudly when Diego and Lance put their boots on Kodeine's back and raised each other's hands, Diego holding the World Heavyweight Championship high above his head. Even though the script didn't call for it, Diego leaned down and kissed Lance on his lips to make the most of their moment - the gloss was strawberry flavoured. The audience loved it and gradually began chanting something Diego never heard before.

"Lansilva!"

Is that what they call us? Lansilva? I like it.

~

Sunday, October 14th

"Here everyone is!" Susan Lovecraft had a strong Cockney accent that eclipsed any Diego had ever heard. Nobody Diego had ever heard in his thirty-five years of life spoke like her. She sounded like Michael Caine with alcohol poisoning. Was it any wonder Lance chose an accent of his own to represent himself? "Right from my telly to my front porch! Two years ago I told that boy of mine he has no right tryin' to wrestle in the States, but take a butcher's at you all now!"

What the hell is she saying? The furrowed brows of Gloria and Jimmy confirmed to Diego that he was not the only one who didn't understand English English. Why is it called English, anyway? This woman butchers it - or apparently butcher means something else in England. It should be called American because at least they speak phonetically.

"Alright, Mum?" Lance sounded considerably more like his parents when he was in their company. Diego didn't know whether it was cute or offputting. "Thank you for having everybody!" He kissed her on the cheek and hugged her tight on his way in, and the others followed.

The house smelled like roast pork, and Diego immediately began to salivate. So, this is where little Lovecraft grew up, huh? It was a well-kept house for sure, but it wasn't in the nice part of the neighbourhood, nor was it spacious or especially pretty, but Susan and Garth had done their best to make it as inviting as they could. When Garth met Jimmy and Gloria - the tall, muscular woman in particular - he may as well have ejaculated in his pants. It was mostly for Garth's benefit that Lance demanded his long-time wrestler friends come over to his house for dinner. They'd been watching KADA together since Lance was only a little boy.

"Oh, have I had some dreams about you!" Garth remarked instantly, and Sue smacked him over the back of the head.

"We just got her in here, don't scare her off!" She scolded him and looked back to Gloria, who was in the beginnings of a laughing fit.

"Pleasure, name's Garth!" The tall, balding man introduced himself to everyone. "I watch you all every week. Love it. Love all of you!"

Diego watched in amusement as Garth turned into a superfan in front of his very eyes. He felt a little insulted that he didn't receive the same reception from Lance's father in the airport, but Gloria and Jimmy were showered with awkward love, praise and several selfies before the group slowly migrated to the kitchen area. Linoleum and stained walls. It reminded Diego strongly of the places he, Luiza and his parents were forced to live in while they managed to get by. The sacrifices made by his parents to give him and his sister a chance at life. The sacrifices Diego had to make as a young adult to achieve his dream. The sacrifices he was still making now to live his dream. I miss my children.

"Where's my Zander panda?" Lance asked suddenly, and the mood shifted in the room as Sue and Garth looked at each other awkwardly.

"He's in his room, love," Sue cautioned him. "But I reckon he plans to stay there. He's still upset with you."

Lance exhaled, and sadness crossed his face. "I hope not," he mumbled, and he made his way through the door that separated the quaint kitchen and dining area from the rest of the house.

"What happened? If you don't mind me asking," Jimmy asked, looking handsome as hell with his hair done up and his beard neatly trimmed anew. The three of them sat down at the modest kitchen table. It sat five, but at a squeeze, they were hoping that an ambitious six would be able to eat dinner together.

"Lance overheard us saying some things that he shouldn't've heard," Garth explained quietly, taking the fourth seat. "We love our boy to bits, but it hasn't always been a ball, you know? Zander was taking after him, and we were worried about going through it all again, so Lance left to go to the States without saying goodbye because he thought that was the best thing to do."

"We understood," Sue filled in from over at the beaten up stove. "But Zander never forgave him. It broke his little heart."

"Oh my gosh," Gloria covered her mouth. "And we were so awful to him for the first few months. I had no idea. I'm so sorry."

"That was my fault," Jimmy admitted. "I sent him to Coventry because I thought he was just another walk-in celebrity and I wanted him to pay his dues."

"Whatever dues you think Lance needs to pay, he's done it and then some," Sue didn't seem to like Jimmy very much, and Diego understood why. He was responsible for most of the struggles Lance went through in his first few months with KADA. "Oh, his first match with you. We'll never forget him ringing us up here at the wee hours of the morning because he was so scared of what you would all think of him."

Diego remembered seeing Lance after his match; his heavy makeup smeared all down his face from tears. He remembered the disgust he'd felt at seeing a professional wrestler in a state like that. There's no crying in wrestling. That was the motto? But now he realised. The kid was terrified the whole time, and we didn't even care. I didn't care. It took me nearly six months to treat him like a person because I didn't like who he was and what he represented.

"He doesn't wanna see me," Lance announced sadly, shutting the door behind him and his ember-red eyes hiding behind crimson eyelids.

"He'll come around, sweetheart," Sue reassured him, but Lance shook his head as he sat between Diego and his father.

"You said that for years about Nicky and Lola, and they wouldn't even come for Easter or Christmas," Lance rested his weary head against his hands, propped up on the table by his elbows. His hair fell around his arms like lava. Diego felt sorry for him. He wasn't supposed to feel so alone in his own house. He remembered the rift between himself and Luiza.

"Do you mind if I speak to him?" Diego found himself asking before he was sure that was what he wanted to do. I've done enough harm to the people I love. Maybe now I can do something good. "He's around the same age as my little girl."

"Oh!" Garth seemed surprised. "Yeah, go for your life. The first room on the left."

"Thank you," Diego excused himself and clumsily hurried away from the table, catching Gloria's foot on the way past with his chair and apologising to her.

The hallway was dimly lit and almost scary. Four doors - bedrooms he guessed - and one at the end. Bathroom? Small house. Reminds me of the first house I lived in.

"Hey, Zander?" Diego pushed the door open.

"What?" A lump under the blanket on the bed replied.

"My name's Diego. Can I say hello?" Diego asked him, gingerly approaching.

Zander's little head poked out from his sanctuary under the blanket. He was having a legendary sulk. Diego was no stranger to those. Troy threw some terrific pouts when he was a toddler.

"Hello," Zander meeped shyly, and Diego had to smile. He looked so much like Lance. The same angular jawline and those cheekbones, even with the chubby cheeks of a young boy. He had blue eyes and dark brown hair. Like his older brother, maybe? Diego was yet to find a picture of Lance with his natural eye and hair colour. Zander was his best lead.

"Hey!" Diego waved amiably. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

"Okay. You talk funny," Zander remarked, and Diego laughed. It must have been the school that the Lovecraft children attended because Zander was speaking an odd combination of the queen's English and the local cockney the way Lance did.

"I think you're the one who talks funny," Diego sat down on the end of the youngster's bed. "I have a daughter your age. Her name is Nina."

"I've seen you wrestle before!" Zander sat up in his bed. "Silva Spiral!"

"Yeah, that's the one," Diego nodded and grinned. "You and Nina would get along well. So Zander, why don't you want to see your brother?"

"I hate him!" The light from Zander was snuffed just like that, and he folded his arms. "He left me, and I hate him. He's an arsehole."

"He's here now," Diego reminded him. What I wouldn't do to see Luiza. Or Troy. I'll never take anyone for granted again. "He loves you. He talks about you a lot."

"No, he doesn't! Or he wouldn't have gone away to America!" Zander stubbornly threw the blanket back over his head. "I hate him."

"You know," Diego shuffled closer, but he didn't take the blanket away from Zander. He learned that lesson with Jillian. "I have a sister. Her name is Luiza, and she left me a long time ago. I miss her every day."

"I don't miss Lance!" Zander asserted, but Diego could hear the lie in his voice.

"I know he hurt you," Diego validated the boy's feelings. "He's sorry about that. He wants to see you. Don't you want to see him?"

"No!" Zander lied again. Okay, let's be real, then.

"Zander, you never know when you might lose someone for good," Diego told him, remembering that hideous night where a tornado changed everybody's lives forever. "I might never see my sister again, and all I want is for her to know how much I still love her. Lance upset you, I know that, but everybody makes mistakes, and he loves you, little man. He wants to see you again. That's all he's wanted to do since we came to England. He thinks you hate him. Are you sure you hate him?"

Zander's head poked out from under his pillow, and he looked deep in thought.

"We go back to America soon," Diego explained. "You might not get to see Lance again for a long time. Come and see him now while you can. You don't know when you might get the chance to see him again."

"Um..." Zander wiped his eyes and snorted snot up his nose. Diego had too many children for this to be disgusting. He just ignored it. "Okay."

"Good man!" Diego put his hand up, and Zander gave him a high five. "You're going to make your brother so happy."

Lance, who looked so forlorn and miserable when Diego left the kitchen, seemed to light up like sunrise when Zander came walking in, Diego behind him. It was the most heartwarming thing Diego had seen in a long time.

"Panda!" Lance opened up his arms, and the younger Lovecraft rushed to him. Lance hugged him and planted kisses on the top of his head to the cooing of the other men and women in the room. It was gorgeous. Diego thought back to Nina and how much he missed her. I need to stop with these overseas tours. I miss my kids too much, and they miss me. He remembered Nina's attempts to force him to stay home by stealing his phone.

"Big man," Garth was suddenly at Diego's side with a hand on his shoulder. "Mind if we have a natter?"

Oh, Christ. Lance had told enough stories of how Garth had beaten up men and boys who had hurt his son and spent several nights in both jail and prison.

"Sure," Diego squeaked, and Garth guided him back into that hallway and shut the door behind them.

"How the bloody hell did you do that?" Garth asked in amazement. "Zander has spent the last two bloody years refusing to even talk about Lance. What magic wand have you got? Can I get one at Target?"

"I have four-year-old twins," Diego chuckled, and Garth whistled.

"Say no more, my friend," Garth grinned and beckoned. "Lemme show you something."

Diego followed the older man to the next room on the left and Garth welcomed him inside and switched on the light. Diego gasped. This was Lance's bedroom. No doubt about it. There was no space on the walls or low roof that hadn't been taken up by posters. Cute boys. Pop stars. Lady Gaga, Marina and the Diamonds, Britney Spears and... me.

Diego was the star of the show. It was like a trip down memory lane. Posters, dozens of them, stuck to the wall opposite Lance's room. When I was twenty-four and just got signed to KADA. My first ever photo shoot. My first ever action figure! So many of these posters had his autograph. That's my signature, alright. The scope of what he was seeing was unlike anything he'd ever imagined. A few times Lance had insisted that he was a huge fan of Diego's growing up, but that was an understatement. Gloria, Jimmy, Michelle and other KADA alumni made appearances on another wall, but this one wall was all Diego Silva. It was surreal. The kid really did worship me. On the dresser, Diego spotted framed pictures of a younger Lance sporting bleach blond hair with pink streaks sitting on his father's shoulders at a KADA show. He saw something else that surprised him. A framed picture of him, Garth with receding brown hair and a teenage Lance with violet hair and violet eyes. I don't even remember taking that, Diego thought with his eyes misting up. I'm sure Lance does.

"You were his whole world, mate," Garth commented after seeing how much being in this room affected the other man. "He loved you. He still does. He always has. It broke my heart when he called up and told me what a twat you were. We had a lot of teary chats, I tell you. I was ready to slug you the minute you came to Heathrow, and I wouldn't care if they gave me the death penalty."

Diego looked up at Garth with eyes brimming with tears. There's no crying in wrestling, right? Maybe that slogan was a load of crap.

"I can't change the past," Diego told the man, putting the picture back where he left it and he sighed. "I don't have any excuse. I was a homophobic bellend, that's what he called me." Garth laughed at that. "I'm a changed man now, Mr Lovecraft, and I owe a lot of that to your son. He's done more for me in one year than I can do for him for the rest of his career."

"Just keep him safe out there, alright?" Garth grabbed Diego's hand and shook it with an iron grip. "I don't need to worry about him so much if you're saving him from tornados, you know? Look out for him."

"You have my word," Diego promised, and he meant that.

He protected Lance from the debris flying all over the place during winds of over a hundred miles an hour. He punched Danny for Lance. He would have hit that redneck dickhead from the crowd who shoved Lance over during the pay per view in which Diego won the championship. He would have knocked Kodeine only last week if Lance didn't stop him.

"Come on. Let's eat," Garth nodded with his head, and Diego took one more look at the wall with a new appreciation for Lance and everything the boy accomplished.

The table barely fit six, but now that Zander was joining them and insisting on sitting between Diego and his favourite brother, seven was a difficult.

"Should put Lance and Zander at the kids' table!" Sue joked at one point, causing a load of laughs.

It was an enjoyable meal, although not in the conditions Diego had become accustomed to. He pulled a substantial annual check from KADA Wrestling as one of its longest-running wrestlers and the current champion, so he was wealthy and well provided for. It was humbling to remember where he came from. Where Lance and Gloria both came from. Stories of Lance's childhood and KADA locker room tales flew across the table and no ten seconds went without someone laughing. Elbows hit each other, there was no spare room on the table, but the food was excellent and the company moreso.

"So how is that girl Rachel?" Garth asked Gloria, his favourite. He had such a crush on her. Sue found it amusing. "You about killed her in the ring!"

"Oh, she's one tough cookie," Gloria replied in her heavy New York accent. "She looks like Barbie, but she's like Lara Croft! Don't worry about her. She can take a hit!"

"It's about bloody time you got angry again!" Garth remarked. "I haven't seen you look this good since 2015! They worried you'll break those bimbos in half?"

Although Garth was right on the money with his question, as KADA employees, Diego, Lance, Gloria and Jimmy were not supposed to answer questions like that. They would get into trouble, and Margaret Bloom was a career killer at this point.

"Well, I do have some news," Gloria announced, and the table went quiet. Is this what Gloria has been so secretive about lately? "Since I'm with my two oldest friends and the most terrific English family in the world, I've got something to say. Can I rely on you all to keep something to yourselves?"

"Speak it," Jimmy encouraged her, his hands clasped under his chin.

"Not a word, darlin!" Sue promised.

"Well, women's wrestling in KADA is changing, as you all know," Gloria couldn't hide the bitterness from her voice. "But it's alright. Nobody needs to worry about me. I've been thinking about this for a long time, and having a scare like that Tennessee tornado makes a girl wonder where her years are gone and what she's going to do with the rest of them!" She was smiling. She was excited. Well, good for her, Diego thought. Whatever she wants to do, I'll back her a hundred per cent. "Michelle and I have a plan, alright? So keep it to yourselves and know that there is method to our madness. I promise it'll all be worth it. This push against Rachel is going to be my last hurrah. I've decided to retire from in-ring competition."

What??

Thank you to everyone who reads To The Stars! ❤️ And great thanks to anyone that reacts or comments!
If you're interested, I'm also writing a prequel called Love, Lance that tells the story of Lance's teenage years, coming of age and rise to fame. Feel free to have a butcher's at that