Chapter Text
![[SKETCH COMM W/ COLOR] For Molly](https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/useruploads/display/ad94164c-d045-47c0-aca5-5acfd9db4885_mollycommission.png)
Bleeding during a match was nothing new, and Dean Ambrose had seen his fair share. He made his opponents wear crimson masks more times than he could remember, and they usually returned the favor. Whenever he got busted open and tasted the iron dripping into his mouth, it only brought him sadistic satisfaction and the need to hit harder. Nowadays, most people he wrestled refused to taste blood and were too concerned about appearances and television time.
It pissed him off.
Dean started to lose hope in the next generation of men and women entering the WWE, especially with their strict PG policies.
That was before he met Kelsey Hyde.
She held numerous titles in independent promotions, and her fan base was fiercely loyal. She did not look like the "typical" WWE Diva, either. Her hair was too short, her body was too curvy, and she had loads of personality. Even when she dated that one guy on the roster and it ended badly, she refused to blast him over social media or get into a fit about it. He was surprised to learn that Triple H first scouted her and offered her a contract.
But that's not what caught his attention .
Dean had a microphone in his hand one night, and the other members of S.H.I.E.L.D. stood beside him in the ring. He had called out anyone brave enough to step through the ropes and fight him.
She was the last person he expected to answer the call.
Sure enough, her music hit, and she came from behind the curtain. The commentary team voiced their confusion with the live audience while Seth and Roman furrowed their brows as she walked down the ramp. Dean was unfazed by the fact that a woman wanted to have a match with him, as inter-gender contests were common in the independent scene. However, more mainstream companies viewed them as taboo, and there would no doubt be consequences from management. Her gaze zeroed in on him as she stepped through the ropes, and he held it just the same. Dean lifted the microphone to his lips again.
"You sure 'bout this?"
She nodded without hesitation and smirked. Dean smirked back and shoved the microphone into Seth's hands. Despite his protests, Dean said nothing and started to take off his tactical gear when he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard a quiet voice in his ear.
"Jon?"
Dean turned to face Roman, concern evident in his features. But Dean remained firm. Roman sighed, knowing there was no use arguing with Dean when he was hellbent on something. He and Seth hesitantly exited the ring while the referee signaled for the bell.
They circled, feeling each other out to see who would make the first move. They locked up before Dean put her in a headlock, and she broke out, throwing him against the ropes before they collided. However, neither one was willing to go down, and they grinned like sharks that had just spotted their prey before resuming the match. Dean corralled Kelsey into the turnbuckles, momentarily stunning her as he rushed to the opposite corner to set her up for the big lariat. He charged at her as she stumbled out of the corner, arm outstretched and poised to strike. Kelsey sidestepped too far, and she ended up with his fist hitting her square in the nose. She recoiled back into the ropes as the referee backed Dean up with gloved hands and checked on her, ready to stop the match.
Dean saw the red on her face and watched it drip onto the mat. But he did not have time to gauge her reaction. Next thing he knew, she pushed the referee out of her way and used the momentary distraction to roll him up for a pin. Dean quickly got out of it before the referee could finish the count, and Dean whipped around to face her. What met him was a bloody grin, red pouring down her face, even as she ran her tongue through it.
He knew he wanted more of this girl.
Even as Dean got the three-count, he did not feel the usual satisfaction after winning a match and celebrating with his S.H.I.E.L.D. brothers. Instead, Dean tuned out everything else, focusing on the red-faced woman on the mat beneath him. Dean watched her blue eyes slowly blink open and gaze up at him with a furrowed brow through the screaming of everyone in the arena. He heard her hiss through her teeth as she gingerly pulled herself to her feet, clutching the side of her head. Dean knew that this was just the beginning for her.
"Hell of a fight," he praised. He extended his arm toward Kelsey and flexed his calloused fingers at her.
"YES! YES YES!" The audience chanted at them, putting in their two cents. Kelsey looked between his hand and face, seemingly pondering her next move. Finally, after a few seconds, she reached out with her free hand and grabbed his hand tightly in return.
"Not too shabby, yourself." Kelsey grinned bloodily back at him.
"I try," he shrugged.
"You succeed." She let go of his hand and nodded before rolling out of the ring. Seth and Roman glanced at each other before going to his side as he watched Kelsey make her way up the ramp toward the backstage area. She ignored the harsh whispers and the heated glances in her direction as she got her nose checked out. The doctor just gave her some tissues and painkillers, but before she could go to the restroom and take care of it.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"
She visibly recoiled at the familiar, angry voice of Vince McMahon getting closer to her. Kelsey hesitantly looked up to see him stomping in her direction, flanked by Triple H and Stephanie. Despite Kelsey's bloody facade, Vince's face was even redder than hers. As the trio stopped to face her, their combined air of authority overwhelmed Kelsey. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she strained to maintain eye contact with her bosses.
"I..."
Vince cut her off. "Whatever excuse you have, save it!" The command caused her mind to go even more haywire, her leg bouncing noisily against the floor. "And stop that damn tapping!"
Her leg stopped the anxious movement, and she clenched her hands into fists. Little crescent-shaped marks formed where her nails dug into her palms, but she managed to withstand the blossoming pain in her hands as Vince continued.
"You've been such a stain on this company ever since Hunter brought you here, you ungrateful dyke! Kelsey Hyde, you're f—"
"If she's out," Dean interrupted, making everyone turn to look at him. "Then, so am I."
Kelsey rose to her feet with a furrowed brow and put a hand on her chest, just above her heart. She could feel the beating picking up inside, either from Vince, who was about to fire her, or Dean, who defended her. She couldn't even begin to wonder about the answer.
"This doesn't concern you, Ambrose," Stephanie sneered.
"It does," Dean fired back as he stood beside Kelsey. "I'm the one who challenged her."
"Dean," Kelsey said softly. "You don't have to do this." Dean knew that, but he couldn't shake the feeling in his gut telling him he had to.
"I know," Dean affirmed, gently grabbing her shoulder. She swore his blue-eyed gaze softened a little when he looked at her, but it quickly turned piercing and firm when he turned back to glare at them. "Either let her stay, or lose all the revenue we earn ya because y'all were too stubborn to get your heads out of your asses!" He guided Kelsey away from the stunned trio before they could reply. He walked her to the door of the S.H.I.E.L.D. locker room, where Seth and Roman's sstablemates both gave each other a seemingly knowing look before looking back at the two of them.
"C'mon," Roman sighed at Dean, pulling him away from Kelsey. "We need to start packing, anyway."
"Wait!" Kelsey exclaimed before Roman could escort Dean into the locker room. The three men turned to Kelsey at her exclamation, waiting to see what she had to say. She cleared her throat and looked squarely at Dean. "Thank you, Dean. I'll never forget this!" She fiddled with one of her earrings and broke eye contact, nodding at him one last time before walking away.
Dean looked at her for an extra second before he heard Roman clear his throat, snapping his attention back to him and Seth.
"What?" Dean asked, incredulously."Why ya looking at me like that?"
"Dude," Seth gestured to where Kelsey once stood."You've got a thing for her."
"I don't!"
"Yeah," Roman agreed with Seth."You kinda do," he sighed. "Look, we ain't judging you, man. Just be careful, alright?"
"Don't want to forget about Renee, now." Seth reminded Dean, earning him a dirty look.
"Not another word, Rollins." Seth raised his hands defensively and slinked back into the locker room ."C'mon, Ro. Gotta pack."
Dean brushed past him, and Roman sighed, knowing this wasn't the end of them.
Kelsey sighed and ran a hand over the freshly shaved sides of her head, sighing in satisfaction at how the short hairs felt against her fingers as she put her phone on the charger next to her hotel bed.
She'd had enough of the internet blowing up about her for today.
She retrieved her evening medications from her suitcase and poured herself some water from the bathroom sink, gulping everything down as she prepared for some much-needed rest. All of a sudden, she flinched at the persistent pounding at the door. She prayed that it wasn't someone of importance until she heard a familiar voice yelling: "BITCH, OPEN THE FUCK UP!"
"Hang the fuck on!" She quickly threw on a bra and thong because, knowing who was on the other side of the door, they've seen it all before. She swung the door open to reveal her visibly distraught Alexis, her eyes glaring daggers at Kelsey behind her glasses. "Jesus, Kiddo, " She stepped to the side to let her in. "Gonna get a damn noise complaint."
"Well," Alexis huffed, face slowly turning red at her best friend's state of undress as the door closed. "If I'd known someone had gotten hurt and potentially jeopardized their career, I'd have been a little more courteous!" Her nostrils flared at Kelsey, and her glare continued to burn a hole through her. But Kelsey knew that it was all out of pure concern for her, which brought some light to her current predicament.
"I know," she relented, downcasting her eyes and looking away. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Lexi."
"I know," she sighed as her glare softened, walking closer to her. "I know you can be a spontaneous bitch sometimes," Kelsey couldn't help but snort at that. "Just promise me you'll be more careful next time, Molly." She knew when Alexis used her real name, she was serious. She gently enveloped the other woman in a reassuring embrace, silently yielding to her request.
"I promise, Kiddo."
Alexis relaxed into her arms, returning the hug before she felt a hand comb through her shoulder-length locks and quickly pushed her face into her best friend's best friend's bare cleavage.
"Mph!" Alexis grunted against her breasts, pushing away from a cackling Kelsey and fixing her glasses. "What the hell, Molly?!"
"Love you!" She exclaimed in a sing-song voice and smiled innocently.
"Love you, too," Alexis deadpanned. "Whore."
"Slut."
"Whatever," she opened the door, but stopped midway. "By the way, I read your text about Ambrose. It is sounding like he's got a thing for you."
"What? No!" Kelsey shook her head rapidly. "He's dating Renee, though."
"So? He can date someone and still have a crush," Alexis pointed out with a smirk. "You've had a crush on him for the longest time, anyway. So, at least it'd be mutual."
"Yeah..." Kelsey relented. "I don't know, though. I don't want another You-Know-Who incident right now."
"That guy was a douche and a half," Alexis agreed, and internally cringed at the memory of their nasty split. "Just know that I support you, no matter what."
"Thanks, Kiddo." She replied with a yawn. "Gonna get some rest and focus on my career."
"Get some sleep, Molls." Alexis showed herself out with a nod.
As the door clicked shut behind her, Kelsey slid under the covers and couldn't help but think about their conversation about Dean and dating. She was not going to be a home-wrecker, that's for damn sure. Still, it would be nice to meet someone down the line. But, for now, it was time to rest and focus on wrestling another day, no matter what may come. As she closed her eyes to sleep, she heard a familiar ding coming from her phone.
Letting her curiosity get the better of her, she grumbled and reached out for her phone.
"What in the ass?" Kelsey groaned to herself, assuming Alexis had sent her another stupid meme so quickly. Instead, her brows furrowed at the message displayed on her screen.
UNKNOWN NUMBER (11:58 PM): U still up? -DA
Fuck .
After carefully weighing her options, Kelsey decided to text back the first thing that came to mind.
KELSEY (12:01 AM): How did you get my number?!
DEAN (12:03 AM): U gave it to Renee that 1 time
Suddenly, it came back to her. She'd asked Renee for references for a makeup artist since her hands shake a lot from anxiety, and just never texted her back after that.
KELSEY (12:05 AM): Fuck, that's right, my bad! Anyways , catch me up later , I gotta get some rest...
DEAN (12:07 AM): K
She couldn't help but snort at the way he texts like an adult still figuring out how to work a cellphone. Then again, that pretty much hit the nail on the head. With one final yawn, she plugged in her phone and closed her eyes to rest for what tomorrow's travels would bring.