#mondaynightraw

September 22nd, 2008, Cincinnati, Ohio

You wake up to the sound of the alarm you set on your phone, buzzing on the hotel nightstand. You slowly open your eyes, the late summer morning sun peeking in through the blinds. The hotel room is quiet, aside from the old AC unit running and the alarm blaring into your ears. You let out a tired sigh, rolling over and practically slapping your phone off the nightstand to turn off your alarm. You slowly sit up, looking at the clock on the microwave. 7:30 AM. Letting out a yawn, you stretch your arms over your head before swinging your legs over the edge of the bed. “I was not made for this,” you whisper to yourself, even though there was no one around you to even listen. Another city, another arena. Life on the road with WWE is exhausting, but you wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

You’re a production assistant for WWE, specifically Monday Night Raw, always running around, giving cues from gorilla or the production truck. It’s a high-pressure job, but since graduating college last year with a degree in Media Production, you had learned how to navigate. Long hours, constantly in different cities, it definitely took a toll on you sometimes. Your good at your job. Dependable.

And unfortunately, completely and hopelessly in love with CM Punk.

Well, not literally. Just a big, fat, huge crush on him. Whenever you stood backstage or in gorilla, you always made sure to catch a glance at him before he headed out onto the ramp. You’ve talked a few times. Short conversations. Quick questions. “Have you seen my gear bag?” “Is Gorilla backed up?” That kind of thing. But every time, your heart does a little gymnastics routine in your chest, and your brain forgets how to form full sentences. You scoff at yourself thinking about him again, before hopping out of the warm bed and making your way into the bathroom. You quickly turn on the shower, before slowly and tiredly undressing out of an old, oversized Misfit’s tee you wore as a sleep shirt. “Punk and Cody tonight,” you say to yourself, before stepping into the shower and feeling the warm water hit your back. Just that alone was enough to put you back to sleep. As you ran your hands through your hair, you thought about tonight. You had checked the sheet last night—segment seven. You’ll be posted near Gorilla for most of the show. Close enough to hear the crowd roar. Close enough to maybe—just maybe—catch a moment. You shake your head and chuckle. “I’m being delusional,” you say to yourself. After a quick (more like 20 minute) shower, you step out of the tub and wrap yourself in a warm towel. You pick up your phone from the counter and check the time—7:45 AM. You have about 30 minutes to get ready. With a sigh, you set your phone down and rush out of the bathroom, kneeling in front of your suitcase.

A vintage band tee you swear is almost as old as you, and a pair of black skinny jeans. Perfect.

You quickly blow-dry your hair and pull it into a high ponytail. You’re not much of a makeup wearer, but you apply a bit of light foundation and mascara, along with a soft brown eyeshadow—not too much, but just enough to be noticeable.

After slipping into a pair of black boots, you grab your backstage lanyard and your bag, packed with just the essentials: your laptop, a pen and notepad, your wallet, and some old chewing gum you probably should’ve thrown out months ago. You take one last glance around the hotel room to make sure you didn’t forget anything, then head out, the door clicking shut behind you. The hallway is quiet, dimly lit by early morning light spilling in through the narrow windows at the far end. You press the elevator button and shift your weight, the nerves you’ve been pushing down starting to creep in.

It’s just another show, you remind yourself. You’ve done this a hundred times. But your stomach still flips a little when you remember whose match you’ll be cueing tonight.

CM Punk.

The elevator dings, and you step in, smoothing down your shirt and adjusting your lanyard as the doors close. The ride is short, but it gives you just enough time to psych yourself up. Be cool. Be professional. Don’t let the fact that you’ve had a crush on the guy for over a year turn you into a mess when he walks by. Again.

Outside, the late summer air is warm but breezy, the city of Cincinnati already starting to come to life. You walk the few blocks to the U.S. Bank Arena, the weight of your bag slung over your shoulder and the comforting hum of traffic filling your ears.

When you reach the arena’s backstage entrance, you flash your credentials to security and step inside. The familiar scent of coffee, sweat, and stage equipment hits you instantly. You make your way down the long, concrete hallway toward the production area, offering quick nods and “mornings” to crew members, road agents, and techs as they pass. The show call sheet is already printed and taped to the wall near Gorilla—your name is next to segment seven.

Punk vs. Cody.

You swallow a lump in your throat and keep moving.

Just before you reach your usual setup, you hear a familiar voice from behind you.

"Morning, Jen."

You freeze for half a second before turning around. There he is—hoodie on, sleeves rolled up, a cup of coffee in hand and that unmistakable smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. His dark hair was pulled in a low short pony, two strands framing his face.

CM Punk.

You blink. "Morning," you manage, trying to sound casual.

He glances at the clipboard in your hand. “Running the cue for segment seven?”

You nod. “Yep. You and Cody tonight.”

Punk takes a sip of his coffee and leans casually against the wall. “Guess I better be on my best behavior, huh?”

You smile, raising an eyebrow. “That’d be a first.”

He laughs—low and genuine—and you feel your chest tighten slightly.

“Well,” he says, straightening up, “if I mess up, at least I know who to blame.”

Before you can respond, he gives you a playful wink and walks off down the hallway, leaving you standing there, heart racing and suddenly very, very awake.

As he walks down the hallway, presumably towards catering, you’re standing there, completely in awe. Was that flirting? you thought to yourself. Your face feels warm, and you quickly glance around to make sure no one noticed how flustered you are. Thankfully, the hallway is mostly empty—just a couple of crew members wheeling lighting rigs past, too busy to notice the girl standing there, blinking like she just got hit with a steel chair to the feelings.

You shake your head, trying to snap out of it. Get it together, Jenny. You’ve got a show to run.

Still, as you turn and head back toward the production area, clipboard in hand, you can’t wipe the stupid grin off your face. CM Punk—straight-edge, sarcastic, ridiculously cool CM Punk—just winked at you. Joked with you. Maybe even flirted with you.

You try not to read too much into it. He’s friendly with everyone. He jokes around a lot. Doesn’t mean anything... right?

Right.

Before you can spiral into thinking about it further, you hear your name being called from behind.

“Jenny!”

You turn around to see your coworker Sarah strutting toward you, a cup of coffee in hand and her ever-perfect ponytail swishing behind her. Sarah was… everything you sometimes wished you could be. Tall, effortlessly pretty, all legs and lashes. Blonde bombshell, piercing blue eyes. Maybe 115 pounds soaking wet, standing at 5'6". You’re pretty sure she had a new guy every other week—and not just from catering.

“Hey, Jen,” she calls again, finally reaching you with a bright, blinding smile. “You look nice today. Cute shirt.”

You glance down at your old Rush tee. It’s not exactly high fashion, but the compliment still makes you feel a little less invisible. “Thanks,” you reply, trying to sound casual.

“Did you get the notes in yet for segment seven?”

You blink, snapping out of your CM Punk-induced haze. “Oh—yeah. I just updated the formatting notes and sent them to Gorilla and the truck.”

“Cool,” she says, tapping a few things into her phone. "so how are you and John?"

John.

Your now ex boyfriend who works in catering.

"we uh...we broke up," you say, awkwardly rubbing your shoulder.

Sarah glances up from her phone, squinting slightly. "Oh, i'm sorry to hear that. You, okay? You look... flushed.”

You shake your head quickly. “I’m good. Just—y’know. Morning rush.”

She shrugs, unconvinced but too busy to dig. “Alright, just don’t forget Punk’s music cue comes off a hot segment. You’ve got like five seconds to fire it, or the truck will panic.”

“Got it,” you say, already flipping through your notes.

Sarah gives a quick nod, then heads off down the hallway toward Cody’s locker room.

You exhale, pressing your clipboard to your chest.

It’s fine. Everything’s under control.

Sort of.

Later that afternoon, the arena was slowly coming to life. Rigging was set, lighting tests were halfway done, and crew members moved with purpose, checking cables and adjusting monitors as pyro rehearsals went off in the distance with loud, echoing bursts.

You’re standing off to the side near Gorilla, flipping through your updated call sheet, a half-eaten bagel in your other hand. Segment notes, timing cues, adjusted graphics—your brain is spinning with details. The morning had been a nonstop blur, and this was the first real break you’d had all day. Snagging a moment to eat, even if it was just half a bagel, felt like a small but well-earned victory. You took another bite of the bagel, eyes still scanning your notes for the fifth time when you hear a familiar voice behind you.

“Please tell me I’m still in segment seven and they didn’t move me again.”

You turn to see Cody Rhodes walking toward you, gear bag slung over his shoulder and a slightly exasperated look on his face. You quickly wipe the bagel crumbs from your mouth, before giving him a small smile.

“You’re still in seven, don’t worry. You and Punk—same timing, just a little tighter now because Miz and Morrison’s segment got bumped.”

He lets out a dramatic sigh, dropping his bag onto a crate. “Figures.”

You laugh, offering him the last piece of your bagel. “Welcome to Monday Night RAW.”

He grins, waving it off. “Thanks, but I’m trying not to carb-load today. Gotta stay pretty.”

You roll your eyes. “You wrestle. What is one bite of an everything bagel gonna do?”

Cody leans back against the wall, chuckling. “True. So, who’s cueing the entrance tonight? You?”

“Yep,” you say, holding up the clipboard. “I’ll be at Gorilla, making sure your entrance doesn’t crash and burn.”

“Sounds good,” he says with a wink, then looked toward the curtain. “Punk know about the time shift yet?”

“He does. I told him earlier.”

Cody nods slowly. “Cool. He’s been in his head lately. Just want to make sure he’s good.”

You raise a brow. “In his head?”

Cody shrugs. “Y’know. Quiet. Even more than usual. He’ll be fine. He always is.”

You make a mental note of that. Punk didn’t seem off earlier—but then again, he was always a little hard to read.

“Well,” Cody says, pushing off the wall, “guess I’ll go find something to do before someone moves me to segment twelve.”

“Don’t jinx it,” you call after him as he walks away, waving.

You turn back to your clipboard and take a sip of lukewarm coffee from your paper cup. You… genuinely like Cody. He’s strong, handsome, sometimes full of himself, but a genuinely nice guy beyond the ring. Did you ever imagine going out with him? Definitely not. But as a friend, you appreciate having someone solid to rely on.

Then there’s Punk.

He’s a different kind of energy—intense, sharp, magnetic in a way that both excites and terrifies you. He’s unpredictable, never quite giving you the full picture, like he’s guarding something you wish you could understand. And when he looks at you—really looks—you feel like the world shrinks just enough to make your heart race and your thoughts scatter.

You catch yourself wondering if he notices how, you watch him, or if you’re just another face in the crowd.

No. Not just another face.

April 2023

In the quiet between pure night and early dawn Dominik can’t help but watch Rhea sleep stretched across their hotel bed, the slightly older woman fast asleep with a steady rise and fall of her shoulders, the blankets tangled around her, her dyed black hair inky against the crisp white of the pillows. Sitting in the high backed chair, he rested his chin on his hands, elbows on his knees, as he leaned forward and studied her. When the sun rose they had things to do, but this little moment right now, was his alone. He could plan and plot and choose the night's festivities - but he wanted to just watch his little masterpiece sleep. A true work of art once he’d managed to break down her barriers and gain her trust. His mean little brat, who needed someone in control, he had been more than happy to take the reins for her. A smile pulled on his face as he thought about the twisting game he’d played to get to this moment… 

August 2022

He’d known about Rhea Ripley for some time. But seeing her in the flesh gave him goosebumps of the best kind. She was feral and wild in the way caged animals were. He loved it. The problem was even from his distance he could see how alone she was, the only time she even remotely lit up was in the presence of Damian Priest, and while that made Dominik’s curiosity about her flare, he’d heard all the rumors. He’d also heard the end of her discussions with other females, she’d get snappy and closed off. He’d read the online talk about her (he was often looking out for things his haters would use against him, like the fact that he was builtfat and not one hundred percent muscle like Theory), and he hated how he could tell even from watching her across arenas she let the way those trolls talked about her sneak into her mind and tear her apart. The thing was, he could see, even before they were on the same roster, that she was meant to be more. His father always said he picked impossible goals.

He made Rhea Ripley his goal - either a conquest, a lover, or a friend. He wanted to possess some part of the powerful woman who would have undoubtedly made Chyna proud. It’s an accident, really, (a well-planned one) that allows him to catch her in the gym of their hotel in the early morning light, the frustration and overexertion on her behalf echos the pain he once felt - when he was a teenager and brutally teased for not being more like his father, for not looking like the other football players, for being too tall to be hispanic (whatever the fuck that meant). “Hey, Ripley.” She jolted and turned to look at him, “Wanna beat something up that might hit you back?” He watched her appraise him - before nodding. It’s the start of something, admittedly not the something he so desperately wanted - but something just the same. It becomes a habit, if they are in the same hotel, they find each other between two and three in the morning, and beat the shit out of each other - never going for faces, but leaving the impact bruises just the same. 

While they hit and spar, he draws her out of her comfort zone in another way. Dominik knows he’s got all the charm his father never uses correctly, he also knows there is a darkness inside of him, steadily growing, that he doesn’t mind. It only takes him two weeks to learn she’s forgetful for being a gym rat. She forgets protein, water, workout towels, and changes of clothes - she forgets the step that comes out after working your muscles to jello. But it works in his favor, his gym bag gets heavier, with the additions he makes, but seeing her shy smile as he offers her whatever it is she’s forgotten is worth it. August is a fantastic month, at least behind the scenes, they slowly share about their families - his hatred of being a nepobaby and the fact that everyone assumes he’s going to be Rey Mysterio 2.0, when in reality he wants to be more like Eddie Guerrero, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Raven, Undertaker - he wants to be the bad guy, and he knows he can do it, feels it in his soul, resonates in his very core. August in the ring is different - The Judgment Day are a pain in Rey Mysterio’s ass, they are a whirlwind of promised violence, and Dominik get’s it, all three of them are fighting demons, but they aren’t open about it. Dominik’s own relationship with his father is deteriorating - but that might have something to do with the almost arrest for Domestic Violence - Dominik’s not about to dwell on it. 

It’s late in the gym, mid-August, now that Rhea is officially back on the roster and in the ring, their routine has shifted slightly. They meet around midnight, and they avoid making eye contact at work. Not because he wouldn’t meet her gaze, but because she’s distracted. There are whispers (WWE superstars are the worst rumor mill he’s ever seen) that she’s having problems with her AEW boyfriend, it makes him wrinkle his nose. He’s never been a fan of Buddy, and they’d had a storyline together before that hadn’t ended all that well. Dominik grew irritated when Rhea missed three workouts with him - and had to remind himself that he didn’t own her yet. The third week in August brought Alexa Bliss of all people pounding her way into his hotel room, unapologetically at almost one in the morning, “I need your help.” Was all she’d said, before snagging his wrist and dragging him out of his room toward the elevator, “She said you were helping her, before.” Alexa continued, “I fucking hate that tool, he just…” She pushed the L button on the column in the elevator, “He cheated on her.” Dominik, somewhere between sleep drunk and confused, wasn’t prepared for the sight that greeted him when Alexa drugged him into the gym. Rhea was on her knees by the weight bench, her forehead pressed into the seat, clearly sobbing so hard she couldn’t breathe, Dominik knew the signs of an impending panic attack, “She said you helped her before.” Alexa snapped at him.

It got him into action, he moved swiftly if not disjointed from sleep, to drop onto the floor next to Rhea, and haul her into his lap, a messy tangle of arms and limbs - she tried to fight him off at first, but Dominik was stronger, not that anyone would notice that about him. He managed to coil her up in his grip, tucking her head under his chin, then with a sharp exhale, carefully rose from his knees, balancing himself the best he could, “Get her bag.” He told Alexa, “And come on.” The small blonde did what he asked, having to almost run to keep up with him, as he headed back toward the elevator, softly promising Rhea she was safe under his breath, and that he was going to take care of her. Alexa slid into the elevator a beat after he did, and then they headed for the seventh floor, “Thank you, for coming to get me, Bliss.” He offered, as he stepped off, still cradling Rhea, “After you put her bag in my room you can take off.” He offered, giving no room for argument.

Alexa looked a bit miffed, but offered a quick, “She’s rooming with Liv, I’ll let Liv know she’s with you, just so she doesn’t worry, ok?” Dominik frowned as he realized one, they’d left his hotel door open, and two, Rhea had been so upset she’d opted to room with Liv instead of sleeping alone and he hadn’t known. No matter, she’d be in his bed tonight, and the foreseeable future if he got his way - and he was good at that, “Dominik, ok?” Alexa pressed, clearly a little worried about his answer. 

“That’s fine.” He laid Rhea on his bed, carefully, then turned and took her bag from Alexa, “Tell Liv not to bother us until nine ish, I’m going to order some food, and see if I can’t get her to shower and talk to me.” Alexa flicked her gaze between them, Rhea had calmed down the moment he squeezed her to his chest, so he was confident she felt safe enough with him. Alexa surprised him by diving into his arms and hugging him around his middle, “Her boyfriend is a piece of shit.” Dominik offered, as he kissed Alexa’s head, and untangled her arms from him. Alexa raised a brow at him and looked like she wanted to say something, but opted not to, she looked at Rhea’s form again (she was at least breathing calmly), then nodded her head and slipped out. Dominik made sure the door behind her was shut and locked, before he turned to look at Rhea himself, “You’ve been ignoring me.”

Her face was a mask of anguish and confusion, “I…”

“You won’t do it again.” Dominik told her calmly, “Why did Alexa have to come get me?”

Rhea pushed up to sit, her breathing hitching just a bit, apparently the change in his tone from soft and reassuring with Alexa, to demanding and charged with Rhea had been noticed by the beautiful tear stained creature in his bed. “It uh…” She wouldn’t meet his gaze, and that wouldn’t do. He made his way back across the room, standing and towering over her, he used his pointer finger to force her chin up, her crystal like blue eyes were red rimmed and clearly unsure, as she met his gaze, “Buddy cheated on me.” She forced the words out, her chest heaving as she said it, “With that… with his… with his stablemate.” Dominik’s heart clenched a little bit, he’d never understood Buddy but that girl in the AEW had nothing on Rhea. On the bed, Rhea had drawn her knees up to her chest, and had pressed her face down into her knees, and was softly sniffling.

“He is a complete idiot, and you broke up with him, right.” Dominik was trying to coax her to stand, “Why don’t you take a nice warm shower, querida, and let me get you something to eat, you can sleep in here with me tonight?” While it was posed like a question, he could tell when she realized it wasn’t. She nodded her head twice, and let him manhandle her off the bed and into the bathroom - he could have given her clothes from her bag, instead he dug out a clean pair of his boxers and one of his softest old football shirts, he waited until he heard her under the spray of the water to put the clothes on the counter. Buddy was an issue - and someday he’d take care of that over muscled piece of shit - but the man had unwittingly helped Dominik, so maybe he’d send him a thank you card of some sort. He ordered ice cream and dessert because he’d helped Aalyah through more than one bad breakup (ironically he’d shared ice cream with her the night she realized Buddy was never going to take her seriously, and that her crush on him was completely one-sided), and set about building a fort out of the spare blankets he always asked for - less for comfort and more because his father often bothered him in the early hours of the morning looking for a quilt or another comforter. To be safe, Dominik hung the do not disturb sign on the outside of the door - it was something he and Rey had agreed on after his last relationship ended. Rey wouldn’t bother him (and his conquest) when it was on the door.

Rhea emerged from a pool of smoke in the bathroom doorway, backlit by the dim lights of the overhead fluorescents on the mirror she looked ethereal - a bit water logged, but dressed in clothes that belonged to him, that no doubt smelled like him, she looked a lot like she belonged. 

Honestly, Dominik had never witnessed something so beautiful. They spent the night talking about failed relationships and eating the desserts that room service delivered, before the pair crashed out just after five in the morning, Rhea curled up in his arms, in the fort he’d built for them. They woke up to Liv Morgan’s voice - “WE ARE GOING TO MISS OUR FLIGHT BEEBS!” She shouted, and pounded. It was a mad dash to get dressed - Dominik just ended up throwing a pair of his sweets and a hoodie at Rhea, the pair both dressed as casually as they dared. Rhea’s clothes from the night before ended up in Dominik’s luggage, as the pair rushed out of the room and almost knocked Liv down - Dominik caught sight of Rey’s disapproving look from the elevator, as it closed.

“I uh, guess I should mention, I’m not the most adult human at getting to locations…” Dominik watched as Rhea sized him up, before nodding her head, grabbing her suitcase from Liv, and taking off for the next elevator. Dominik shot Liv a wink, the older woman snickered, even as Dominik caught up to Rhea, “Maybe you could be my travel partner? We already work out together…” Rhea shot him a disbelieving look, “Come on, you’d be doing me a favor, I’m helpless.” He pulled out the pouting lip and puppy dog eyes.

“Fine.” Rhea offered, then looked at Liv, “Are you ok with going back to traveling with Raquel?” Liv nodded her head, eyes going between the two of them, “It seems I’ve landed myself a new partner in crime.” It was that sentence that got Dominik thinking about it - he wanted to go heel, he’d talked to Vince about it only to be shot down, but he hadn’t tried his luck at Hutner. Smiling to himself as they rushed to board the plane - Liv and Rhea were sitting together, as Dominik dropped into the seat next to Rey, who was still giving him those dark looks. Yeah, his dad wasn’t an idiot, and would more than likely try to remind him that fucking business partners never ended well for anyone involved, but Dominik wanted, needed to captivate Rhea Ripley, needed to keep her on a metaphorical leash at his side, needed to apply just the right pressure to keep her exactly where he wanted her - and the best way to do that? Play dirty, innocently of course.

The next two weeks - through Clash at the Castle are messy. Really it can be summarized into three categories. 

One, Dominik and Rhea work well as travel partners, something Hunter was initially confused about, but now he’s just glad that Dominik is on time to things. Two, Hunter green-lit the betrayal and now Dominik is in The Judgement Day, which means he’s with Rhea Ripley all the time, even on their days off, because he’s helping her move her belongings (along with Damian and Finn) out of the house she shared with Buddy and ironically into Dominik’s San Diego house, it’s a lot of loading furniture, belongings and jazz in Tampa and shipping it via POD across country. Her pets are a bit of an issue in the onset, but Dominik came through to help her with that too, convincing Aalyah to not only watch over them, but handle the movers bringing Rhea’s things into his house. Sometimes, Dominik caught Damian watching him, and wondered if the older man knew exactly what game Dominik was playing. 

The third biggest hurdle came in the dynamic - the Judgment Day had been Finn, Rhea, and Damian against Edge for a bit; now with Dominik added in, he and Rhea agree for the kayfabe she’s got to be the aggressor (her eyes were huge and she immediately spiraled into a loop of I don’t wanna hurt you, you're my friend, this seems messy only to be silenced with Dominik promising he wouldn’t let it go too far), he and Damian work out a sibling like relationship quickly enough (one that rivals Eddie and Rey, and it’s sweet, sweet justice to see Rey’s face hurt by it sometimes), with Finn it’s both easier and harder, Finn becomes his surrogate father for the dynamic - and that’s the end of those struggles. 

September 2022

“Hey, Rips.” Dominik called as he dropped into the seat next to her on the plane, “You forgot this.” He handed her the new anime she was reading, technically she’d left it on the bedside table of the hotel and he’d have been able to return it before then, but watching her light up like a candle on a red-eye was worth it. It’s been less than two weeks since he was unveiled as the newest member of Judgment Day, everything Rhea owns is tucked away in his house, Aalyah is the most competent dog sitter ever, sending multiple updates a day on Berry and Luna, Dominik’s conquest to be in Rhea’s bed nightly has been successful. There is nothing they don’t share, the shock that it’s only been a month is enough proof to him that Rhea needs him as much as he deserves her, and honestly… They are dynamite together and he’s yet to get her naked, so he’s going to assume it might be death for them both when they do finally cross that barrier, although right now he’s hovering somewhere between best friend and crush, he can tell by how her body responds to him. 

“Thanks, Dom Dom.” She was instantly flipping the book open and back to reading, now curled into his side just enough to be comfortable, he let his hand span over her upper thigh - another thing he’d been tentatively adding to their standard relationship - touching her with no alternative motive. She twitched under him, but nuzzled closer. It started with sharing the bed, if he were being honest, from the night Alexa came and got him. He’d tucked her in, and held her just to keep her close, after that once they were approved road partners, he’d started soft touches, gentle pats to her side, rubs of her shoulders, his hands on her lower back, leaning into her when she was talking, kissing her cheek more than once, stuff that could be construed as friendly, but left an underlying notion of decidedly more. He’d learned how much she missed her family in Australia and had secretly purchased them a small nine-day vacation there (getting Hunter’s approval). He’d gently started reminding her to take care of herself a little bit better, just soft things, he’d even taken to packing their belongings into one rolling suitcase and one backpack - Rhea had been confused until Dom had offered, we share a room, a rental, and plane rides - might as well share luggage. He knew Damian had clocked the change, but the older man had yet to pull him aside and talk to him - Damian had his hands full with Finn as far as Dominik could tell. 

“When we land,” Dominik cleared his throat to get her attention, “We are going to the room first.” She bobbed her head in agreement, “Once we put our stuff down we can either explore, meet up with Damo and Finn, go to the gym or nap.” He’d also learned Rhea liked having choices - not endless options, when presented with the phrase you can do whatever you wanna do she froze up completely, overwhelmed with too many choices. Damian, when Dominik wasn’t nearby, seemed apt to answer for her, he was there to guide her, and Dominik’s worries about their relationship had changed in the last month - they weren’t lovers of any nature, they were twin flames, yes, but platonically. Rhea and Damian were two halves of a whole, and filtered between codependent and each other's biggest fans - he and Finn were quickly becoming that  as well. “Which would work best for you?” It also helped if Dominik phrased it as some sort of goal oriented trade off.

Rhea looked up from her book, contemplatively - he liked her best like this, no makeup, her dark hair sort of falling in her face, all of her jewelry in, his clothes on her frame, while he waited for her answer, he squeezed her thigh comfortingly, “I think it would be fun to do something with Damo and Finn, they landed last night right?” Dominik nodded his head, “Want me to text them and see about grabbing something to eat when we land?”

“That’s a good idea.” Dominik ducked to kiss her shoulder, affectionately, even as she smiled at him, “And, querida, are you cold? Do you need my jacket to rest on or?”

“I’m ok, Dom Dom, thanks.” She breathed out, then flicked her gaze around them, “Can I read some more?” They were in first class, with a divider between them, and still as close as they possibly could be. Dominik nodded his head, and smiled to himself as he watched her start reading again, she’d tucked one knee up into the seat with her, he stretched his arm around her shoulders, moving his hand from his thigh, to fan out over her collarbone, she shivered, he smirked to himself - another thing about his beautiful little conquest, she was touch-starved in a way he hadn’t expected. He’d seen her interact with different levels of affection with other people, but when it came to significant one-on-one touch, she was lacking. He had decided to fix that - and ignore the growing issues with his father (Rey had called Rhea a passing phase). 

He’s been contemplating the best way to kiss her - the intricacies of when to do it, and how to do it. Realistically she’s not completely over the minefield left behind by Buddy, and it’s a big one - Dominik has been slowly and dedicatedly reassuring her that she is delicious and perfect the way she is, complimenting her on the small things (her pretty eyes, her ring awareness, her creative pins, the way she operates in the ring, her goddamn character work - which is frankly amazing), and the big things (how her clothes always fit her perfectly, how she always seems put together, and how she always takes care of everything domestic). So, back to the kissing - while she was growing stronger in her own ways, he was contemplating when it would be a good idea to cage her in and kiss her - ultimately he’s going to have to talk to Damian about it, because if anyone has any idea it’s him - but another part of him thinks it would be best to do it quietly, surprisingly. 

Somehow time marches on, easily and irritatingly. They make it almost to the end of September, with him steadily growing stronger in The Judgment Day (the fans fucking hate him which makes him smirk, the darkness in him seems to feed off the boos and jeers at his nature, the darkness always seems the most content when Rhea’s asleep next to him in bed - when he can study her form, and decide his next subterfuge of affection to secure her place next to his side, indefinitely). The kiss he’d been so worried about, handles itself, ironically. They’d just finished up a RAW taping - they’d kicked AJ’s butt, and had Edge challenge them to an I Quit Match, Rhea was giggling and happy, as she darted into his arms - freshly showered, Dominik caught her as she launched upward, and she still laughing pressed a kiss to his lips, his body reacted on instinct, he coiled his arm under her butt to hold her steady, and let his other hand move to cup the side of her neck, squeezing lightly, her arms had wound around him, legs around him, she seemed unsure as she pulled back eyes wide, “Bésame, otra vez, chica bonita.” She looked at him confused, “I’m going to teach you Spanish if it kills me.” He vowed, “I said, kiss me again, pretty girl…” Rhea blushed, Dominik took three large steps, to press Rhea’s back into the concrete blocks of the arena, and pressed his lips more firmly against hers - it’s not a french kiss, but it is a demanding press of lips. 

Damian cleared his throat, Finn on his back, the larger man rolling their suitcases, “Are you two ready, we have a flight to catch.” Dominik nodded, he didn’t let Rhea down, instead he shifted her to one of his hips, and grabbed the backpack and rolling suitcase handle, trailing along behind Damian, “So, we are flying back to Tampa where are you two headed?”

“I’m taking Rhea home.” Dominik couldn’t stop the possessive lit in his voice, Finn twisted to look at him a bit amazed he was being that bold, “We both wanna play with the dogs, and I think Rhea might want to unpack her stuff the rest of the way.” Dominik looked at Rhea, who nodded her head, and pressed her nose into his cheek, breathing out against his jaw. Dominik tilted enough to kiss her lips again, smiling into it, “And maybe I can show you around San Diego a bit.” He whispered, a plan already forming - he had a handful of friends she should meet, the main one however was his best friend - which was bound to cause a bit of tension, seeing as his best friend was female, but he’d drop that bomb on Rhea, later.

They said goodbye to Damian and Finn at the airport - the men headed for a Delta flight to Tampa, while they were headed for an United flight to San Diego. They changed planes once in one of the middle states, before landing in the early morning. Dominik let Rhea nap in the passenger seat, while he called Cat to let her know they had landed - he had arranged for her to drop off groceries and other provisions for them to be there three days, Cat was also supposed to pick up Aalyah, so when they reached Dominik’s house the only creatures to greet them would be the dogs. He also confirmed that she’d swing by later in the day for him to visit with his god-son, and that she’d dropped off all the roses he’d asked for. Honestly, Cat was the best friend he’d ever had, her husband, his other best friend, was in the Army and overseas more often than not. Cat promised she’d done everything he’d asked, which made him chuckle - when Aalyah had been called away from his house, Cat and Alexander had been more than happy to play with Luna and Berry. 

Dominik had carried Rhea in when they made it, because she was fast asleep - his poor little nightmare had worn herself out. He tucked her in and set about arranging the house the way he needed it - putting the roses evenly in every room, so no matter where she looked there would be red, white and black roses arranged in pretty splays. Then he focused on making breakfast for the pair of them, and starting laundry. Rhea woke up about two hours after they arrived, to find him folding their clothes in the living room with Xander playing with both Berry and Luna, Cat had returned because Dominik had a slight emergency - there were no paper towels in the house, Cat had begrudgingly bought some and brought them over, “You must be Rhea!” Cat smiled warmly, “I’m Cat, and that’s Xander. I’m married to Dom’s best friend Robbie.” She explained and warmly hugged Rhea, Dominik watched the way Rhea tensed for a moment but hugged back, “You're more beautiful in person.” She smiled up at Rhea, “And we are going to take our leave, because I know for a fact you’ve missed your furbabies, Xan, come on baby.” Dominik hugged his nephew and watched him run for his mom - three was a fun age, Cat scooped him up, “Oh, I almost forgot, you're going to be an uncle again, but I haven’t told Robbie yet.” She shot Dominik a smile, “So don’t go telling on me, he’s supposed to be home for the next Premium Live Event, and I think we are coming.” She grinned at him.

Dominik thanked her as he showed her out, then doubled back to find Rhea still standing stock-still from the hug Cat had given her, “That was…” Rhea trailed off, “I’m confused.”

Dominik laughed, “Cat and Robbie are my best friends, Xander is my nephew.” He said evenly, “When Aalyah can’t watch Berry and Luna they do.” He added, “For a while when I first started on the road, she lived here, because Robbie hadn’t been in long for them to have regular base housing, now she and Aalyah live together.” He explained, before looking at Rhea up and down, “Did you sleep good?” She nodded sheepishly, “I made you breakfast, and I finished the laundry, once you’ve eaten and had something to drink, I’ll give you a real tour and then we can work out.” She hugged her dogs for what felt like hours, eating her food as she rubbed their bellies and kissed their snouts. Dominik grinned, he’d shown her a bit of how he was with small creatures, now seeing her with the dogs - he knew he was right. Rhea was his match, now just to get her to agree… For the first time, that afternoon she allowed him to choose their sparing workout, and they might not have pulled the punches, bruising and marking each other up - but there was the added bonus of making out. 

From their sparring session they create a flexible workout, something that both of them can work well within, and that will work well on the road. Dominik hangs on Rhea’s every word, she knows more about fitness than he’s ever cared to learn - he exercises as needed, but she’s a devotee, and he’d be willing to bet that was due in large to Buddy, but now it’s a benefit for them both. The design works them out in a comfortable way, and allows for modifications in weights and rep count, but mostly it allows him to get closer to her, breathing in the sweet scent of her sweat, breathing in her prowess as she works - if ever Dominik were to be addicted to something, he has no doubt it is Rhea Ripley as his kryptonite, the kisses are rewards, and they fluctuated between soft presses of lips, to the harsh bite of teeth and the slide of tongues against one another. September ends, much like it begins, with him confidently melding into not only The Judgment Day but Rhea.

October 2022

October is the significant change - Dominik, while obviously devoted to Rhea, has been more than the driving force behind her violence. Back when they started this, he’d been the one to tell Rhea to make the abuse believable, from her choking him out in the ring, to him encouraging her to make him bleed before Clash at the Castle. Now he’s encouraging her violence against others, not that the outside world really knew that. Reddit has named him subbyDom and while he finds it funny, it couldn’t be further from the truth. The Judgment Day is more than gaining real traction and are actively feuding with not only Rey and Edge, but with the OC thanks to AJ Styles - actually most of the roster (except the Bloodline) are apt to want to kick them down a few pegs. 

Rhea, his little demon, is growing more and more confident - she’s blooming loudly and violently on camera. It’s behind the scenes that Dominik is living for, the moment the cameras are off she’s looking at him with big eyes, “Was that good, Dom?” 

While he hates the question, he always responds positively, painting compliments from nothing, and wrapping them around her. In return she offers him comfort, promises him the boos will subside eventually, but they both know that’s not going to happen anytime soon. Rey, while not one hundred percent understanding of Dominik’s recent bout of choices, is at least understanding of the fact that Dominik and Rhea are something, although he does continue to bring up the ‘mixing pleasure and business is bad’ almost weekly, his father is nothing if not consistent. Aalyah and Cat have wormed their way into Rhea’s life too, with text messages and picture messages, and updates on the dogs - Cat going as far as to send Rhea chocolates and small gifts every now and then - Rhea even has gifts from Xander. 

And Dominik? He’s upped his game.

On camera Rhea’s the one with hands on him, guiding. Back stage, the moment the cameras are off, Dominik backs her into the nearest dark hallway or corner, to press kiss her senseless, he’s patient and understanding but demanding and always has a hand on her. Under his touch she flourishes, she smiles wider, she blushes more, her laughter is back (according to Damian, Liv and Alexa). More than that, he’s taken over a bit more of her overall being - without meaning too, he’s not sure when it happened, but Rhea started asking him opinions on everything, he gives them happily, always eager to see how the choice being made for her seems to calm her down. He even learned to dye her roots for her, which was a fun experience that he’s sure he’s going to repeat multiple times. October also brings Rhea wearing more and more of his clothes - her room in San Diego remains unoccupied, as each trip back she attempts to sneakily put more of her belongings into his room, like he wouldn’t invite her if she asked - but he’s sure she’s not going to ask, so after the Halloween RAW, he holds her tight in the hotel room, pinning her against the door, “Rhea.”

“Dom?” She sounded worried, like she was in trouble.

“Why don’t we stop pretending, you should move into my bedroom at home.” He kept his gaze on her, voice steady, “You belong in my bedroom at home, at our home, do you understand?”

“Yes.” She started to look away but he caught her chin, “Dom?”

“You like how I take care of you, don’t you?” He could hear the danger bleeding into his tone, but didn’t bother to pull it back, she nodded her head quickly, “You want me to keep taking care of you, Demi?” He used her legal name which made her eyes widen, her pretty mouth opened in a shocked ‘o’, but she nodded, “Then you need to tell me when you want things, cariño, do you understand.” She nodded again, “I want you to say it, Rhea.” 

“I understand, Dom.” She whispered, eyes still wide, “I want… I want you to take care of me.”

“What else?” He pressed closer, pushing his chest to hers, caging her in.

“I want to be in your bedroom at the house, uh, at our house.” Her eyes widened a little more as she said it, Dominik rewarded her with a kiss that promised more if she were interested. She pulled back after a moment, exhaling sharply to look up at Dominik with a determined sheen to her eyes, “I want… I want you.” She said evenly, “I want…” She bit at her bottom lip.

Dominik had been waiting for this moment - three months of working hard, he knew he’d have more work to put in, but for a captivating demon like Rhea, he was willing to work his whole life to keep his prize with him, “Want me to what cariño?” He asked, curiously, daring her to tell him.

She flicked her gaze away, face flushing red, “I wanna be yours.” She finally pushed out, “Damian told me, he mentioned…” She trailed off, “You wanna keep me, right?”

Dominik would need to talk to Damian, but he dipped forward to kiss her again, “I want to keep you, I want you to be mine, but I want to be yours, too.” He promised her, “So, if you're interested, I’d like to show you all the perks of being mine.”  Rhea gazed up at him, as he towered a bit over her, still pressed impossibly close, her eyes had narrowed, like she was working out the layers to his statement - and there were many. Dominik had basically asked her to be his, to let him own her in a way that was probably scary, and in the same breath he’d propositioned her, he tilted to the side and flicked his gaze back toward the bed, “We can go at your pace, Rhea.” He promised, evenly, “I will never make you do something you don’t want to do, and I will never hurt you intentionally. I’m not you're past relationships, and I have no intention of becoming one.”

She licked her lips, biting into her bottom one, as she eyed him critically, “Forever then?”

“I would like forever, but I’ll settle for right now.” He offered, watching her carefully, she was breaking down in front of him, “Rhea, let me take care of you.” The power was racing up his spine, the darkness, he could feel it in his voice, in the way she trembled against him, how she pressed even closer, clearly fighting with herself, “Demi,” He said her name with emphasis, “Let me take care of you, I’ve always taken care of you, remember in July when you started to work out again, but no one wanted to spar with you because they weren’t sure about you're injury.” He touched her jaw, “I offered, didn’t I? I just want the best for you.” He assured her, “Let me give you my best, please?”

There was a stretch of silence between them, before she nodded her head, he narrowed his eyes at her and started to remind her to use her words, but she was quick to say, “I want that, I want, I want you.” She rolled her shoulders a bit, “Can we… can we do that now?” 

Check-mate. Dominik grinned, “Of course we can, cariño, I’ve been dying to put my hands and my lips and my tongue on you…” The statement made her giggle and flush again, even as Dominik softly backed off of her, and tugged her a little toward him, but away from the doorway, “But we have plans with our friends for clubbing, so it’s going to have to wait, baby.” Her pout should frankly be illegal but they do have plans with Liv, Damian, Finn, Raquel, Alexa, Askua, Seth, Becky, and countless others. “When we get back, cariño, I promise to reward you, ok? But you put this pretty dress on, and you're legs are delicious, and you already have my jacket on, which makes me wanna pin you against every surface…” Dom had donned dark jeans and a deep blue button up for the night.

Rhea pouted on and off for the next three hours, but she had fun with Liv and Alexa, even with Becky - always finding Dominik’s eyes across the room. “She’s yours.” Damian sounded beside him, “I’ve never seen her trust like she does with you, so you either did something incredibly right, or there is something about you I am missing.” Dominik shrugged, “I approve, as long as you keep her happy and satiated.” Dominik could agree with that, as he turned to say as much to Damian he found the man gone. 

November and December 2022

Hunter wanted them to up the drama, so they did - with tapings and attacks on Rey. That wasn’t the only place things amped up, their relationship was now running steady and fast, really Dominik couldn’t wait to introduce her to his grandparents but because of the messy Christmas recordings he’d had to wait until almost New Years. He met her family in Australia not long after that, he’d won her mother over with his kindness and eager willingness to help her in the kitchen, he won her sister over with tales of Xan and the dogs back at home as well as pictures of him with Cat and Aalyah, her father was a tough cookie, but he managed to win Mr. Bennett over simply by being his usual possessive self when it came to Rhea, which involved him and Buddy getting into a bit of an altercation in Melbourne, but whatever, he’d handled it. After Christmas they’d spent a couple days with Cat and Aalyah, Dominik had watched Rhea like a hawk, there, he wanted to see how she interacted with his sister and his best friend, when she met Robbie in early January, the pair hit it off - her and Xan were never far apart, slowly Rey and Angie came around, and started to invite Rhea in more. Dominik knew he was in love with her when he caught her cooking with both his mother and abuela.

April, 2023

His thoughts were interrupted as Rhea twisted in the sheets. The sun was well and truly up now in California. They had had a long night, coming of WrestleMania with her winning her match, but him losing his - he was proud of her and had literal years to deal with his Rey-shaped feud - so proud they hadn’t made it out of the stadium before their night had started, with him pinning her against a wall, and slipping his hand down the back of her pants as he kissed her until she couldn’t breathe properly, before trailing his lips down her neck and biting hard, she’d cum the first time there. 

Panting and weak even as he’d half carried her to the rental SUV - they hadn’t perfected any sort of sex in the rentals yet, they were both tall and it was borderline uncomfortable, usually with a gear shifter in someone's back or thighs - it was a work in progress. They had, however, managed to successfully find dark corners in most of the arenas they worked in, to either fuck or play - Rhea liked wearing his bruises, and the cute little Mami collar she had started wearing the rings he had bought for her, well he’d bought about thirty since she had a habit of damaging them, or breaking them. 

He quickly climbed back into bed with her, not wanting her to wake up alone, he curled around her, and nuzzled into her short hair, “Good morning, sweetheart.” Dominik kissed her shoulder blades, Rhea grumbled in her sleep, she hated waking up, especially after a long night of work followed by what she lovingly called marathon sex, he double checked the bedside table to make sure her fruit punch gatorade and her favorite cookies (brought over from Australia) were within her reach, “You look beautiful in this light, baby.” He promised as he kissed her shoulders again. 

“Papi, let me sleep more.” She begged, even as his kisses turned harder, his hands which had been innocently rubbing her sides to wake her up, had trailed lower to rub her hips, “Paaaapi.” She whined, as he laughed, and rolled her over. “Dom-” He cut her off with a kiss.

“I love you.” He whispered into the kiss, “Mami, please, let me love you this morning.” He muttered even as he pressed more kisses to her face, “I promise to be soft.” He added when she let out another little whine, he drug his nose along her throat, biting over her pulsepoint, “We have to do press in a little bit, I don’t want you to stress too much while we are there…”