Work Text:
I know that you’re hiding something from me
That’s been close to your heart
“I haven’t seen you date anyone at all. So, what’s your type?”
The question was so simple but sudden, it caught her off guard. Sasha Banks quickly looked away from her tag team partner, Naomi Knight, who had asked her the innocent question in a teasing tone. Embarrassment welled up within her as she shifted in bed, and her stomach churned from anxiety. She and Naomi were both in colorful pajamas, laying in bed together in their shared hotel room after wrestling at a super show earlier in the evening.
“I guess I haven’t really thought about it much, I’ve just focused on wrestling for so long,” Sasha murmured in response.
Naomi giggled. “C’mon Sash! I’m sure you’ve thought about it. Tell me your type!”
Sasha breathed heavily, her lips curling into a shy smile. “OK… well, maybe someone who likes working out, like all of us. They need to have a nice body.”
“Girl, so many people work out. Any other qualities?” laughed Naomi.
“Mmm,” Sasha thought about this, glancing around, “Someone who has nice hair, who can dance, who’s funny and outgoing.”
She seemed to blurt out the rest of these traits as they popped up in her head.
Naomi smiled. “Good choices.”
“What about you?” Sasha asked quickly before Naomi could tease her any further.
Naomi tilted her head a bit. “I could roll with all of those qualities too.”
Sasha grinned. “But Becky can’t dance. She’s only funny sometimes and her hair misses the mark on most days.”
Sasha’s retort was greeted by a hearty laugh from Naomi. Sasha had known Naomi for years. Naomi welcomed her to the women’s locker room when she reached the main roster of WWE. She protected her from bullying and hazing. Along with Tamina, they formed the group Team B.A.D. but Sasha split away from the group to pursue a singles title. Naomi and Tamina expressed no issues with this at first but then they attacked her in the ring, and she was rescued by none other than Becky Lynch. All of their lives transformed so much in the ensuing years. In the past, Naomi called her selfish and she could admit, that she wasn’t wrong. Sasha was always deeply ambitious and had a thirst for gold that did sometimes ruin her personal relationships with others. But she realized that no one’s support was truly real; none of her fellow Horsewomen had any true intentions, they were just as selfish as she was. Becky saved her and defended her, but even she was obsessed with gold. Naomi sensed disrespect after everything she did to help Sasha acclimate to the bright lights of the main roster, and she even stooped so low as to harm Sasha for what she considered was betrayal. Things were different now. Or at least she thought they were. Naomi gave her a chance in the past few months, a chance for an opportunity for both of them to challenge for the Women’s Tag Team Championships. She would give her a chance too.
Sasha had been in the dark for way too long but she saw a light in Naomi. Naomi’s glow was alluring, captivating. After everything that transpired between them, Naomi showed her kindnesses that she thought she didn’t deserve. A genuine kindness she never thought she would see in another woman.
“Girl, I haven’t talked to Becky in over a year,” said Naomi, still laughing.
As Sasha re-entered Naomi’s life, she would peruse through her friend’s Instagram page, and she noticed that Becky was often liking or commenting on Naomi’s photos. Several years ago, many people wondered if Becky and Naomi were a couple. They were often seen together; Sasha remembered walking into the locker room and witnessing Becky sitting on a couch while Naomi’s head was in her lap. They never made their relationship “official” but all of the signs were there.
“Really? Because she’s all over your Instagram and Twitter pages,” said Sasha with a wry smile.
Naomi heard a hint of jealousy in Sasha’s tone. “What? You’ve noticed?”
Sasha shrugged. “It’s pretty obvious, she’s just always there and being annoying. I thought you two were still together…”
Naomi sighed. “We were never really together. Not the way you’re thinking of. We hung out, hooked up. It was fun while it lasted.”
Sasha raised an eyebrow and looked skeptically at her tag team partner.
“Honestly,” Naomi continued with a chuckle, “She was never my girlfriend. Even if she liked every tweet on my page, still doesn’t change that. I’m not with anyone.”
Naomi’s last statement made Sasha’s heart skip a beat. She loved to be around Naomi; they were so similar in many ways and Naomi was often bright, optimistic which softened Sasha’s natural inclinations. Sasha wanted to be vicious towards their opponents, Carmella and Queen Zelina, the current champions, but Naomi taught her that patience would be the most important for their teamwork. She was right.
Her company was much appreciated. She loved to have fun and convinced Sasha to do dance videos with her to upload to TikTok; she showed her that the wrestling world did not have to be about self-absorption and collecting more accolades than the next woman. Sasha felt light and happy in Naomi’s presence, for the first time since her best friend, Bayley, betrayed her. Previously, she was alone and paranoid, but now she felt hopeful.
But, she couldn’t shake another feeling that was growing within her. A feeling that sometimes felt like a pleasurable aching in the center of her chest when she was around Naomi. When Naomi would laugh at her jokes or press against her when they danced, that feeling intensified. Last night, she accidentally walked in on Naomi changing in their hotel room. She stood frozen, staring at her friend’s amazing, nude body for at least a second or more before realizing abruptly that she needed to give her privacy. She hurried to close the door again while Naomi made no attempt to cover herself. She just giggled and told her that it was OK to be in the room…
Naomi sat on a bench nearby a parking garage, waiting for her ride. Atop the luggage beside her were the gleaming, mirror-like tag team championship belts. She and Sasha won the titles at Wrestlemania this evening. Amid the frenzy at the commentator’s table and the roar of the crowd, Sasha practically collapsed in her arms with tears in her eyes as they both clutched their new championship belts. Naomi’s pleasant memory was interrupted by an SUV rolling up towards her and a whistling from a passenger in the car.
“Hey baby! Look at ya!”
She frowned as she looked up at the rolled down passenger window of a white, Range Rover SUV. The other windows were limo-tinted and seemed even darker this evening. Becky Lynch had called to her. There was someone wearing black aviator sunglasses and a black cuff beanie sitting next to Becky.
“Hey,” Naomi said simply, flashing a bright smile but also hoping that Becky would just go away.
“Look at you sitting there so beautiful with your new championship,” Becky stated, taking off her bright pink sunglasses while the person next to her chuckled, “Need a ride?”
Naomi, still smiling, shook her head. “No, I have a ride coming soon.”
Becky frowned, her brown eyes flashing, and then hurriedly got out of the car, the passenger beside her also got out of the car. Becky wore a long, white fur coat, brown leather pants and a white crop top, white platform heels; around her waist was the Raw women’s championship belt with standard side plates. Her fiery, orange hair contrasted in a clash against her outfit. Naomi realized that Becky’s companion was actually Bayley as the other woman approached. Bayley wore mostly black: a faded black crew sweatshirt, black leggings, black skate shoes. Her dark hair was still short, poking out from underneath her beanie. In comparison, Naomi wore a brilliant green tank top, cropped white jogger pants, and green sneakers that had lights in various colors in the soles. Her dark, wavy hair had a few streaks of green, and cascaded beautifully over her shoulders.
“C’mon love, don’t ya wanna celebrate your victory tonight with us?” offered Becky, then she hummed to herself as her eyes fell on Naomi’s cleavage.
Naomi eyed the Raw belt wrapped around Becky’s waist. “Becks… is that the toy replica title?”
Becky and Bayley both opened their mouths to speak but they were immediately silenced as another car slowly drove up beside them. If the driver did not leave them speechless, than this ultra luxury car did. It was a neon green, Lamborghini convertible, the Huracan EVO Fluo Capsule model. Sasha stopped the car and parked while Becky and Bayley stared at her in bewilderment. Sasha’s long hair was more of a teal blue this evening, and the ends of her tresses blended into a neon green, similar to the car’s color. Like Naomi, she was also dressed down in relaxed clothing: a black tank top, sweat pants with pink and green shapes and patterns, black Jordan brand basketball shoes. She armed herself with her “THE BLUEPRINT” knuckle rings before leaving the car, in case she was walking into an argument.
Bayley removed her sunglasses and whistled as her gaze traveled back and forth from Sasha and the Lamborghini. “Damn, looks like you’re doing well for yourself without me.”
Sasha ignored Bayley’s remark and looked at Naomi. “Ready to go?”
Naomi stood up from the bench and Becky interjected.
“Wait a moment, you girls should come hang out with us tonight,” she said loudly.
“Is that the toy belt?” Sasha asked with an incredulous look and a sharp cackle as she pointed at Becky’s waist.
“A fan gave this to me because she said I’ll always be her champion!” Becky shouted indignantly, “You may think I lost to Bianca last night but I actually won. The fans don’t recognize her as the champion. So, I won!”
Bayley nodded in approval and clapped briefly after Becky’s tirade. Sasha and Naomi exchanged looks and stifled their laughter.
“I’m pretty sure no fan said that but alright, girl,” Naomi muttered. Naomi was attracted to Becky in the past, but that past seemed so distant now. Becky’s transformation astounded her, the woman who stood before her was now a stranger. This heavily perfumed, fur coat-clad woman who carried a toy championship belt because she wouldn’t admit defeat. It was sad.
“She’ll always be the Raw women’s champion, everyone knows that,” Bayley said with a grin, “And a singles title is way more important than those two belts you guys got tonight.”
“Bayley, shut the fuck up,” Sasha said quickly and her statement was greeted with a stunned silence from all the women.
“You are the last person on this earth who should be ridiculing the tag team titles,” said Sasha with gritted teeth. She felt her right hand clench hard around the ornate, heavily jeweled knuckle ring. She was furious. Bayley seemed to have forgotten that she and Sasha both supported the creation of tag team titles for the women’s division, to create more opportunities for the female wrestlers. Now, she was merely an emotional support clown for the dangerously delusional Becky Lynch.
“You haven’t talked to me in forever and that’s the first thing you say to me?” Bayley asked in a teasing tone with a smug smirk on her face.
Naomi put a hand on Sasha’s shoulder and she responded on her behalf: “Sasha doesn’t owe you anything and you tried to end her career. Watch your tone when you address her.”
“Now, baby, let’s not get in between these two best friends—“ Becky started.
“I’m not your baby,” Naomi interrupted her.
There was a lengthy pause, as the four women looked at each other. The only sounds in the atmosphere were the vibrations from the Range Rover’s engine, and there were soft sounds from other distant cars in the parking area. Becky opened her mouth to speak once again but before her vocal cords acted, she looked in Naomi’s direction to wait for her to interrupt. Naomi said nothing, she tilted her head as if urging Becky to continue.
“Do you want to be my baby tonight? Let’s all stop arguing and just have some fun,” Becky finally said, flashing a grin.
Naomi laughed and sighed. “No thanks. Sasha and I aren’t interested. But you girls go have fun playing with your little toy belt.”
Sasha cackled as Bayley and Becky loudly protested the offense. She helped Naomi load the luggage into the car and ignored the other women’s grumblings.
“Ya didn’t mean that, babe, c’mon I’ll forgive ya if ya give me a kiss,” claimed Becky and she tapped the side of her cheek.
Bayley chuckled. “Yeah Nao, c’mon and give your Daddy a kiss.”
Sasha finished with the luggage and quickly looked in Bayley’s direction. “Say some shit like that again and I will punch you in the face with my rings.”
Bayley and Becky exchanged shocked, frightened looks. Naomi laughed appreciatively at Sasha’s threat as they got into the Lamborghini.
Bayley collected herself enough to speak as the car engine roared, she was livid. “That’s who you’re rollin’ wit’ now, Sash? Huh?! That’s who you’re gonna spend your night with?!”
“You’re nothing without me, Sash!” Bayley called as the Lamborghini drove away. Sasha pretended that she didn’t hear that.
As they approached the street from the parking area, both women giggled uncontrollably at the encounter they just experienced.
“Becky looked crazy as shit!” laughed Naomi, “What was she thinking with that replica belt? And Bayley looked like she robbed the discount section at Vans.”
Sasha was breathless with laughter as she spoke, “Girl, what the fuck was that? What just happened back there?”
“Of all the people to see tonight after we won,” Naomi said with a sigh.
“They can go be delusional together but we don’t have time for that mess,” said Sasha as she turned onto the street, and after stopping at the stoplight, she glanced at Naomi with a coy smile, “Where am I taking you next? You’re the boss so you decide.”
Naomi playfully returned her smile, and Sasha felt her heart pound faster in her chest.
“I’m the boss now?” questioned Naomi, a vibrant smile on her pretty face. Her tone… was almost flirtatious.
Sasha was pleased that the light turned green, to give her a reprieve from feeling too hot and bothered. She looked back at the road and stepped lightly on the gas pedal. She injected as much confidence as she could into her voice when she spoke though: “Just for tonight, and I’m all yours tonight.”
Is there someone else or not?
… I wanna keep you close
I don’t wanna lose my spot
They danced to the R&B songs that boomed through the convertible’s speakers and enjoyed the luxury ride back to their hotel suite. They decided to have more of a low-key night with champagne, pizza and movies instead of going out to hit the Dallas night life.
In the room, a romantic comedy played in the background but they actually spent more time chatting about random subjects compared to watching the movie. Sasha twirled the champagne in her glass, watching the golden bubbles as Naomi reminisced on their journey. Then, the subject of Becky was brought up.
“It’s just weird, you know… She’s so different now, I guess the fame got into her head,” Naomi went on, “When we were together… she used to say she was my man…”
Sasha looked up from her glass as she heard the shift in Naomi’s tone, which was now morose and reflective. “She’s changed a lot. Do you… um, do you still wish she was your ‘man’?”
Naomi smiled sadly. “No. That feels like a lifetime ago. I try not to dwell on the past. I don’t know Big Time Becks. The woman who said she’d always be there for me… she’s gone now.”
The light chatter from the television filled the silence in the air as Naomi’s last statement weighed heavily between them. Sasha wished to say something but she didn’t know the right words. The bubbles from her champagne glass fizzed in loops throughout the liquid and rose to the surface; she watched the champagne carefully instead of staring at her friend.
“I know you and Bayley used to be best friends. Sorry, but I’ve always wondered… were you two, well…” Naomi’s voice quietly broke the silence.
Sasha knew immediately what was being asked. She was a little tipsy but not drunk. The Boss found her own vulnerability to be a weakness, she only showed that side of herself to Bayley and she was violently betrayed. She promised herself that she would never open up to another person again. But that was a hard life to endure though, she felt so alone until she re-united with Naomi. The Boss was always self sufficient, cunning, resourceful, but it was nice to have someone to lean on. It was nice when she didn’t have to sleep alone at night.
Maybe.
Just maybe.
“We were just friends,” Sasha paused and sighed before continuing, “But I liked her, I’ll be honest with you about that. Nothing ever happened, no one ever made a move. And you know the rest of the story.”
“I’m sorry she hurt you,” Naomi whispered.
The only person she loved and trusted, beat her so badly in the ring that she was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Sasha knew then that her heart had made a terrible mistake in loving Bayley. She perseverated on this in the hospital bed; she was a fool and she would never be a fool again. Months ago, when she defended Naomi’s accolades in front of the corporate bully, Sonya Deville, she was acting as a locker room leader and not as Naomi’s friend, because Sasha thought she had no friends. She didn’t need any friends.
But she was wrong. She could look into Naomi’s eyes in this moment and realize she was wrong.
“You’re right,” Sasha nodded, trying to shift the somber mood, “No dwelling on the past. Bayley and I are done. I’m happy now. I got my Mania win finally and we’re the champs.”
“Thank you, Naomi,” she continued on, in a tender voice, “Thank you for everything. I was so worried about letting you down tonight…”
Naomi shook her head and smiled kindly. “We made it to the big stage together and you could never let me down. Never.”
Together.
The two women exchanged grins. Sasha reached out on the couch, a little closer to Naomi’s hand but she faltered. She spoke up hurriedly to avoid the awkwardness.
“We’re barely watching this movie, maybe we should’ve had some company tonight,” she giggled nervously.
“Could you imagine if we actually hung out with Becks and Bayley?” chuckled Naomi, “That would’ve been something else! But you’re the only company I need right now.”
Sasha once again felt a pleasant tingling in her heart. “Are you sure? I saw that Dolph is always flirting with you.”
“You notice everything!” Naomi exclaimed with a cackle reminiscent of Sasha’s trademark laugh, “But seriously, I’m single. We’ve talked about this! I spend more time with you than with anyone else.”
Sasha didn’t often trust what others said to her but she understood that Naomi had a good point. She shouldn’t have brought up Dolph Ziggler’s name, and she was quite angry with Becky’s ridiculous advancements tonight. She knew what those feelings truly were though. She had a crush on her friend, her mentor… and it was getting more and more difficult for her to ignore this.
After the movie, they decided to have a dance party; hip-hop and R&B beats reverberated throughout their hotel suite. During their entrance into the wrestling ring and post-match, Sasha was practically in a trance while watching Naomi’s body sway and bounce to the beat of her theme song. Tonight was no different, and Sasha felt that her own physical rhythm with the music was lacking because she was mesmerized by Naomi’s movements. Sasha could hardly breathe when Naomi placed a hand on Sasha’s hip and rolled her body into her.
Hours later, they were on the hotel balcony together, staring out into the Dallas skyline. The bluish purple of the night sky was dispersing by the approaching dawn. A soft, orange glow slowly radiated around them. The air was cool but pleasant. There was a small, white outdoor table beside them, the champagne accompanied them outside but it was now flat, its spark had evaporated.
“I’m finally getting sleepy, are you?” Naomi asked Sasha, they sat together on a plush outdoor couch on the balcony overlooking the city.
Sasha stifled a yawn. “I am. This was so much fun though.”
Naomi grinned at her before looking out into the horizon again. Everything felt new, clear, and hopeful to her. She had reunited with The Boss, and they climbed the mountain together. After 5 years, she was a champion once again in the WWE.
Sasha glanced around a bit as well. Her world had been plummeted into darkness after a chair crushed her neck, after she failed to retain her championship against Bianca Belair last year… she wasn’t sure when she’d escape it. But now, she just had the best night of her life. And she could finally let her guard down, she would try. Everything felt right with Naomi.
The morning glow overpowered Sasha. Her hand slid across the cushions and her fingers interlocked with Naomi’s. Naomi grinned seductively and playfully at Sasha as she squeezed her hand.
“Let’s go to bed,” Sasha murmured finally, a smile dancing on her lips.
… I don’t want to be a prisoner to who I used to be
I swear I changed my ways for the better…
… I wanna be with you forever, forever