Chapter Text
In the universe of NXT, Lyra Valkyria reigned as the Women's Champion. Her journey to the top had been one of grit and glory. But a shadow seemed to always loom near —Tatum Paxley.
Tatum Paxley is a force herself, a rising star with a determination forged in fire. From the moment she first laid eyes on Lyra Valkyria, Tatum was captivated. She admired the decorated champion. Her admiration blossomed into an obsession—a pursuit of perfection and a desire to stand beside Lyra. She was enamored.
"I know that you might still be mad at me but I promise I will always be there for you. And I know that you would be there for me too" stated Paxley. She smiled deviously as she stared at a photo of her and Lyra.
"Don't you worry, you'll win tonight I promise it". She ran the black feather in her other hand across her face, relishing it as it tickled her lips.
At the other end of the locker room, Lyra, fixated on the music playing in her headphones and putting on her kick pads, took no notice of Tatum as she smiled as her. She peered down as she tightened her shoelaces, causing her headphones to slide off of her silky hair.
She groaned as she leaned over to snatch the headphones from under her seat where they had bounced. As she picked up her head she found herself staring straight into Tatum.
"Uh Tatum, can you back up a little?" Lyra questioned.
"Oh! Yeah sorry I'll just uh", Tatum took advantage of the opening on the bench that was made when Lyra had contorted herself to reach the headphones.
Lyra pursed her lips as she looked at the young woman next to her. Tatum had a whimsical look on her face as she grinned, holding her feather as though the woman next to her did not recognize it.
"That's my-" Lyra began, "This is from your match against Becky Lynch, where you won the title!" Tatum blabbered. She said it so quickly and eagerly that it almost sounded like gibberish to Lyra. Not wanting to know where Tatum had gotten the feather from, Lyra stayed silent, hoping Tatum would excuse herself so that she could focus on her upcoming match.
Tensions between Roxanne and Lyra had been rising the past couple of weeks. Tatum putting Roxanne through a table on Lyra's behalf was not exactly ideal.
For a moment, Lyra's mind flashed to what Tatum Paxley wanted from her. She shortly contemplated asking before Tatum finally seemed to get the message and blurted "Sorry I guess you're getting ready for your thing against Roxanne, uh good luck and I'll be watching". She giggled nervously as she uttered the last few words "my sweet dove".
Lyra raised her eyebrows at the nickname but moved on as Tatum vacated the space next to her, returning to her locker. She was unnerved by Tatum's intense fixation. She admired Tatum's talent and dedication but the undercurrent of obsession sent shivers down her spine. Lyra kept her distance, wary of the boundaries between admiration and something more... sinister?
She became almost afraid of what the other girl wanted and even more so afraid of what it would bring out in herself. She slid the headphones back on and focused on her upcoming match, hoping to prove herself as the defending champion once again.
---
"Lyra! My sweet dove!" Tatum Paxley ran up to the apron cheering Lyra on. Having an inkling that Tatum might try to interrupt her match, Lyra kept her sights on Roxanne.
Roxanne, taking notice of Tatum's infatuation with Lyra over the last couple of weeks, hoped that the crazy girl would come out during the match, leading to a distraction. However, Roxanne became confused as Lyra kept her hold on her, seemingly unfazed by Tatum's presence.
Lyra began her signature combo, one two three, leaving Roxanne to stumble backwards, knocking the referee out of the ring in the process.
Roxanne blocked the last high kick from Lyra, causing her to fall, and positioned herself for pop rocks. Roxanne gasped as she was pulled off Lyra by Paxley. She felt the taller girl's hands grab her arm and leg setting her up for the psycho trap. Tatum vigorously completed the move, allowing Lyra to catch Perez for the pin. The ref is up again and quickly counts.
The crowd erupts as the champion successfully defends her title once again. Confusion is written all over her face as she lifts her belt up, holding it over Roxanne.
She stares emptily as Tatum grins during her exit; she is caught between her emotions. She feels grateful that she won. But enraged that the interference has caused her to look like she couldn't handle Roxanne on her own.
---
Lyra catches up with Tatum as she exits, finding her in the hallway before the locker room. "What the hell was that?". She is almost shouting. "What? I helped you win the match my sweet girl. I told you I would do WHATEVER it takes to make sure you are still the NXT Women's Cha-" Lyra becomes enraged.
Her emotions and tolerance for Tatum's antics boil over as she harshly grabs the collar of Tatum's shirt. Her breathing becomes shallower as she stares her down, seemingly trying to find the answer to what the other girl wants.
"Tatum Paxley, I am going to tell you this one more time. Stay out of my business. I can fight my own battles." Lyra's tone sends shivers down Tatum's spine; she could feel, no, taste the rage within Lyra.
Although Lyra's grip had not loosened and Tatum was practically standing on her tippy toes from being held up by her collar, she craved another reaction from Lyra causing her to talk back. She laughs as she speaks, "Without me tonight, you would've lost that match and you know it. You don't have to hide it Lyra. I know that you know... that you... need me...", with her free hand she runs the feather from Lyra's head to her abdomen. This time, Lyra shivers and a silence falls between them; the grip on her collar loosens.
Once again, Tatum grins, content with the idea that she knows what is best for Lyra. She thinks the moment is over and Lyra will let her go and walk away until suddenly the other girl's forearm is across her neck, knocking her head forcefully into the wall behind her.
Tatum whimpers, shutting her eyes from the painful impact. The pressure on her neck causes her to try to pull the hand away to no avail. The wall is cold. Her breathing is raspy and strained.
"Look at me." Lyra demands, her voice is deep and commanding "Tatum Paxley, fucking look at me." Tatum, still drunk on the attention she gets from the champion, flutters her eyes open.
"Stay the fuck away, I mean it". Tatum takes notice of the scowl on Lyra's face. At this distance, Tatum can see every micromotion on Lyra's face; she feels her breath across her face and chest. Tatum selfishly wishes to herself that they were in this position under better circumstances. Lyra releases her and storms away, leaving Tatum hunched over, grasping her sore neck.
---
What neither girl knew was that Roxanne Perez was peering at the corner of the wall that Tatum was forced against. "--fucking look at me" she heard, stopping her tracks as she slowed to listen.
Someone was breathing hard, sounding as though they were being held against the wall. She heard the rest of the conversation before she saw Lyra storm off into the locker room.
Roxanne, trying to act as though she weren't there resumed walking by and saw... Tatum? Huh holy shit, thought Roxanne, this girl really is crazy.
---
Lyra couldn't sleep. She stared aimlessly at her ceiling fan as it wobbled. She tried to chalk up her restlessness to the recent heatwave but she knew what the real reason was.
She replayed her outburst against Tatum over and over again. Emotional outrages were not very common for her and truth be told she scared herself with the spite she felt. Sure, she had taken action against opponents such like Jacy Jayne but this was different; Tatum had helped her and Lyra attacked her for it.
Even now as she laid in the comfort of her bedroom she felt an uneasiness. Her mind raced through her interactions with Tatum over the last couple of weeks. From interrupting her conversation with Fallon Henley to trying talk down Lola Vice on Lyra's behalf, Tatum was all in. Perhaps Lyra treated her too harshly.
After all, she helped her win.
While true, she couldn't help but find herself struggling to accept Tatum's aid. Lyra was self-made and she made it to the top of NXT by herself.
Then something clicked. If she played along with Tatum's antics maybe this would be over sooner than if she actively fought against it. It was definitely a thought to contemplate as she accepted it would never be easy going with Paxley.
"Oh come on" she sighed, frustrated with the circumstances. She needed to have a plan.
---
The following week came quickly with the arena buzzing in anticipation for a match set between Tatum Paxley and Lola Vice. Paxley stepped into the ring to face Vice.
The crowd quickly got behind Tatum, chanting her name as she prepared herself for the matchup. The fans reaction to her helping Lyra seemed to go over well.
With a ring of the bell, the match unfolded with intensity as both women charged at one another. Paxley took the brunt of the charge taking a high kick to the face.
Meanwhile, Lyra watched from the locker room.
She noticed the way Tatum moved and executed maneuvers mirroring her own style in ways that both impressed and unnerved her. As the match reached a peak, Tatum found herself caught in Lola's submission hold—the grip that exhausted her strength.
Tatum was able to get a rope break but Lola's fierce spirit would did not waver. Tatum took kick after kick eventually leading her to another submission hold near the corner of the ring.
Suddenly, Lyra was on the apron, begging Tatum to tap out as she got dangerously close to passing out.
In a moment of desperation, Tatum refused to tap out, clinging to her determination as she reached out for Lyra. But as the seconds ticked by and her consciousness wavered, Lyra Valkyria, was moved by an impulse she couldn't quite explain. Knowing that her interference would cause a DQ, Lyra then stood up on the edge of the ring shouting loudly for Tatum to tap, reaching back out to the other girl.
Tatum tapped causing the referee to end the match. Dazed and feeling faint, Tatum tried to stand on her feet before falling back down onto the mat. Lyra, sincerely moved by Tatum's determination, scooped her from under the ropes and carried her to exit.
"You know I am impressed you held on for that long but don't do that again. You could've seriously hurt yourself there." she whispered harshly.
Lyra Valkyria, the stoic, lone champion, cradled Tatum Paxley in her arms. Tatum, disoriented, gazed up at Lyra with a mixture of awe and gratitude. Looking down at Tatum, face red and smeared, Lyra felt a shift.
---
Tatum came to her senses in the medical room. Her vitals being taken by the doctor and Lyra seemingly disappeared after bringing her to the room. Tatum's head swirled. She was being asked questions about how she felt but she had no energy to answer them as she replayed the moment in her mind.
Lyra had shown up for her and taken care of her when she needed it. It was certainly a big change since the last time they had met. She had only seen that kind of aggression from Lyra in the ring or against her opponents so when she had been pushed up against the wall she was taken aback.
Yes, Tatum admits, she was being a little shit but she had to remind Lyra that she does these things for her. Compared to being slammed against the wall, she was glad to see the gentler side of the champion. Was Lyra warming up to her?
"Paxley can you hear us?" questioned the doctor. She nodded her head, "I'm fine. I need to go". Tatum rushed out of the room before the staff could stop her, headed for the locker room. She needed to speak to her champion.
To her luck Lyra's locker had been cleared out by the time she reached the room. Lyra had already left. Tatum carried herself to her locker, sluggishly packing up her bag to leave for the night determined to catch Lyra during training. Checking her phone, her heart raced as she watched a short clip of the end of her match versus Lola.
She needed to thank Lyra in some way.