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The door to the locker room slams open with a loud bang. It was loud enough that Yuta was sure the whole arena heard it.
“Dude, what the fuck was that?”
Yuta sighs tiredly and runs a hand through his hair. He turns towards the voice.
Danny.
He was furious- understandably so. Hell, even Yuta is angry. Angry at himself. Angry that Bryan had driven him to that point.
Danny’s fists clench at his sides. “Are you going to say anything? Or are you just going to stand there?”
“It had to be done.” Yuta says darkly. “He was never going to stop. He wasn’t going to stop until he died in that ring.”
“Well, you definitely made sure that he was a step closer to that.” Danny paces now, the anger radiating off of him in waves. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that he finally spoke again. “Yuta, he trusted you. He loved-”
Yuta spins to face the other man quickly. “No!” He shouted. “Don’t you fucking dare. You have no right to tell me how Bryan felt. He didn’t give a damn about me. He might’ve acted like he did… but it was all an act.”
Danny scoffs, watching Yuta closely. “He trained you. Taught you everything that he knew. And you’re going to turn your back on him? Just like that?”
Yuta laughs, sad and bitter. “Where did that get me, Danny? I did everything that he ever wanted. I became meaner. I got faster. I got better. All of that just for him to throw me by the wayside at a moment's notice.”
“That’s not-”
“Isn’t it? Danny, when he set his sights on you… it was like I didn’t even exist. The only reason he came back around was because you rejected him.” Yuta wipes at his face, trying to catch stray tears. “He was my childhood hero. My mentor. I loved him. I did. But he didn’t love me. Not in the same way, at least… only when it was convenient for him.”
Danny doesn’t speak.
Yuta continues.
“Watching him celebrate with the ‘Yes’ chants on Wednesday hurt more than the hammer to the ribs… because after everything- I was clinging to the desperate hope that he loved me. That he cared about me- and maybe he did, in his own way. But Mox and Claudio were there for me in ways that Bryan never was. We have some stuff to work out, but I know that they care about me.”
Danny watches as Yuta gathers the last of his things and places them into his bag. The atmosphere of the room changed from one of anger to something indescribable.
Yuta’s heart aches as he grabs the handle of his suitcase and walks towards the door. He stops just before the frame and Danny can see just how truly tired Yuta looks.
“You should’ve chosen him, Danny. Maybe things could have been different. We would have been spared a lot of pain.”