You Never Forget Your First Time (for CaptainL)

[Pegasus]

It had been three weeks ever since Lyra landed back in Japan. The last thing she remembered was waking up hurting all over and she was in a local hospital in Baltimore. It took a week to heal up from her injuries and she had to miss that week’s LAW taping. Her father picked her up and they traveled back to Illinois where Lyra stayed with her parents for the week and she hit the gym to get her mind off things and called Sanae on video chat updating her on how she felt. The third week was the last week in the States as Lyra mainly told fortunes and spent time to herself watching movies and playing with her family’s pet dog. Lyra purchased a ticket back to Japan and resumed her life there getting back on television after almost a month away. In fact, her and Sanae had just won a tag team match on the indies and they were just arriving back to their apartment after collecting their checks. Lyra parked in her normal spot as her and Sanae just decided to drive back in their ring gear as Lyra put the car in Park and took a moment to take deep breaths.

“I felt a little rusty out there tonight. The Japanese indies aren’t no joke for sure,” Lyra remarked to her girlfriend as it had been some time since she wrestled against wrestlers that did Strong Style. “But that double Orion Lock spot was a genius move you came up with.”

[CaptainL]

"Ah, yeah, heh..." Sanae chuckled to herself, rubbing at a bruise on her shoulder; the dull ache still hadn't gone away. "What can I say? We've got a long tradition of dropping people on their heads. But if you're looking to get toughened up, you can't really go wrong..." When she turned to Lyra in the drivers' seat, a warm smile spread over her face. After the fortune teller had been away for as long as she had following Nightmare on LAW Street, it was a relief to finally have her home.

But...there were a lot of thoughts going through Sanae's head right now. She was happy to be with her girlfriend again, but it was a lot more...complicated than that. She couldn't deny that, at the PPV in Baltimore, Lyra had been acting...well, weird. Why was she going after Astrid Ostberg, and why was she hanging around a bunch of creepy weirdos who messed with the lights? The way she'd spoke and the way she acted didn't sound like the Lyra she knew at all. And what seemed even more offputting was how, after it all...Lyra just seemed to brush it all off as though nothing had happened? She had been as soft-spoken as ever, and she'd dodged around the question of the match with Astrid whenever it came up, almost like she didn't want to talk about it. But surely, something had to be going on. Lyra wouldn't just...change like that, for no reason.

For that note, there was the matter of Sanae herself. Back during the Apex tour, Sanae had run into Alizeh Midori, her long-time friendly rival, during a trip out to the Pacific, and their encounter had quickly gotten...out of hand, thanks to excitement and alcohol running high. By the end of it, Alizeh had challenged Sanae to another match, one that would raise the stakes even further to keep pushing the two women to the heights of their potential - and Alizeh had pitched a POW match. Sanae didn't know what to think about that. On one hand, having to fight for her own freedom was a powerful motivation, and one that could well help push the idol to even greater levels of success. On the other...she knew how steamy POW matches could get, and all she could think of was what Lyra would think. She'd been away from her for too long, after all. Was this really fair to her? Was it right? They hadn't even...been intimate yet, she realized. If her relationship with her best friend was more physical than her relationship with her girlfriend, what did that say?

Sanae's emotions were complicated, to say the least. But, as their car pulled to a stop, she quickly cleared her throat and sat up straighter, flashing a grin at Lyra. She had plenty to be happy about too, she realized - she just had to focus on that. She couldn't let the scary and uncertain and confusing things keep her down. "You know, we could tag up more often," she said. "We make a good team, especially now that I've been working on my submission moves."

Spoiler

[Pegasus]

Lyra noticed Sanae rub her aching shoulder and remembered what caused that spot. One of their opponents had tried interfering and Sanae was on her to stop them from causing more trouble. Sanae had tried for a Running Bulldog on the mats outside, but the heel had rammed her shoulder first into the ring post which took her out for a few minutes. The heels dominated Lyra for that brief window, but Sanae was able to turn the tables soon after leading to their double submission spot and their victory. That sure made them a good tag team and Lyra would make sure ice packs and cuddles were on their celebratory checklist.

“Let’s get you some ice to put on that bruise. It’s not the best shade of purple,” Lyra stated as she got out of the driver’a seat running around to get her girlfriend out of the car.

Lyra walked up to her apartment door and took out her house keys fiddling with them as the ring contained five keys excluding her car keys. One was for her apartment, for her locker in LAW, for her locker in WFPW back in America, one for her fortune teller shop she opened recently here in Japan, and a spare car key if needed. Lyra found her apartment key opening the door to the cold air in their small apartment. Nothing too special to really depict as it was all very standard. A small living room with a green couch, a television on a small coffee table, and a potted tree. Pink carpet filled the living room right up to the smaller kitchen. Just cabinets, two counters, and a fridge with a coffee maker, Lyra’s tarot cards, condiments, spices, forks, spoons, knifes, and bird food filling the counters. They recently got a female pet owl named Crystal and she was currently asleep in her cage in the master bedroom.

There were two doors that led to a bathroom with only a toilet and the toilet paper rack and the bedroom which contained pink carpet, a smaller blue carpet patch, dressers, a closet, a window, another television mounted on the wall, and the bed with bedside tables and lamps. This apartment building had communal showering and sinks which meant Lyra and Sanae had to go out to that building to get cleaned. Lyra quickly led her girlfriend to the couch and got her a cup of water, an ice pack from the freezer, and some aspirin from a cabinet. Lyra brought them back, but did pour some water in the tree pot to keep it healthy as her vegan ways intended to respect nature. Lyra brought the water to Sanae’s hands and sat down to rub her back.

“Drink up. The aspirin should get rid of this dull ache, but you’ll need to take it easy for the weekend,” Lyra explained with a smile and a peck on her girlfriend’s cheek.

[CaptainL]

"Thanks..." With Lyra opening the door, Sanae hopped out of the car, looking back at her with a smile before she proceeded inside. Her shoulder did still hurt after that fall she'd taken, but at least Lyra was looking out for her, and she'd make sure to do right by her no matter what. And when Lyra opened the door to their apartment, Sanae took a long, deep breath of the cool air, looked around, and smiled. It might not have been a lot, but to Sanae, it was enough for her. Even an apartment this small was a reminder that she was moving up in her life - she'd broken out into the mainstream, where she wouldn't have to rely on the LAW dorms, and she had a place all to her own. All to herself and Lyra, that was - and Sanae smiled a little wider at that thought. The fact that the two of them were living together was another sign that Sanae was making strides in her life. She had a home, a girlfriend - even an owl, she noted as she passed the bird food Lyra had bagged on the counter. Sanae never expected she'd ever be the owner of an owl - it had been Lyra's idea - but she was warming up to it. As long as Lyra was happy, that was all she really needed.

She sat down on the couch, taking a moment to stretch as Lyra got some aspirin for her - she did groan a little as her achy joints popped back into place, but then she settled back into the cushions with a long sigh. When Lyra brought her the glass, she took in a long drink. "The cool water feels good this time of year..." she mused to herself. And when Lyra placed the ice on her bruise and rubbed at her back, Sanae leaned in against her touch.

Yes, she thought to herself - this was what she'd been missing all this time. Just being home with Lyra, and not having to worry about anything. Her life could be a hectic one, between music and wrestling, but Lyra made it all worth it. "Heh...don't worry," she began; as Lyra kissed her cheek, she blushed a little harder, but giggled nonetheless. "I don't have any big plans this weekend. So taking it easy sounds fine to me..."

Of course, as soon as she'd said that, the intrusive thoughts crept into her head. Sooner or later, she thought, she would have to tell Lyra about Alizeh, and the POW match, and what lay on the horizon. She didn't know what Lyra would think, or how she'd react. And the last thing she wanted was to ruin a moment of serenity like this. She knew she'd have to do it - but was it worth disturbing what she had?

For now, she'd put that out of her mind. Clearing her throat, Sanae shuffled in her seat, trying to distract herself. "How about you? Anything you had in mind?"

[Pegasus]

Lyra looked as Sanae got comfortable on the couch and sat back to wrap an arm around her partner’s shoulders. That fateful concert in Kyoko really started this. That one winter date started all this. Lyra never thought she would actually be a lesbian, but Sanae was literally the perfect partner to have. They were both celebrities in their own right and had gimmicks that dealt with the stars and the universe. She couldn’t imagine herself with anyone else. And the branch even connected to Alizeh to which Lyra found a rival and a new best friend. They’ve even teamed altogether on the occasion throughout Japan and other countries. Alizeh even showed them the wrestling life in Mexico on the occasion.

Sanae had asked about her weekend as Lyra started to ponder that. She was working at her shop on Friday and Saturday for some extra cash doing palm readings and tarot card readings. Not to mention, Sunday was date night with Sanae as they were going to try a Japanese sushi bar. They were even going to share their first bottle of sake together. Before Lyra could answer, she heard the ruffling of feathers inside the bedroom. Lyra excused herself in order to open the door seeing their pet owl, Crystal, had woken up and was getting restless. The bird had a black band attached to the feet and she had her nails cut short so she couldn’t ruin the furniture.

“It’s okay, Crystal. I’m right here,” Lyra cooed at her pet coming over to open the cage and let the owl perch on her left arm.

Lyra brought her out into the living room as Crystal looked around doing a “WHO” every now and then as Lyra brought her over to the couch.

“It’s fine. It’s okay. Pretty bird,” Lyra cooed the owl petting her feathers as Crystal took a look around the apartment and then to Sanae.

[CaptainL]

As she let out a long, deep breath, Sanae let herself sink lower into the couch, and as her body went slack, her head lay against Lyra's shoulder, her fingers idly stroking through her hair. After what had been a busy last few weeks, it felt nice to be able to slow down and enjoy some quiet time with her girlfriend. Not having to worry about anything. Well...she didn't want to worry about anything. But the elephant in the room was still there; still hovering over her shoulder. At some point or another, she was going to have to confront Lyra about what had been running through her mind ever since her conversation with Alizeh. How guilty she felt over not being as close in their relationship as she should have been - in neglecting what was really important. She bit her lip, her eyes flitting back and forth between Lyra and looking out the window. Should she say something? She knew she'd have to. But did she want to shatter the peace of the moment, when they both needed it as much as they did?

Before Sanae could answer that question, she was shaken out of her train of thought when Crystal called out to Lyra, and when she brought the owl into the room. Smiling a little wider, Sanae sat up in her seat, reaching out a hand to brush through her soft feathers. "Ah, hey there, girl!" Sanae could never have imagined she'd be petting an owl one day - it had been Lyra's idea - but she realized how much she had missed Crystal over her absence. "Yeah, I missed you too..." She started to scratch her at the back of the head. For a moment, she smiled; all her concerns seemed to be far away from her now. But...how long would that last? Should they be?

[Pegasus]

Crystal crossed over into Sanae’s lap cuddling close to her mama as her chirps became much more calmer. Lyra figured Crystal just hates being stuck in a cage while they are gone and it’s an understandable thing, but she can’t be flying around and creating mischief. Lyra also noticed Sanae with a watchful eye as she became more skittish it seemed and the idol felt like there was something on her mind, but she tried pushing it further out of reach of her tongue to say anything. Lyra heard that she and Alizeh had a little match on the beach, but nothing more from there. Sanae wanted some alone time to spend with her best friend after their successes during the Apex event. Alizeh had overcame Mindy Midnight and Sanae had beaten Toshimi at her own game of using submissions. Lyra herself made Peggy McIntyre succumb to her Orion Lock and got chosen for consideration though none of three won the Openweight Championship, but it didn’t stop them from challenging for it in the near future should they wish to step up.

Lyra decided to let Sanae come forward if she wanted to talk about something. They had good communication as far as telling each other how they feel and Lyra has been the happiest she has ever been since she asked Sanae out on social media. A bit of a weird introduction to their relationship, but they had a movie + dinner date and a concert to show their love to Sanae’s fans. Not to mention, Lyra made the move to Japan so they could focus on their relationship and she could do her business here of reading fortunes. It was starting to be a nice decision of coming here.

However, Lyra soon grew a little somber and walked over to behind the television grabbing a special photo. She looked it over and the framed photo had the picture of a brunette girl that looked to be in high school. Possibly around age 16-17 at this time. A white label was placed just under the gold frame and it said “R.I.P” in bold black letters. This was Lyra’s best friend back when she first trained under Jonathan, Jessica Thomas, or as she would have called herself Silver Streak.

[CaptainL]

Something in the back of Sanae's mind told her that Crystal had sensed the tension in her, and sought her out because of it. She wanted to cheer her up and to reassure her. Was it silly? Was it probably not even true? Maybe. But the timing just seemed too right, in Sanae's mind, for it to be anything but. She was always a superstitious person, and living with a fortune teller had done little to change that. There were some things, she was sure, that modern science just didn't understand. But she had faith that Crystal was trying to help her - and, as she ruffled the owl's soft feathers as a smile returned to her face, she was grateful for it.

Lyra retrieved a picture from the TV, looking at it with a forlorn gaze. Slowly, Sanae turned her head to look at her girlfriend, and when she glanced down at the picture, a frown came to her face. She'd passed by the picture plenty of times, with it being on their TV, but she'd never really thought too much about it. She was sure there was a story behind it, but it had never bothered her - she hadn't seen it really begin to affect Lyra the way it was now. But now, there definitely seemed to be something up. Sanae didn't want to upset Lyra by asking the wrong questions, but if it was bothering her like this, she needed to know.

"...Who was she, anyway?" Sanae asked in a soft voice. "Someone you knew?"

[Pegasus]

Lyra held the photo like it was her baby and she almost felt tempted to cradle it. Lyra and Jessica had only been good friends when they signed up for Jonathan’s wrestling school he opened after a brief run in politics. They trained almost all the time together and sparred almost every class. Jonathan’s goal was to get these teens ready to hit the ring when they turned of age to join a wrestling promotion as the required age for most promotions were 18 back in the mid-2010s. Some promotions allowed them tryout matches and Lyra and Jessica even teamed up in some dark matches for multiple local promotions. Jessica wanted to be called Silver Streak and had a comic book character gimmick set for her major debut. It was going to be a huge deal for her and she had booked her debut in Atlanta to which she lost her first match on the indies. She still had lots of fun and the crowd loved her.

That’s when the “accident” happened, but Lyra had to force back the memories. She felt up her right arm and visibly cringed placing the photo down. It’s clear there were some dark memories attached to this particular photo whether Jessica caused them or something more sinister influenced her mind. Lyra kept it a secret all these years even when the “accident” was all over the local news. She refused comment. She refused to open up. Could she really trust Sanae to not judge her for holding it in? Could she trust her with this knowledge? Was Sanae even ready to learn? Not yet. Lyra didn’t feel like talking too much into it.

“…..We were good friends. Even tagged on the indies. She was a huge comic book fan and gave herself a superhero gimmick. I was there for her first independent match. Jessica had such a bright aura to her and I could tell fans would love her around the world. As you can tell, tragedy took her life. I would’ve loved you to meet her,” Lyra explained, just giving bare bones of what transpired and her connection to Jessica.

[CaptainL]

Even before Lyra had said a word about what had happened, Sanae knew it was going to be rough. She could surmise that from it being a memorial photo. But even without that, she could see the tension in Lyra's body, and the way she trembled just looking at the picture. She could tell this was more than just an old family friend. This was a loss that still stung Lyra, on a deep and emotional level. A part of Sanae wanted to put herself out there and see what she could do to help - it was her duty as Lyra's girlfriend, she thought. Another part of her, perhaps emboldened by being around Lyra, believed that the blonde was polluting the emotional energies in the room, and that Sanae instinctively felt the pull toward setting things right. Whatever the case was, though, Sanae knew she had to do something about it. She had to cross that gap. She and Lyra had been together for far too long for them to keep holding secrets from each other. And that went both ways.

"O-Oh..." Sanae began, hearing the story. Lyra had never told her all of this before - but she knew it must have been hard on her, and she didn't want to pry. Now, though, she could see that this was a loss that still impacted Lyra deeply. Her arm wrapped around Lyra's own, and she pulled her closer, hoping her presence at least would be reassuring enough.

"I'm...so sorry, Lyra. I didn't realize you had anything like that happen to you...I would've loved to meet her, I'm sure." For a moment, Sanae looked off into the distance, nestled in at Lyra's side. She didn't know where to go next from here. But there was something hanging in front of her - something she couldn't ignore. Lyra, after all, had just told Sanae one of her deepest secrets. That could only serve as a reminder that it was time for Sanae to do the same.

For a while, she just sat there, staring off at nothing in particular. She didn't want to cross that line. She knew it would be painful. But at some point, Sanae knew, she would have to do so. She'd started this conversation. There was no use in leaving it unfinished. She needed closure.

Slowly, she began to turn her head back up toward Lyra. "...Lyra? Do you, uh...do you think we do enough? You and I?"