Stay Positive (The New Day FanFiction)

It hasn’t been a good night for The New Day. After losing a three-on-three to The Shield in the WWE Christmas Tournament, and the fact that there isn’t one restaurant on the block of their hotel that isn’t totally full or closed tonight doesn’t help. Looks like there won’t be any calm-the-anger drinks. No one is in a particularly good mood.
But the most angered out of all three WWE Superstars is Kofi Kingston. He feels as though their loss was his fault, because Roman Reigns was able to catch him and pin him down, and from there, things went downhill. It was a friendly competition and all, considering it is almost Christmas, but it still sucks that they lost. It was a pretty big once-a-year tournament and there were a lot of fans cheering the three of them on and would have loved to see them win, and the loss was enough to get Kofi aggravated. Not only that, but he’s starving to the point where his stomach hurts. Tonight couldn’t be any more irritating.
In the lobby, Kofi met up with Bayley and Finn Balor, who are waiting for Sasha Banks to pick them up so they can find someplace out of the city to get dinner. Seeing that Kofi is in a bad mood, Bayley gave him her entire bag of candy with all her favorites in it, along with one of her signature hugs. Of course Kofi appreciated her gift, and adored the hug, but he knew he was going to need more than that to eat to calm the angry beast. Maybe an alcoholic beverage or two to go with it.
Getting back up to the hotel room, he finds his two buddies, Xavier Woods and Big E sitting on two of the three beds playing Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Now that Kofi’s in private, he knows he doesn’t have to hide his pent-up any longer after having congratulated The Shield behind the scenes, and trying to keep a happy face when The New Day was told by the hosts at every restaurant “Sorry, boys, it looks like it’s going to be a two-hour wait tonight.” Kofi is a wrestler, trained to take out his anger physically.
Gritting his teeth, Kofi tears open the packages of candy he got from Bayley, throwing them all over the room. The floor becomes a rainbow with M&M’s, Skittles, gummy Lifesavers, gummy worms and bears, and assorted lollipops. “Happy fucking holidays everyone!” Kofi yells sarcastically. “This is our motherfucking dinner tonight! We could be out at a goddamn bar, but we’re too good for that bullshit!”
E pauses the game, seeing as Kofi is dancing around and chucking candy in front of the TV and blocking the view. “Kof, the Hell are you doing?” he mutters.
“Celebrating, our fortunate night!” he spats, splitting open a bag of mini Hershey’s bars. “Nothing like not being able to have a real dinner after a depressing match!”
Xavier sighs, reaching over the end of the bed and eating a red M&M off the floor. “Kofi, that was a good game, you know that, man,” he tells him. “Don’t sweat it so much, we’ll get ‘em next time.”
Kofi shakes his head, finally ending his sudden rage and sitting beside E on the bed opposite of Xavier. “It ain’t that we lost,” he tells them. “I was the one that made us lose. I screwed up the match. If I didn’t trip up, we’d have had a chance, man.”
E gives Kofi a shake by the shoulders. “It isn’t your fault, Kof, shake it off,” he tries to tell him. “Leati was just able to catch up to you, that’s all. You’re a good match for each other, and he knows you put up a good fight to keep him away from you.”
Kofi purses his lips and shrugs. “I suppose so,” he sighs. “Just aggravated with myself, not with Leati. Would have been nice to win, y’know?”
“I feel, man,” Xavier says, scooping up a few multicolored gummy bears from the floor. “Everyone gets that way sometimes. I’m sure Leati felt that way when we beat The Shield those few times.”
Kofi laughs. “You right, brutha,” he says. “We’ll get them next time. Friendly competition.”
E grins, giving Kofi a good pat on the back. “Here, you know what’d make you feel better?” he suggests. “Why don’t you go out for a run for a while? Get some fresh air? Xavier and I will try to find a bar out of the area; you could use a drink.” Looking up to find Xavier now leaned over the bed to pick up more of the candy off the floor, E throws a pillow at his head. “Would you quit doing that, Xavier? That’s nasty, man.”
Kofi nods, laughing at Xavier as he throws the pillow right back at E. “Sounds good, brutha.”
With that, Kofi puts on his light blue windbreaker and black Nikes to head out running. Once the cool air hits him in the face, he starts to feel somewhat better. The anger within gives Kofi the energy he needs to start his run down the street, and his body starts to relax. This is the best way for him to release all the tension he has from the rough night he’s been having.
Kofi’s down a few blocks from the hotel when he finds himself running into Leati Joseph Anoa’i — Roman Reigns. Kofi slows down his run, seeing as Leati is beckoning for him to join him.
“Kingston,” Leati says. “Good game tonight.”
Kofi grins. “Thanks... You as well,” he responds.
Leati frowns slightly just then. “Heard you were upset about the loss,” he says, adjusting the red beanie on his head.
Kofi sighs, nodding. “Yeah, a little bit. Was hoping we’d do better. I feel like I slowed us down by getting eliminated pretty quickly,” he explains. “Just frustrated with myself. One of those nights.”
Roman Reigns wraps an arm around Kofi’s shoulders, giving his dreads a ruffle. “Aw, don’t be so hard on yourself, Kingston,” he says. “You were amazing out there. You always are, man. You just gotta keep on fighting — you’ll hit the top someday. That belt will belong to you and your boys. Just keep fighting.”
Kofi grins and nods gently. “Just keep fighting,” he agrees
Leati nods, and he’s smiling. “That’s it. You’re a good fighter. You’ve got another chance. All of The Shield knows it; The New Day works great together, just like we do,” he says. He purses his lips in thought just then. “What’s that slogan the three of you are always saying? Stay positive?”
Kofi laughs, knowing Leati is slightly off, but still nods. He was close enough.
Leati smiles. “That’s what you gotta do. Stay positive,” he says.
Kofi nods in agreement. “Sure. Stay positive,” he agrees.
On that note, Leati and Kofi shake hands and wish each other luck before Kofi continues his run down the street. Leati’s pep talk is empowering to Kofi, and gives him the energy to keep on running. Kofi knows he’s a good fighter, and his spirit just needs some empowering. The euphoria rushes through his veins, and he becomes so cleansed and carefree. He just has to keep on fighting. Stay positive. His body surely is feeling the positivity; running always makes him feel better.
Up the street, a drunk driver in a black GMC Sierra speeds along the road, barely able to see what's on the sidewalk. Despite the fact that Kofi’s wearing a bright blue jacket, the driver of the truck is so drunk that he doesn’t see Kofi at all. At the same time, Kofi isn’t paying much attention to the traffic. At the very last second, Kofi looks up to see the truck, and the driver of the truck realizes that he’s driving right into the sidewalk. Kofi yelps out in shock, but the driver can’t slam on the brakes in time to stop for him.
Leati, still standing down the street and waiting for the city bus to head down to the liquor store for the rest of The Shield, seeing as Dean Ambrose drank the rest of their Bud Lite. Watching Kofi running with that renewed spirit makes him smile; he’s glad that he could help him out. But all at once, he sees the truck just before Kofi is out of his sight. He can tell the driver is clearly intoxicated, unable to keep the truck straight. But his heart and stomach drop hard when he sees the truck hit Kofi, and Kofi collapses under its tires.
“Kingston!!” Leati cries. No hesitation, he immediately books it up the street, nearly tripping over his own feet on the way up, but he doesn’t stop for anything. The drunk driver is now out of the car, but seeing as Leati, six-foot-three and jacked, has bolted over to defend the guy he just hit, he stays backed off, clearly afraid of getting beat up.
But getting back at that driver is the least of Leati’s concerns. He immediately kneels down at Kofi’s side, first inspecting the damage. Kofi looks like he’s suffering greatly; his arm is twisted extremely awkwardly, and his face is scratched up and bruised. Kofi’s breathing his labored, and he’s clearly struggling to do so.
Picking him up and holding him in his arms, Leati immediately gets a response out of Kofi. He screams out in pain, and not just because of his shoulder. His spine and his ribs must be killing him; they were probably the first things to get struck by the car. The consequences are certainly going to be brutal on Kofi, and it breaks Leati’s heart. After everything he said about getting the belt... That Kofi is an amazing fighter and works amazingly with his teammates. Leati feels like he just jinxed Kofi.
“It's a’ight, Kingston, you’ll be alright, man,” he tries to convince the dying wrestler in his arms while using all of his strength to keep from tearing up. “You’re gonna get help, I’ll get your buddies. Just hang on a little longer.”
The one thing Kofi can do is lie against Leati’s shoulder in excruciating pain, sobbing hysterically and trying to converse with Leati. But he can’t... He’s suffering too much.
Of course, while he’s still holding Kofi, Leati does the one thing he can think of to help: he calls everyone. Leati calls 911, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose, hoping that one of his two teammates will tell Xavier and E what happened to Kofi. Leati knows he can’t stop Kofi’s pain. Hell, he isn’t even sure that he can save his life. But he knows the least he can do is get help and stay with him.
Back at the hotel, Xavier and E hear sirens from emergency vehicles rushing down the street in the midst of their video games. Pacing over to the window, they attempt to see what’s up. The only thing E can manage is a confused “What the Hell?”
They have no idea...

~    ~     ~

The second that Dean gets the call about Kofi from Leati, he’s running upstairs to The New Day’s room. He couldn’t give less of a damn about the Shiner Holiday Cheer sloshing out of the bottle in his fist and staining his black sweatshirt and sneakers. All that matters to him is that he tells E and Xavier what’s going on. Right away.
Desperate, Dean knocks on the door, and waits as patiently as possible. But when there’s no answer after three seconds, Dean immediately resorts to bashing his fist against the door.
Thankfully, that gets E and Xavier to answer the door, figuring it must be important. Seeing as Dean is extremely frantic, E raises an eyebrow. “Ambrose?” he questions. “What’s up, man? You okay?”
Dean takes another swig of his beer and shakes his head. “Cops...” he gasps, still halfway through swallowing the beer in his mouth. “Kofi’s with Leati... Really bad...”
Xavier grabs Dean by the shoulders and gives him a hard shake. “Ambrose, English words, man,” he tells him, giving him a push at the shoulder and causing him to spill more beer. “Now start over.”
Dean finishes swallowing his beer. “Alright, alright,” he mutters, taking a deep breath for a moment before he looks back up at Xavier and E. “You saw the cop cars going down the street, right?”
E and Xavier nod.
Dean winces. “Turns out there were ambulances too...” he says. “It’s Kofi. He was hit by a car. He’s with Leati now.”
No questions asked, in a fit of panic, Xavier and E run after Dean, following him down the stairs, out of the hotel and down the street to the scene of the accident. And it’s just as bad as they anticipated. There are cop cars and an ambulance blocking off the road, one of the police officers shoving the drunk driver that hit Kofi into the back of one of the cars. Sasha happened to drive by the accident, and immediately pulled her gold Audi over, and she now stands off to the side with Bayley and Finn Balor. Bayley’s got an arm around Finn and the other around Sasha, and she’s crying.
The worst of it is Leati, sitting on the asphalt with Kofi in his arms. And Kofi groans in pain, having an extremely tough time breathing, and clearly has a lot of serious injuries... Some of which are clearly going to be permanent.
When Xavier and E run over to their friend, Leati looks up at the two of them with tears in his ice blue eyes. “I’m so sorry,” he mouths silently to the Superstars standing above him.
Xavier and E join them on the ground, as E holds Kofi’s hand, and Xavier cups his face in his hands. “Kof? Can you hear us?” Xavier whispers gently. “We’re here, man... It’s Xavier and Ettore.”
Kofi whimpers, and through his blurred vision, he recognizes the faces of his two best friends. Tears streaming down his face, he closes his fingers around E’s hand.
“Kofi, can you talk to us? What hurts, bud?” E asks desperately.
Kofi’s chin creases as he sobs out, body trembling painfully in Leati’s arms. “Everything, man,” he croaks. “Everything.”
Xavier bites his lip, afraid to ask the one question that he knows is bothering everyone. He’s dying to know the answer, but at the same time, he’s scared to know. Bracing himself, he asks. “Do you think you’re gonna be okay, Kof?”
That only gets Kofi to cry even harder... And that answers Xavier’s question. E and Xavier look at each other with heartbreak in their eyes. Xavier’s eyes water and his lip quivers. E frowns, placing a warm hand on Xavier’s shoulder. “Don’t cry, man,” he whispers so Kofi’s can’t hear. His own voice is shaking a lot as well. “Stay strong for Kofi. Don’t cry, Puff... Just try not to cry.”
Xavier wipes his face with the back of his hand and tries his hardest to straighten out with a big deep breath and a shake of the head. To make himself feel a little better, he uses a thumb to wipe the tears from Kofi’s face.
E gives Kofi’s hand a squeeze. “Don't worry, Kof. We’re here with you. I know you’re hurt, but we’re going to make sure you’re comfortable,” he says gently. “You’re gonna be okay. We're all here for you.”
Kofi sniffles, more tears streaming down his face. He’s never been in more pain, but at this moment, he couldn’t be happier. He’s got his friends by his side, and he knows they’re going to take care of him. He needs them now more than he’s ever needed them before, and the love is strong. There’s nowhere Kofi would rather be in this moment.
After fully gaining ahold of himself, Xavier looks down into Kofi’s teary eyes. “Anything you wanna say, man?” he asks, just in case.
Kofi looks up, remembering he’s lying in Leati’s arms. Oddly, he looks up just in time to see a single, crystal tear run down Leati’s cheek. Kofi knows there really has to be something wrong; Roman Reigns has never cried over anything.
“Leati...” he whimpers. “Leati, you’re crying...”
Leati sniffles, using a free hand to wipe the tear from his face. “Yeah... You just got me sad, man,” he says. “I said you’d get the belt... You’d have it in your hands someday. That I knew you could do it.” He shakes his head as another tear runs down the same cheek. “And now this happens to ya.” His chin creases, and he has to really focus to keep from bawling. “I’m sorry, Kingston. It isn’t fair. I didn’t mean for this to happen to you.”
Kofi grins softly through the tears in his eyes, reaching up with his weak arms to pat Leati’s shoulder. “It ain’t your fault, dude,” he reassures him. “I know my boys... My boys will carry that belt for me. In my honor. I know you believe in them... Just as much as you do for me. They’re gonna... They’re gonna be a good pair. Don’t worry ‘bout me... I’m just glad I got to perform n’ compete with my buddies.”
Leati nods, sniffling as more tears run down his cheeks, though, he tries to smile, and ruffles Kofi’s hair. “Glad to hear it, bud...” he whispers, voice cracked.
Kofi then looks towards Xavier and E. “You two are the greatest friends any guy could ever want. I’m the luckiest man ever to have gotten to fight alongside the two of you,” he says with a smile, even as it causes more tears to run down his cheeks. “Keep being awesome for me. That’s all I want from you two. I love you guys... Always will. You’re my best friends. Like Leati said... You’ll get that belt. I want you to work hard for it, because you deserve it. You deserve it... ‘Cause you bring everyone so much positivity. That’s why I love ya.”
Xavier’s started crying now, and E’s even beginning to tear up. “We love you too, Kof,” E whispers, speaking for both him and Xavier. “We ain’t gonna forget that. Xavier and I are gonna work hard for you. Promise, brutha.”
Kofi smiles, breathing becoming choked-up. A few more tears drip from his eyes as the light of life starts to fade from his eyes... Everyone knows that Kofi has to go. He’s too hurt, and no one wants him to suffer any longer. A couple more glimmering tears find their way out, as Kofi uses his last few breaths to tell his friends... “Stay positive...”
Kofi closes his eyes, and falls limp within Leati’s arms. He’s gone now... And The New Day becomes a double tag team. Leati, now shaking and beginning to cry himself, transfers Kofi from his arms into Xavier and E’s, knowing that he won’t feel any pain. Dean, who’s been standing right above the four of them the whole time, crouches down, and attempts to soothe Leati as he sobs into his palms. He rubs his back, arms, shoulders, and chest, silently letting him know that he’s here for him. Bayley collapses into Sasha’s arms, and cries against her shoulder, as Finn warms her up with a hug from behind.
Xavier and E just hold their best friend’s body close to them, keeping him warm for as long as they possibly can. The two of them reminisce in all the time they had with him, and are happy they were able to have that time with Kofi. They’ll miss him dearly... It’ll never stop hurting. The wound from losing their friend to the world’s most unfair accident will never heal. But they solemnly swear to fulfill Kofi’s one last request.
They’re going to stay positive.

~    ~    ~