Flames

Bottoms Up, part 1

"Mama! Mama! Why are you going to make Auntie Rhea a butt?" The question flew out of Roux's mouth before Roux herself was fully around the corner, so she didn't realize Rhea was there. She skidded to a stop, her new glow-boots from Naomi flashing from yellow to red. "Hi, Auntie Rhea! Why do you need a new butt?" she asked.

"Roux, where are—" When Seth finally made it around the corner, he grimaced. "Sorry, ladies," he murmured, reaching down to grab Roux's hand. "She took off on me and she sneaked between some gear trunks and I had to make my way around...."

"Yeah, yeah." Rhea crouched down and motioned Roux forward. "Hey, my little monster. What's this about my butt?" she asked, picking up the little girl and settling her on her hip easily.

Becky was watching on with a mixture of amusement and mortification. Her mother had always warned her about being careful about what she said in front of Roux, but what Roux overheard in promos was another matter entirely. "Hey, Roux, weren't you going to ask Auntie Rhea about her boots?" Sometimes deflection was the simplest course of action.

But Roux was too busy trying to look over Rhea's shoulder to realize Becky had asked her a question. "You have a butt!" she declared.

Rhea couldn't help but laugh. "I do! You're sure it's still there?" She pretended to glance over her other shoulder. "Whew. It's still there. Good thing I didn't lose it, huh?"

Roux scrunched up her nose. "But Mama said she was going to make you a bottom," she continued, "and bottom is your butt." She smiled over at her mother. "I 'membered!"

"Of course you did," Becky replied, silencing Seth with a look. "You're a very smart girl." Since deflection clearly wasn't going to work, she scrambled to think of an explanation that would be enough to placate her daughter without getting too close to the truth. "When someone's really good at their job, you say they're on top—"

"Like how I'm on top of the women's division," Rhea interjected with a grin. "Right, Roux?"

Roux nodded. "Mami on top!"

Becky turned to Seth. "A little help here?"

Seth came over and looped an arm around her shoulders. "You've got it pretty well covered, I think."

Chuckling softly, Rhea set Roux down and grinned over at Seth. "Careful, or she's going to make you a bottom too."

"Dada has a butt too!" Roux declared.

Naturally, that was the exact moment Bianca came around the corner. "What am I walking in on?" she asked, covering her eyes with a hand. "Should I leave? Because I can leave...."

"No. Don't." Becky reached for Bianca's arm. "Save me, please."

"What'd you mean?" Rhea teased. "Won't this make a good chapter for your next book?"

"No, this would be a good thing to never talk about again," Becky said pointedly. When Bianca shot her a confused look, she sighed. Roux would end up saying something eventually, so she might as well explain. "Roux was asking why I was going to make Rhea a bottom."

"Oh. Oh, I see." Bianca tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well, it's like how we tell people to get to the back of the line after they lose a match, right?" She glanced over at Becky and raised an eyebrow. "The champion is at the top of the mountain and all that. So when Becky beats Rhea, she's going to knock her down to the bottom. That's what you meant, right?"

Becky's shoulders slumped with relief. "Yes. Of course. Exactly."

"Now that the mystery's solved," Bianca said brightly, "is Miss Roux busy? I need an opinion on a new gear design and I know Roux knows her colours."

"I know all the colours!" Roux glanced up at her parents. "Can I go?"

Becky tried not to seem to eager. "You can. Have fun and listen to Auntie Bianca, okay? Dada or I will come get you when it's time for us to go."

Bianca held out her hand to Roux. "Come on, Roux Roux. Let's go pick some colours!"

Roux took Bianca's hand eagerly and turned to wave at her parents. As soon as Roux had rounded the corner, Seth crept over. "They're gone," he said after a moment.

"Thank fuck," Becky muttered, covering her face with her hands. "She's getting too smart for her own good."

"For you, you mean," Rhea teased, wrapping an arm around Becky's shoulders and squeezing. "You know you'll miss it when she's in school. Don't lie."

"Then we'll have her classmates' parents complaining about our promos," Becky replied. "So the problem will just... shift a bit."

Rhea gave her a strangely serious look. "Do you think she's going to be okay with it—staying home when you guys are on the road? I know you don't bring her all the time," she added, "but it'll be a big adjustment for her. And the rest of us. Backstage will definitely be a lot quieter."

"The techs might appreciate it," Seth pointed out. "She's gotten better about not darting out so much anymore, but still...."

"I guess when we know things are going to be... touchy," Becky began slowly, "we can always leave her at home. But she'll catch on to that pretty quick."

"Smart like her mama," Seth agreed, kissing the top of her head. Then he nodded at Rhea. "Do you two still need time to talk? I can take off...."

Rhea shook her head. "Nah. I'm good. If I need Becks, I know where to find her." Then her grin turned sharp. "Was Roux actually going to ask something about my boots or was that just your way of trying to distract her?"

"A bit of both," Becky admitted. "I know there was a pair of your boots she really loved. I'll have to find a picture. With my luck, she'll want to dress up as you for Halloween."

"Seth's not as tall as Damian," Rhea replied, "but he's got long hair. And you... well, you're Irish, so I guess you could be Finn."

Becky rolled her eyes. "At least you didn't say Dominik, I guess."

"Don't give her ideas." Seth waited until Rhea left to wrap his arms around Becky. "Though if you're going to ask her where she got her boots, you could ask about some of her tops too. For you," he clarified, "not Roux."

Becky poked his side. "Only if I can ask Damian where he gets some of his gear. For you," she echoed, beaming up at him, "not Roux."

Seth laughed. "We can negotiate." He leaned in to kiss her and it felt like a sigh, relaxing her from head to toe. WrestleMania season was never peaceful: You were either fighting to get a spot on the card or working to make your match a must-see event. Together, though, they could keep each other calm. "Should we go rescue Bianca from our daughter so Roux doesn't take every single item of clothing out and ask questions about it?"

"That's part of her charm." Becky rested her head against his chest for a moment. "But I suppose we should. Hopefully she's forgotten about the bottom thing."

Seth gave her ass a quick smack before stepping back. "I haven't."

"Good. I'll be quizzing you later."