Flames

Light It Up, part 2

Six years. What a difference. When Seth and Becky had first taken their relationship public, they had both been hesitant to be connected in storylines. Becky had worked far too hard to just be considered 'Seth's girlfriend', and Seth hadn't always had the best of luck when he was a face. Fast forward six years, though, and Seth felt differently about it. With a few exceptions, couples seemed to work better as heels. He and Becky were already having a blast with their respective characters, so having the chance to combine them was promising. There would still be backlash—maybe even more than when they were faces—but he felt better prepared to deal with it now.

"How do you feel about purple?" Seth wasn't sure if Becky was subconsciously channelling AJ Lee, but she was practically skipping over to the couch to sit beside him. "Troi sent me some sketches and I was thinking of that really nice purple gear I never got the chance to wear...."

"And Roux likes it." That was the biggest change over the past six years. He had gone from being the guy afraid to hold someone's baby at a party to being the dad all the kids gravitated to at the park. "But it might be hard to get something to match your purple on short notice," Seth pointed out. "It was pretty intricate, wasn't it? Maybe we can get something simpler now and keep that in mind." He leaned back and let Becky snuggle in before he started looking at the sketches. "Matching robes is great. We could wear those more than once." He kissed her before adding, "And no, I didn't actually mean at home."

"But we could." Becky set a few pages to the side before tapping on one. The figures in the sketches only vaguely looked like her and Seth, but it was enough to get a general idea of the look. "I like this one. I know you've done some geometric stuff before," she said quickly, "but I haven't."

"Fine by me." Seth tightened his arm around her shoulders. "It's different than any of the patterns I remember, so it should work. Troi wouldn't suggest it if he didn't think it was a good choice."

"I know. His designs are always great. I'm just...." Becky glanced up at him and rolled her eyes, so he guessed his expression gave him away. "I know, I know. I'm overthinking it. It's not like last time. We're more established as a couple. We're heels. But... there's also Roux. You know how she can get when she hears the crowd booing us."

Roux's reactions to wrestling seemed to change by the year. When she was a baby, she was riveted by all the motion. When she was a little bit older, she would giggle whenever Seth or Becky were booed. Then she had a period where she found the crowd noise too loud and overwhelming. At the moment, she could get very upset if the fans were booing Becky or Seth, even if she was safely backstage. "We'll have to try explaining things again. I don't think either of us are turning face soon," he replied, "so we'll have to help her learn how to take it in stride." Whenever he was a heel, Seth always considered the boos a form of applause—a sign that he was doing his job so well that even people who had been cheering him weeks before were now rooting against him. But Roux wasn't even five yet—though she insisted on reminding them how close she was on an almost-daily basis—so it was understandably more difficult for her to see it that way.

Becky snuggled closer and Seth could feel the hesitation humming in her chest. "If they don't have anything big planned for me for Crown Jewel," she said slowly, "maybe I should stay home. Roux's still adjusting to school, so we don't want to pull her out of her classes. But I don't want to miss seeing you win the Crown Jewel championship either...."

"That confident, huh?" Seth set all the gear sketches aside so he could switch positions on the couch and pull Becky onto his lap. "Maybe they'll have me drop to Cena at the last minute so they can have Cena vs. Cody and Cena can win another belt. It wouldn't count towards his record, but...."

Becky shook her head adamantly. "You're going to win," she insisted, "and not just because I want another title celebration pictures. That Crown Jewel belt looks like a bloody corset...."

Seth grinned. "You'd need another title for that. Does Stephanie know you're coming for her?" Then he glanced around. "Wait a minute. You're not writing another book, are you?" She claimed she had asked for his permission to put in the photo of them wearing their championship titles and nothing else, but he still had his doubts. "I mean, I know you didn't really cover the wedding, but...."

"There were pictures." Becky waved a hand. "There was cake. Roux was the flower girl. That's all people really want to know, isn't it?"

"I notice you didn't answer...." When Becky mumbled through another noncommittal answer, Seth stopped her with a kiss. "Back on topic, the designs all look great. Take your pick. It's been a while since you've had anything really outlandish, so I'm game for whatever—for ring attire," he added quickly. "And that King Troi's approved." He knew if he gave his wife too much latitude, he could end up in some compromising situations. Much to his dismay, Roux was picking up her mother's cleverness with words and was already catching him in loopholes and lapses.

"I could probably think of something to exploit in there," Becky sighed, resting her head on his shoulder, "but I'll save some energy for the feud. Going up against AJ on the mic will be fun."

"Gracious of you. And don't think I didn't notice how you almost paused before fun," Seth added. Good mic feuds were still a rarity in the women's division, so he knew a lot of people were looking forward to what AJ and Becky could do. "It'll be a good challenge for you. I'm still hoping to see you and Bayley have a proper feud someday, though."

Becky sighed again. "You and me both. And Bayley."

"And a lot of people except for Roux," Seth laughed. "She wouldn't know who to cheer for."

"I can be nice and let Bayley have that. She deserves it." Becky straightened up a bit, resting her head against Seth's. "So if we're working together, does that mean I'm part of The Vision now? Can I ask Bronson to steal some shoes for me? Iyo has some fun boots, and Asuka has some great—"

"You want to send him against Iyo? And Asuka?" Seth tipped his head back and chuckled. "He hasn't been back from injury for all that long, and you want him to try his luck against those two?"

"Fine. I know he won't go after Rhea," Becky huffed, "because they're both Australian. And I know Maxxine's not my size. It's too late to steal Lyra's Becky stompers, and probably too early in the feud to steal AJ Lee's Chucks, right?"

"You'll figure something out," Seth assured her. He wasn't sure how long AJ Lee would stay around, but she was a beloved icon who had inspired chants and signs for years after her departure; for Becky to be her initial rival was huge. He knew his wife knew that, of course, but he wasn't sure if Becky realized how inspired she was. He couldn't remember the last time she had bounced up to him, eager to share ideas or plans for matches or gear. They would undoubtedly be scripted to lose so AJ Lee could have a triumphant return and the heels would get their customary comeuppance, but it didn't matter to Seth. A loss in the ring could be a win in other ways, he knew, but seeing Becky's enthusiasm for wrestling be rekindled after so many highs and lows was worth any pinfall.