Flames

Mad About You, part 2

"How come you didn't get to bring the new belt home?" Roux scooted closer to Seth on the couch as they settled in to watch RAW. "Mama let me see the match," she added, sounding vaguely accusatory, "and you won, so why can't you have it?"

Seth sighed. He was sure Becky had tried explaining the special status of the Crown Jewel Championship, but Roux seemed fixated on it. "Because it's a special belt, sweetheart. I won it and I'm the champion, but the belt belongs to someone else, so they keep it safe until Crown Jewel next year."

Roux frowned. "But that means now you have no belts." She munched on a handful of popcorn for a moment and paused before reaching another. "Dada?"

Oh shit. Seth could tell a question was incoming, but normally Roux just asked. If she bothered to pause and ponder, it was usually a doozy. "Yes, sweetheart?"

She leaned around him and pointed to his left arm, swaddled in a sling. "Is this one real?" Normally Roux sat on his left side, but he had asked her to sit on his right so she didn't accidentally jar his arm.

Seth grimaced. He had known that was a potential downside of his fake-injury storyline earlier in the year: Roux was still too young to understand the nuances of some storylines, so she wasn't always sure who was allowed to know and who wasn't. "It's real this time, Roux. Unfortunately. I have to get a doctor to fix it," he added, "but you and Mama can visit me in the hospital after."

"So I can tell my teacher this time?" Roux asked. "And Nora?

"Yes, sweetheart. You can tell whoever you like." Seth took a handful of popcorn to keep himself quiet. Shit. Now she's going to have doubts every time one of us gets injured. I should have thought of that....

"Will it still hurt after the doctor fixes it?" Roux sounded more sombre this time, so Seth turned to face her and held out his good arm so she knew she could cuddle up. "Does it hurt right now?"

"It will still hurt for a while after the doctor fixes it," Seth admitted, "but it's the only way for it to get better. It doesn't hurt too much right now, but I still have to be careful. So that means you have to wait until Mama gets home if you want to wrestle, okay?"

Roux nodded. They had missed most of the segment that detailed Seth's injury and how his now-vacated title would be dealt with going forward, so at least he was spared having to explain that. "Is it because Mama wasn't there?" Roux scrunched up her nose and added, in her best Becky imitation, "She said she was only gone for one week and look what happened."

Seth had to laugh. He didn't have to imagine Becky saying that, because she basically had, word for word. It was a good reminder that they had to be more careful about what they said around their daughter, though. "No, sweetheart. Mama couldn't have helped. I got hirt during my match. It can happen to anyone. It just sucks that it's happening so close to Survivor Series, because we had some really cool things in mind."

He expected her to ask what the plans were and was trying to figure out what he could reveal—after all, unused plans could often be recycled into other storylines—but Roux seemed content to watch and eat popcorn. When it became evident her mother wouldn't be on for a while, Roux sighed. "What about Halloween, Dada?"

The sudden change of subject took Seth by surprise. He knew it was late October, but he had been so preoccupied with his injury that he had completely forgotten Halloween. "What about it, sweetheart? I'll be able to walk just fine, so we can still go trick-or-treating...."

"What about your costume, though?" Roux's hand lingered on the popcorn bowl, which was almost empty. "How will it fit with your sling?"

Try as he might, Seth couldn't remember what costume Roux had chosen for him, and guilt gnawed at him. Halloween was one of her favourites, and he and Becky always tried to make it extra special for her. "We'll talk with Mama when she gets home," he said, "and see what she thinks. She's the best with costumes, isn't she?"