Flames

Loud Ginger Legend, part 1

"You know that coat is ridiculous, right?" Seth was grinning when he said it, though, watching Becky pull on the fluffy yellow monstrosity. "I mean, I understand the black and yellow look. The Kill Bill symbolism. A nod to NXT, even. But this thing looks like it came out of the Godfather's closet, and not Marlon Brando's, you know?"

Becky slid her sunglasses into place and examined her reflection, adjusting how her chunky necklace sat along her collarbones. "Big words coming from someone whose jacket makes him look like he's a stripper cosplaying Shinsuke Nakamura, don't you think?" Then she came over and kissed him, tugging on the furry lapels of his jacket. "Just kidding. Shinsuke wouldn't bother with the fur. And he doesn't make the top bun look nearly as good as you do."

Seth pulled her in closer, barely able to find the contours of her waist under all the yellow fluff. "Gee, thanks. I guess the coat's not completely hideous. It went better with what you were wearing back at the hotel, though."

Becky's laugh was loud enough that Akam and Rezar both glanced over. "I wasn't wearing anything back at the hotel." She pushed her sunglasses into her hair and grinned up at him.

"Not true." Seth kissed her again, sliding his hands under the coat this time. The mix of yellow and black made him think back to their matching gear at Extreme Rules last summer. It was still one of his favourite matches with her, even with everything that cast a shadow over it—Baron's End of Days, Brock cashing in Money in the Bank, the petty criticisms of their relationship—and he hoped they would get to team up again. "You were wearing those red heels. . . ."

Becky rolled her eyes, but didn't move away. "I'm starting to think you have a shoe fetish."

"Too bad those boots are at home. . . ." Seth pulled her in close and rested his chin on her head. He knew she was still concerned about WrestleMania, but she was either coming to terms with it or just hiding it better. He hoped it was the former, because he didn't want her to fall into the trap that so many wrestlers did, defining their legacies simply by title runs. Some of the best, most iconic male wrestlers in WWE history had never held the heavyweight championship, and they were still beloved. "They go with everything."

"Or nothing?" Becky raised an eyebrow as she stepped back, ready to head to Make-up.

"I was getting to that." Cupping her face in his hands, Seth stole another kiss before backing off. "Have fun out there. I know it's not as good as a match, but it's better than nothing." Becky's main contribution to RAW that Monday would be sitting at the commentary table during Shayna's match, trying to build up some buzz for their WrestleMania bout.

Becky just smiled. "Plus I get to wear my lovely coat." Taking another step back, she did a mock pirouette. "Naomi and I are almost twins now. I just need some light-up boots."

Seth shook his head adamantly. "No. The ones you have at home are just fine."

Sliding her sunglasses back into place, Becky laughed. "If you like them so much," she quipped, heading to gorilla position, "maybe I should get you a pair for your birthday."

"St. Patrick's Day is first!" Seth hollered back, chuckling as she flashed him the finger and said something in Irish before turning the corner. His Irish was still minimal, but he had heard the phrase often enough from Becky, Finn, and Sheamus to figure out it meant something along the lines of Fuck you.

Murphy looked confused as he approached. "You two actually celebrate St. Patrick's Day?"

Seth shook his head as he turned back to his group to run through their arc for the night. "Nah. Just an inside joke." It had turned into something more since his 'Kiss Me, I'm Irish' shirt arrived, but he wasn't about to share details, even with a backstage friend. As much as he would have liked to have more on-screen interactions with Becky, he was enjoying the increased privacy—and reduced scrutiny—too much to push for another couples storyline. "Come on. Let's go do tonight's run-through with the guys." He caught himself just before saying lads and chuckled to himself.

When Becky went out to sit at the announce table, though, to both scout and distract Shayna, he made sure he was at one of the viewing screens. Her coat looked even brighter on TV and twice as ridiculous when she put on Lawler's crown, but somehow she made it work. Sheer confidence played a big part in that, but she had a presence that was undeniable. Even with her near-heelish levels of bravado—bordering on arrogance—she was still getting massive cheers. It was something he both envied and was awed by; if it were teachable, he would have had her giving lessons to each class that came through the doors at Black and Brave.

"It's a good look," Murphy said as he approached Seth.

Seth laughed. "Don't tell her that. She'll try entering the next King of the Ring tournament," he replied, "and then we'll have King Becky for a year."

Passing behind them, Aleister gave a dark chuckle. "You already signed up for King Becky for life, friend. You better start getting used to it."

"You mean Zelina wears that weird flower crown thing at home?" Seth asked. Aleister and Zelina were one of those couples that didn't seem to make any sense until you saw them interact with each other.

Aleister mimed zipping his lips. "There aren't enough mysteries in the world. Enjoy the ones we still have."

Murphy shrugged as Aleister continued on. "Because that wasn't cryptic as hell or anything."

Seth watched Aleister for a moment before shaking his head making his way to the gorilla position. Because of the scheduling of their different promos, he wouldn't have much time to talk with Becky before the show was done, but he'd only need a minute to ask her to bring the coat home with her. The details—or the mysteries, as Aleister might call them—could be worked out later.