Flames

Pregnant Pause, part 2

"Morning, babe." Seth gave Becky a lingering kiss on the cheek and waited until she reached up to ruffle his hair like always before he moved down and kissed her belly. Realistically, she wasn't showing yet, but he kept watching for changes. "Morning, baby." Laughing, he planted another kiss by her navel before resting his head on her hip and smiling up at her. "You're going to kill me if I do this every day, aren't you?"

Becky smiled sleepily, stroking his cheek. "You've been doing it every day for around a month now," she pointed out, "and you're still alive, so I think your chances of survival are pretty good."

Seth planted another kiss on her belly before moving back up beside her to cuddle. Yesterday had technically been her first Mother's Day, but since they had only shared the news with family and their closest friends, he wasn't able to spoil her as much as he had wanted. She would be announcing it that night on RAW, though, as she relinquished her belt to Asuka, and as much as he dreaded the toxic comments that were inevitable, Seth would also be relieved that it was no longer a secret they had to work around. And then I can use some of my pictures for my lock screen, he thought as Becky laid her head on his chest. "If it ever bothers you," he said, stroking her back lazily, "just tell me. I remember Brie saying something about people trying to touch her belly without permission." They were both quiet for a long while and Seth almost thought Becky had fallen back to sleep until she started idly tracing his collarbone. "Are you nervous about tonight?"

"It's . . . bittersweet, I guess. If . . . if it's going to be my last time in a ring, I wish the fans would be there. On the other hand, I'm already going to be a mess. If there were fans—cheers, chanting, all of that—I don't think I'd be able to get through it." Then she patted his chest. "And it'll feel weird not to have you out there with me, because it's as much your announcement as mine, but I get that too."

For Seth, it wouldn't matter if he was the only other person in the place or if they were in a packed stadium: hearing Becky relinquish her title and announce her pregnancy would have made him cry. He was sure WWE would give him the chance if he wanted it, but both he and Becky thought it was best. This way he could be congratulated in the back while she was out in the ring with Asuka, and no one had to worry about breaking kayfabe. "It's going to make the storyline weird no matter what, but people are going to say whatever they want to say, so. . . ." He brought Becky's hand up to his mouth to kiss. "If you want me out there, though, just say the word and we can change things."

It wasn't that hard to get through the day with just the two of them—Three, Seth corrected himself—but as soon as they arrived at the Performance Center, Seth felt like they were watching everything they said and did. He was waiting for Becky outside Vince's office when he felt a familiar looming shadow. "Hey, Joe." Samoa Joe was a great announcer, but seeing him in a suit was still a little surreal. "What's up?"

"You tell me." Joe crossed his arms over his chest and held Seth's gaze. "What's up with Becky? She's not her normal talkative self today."

It was taking all of Seth's resolve not to yell out I'm going to be a dad! He and Becky weren't trying to mislead anyone, but they both knew that if people knew before Becky went out to the stage, the outpouring of love and well wishes would make her a weeping mess. "She'll be out first," Seth said simply. "She wants to tell everyone at once."

"Uh huh." Joe narrowed his eyes. "We'll see." When he finally walked away, Seth was surprised he didn't mime slitting his throat.

Samoa Joe wasn't the only one who had noticed Becky's unusually quiet state. Most of the wrestlers and even some of the crew mentioned it in passing, saying that they hoped she was well. The strangeness of it all was compounded when most of the wrestlers gathered in the viewing area. Seth tried to be subtle and stay off to the side, but the returning Iconics spotted him right away. "There's one half of our favourite couple!" Peyton sang, giving him a big hug. "Isolating's treating you pretty all right, huh?"