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artificialqueens · 5 years

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You're beautiful, no matter what I used to say - (Nina/Brooke) - multifandomgeek

Summary: To Brooke, beauty is everything. So when she starts getting feelings for a girl completely outside her type, she just tries to ignore it.

A lesbian, college AU

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20606846

–

Brooke lived for beauty. She loved every aspect of it, and it was part of all of her favorite subjects: makeup, fashion, design. She had a good eye for it too, be it in art or in people, and she was proud of that. In her first year of college, she already knew it would be an important aspect of her life, no matter if she decided to design clothes or graphic material (she was still thinking about it).

To her, It was extremely important to look her best at all times. It only made sense, and she would rather spend less on food than go without her trusted brands of makeup, even if with her clothes she could be a little more creative to fit her budget.

Beauty was everything, and when she found herself attracted to someone, appearance was always on the top of the list. Some people might call it shallow, but for her it was just a clear sign that that girl had something in common with her. Even when she was a young teen, it had seemed so obvious that she would be a lesbian because women were just the most beautiful creatures on earth. It was simple.

She liked girls with softly smoked eyes paired with red lips, or colorfully blended eyeshadow with a bold personality. She liked voluptuous hair that she could tell was fancy just from looking at it, or maybe short, well-kept styles that exposed a long neck and big, stylish earrings. But most of all, she liked girls’ curves. A lean body, round just in the right places, that she would pull closer to her with a hand strategically placed on their lower backs.

She could never see herself with a less than perfect girl. It was just who she was. Some people valued romance, others valued loyalty, and Brooke valued beauty. To each their own.

“Why are we doing this again?” Brooke asked Detox, her best friend, who had dragged her to a LGBTQ event one afternoon.

“Because we’re queer, and we should give back to the community,” said Detox, fixing her lipstick in a small mirror while they waited for the thing to begin. It was supposed to be an auction, or was it a bingo? Brooke didn’t really care.

“Give back for what?” mumbled Brooke, looking around as they sat down, seeing if she could at least score a good lay from this, but everybody seemed a little… weird.

Detox elbowed her. “Aren’t you out, you ungrateful cunt? Don’t take that for granted.”

Brooke rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything else. She looked at her nails and accepted her fate, if only for Detox’s sake. She knew her friend had another relationship entirely with being gay, and even if Brooke didn’t get it, she wasn’t that big of an asshole to not be able to stand a few hours in a boring lecture (what even was this event?) to support her best friend.

The room they were in was relatively small, with a few rows of plastic chairs pointing to a raised platform on one of its extremities, where a podium with a microphone was set. It reminded Brooke of the church her mother used to go to when she was little, if with a lower ceiling. The chairs were about half full, and she supposed this kind of thing wasn’t very popular. It wasn’t difficult to understand why, considering Brooke herself didn’t want to come in the first place.

She and Detox were sitting at one of the last rows. They usually found themselves in that position, often because they wanted the option to leave in the middle of things, but maybe it was just a habit that came from being popular and not caring much about school. There were all kinds of people scattered around, a lot of them clearly alone, and Brooke couldn’t help but pity them. Maybe this organization (was it a club?) was important for some people after all.

“Okay, guys, sorry for the delay,” said a girl taking the podium with a hurried demeanor and a giant smile. She didn’t talk on the mic, but her presence was enough to make the low chatter that had filled the room stop all at once. “We’ll begin in a minute, but while we don’t, Josh will pass a list for you to fill in with your contact info. It’s completely optional, and we’ll use it to keep you updated with our activities.”

A guy with bright blue hair waved two clipboards with pens tied to them, so everybody could see, before handing them to people sitting on opposite sides of the room. Brooke dismissed it completely, turning her gaze back to the girl at the podium, who was now going through a stack of papers with an air of confident professionalism, a soft smile still playing on her lips.

She was a big girl, probably as tall as Brooke and who knows how much heavier. She had her dark blonde hair brushed back and kept in place by a headband, with a few strands dyed pink, almost randomly and already quite faded. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a logo that was probably that of the LGBTQ association. There was no makeup on her face apart for a nude lipstick. Maybe a little concealer, if that, not that Brooke could notice at that distance. She caught herself thinking she could be sort of pretty, if she put some effort into it.

“Is this working?” said the girl, grabbing the mic, that was, indeed, working. “Okay, it is, haha,” she laughed, and Brooke smiled with her. What? “Hello everyone, and welcome. My name is Nina West, I’m the head of our LGBTQIA+ Association. I want to thank everyone for coming, it means a lot for us, and know that you’re always welcome here, no matter what.” Nina’s smile was so genuine Brooke couldn’t help but believe her, even though it was probably a speech she had delivered a hundred times.

Nina went on to list the weekly activities held by the association, that included game and movie nights, soccer practice, singing lessons, support groups, activism meetings, and so many other things that Brooke was genuinely surprised. The clipboard for the contact info reached her and she almost filled it in before remembering she didn’t actually want to be there. She passed it over to Detox, not looking if she was filling it herself in favor of keeping watching Nina. “We’ve had sewing and fashion design workshops for the last few months, and everyone was so good we decided it would be fun to show it off!” said Nina excitedly. “Tonight, our models are all LGBTQIA students who attended the workshops and made or embellished the clothes they’re wearing. So please give it up for our first artist, Trevor!”

Brooke was smiling and clapping with the crowd before she could think about it. A lanky boy wearing a short sequined dress appeared from behind her to parade through the center of the room, between the rows of chairs. The dress was not very remarkable, but Trevor was smiling so much, strutting like he truly believed he was on a runway, that it seemed more beautiful than it actually was. He went up to the stage and made a few poses while people cheered and clapped.

Nina walked to him, smiling so proudly you’d think she was his mom. “Hi Trevor, how are you?” she pointed the mic to him so he could answer.

“I’m fabulous!” said Trevor.

Nina laughed wholeheartedly and Brooke’s heart did something weird. “You are!” said Nina. “Did you make this from scratch?”

“Yes,” said Trevor, a little more shyly. “Sasha helped a lot, but yeah.”

“It’s amazing!” said Nina. “Isn’t it, you guys?” she turned to the small audience, who whistled and cheered. “You’re incredible, Trev! And fabulous.” She pointed at him, while kindly leading him to stand on the corner while she announced the next model, this time a girl in a big puffy jacket.

The fashion show went on, and while some of the garments were… well, questionable, a couple were really well made and tasteful. The last person to walk the make-shift runway was Sasha, the person who most people mentioned as their mentor. Brooke couldn’t really tell if they were a boy or a girl, and it was fascinating. They were absolutely beautiful, despite the bald head, which was so bizarre in Brooke’s mind. Sasha was wearing a long red gown that was so gorgeous it should be on a red carpet. Brooke wanted to meet them.

In fact, now that she thought about it, a workshop might be just what she needed to decide on what major she should pursue. She could have a taste of the real thing and see if it seemed like something she wanted to do for the rest of her life, then go for the fashion career. If not, then graphic design could be the right choice after all. It was at least worth a try.

She explained it to Detox once the event was over. To say she looked surprised was an understatement, the other girl surely expecting Brooke to want to leave as soon as possible. People were talking and mingling around the room. Brooke noticed nobody was alone anymore, and it gave her a weirdly nice feeling. She felt nervous as she approached Nina, which was even weirder. She never had problems talking to people before, but this girl was something else.

“Hi,” said Brooke once Nina was free from a conversation with one of the students who had modeled.

“Hi!” said Nina with a gentle smile. She was just as tall as Brooke, and her eyes were so pretty.

“I’m Brooke,” she said, extending her hand.

“I’m Nina, nice to meet you.” Nina’s handshake was firm yet comforting.

She must give the best hugs, Brooke thought. What was going on with her today? “I was wondering if those sewing workshops are still going on?”

“Yes, of course!” said Nina, letting go of Brooke’s hand, that suddenly felt cold. “It happens on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Did you put your email on the contact sheet?”

“Oh. No, I, hm…” Brooke trailed off, not knowing what she could say.

“It’s fine,” said Nina without missing a beat. “Just show up a few minutes earlier and we’ll set you up.” She touched Brooke’s arm, smiling.

Brooke just wanted to be her friend so bad. “Okay, then. I will. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” said Nina. “See you then.”

Brooke made her way back to Detox, who was watching her with a weird smile on her face.

“I think you have a crush on pink girl,” said Detox.

“What? Of course not, she’s-” Fat, Brooke wanted to say, but refrained. Detox just chuckled and shook her head, not looking like she believed Brooke at all. Brooke looked back at Nina, who was now talking to Sasha. One of the pink strands of her hair had fallen down her face, brushing her cheek, and Brooke wanted to pull it back for her. “She’s so nice, though.”

–

When Wednesday came around, Brooke found her way back to the Association room all by herself. She was very excited, the prospect of doing something passion-oriented so refreshing after so many weeks of exhausting classes. She had dressed sensibly professional, changing after her classes just to feel more confident going in. She had even applied a new nail-polish just the day before, predicting she would get there barely knowing how to thread a needle and wanting to be at the top of her game to cope with her anxiety.

She was 15 minutes early. The chairs were all piled in one corner, making space for a few long tables that were scattered in the center of the room. Sasha was there, taking pieces of fabric out of a suitcase and organizing them on the tables. Near the door, there was a desk where another girl sat, working on a laptop. She looked up when Brooke approached.

“Can I help you?” she asked. She wasn’t rude, but Brooke was expecting Nina. Of course, Nina couldn’t be there all the time, and the disappointment pooling in Brooke’s stomach made absolutely no sense. She didn’t come here for the other girl, she came for the sewing. Right?

“Hi, I came for the sewing workshop? Nina told me to come early because I’m new.”

“Oh, welcome,” the girl smiled. She had curly brown hair and warm eyes, but it just didn’t hit quite as good. “I’m Meatball.”

“I’m- what?”

The girl laughed, pleased at Brooke’s reaction. “Meatball. It’s not my real name, don’t worry, my parents weren’t that mean,” she said, opening a drawer and rummaging in it for a moment before finding a piece of paper that she handled to Brooke. “Fill this out and you’re good to go.”

It was a form for Brooke’s basic information, with a few unusual boxes like “pronouns” and a line saying you could use whatever name you’d like, it didn’t have to be your official one. For a split second, Brooke thought about how unnecessary that seemed, but then it hit her where she was, and she wondered how much of a difference a detail like that made in making people feel welcome there. A lot, she supposed.

“HI, DIVA,” Meatball suddenly shouted, startling Brooke, who looked up to see Nina at the door. Her heart started beating faster, inexplicably.

“HI, DIVA,” Nina yelled back, leaning over the desk to… wiggle her tongue at Meatball? It was like they were having an open-mouthed, exaggerated kiss, but without actually touching. It was ridiculous, kind of disgusting, and Brooke wanted Nina to do it to her too.

Nina turned to Brooke. “You came!” she said, and Brooke didn’t even know when she started smiling.

“Hi,” she said. Nina had her hair up in a ponytail today, and was wearing a more delicate top than the t-shirt that Brooke saw her in last time. It had a nicely cut cleavage, and wow, those were nice tits. Brooke snapped out of it before she ogled for too long, swiftly finishing her form and handling it to Meatball.

“Have you met Sasha yet?” asked Nina, placing a hand on Brooke’s back.

“Not really, no,” said Brooke, being guided to the tables, not taking her eyes off Nina.

“Hey, beauties,” said Sasha as they approached, and their voice was just enthralling.

“Hi, gorgeous,” said Nina, kissing Sasha’s cheek. “I have a new student for you, this is- oh, I’m so sorry, I forgot your name,” said Nina apologetically.

“Brooke,” she said, extending her hand to Sasha, who shook it. “Nice to meet you.” Nina forgot her name. That was cool, it was fine. They had talked for what, 10 seconds? At least she remembered her. Brooke was not at all saddened by it, that would be ridiculous.

Sasha asked Brooke what did she expect from the workshop and they started talking about the Fashion Design program, Sasha being a junior and a great source of information on the matter. Brooke should be more interested, really, and not fighting to pay attention as Nina slipped out of the conversation to talk to Meatball again.

But Sasha was their own kind of creature, and Brooke was genuinely mesmerized by them, even if her mind was playing tricks on her. Soon, she found herself hanging on every word as Sasha talked about beauty, in a completely different way than Brooke ever heard someone talk about the subject before. Soon, a few more people arrived, and Sasha had to cut the conversation short to start the class, leaving Brooke wanting more and at the same time with too much to think about.

There were about a dozen people in the room, and they were separated accordingly to what they wanted to learn. A few people were making clothes from scratch while others were decorating. Brooke was placed at a corner with a boy who taught her how to turn on the only sewing machine they had and how to make it work. It took a moment, but she got the hang of it, feeling immensely proud when she finally got the thing to whirl into motion, threading a line on a small piece of fabric, just for practice.

Once Brooke learned how to do the bare minimum on the machine, Sasha asked Nina to show her how to thread a needle and stitch something by hand, while someone else used the machine. Brooke was so happy to have an opportunity to talk to Nina again that she didn’t even feel when the needle punctured her finger as she tried to put a thread through its impossibly small hole.

“I didn’t think you were going to be in the class,” said Brooke, putting her finger in her mouth and sucking on it. Nina’s gaze zeroed on her lips for a moment and Brooke felt like smirking.

“Oh, I love it,” said Nina, quickly finding something to do on the table. “I’m not very good at it, but Sasha is such a great teacher, I can’t help but keep coming back.” She was avoiding looking at Brooke’s face; it was adorable and made something sparkle in Brooke’s chest.

“I think I want to be a fashion designer too,” said Brooke, going back to trying to thread the needle.

“That’s great! I’m a theater major, so it’s really useful for costumes and such, but I could never create things like you guys,” said Nina, relaxing a bit once she noticed Brooke’s finger wasn’t in her mouth anymore.

“This is frustrating. I might as well just give up on that dream,” said Brooke, lowering the needle with a huff.

Nina laughed. “You can practice that later. Here, have mine.”

Brooke was still hung up on the fact that she made Nina laugh, taking the needle with a thread already in it from her hand. Nina showed her how to make a simple stitch, and let her practice while she worked on her own project, a hoodie with a small hole in the seam that she was trying to fix.

They kept talking while doing it, and Brooke found out Nina was two years her senior, but had been in the queer association since day one, and for her, it was the most important part of her college life. She told Brooke a few stories about students that found there a true beacon of hope, and how she was so very proud of helping to build a safe space for the community in campus, even if that proved risky sometimes.

“What do you mean, risky?” asked Brooke.

“Oh, you know, just your regular bigot professor, sometimes a group of students who think they can just throw slurs at us and we’ll stay quiet. Oh, and of course, every time there are some cost issues, we are the first thing to pop up on the administration’s mind. It’s been fine nowadays, I just have to pay attention, it’s not like when-” She interrupted herself, looking away before she looked at Brooke again. “Hey, you’re almost finished. I have to show you how to tie a knot in the end now.”

“I want to help,” said Brooke all of a sudden. She didn’t know where that came from, this was supposed to be something she was doing for her own sake, selfish in every sense of the word. Brooke was not the kind of person who volunteered, and she was certainly not the kind of person who did things impulsively just to impress some pretty girl.

Wait, what?

“I’d really appreciate that, Brooke,” said Nina, looking into Brooke’s eyes.

Oh, what the hell.

“I have to look at my schedule, but I can free some time for you- for the association, I mean. I’m pretty good with time-management, I can help with whatever you need.” Her heart was pounding. She wondered if she could become familiar enough to have Nina kiss her cheek when she said hello to her too.

“Thank you,” said Nina, smiling in a way that felt like a reward in itself. She quickly walked to Meatball’s desk and took a slip of paper from the drawer, coming back to give it to Brooke. “Send me an email, we always need more people.”

It wasn’t like getting her number, but it was something. Not that Brooke liked her that way.

“I will.”

–

Volunteering, as it turned out, was work. A lot of work, especially if you just couldn’t find the heart to say no to the person in charge, even if there was an exam coming up or an essay due.

“You know, if you just boned her your life would be so much easier,” said Detox one day, roughly two months after Brooke started volunteering at the association. She was sitting at Brooke’s bed, watching the blonde apply concealer under her eyes to hide the signs of her tiredness.

“Fuck off,” said Brooke, focusing on her makeup and trying not to think about just how much she wished she could take that advice.

Becoming friends with Nina was easy. She was a very friendly person. In fact, she had a lot of friends, and Brooke was absolutely not jealous of any of them, nuh-uh, especially not the gay boys who kissed her on the mouth to say hello. Not at all.

Being friends with her was even easier, Nina was kind, sensitive, a great listener, but perhaps her greatest quality was her sense of humor. It just matched Brooke’s, in a way that sometimes left both of them with tears in their eyes. She just liked being with her, everything seemed so much better when Nina was around. Brooke smiled more, did more things that she was proud of, Nina just made her a point-blank better person, and happier too.

Brooke was so in love with her it was dizzying.

“Why haven’t you made a move yet?” said Detox. “Didn’t you say you could have, and I quote, ‘any fucking girl you wanted’?”

“Did I actually say that? God, I’m obnoxious,” said Brooke, scrunching her face at herself.

Detox laughed. “That’s not the point. What’s the deal with this girl?”

“I’m ready,” said Brooke, finishing touching up her lipstick and capping it, completely ignoring the question. “Come on, let’s go.”

Detox rolled her eyes, following Brooke outside so they could walk to class together.

–

Later that week, Brooke found herself at Nina’s place, together with half a dozen people as they did a task force to organize a bunch of paper-related tasks, including cutting up hundreds of flyers for upcoming events, which was what Brooke was doing. Her thumb was sore already, and so were her cheeks from all the laughing.

“Look at this bitch,” said Meatball with her phone pointing at Brooke’s face, probably filming an Instagram story. “Who puts on that much makeup to get paper cuts?”

“That reminds me, I got something for you,” said Brooke, reaching in her jeans pocket and bringing out her middle finger.

Meatball laughed, putting her phone down. “She’s growing on me,” she said to Nina, who was behind a laptop, trying to fix some finance sheets with Josh. Nina looked at her fondly. Brooke had been trying to stare less at her, but sometimes it was just impossible.

They kept working, the conversation switching back an forth between the most stupid things and important matters regarding the association. As the night progressed, people started to leave, but Brooke stayed put. There were still too many flyers to cut up, and besides, she had nowhere else she’d rather be.

“Look at this,” said Nina at some point, sitting beside her on the couch to show a video on her phone. It was of a couple dancing at their wedding. The camera only focused on the couple for one second, however, before zooming in on a little girl standing with the crowd wearing a hulk mask and a cute, flowery dress. It was so funny, and they watched it too many times.

“Every time I come to your house I have to put on waterproof mascara,” said Brooke, dabbing at the corner of her eyes.

Nina chuckled. “You could not put mascara at all, you know.” Brooke gasped, overdramatically, making Nina laugh even harder. “I don’t get it, honestly. You’re so pretty, why do you do all that?”

“You think I’m all that pretty precisely because I do all that,” said Brooke, trying to play down how flustered the comment actually made her. She noticed they were alone in the apartment now, not knowing how she could’ve missed it. Her heart went crazy.

“Yeah, right,” said Nina, leaning her elbow on the back of the couch. “I’m sure you’re just a monster without lipstick on.”

Brooke shook her head, not knowing what to say. She liked wearing makeup, but lately she had been thinking maybe she relied too heavily on it. It was a work in progress. In any case, she couldn’t just not try to look her best whenever she was seeing Nina. Because if she wasn’t beautiful, then what was she?

“Beauty is all I have,” said Brooke, focused on the paper she was working on.

“What are you talking about?” said Nina. “Brooke you’re not just beautiful, you’re so much more than that.”

“I know.” Brooke smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Thanks,” she completed, hoping that would be the end of it.

“Hey,” said Nina softly, taking the scissors and paper from Brooke’s hand and putting it away. “Talk to me.”

There were tears in the corner of Brooke’s eyes. Fuck. “It’s nothing, I’m fine. I just used to be so obsessed with standards, you know? Thought it was so important, and it’s not. But it’s what I am, right?” she shrugged. “I’m pretty. I’m not particularly smart, or kind, or-” Nina looked so beautiful today, her hair let down and her pink strands recently retouched. Her eyes were searching Brooke’s so kindly it was overwhelming.

“Who let you believe that? That’s not true, Brooke. You’re all of those things.”

It was so hard not to believe Nina. “I sort of like this girl, and I’ve never felt like this before. It’s like I didn’t know my heart was frozen until she took it in her hands and warmed it up, and now I’m so much better because of her.” Brooke sighed. She didn’t know what she was doing, but now she was talking and she couldn’t stop. “But she’s so amazing, she just deserves better than me. Way better.”

“Brooke,” said Nina, kindly, taking her hand. God, Brooke liked her so much. “Don’t tell me you don’t know the effect you have on people, I’m sure whoever this girl is she’d be so lucky to have you.”

“No, you don’t get it,” said Brooke, getting up, suddenly frustrated. “It’s not just about sex, okay? Yeah, I want her, but it’s not just that.”

“That’s good, it’s great! So tell her! Wait, is she straight?”

“No,” Brooke chuckled at the absurdity of it.

“Oh, good. So tell her! Brooke, you’re an amazing person, you deserve love.”

Brooke looked at her. She was up now too, looking like it didn’t even cross her mind that this girl could be herself. If it did, maybe she wouldn’t be saying these things.

“Yeah, maybe I will,” lied Brooke. “Thanks, Nina.”

Nina hugged her. Brooke closed her eyes, resisting the urge to bury her nose in her neck.

“Who is it?” asked Nina, pulling back. “Do I know her?”

Brooke shook her head, panicking.

“If we ever cross by her you have to tell me!” she was holding both of Brooke’s hands now, smiling at her. “Who could’ve gotten you so hard? I’m so curious!”

She looked so happy for her, so excited that Brooke had told her this. She probably wouldn’t let this go, would keep encouraging Brooke and being the wonderful friend she usually was. How painful would that be, watch Nina give her pep talk after pep talk while Brooke kept lying to her? Brooke didn’t think she could stand it.

“It’s you,” Brooke blurted out, watching as Nina’s smile faltered. She pulled her hands back, regretting it, regretting it so much.

“Huh? Oh, you’re just messing with me,” said Nina with a weird half-smile, swatting at Brooke’s arm.

Brooke smiled weakly. “I wish.” She looked away, trying to locate her bag. “Maybe it’s better if I just leave. Yeah, I can take some of these flyers and finish them at home,” she was already in motion to pick things up when Nina’s arm on hers stopped her.

“I don’t get it. You’re serious?” Nina sounded so confused. Brooke couldn’t look at her.

“Yes,” she said it looking down, daring to turn back to Nina only after a beat, meeting her frown and her beautiful eyes with a curtain of doubt in front of them.

“But I’m-” she didn’t finish, but Brooke could see the insecurities in her expression. She was confused, wary, and thinking things that did not belong in her head.

“You’re beautiful. So beautiful. And I don’t mean just on the inside.” Brooke took a step closer, against her better judgment. Nina was the same height as her, but suddenly it felt like she was shorter, smaller. “The way I feel about you, it’s-” she took a deep breath, lost for a moment in Nina’s eyes.

“Don’t play with me. This isn’t funny.”

“You don’t have to like me back, Nina, it’s okay. Really, I promise you. But please, don’t doubt that I do.” Brooke’s emotions were all over the place. She kind of wanted to hide, but at the same time, she couldn’t move.

“Have you been listening to me?” Nina’s voice was low, and she took a step closer, making Brooke’s breath hitch in her throat. Her hand went up to touch Brooke’s jaw, shakingly. Brooke’s eyes closed in their own accord, and she could feel Nina getting even closer. “Look at me.”

Brooke did, and she was so close. She almost couldn’t believe this was happening. Nina’s eyes focused down on her lips and suddenly Brooke’s mind was too cloudy to think anymore. She just reached up, framing Nina’s face before she closed the gap and brought their lips together.

Nina immediately pulled her closer, pressing their bodies against each other’s, and Brooke felt a shiver run down her spine. She heard a faint moan escaping her throat as her hands slid down Nina’s face to reach her neck, the kiss deepening as their tongues found one another’s, Nina’s hand moving to tangle in Brooke’s hair, her blunt nails raking her scalp deliciously.

Brooke arched against her, wanting to get closer, closer, so much so that Nina stepped back. It made their bodies be too far apart, and Brooke stepped closer again. They were so lost in it that they didn’t realize they were right next to the couch, and as Nina tried to walk back one more time, this time keeping a hand firm on Brooke’s back, her leg hit the couch and she stumbled down, taking Brooke with her.

They fell gracelessly on the cushions, Brooke on top of Nina, her face so close to her breasts that she felt dizzy. Nina started to laugh, her hand still in Brooke’s hair. Brooke laughed too, sitting up and taking in Nina’s swollen lips, faintly stained by Brooke’s lipstick. She couldn’t even fathom how she could have ever thought that Nina was less than gorgeous.

Brooke probably wasn’t smiling anymore, too entranced, and Nina sat up straight too. She looked insecure again, but Brooke didn’t even want to entertain it, and just leaned in to kiss her again. It was softer this time, and Nina sighed into it. Brooke moved to kiss her neck, sucking lightly at the skin and relishing in her smell. God, she’d pictured this so many times.

Nina’s hand was in her hair again, and Brooke was getting too hot. But this wasn’t how it was supposed to go. “I want to take you on a date,” said Brooke, leaning back to look at her face, not without some effort.

Nina smiled. “Yeah,” she nodded, capturing Brooke’s lips again. Her hand slid down Brooke’s side, slipping into Brooke’s shirt to grip her waist. Brooke thought she was going to combust.

“Wait,” said Brooke, breathless. “I don’t wanna rush into anything, I was serious when I said this wasn’t just about sex, Nina, I want to do this right.”

She was interrupted by Nina’s chuckle. “I’m sorry,” said Nina, covering her mouth. “You’re just so cute, protecting my honor.” She caressed Brooke’s cheek. She called Brooke cute. No big deal. “Let’s go slow then. But just to be clear, it’s not on my account.”

Nina wanted her. Brooke’s vagina was screaming at her right now, begging her to listen to reason. “So, if we, hm… You wouldn’t think I was using you?”

Nina looked a little taken aback. “This is fucking surreal,” she mumbled. “No, of course not.”

“Alright then.” Brooke was back on Nina’s neck in an instant, drawing a half-laughter, half-moan from her. Brooke could feel her clit practically setting off fireworks. She let her hands wander to cup Nina’s breasts over her clothes and God, she was so gay.

“Bed,” breathed Nina, and they scrambled to get up.

Nina pressed Brooke against a wall for a few minutes before they could reach her bedroom, kissing her silly while groping her ass, and Brooke couldn’t do anything but hold on.

–

Brooke loved curves, and Nina’s were the best she ever saw, let alone touch. Her breasts were a heavenly gift, and Brooke was sure she would never get tired of putting her mouth on them, nuzzling them, making them home. But Nina was soon squirming too much, and she moved on, kissing down her soft stomach, letting her hands trails down the curve of her waist and hips, massaging her thighs as her tongue worked past her belly button.

She groped Nina’s inner thighs, and the girl opened her legs for her. Brooke looked up as she let her thumbs graze the juncture between Nina’s thighs and her crotch, watching her breath hitch and her hands grip the sheets. Brooke stroked Nina’s folds teasingly, letting her eyes roam over her body as she did so. She dipped her fingers between them, finding wetness and heat, and kept stroking as she watched Nina’s hooded eyes close and her heavy breathing become tiny moans as her body waved against Brooke’s hand.

Brooke surged up to kiss her, straddling her thigh as her hand kept going, now drawing wide circles around her clit. Nina pulled her close, trying to kiss back and grope Brooke but getting sided-tracked by her own pleasure, letting out huffs of breath and stopping her hands mid-movement as she just felt.

Brooke was rutting against her leg, holding back her own moans as her fingers worked with increased precision on Nina’s clit. It was getting harder and harder for Nina to keep from making any noise, and Brooke never felt prouder of herself. She moved to suck on Nina’s neck, her own rutting growing more intense.

“Don’t stop,” whispered Nina with a sinful, delicious moan, tugging on Brooke’s hair. It was so hot Brooke thought she would end up coming first, but Nina kept moaning and with a few more strokes she came, arching out of the bed and opening her mouth in a perfect “o,” a guttural sound escaping her throat.

Brooke touched her through it, keeping it firm and slow, watching her face as she rode her orgasm. Once Nina opened her eyes again, Brooke retrieved her hand and kissed her, feeling Nina’s hand snake down her body to slot in between her legs, stroking Brooke hard and fast while they kissed. It didn’t take long at all for Brooke to come too, biting Nina’s lip and convulsing over her body, one hand holding Nina’s juicy tit in a deadly grip.

Brooke collapsed down on the bed, a smile planted on her lips that she was sure was never going away. Nina snuggled against her, resting her head on her chest and throwing an arm over her waist. Brooke started combing through her hair, sleep creeping up on her. Nina’s smell was intoxicating, and she closed her eyes, dozing off while thinking that she definitely could get used to this.

–

“HI, DIVA.”

Brooke was already working on the sewing machine when Nina arrived for the workshop. She stopped pressing down the pedal to watch her and Meatball doing their tongue thing, that Brooke still didn’t get, but chuckled at every time. Then, Nina went to Sasha, kissing their cheek and exchanging a few words with them before finally walking towards Brooke.

“Hey, baby,” said Nina, giving Brooke a peck.

“Hi,” said Brooke, smiling. That’s right, she’s my girlfriend, she felt like stating, even though it was just their friends in the room with them. It had been a month, and Brooke still wasn’t over it.

Meatball made a puking sound in the background, and Nina giggled.

“Jealous much?” said Brooke, turning back to her sewing.

“Suck my dick,” said Meatball, not even bothering to look away from her computer.

“Don’t mind if I do,” said Detox, coming in the room at exactly the right time, surprising Brooke into laughter and making Meatball flush red.

#rpdr fanfiction #nina west #brooke lynn hytes #brooke x nina #lesbian au #college au #fluff #smut #youre beautiful no matter what I used to say #multifandomgeek #s11 #tw body shaming

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bouncepawwritesstuff · 6 years

Text

Catseye

Summary: The Vault of the Traveler was supposed to set them all up for a good long while, but all it did was rip a friend away from them and set forward a series of events they could have never foreseen.

It's been over a year and a half since Rhys vanished into the Vault and wasn't sent back out. As much as it pains them, they've had to move on with their lives. But fate, and the Eridians, have far more planned for them they ever could've thought.

Word Count: 3,338

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Pairings: Queerplatonic/Early Rhys/Vaughn

Notes: This is my first foray into the Borderlands fandom. I just started playing the games about a month ago after I picked up Tales as part of a Humble Bundle. There's more planned for this if people end up being interested in it. First in a possible series.

This operates under the assumption that the Vaults were more than repositories for some bad ass loot.

It was supposed to be an easy job. Something to shake the dust off, warm them back up into the vault hunting business after months and months of searching for their missing fourth friend and little actual combat. It had been almost a year and half since Rhys had disappeared with the light of the vault and had not been spat back out with Fiona.

For Fiona, bare seconds had passed, but it had been weeks of frantic searching where Sasha, Athena and Janey and Vaughn and countless Children of Helios had scoured hundreds of miles of desert for them while Gortys and Loader Bot did their best to try and track his cybernetics in an effort to find them both, old Hyperion software turned to better purpose.

Her return had been cause for celebration, but it was short lived when they realized Rhys was not with her and that they still had no idea where the wayward cybernetic man was gone to.

Eventually though Athena and Janey needed to return to Hollow Point to run the garage and the Children needed to focus on building their lives out of the metal graveyard of the space station. Vaughn would come out when he could be spared for a few days, but the Village in the Ruins needed it's leader, even as the Children became braver, bolder and more at home on Pandora.

Sasha and Fiona never gave up, picking up odd jobs at various settlements as they drive the caravan around, desperately hoping to hear some rumor of a lanky suit out of his element or a sight of overly flashy cybernetics.

Eventually, even Sasha gave up, though it was obvious it broke her heart to do. To her, Rhys was like the older dorky brother she never knew she wanted, and despite the shortness of the time they'd known him, he'd grown on them, like some stupid large asshole cat too cute for his own good.

Zer0 and the other hunters offered to keep an ear to the ground and Janey released Athena to them to restart their training.

Vaughn took the news hardest of all, and Fiona had too many nights of waking up to heart-broken whimpers in the room next door, turning over and pressing a pillow over her ears to offer what semblance of privacy she could in the thin walls of their constructed apartment.

(Fiona tried so, so hard not to think of quiet nights on the caravan chugging towards the Atlas dome. Tried not to remember gentle fingers in amber locks, soft smiles and warm words exchanged in the soft blue glow of a cybernetic eye. Of soft fingers over scarred flesh and warm metal. Of an easy affection that spoke of years of a deep emotional connection that she could probably never hope to comprehend.)

That had been almost three months ago. Vaughn had thrown himself into the care of the Village in the Ruins and his Children, still carrying about him the mein of a man in mourning. No one mentioned it when he returned from a three day patrol, smelling faintly of fire and moonshine, a familiar pattern inked into the side of his neck in a shade of blue.

And Fiona and Sasha? They dealt with the loss in the only way they knew how. A crime spree in several settlements, leaving them baffled with pretty faces and quick words and gunfire. And now?

This mission was supposed to be simple. Athena was in Hollow Point with Janey again, settling for popping in on them every few weeks. She figured this job would be good for them. A camp of bandits that had been harassing the Village in the Ruins as not many did now that the Children had such a fearsome reputation for defending their little patch of the playground.

Only, the camp seemed deserted.

Or, rather, not deserted, but destroyed. Like some huge trample of animals or maybe one of the other vault hunters had paid a visit and left this in their wake. Corpses lay strewn about carelessly, likely where they fell, and blood had leaked and caked into the sand, leaving behind frankly disgusting stains in the dirt. Tents lay rended on their poles and fires were scattered from their rings and barrels.

Ok, this was too much chaos for even one of the other vault hunters. Even Krieg didn't leave such destruction in his path. And the marks! Like deep claws had sunk into flesh and torn away, flaying open flesh in thick neat lines, some larger than others. There was likely no one alive in the entire camp, but they were careful as they moved forward, guns ready to spring up at a moment's notice.

"What do you think it was? Skag pack?" Even as Sasha said it aloud, Fiona could hear the disbelief in her voice and she shook her head, pulling up the scarf to cover her nose, desperately trying to block out the copper scent of blood that soaked the land.

"Not even a rabid skag pack could do this much damage. And no bodies? Any half-assed bandit with a gun can take out a couple skags. There would be something. No crush marks so it's definitely not some horrible variety of bullymong making their home here in the dessert."

The sisters shared a shudder at the mere thought of that.

"Maybe Athena knows?" Fiona wrinkled her nose at the thought of disturbing their mentor so early into their first mission back but this was very quickly becoming apparent that it was well out of their level of expertise.

"Yeah, alright. Take a look around but stay within sight." Sasha rolled her eyes but gave her an affectionate hip check as she passed her and Fiona opened up her comm, scrolling until she came to Athena's business comm frequency. It rang for only a few moments before Athena's frowning face came into view.

"I really can't leave you two alone for more than a few days can I?" She gruffed and Fiona could hear Janey's bright laugh in the background.

"I'd take more offense to that if we weren't so out of our depth here." Something in her voice must have caught Athena's attention because she was suddenly closer to the screen, face set in a mask of consternation.

"Show me." Was all she said and Fiona turned the comm around so Athena could see the wreck of the destroyed camp. Judging by the intake of breath from the other end, it was something unusual even for the veteran vault hunter.

"No animal bodies, just bandits. Bandit bodies and these claw marks, but nothing else besides a lot of blood."

"I got something!" Fiona sighed. Leave it to her kid sister to find something just as she was reporting on the lack of nothing around them. Fiona loped over to where she was crouching in the sand near the base of one of the ruined tents. There in the sand was something glinting and purple, some viscous liquid refusing to meld into the sand like all the blood around them.

"Get to the caravan. Now." Both sisters exchanged alarmed looks and Fiona turned the comm back, prepared to demand an explanation of her but Athena was being helped into her armor by Janey. "Don't argue! Into the caravan and lock the door. I'm going to fast travel to the Village and meet you there. Do not drive! You'll only attract it's attention."

Self-preservation won out over curiosity and both women made their way swiftly back to the caravan, bolting the door behind them and pulling the heavy metal shade down over the windshield. Athena had hung up on them, but Sasha almost instantly got a call from Vaughn. Behind Vaughn they could see the Children scrambling into technicals, whooping and hollering the whole while.

"Athena just got here and we're mobilizing. We'll be at your location in about an hour. Athena wants us to stop about a mile away and come on foot."

"Did she tell you what we were dealing with? She just saw the purple stuff and told us to book it back to the caravan." Before Vaughn could answer Athena's voice rang in from behind.

"Muscles! Give me that comm and drive!" There was a tussle as the comm was passed off and the roaring of the technicals filled the air and Athena's face was back, grim and pale ina way they'd never seen before, even when she was facing down the end of Vallory's rocket launcher.

"Will someone just tell us what's going on?!" Sasha's patience was waning in the way it did when the situation was out of her control for too long. To be fair, Fiona was feeling the same way and she watched intently as Athena sighed heavily and looked so very uncharacteristically unsure.

"There's- well there's no real name for them. Just stories, legends that started coming around shortly after people started hearing about vaults and Sirens. They're like guardians, especially to powerful Sirens, people bent and twisted by the power of eridium and the vault artifacts. There's only two confirmed sightings in history and the last one was a very, very long time ago. Like, hundreds of years."

She rubbed her face with one hand, leaning over to mutter something to Vaughn inaudibly. "They rampage and feed until they're at full power and then, well, no one is sure. No one survived when the last one eventually reached that level. And judging by the brutality of this attack, and the fact that most of their blood is still there, it's done feeding and it's playing now. Stretching powers and getting used to them."

Something like horror sank deep in her gut, heavy and dark and Fiona shuddered. Some awful Eridian construction, fed and bled on dozens if not hundreds of bandits, pet and protector to a very powerful Siren? That had possible apocalypse written all over it. Or at least a very bad time.

"How do we kill it?" Fiona asked, doing her best to mask her sudden crushing fear.

"We don't." At their perplexed looks Athena gave them a grim expression of determination. "Like I said, at this level it'd shred each and every one of us and then use our ribs as chew toys. Our best bet is to distract it long enough with flash bangs to get you out of there. They supposedly have excellent hearing and sight, so enough of them set off consecutively should disable it enough for everyone to safely retreat. If we're out of eyesight it should lose interest enough to leave us alone."

Nothing was spoken of whatever catastrophic event that had, in the past, killed all witnesses. Supposedly it wasn't enough to rend the planet to shreds, so maybe the impact was smaller than that, or maybe the job of the Siren and her pet had nothing to do with the planet's surface.

"Just hang tight, we'll be there shortly."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He snuffled in the crate, ignoring the cold wind on his skin, cutting through his tattered leather and cloth trousers. It was getting dark and colder still, and while the cold was no match for him, he knew his Siren hated the cold. Blankets. He needed blankets, and lots of them.

The crate yielded several thick comforters and he yanked them out, grabbing them up carefully in his claws and scurrying away from the decimated camp to the cave where his Siren lay. She was so much healthier now, but he couldn't resist the nervous tug at their bond, chuffing with relief when she pushed back with warmth-love-amusement.

Having another person in his head had taken getting used to, but his Siren felt such a part of him that the adjustment had taken mere minutes. Weeks ago, they'd been flung out into the merciless desert in flash of purple and blue lightning. She was weak and thin, barely conscious, and he hardly stronger than a runty skag pup. But he knew what he was meant to do. Feed and grow, provide, protect his Siren. His. No one else. The last one was incomplete, unworthy, wrong, but he was perfect and she would be safe-loved-his. Nothing would stand in the way of that.

And so he'd stashed his Siren in the most spacious but secure cave he could find, and he hunted. Everything he could get his claws on he killed and bled, drinking forth their strength and making it his. If he was strong, so was she. If he was fed, so was she. His warmth, her warmth.

Every night he would curl around her, and she was so small in comparison to his own frame. She would whisper words of love and gratitude into his temple, their bond thrumming with content and his purr filling the cave. She told the stories of a man she once knew, all bright grins and love of cats and freckles high on his cheeks. Of a man with stupid socks who could make her smile no matter what. Of a man who had loved her but had gone so very, very wrong.

Sometimes, the stories annoyed him. Not that she would tell him them, but rather sometimes he felt half complete when she spoke, even with their bond humming in his head. Like there was another person in head, just out of reach of him and without him he would never be right. She would soothe him, promise him that it would come in time, and he would content himself with her declarations. His Siren knew best.

Now though, now he was strong. He hadn't meant to bleed the whole camp, only the last few he needed to be full, and then he wouldn't need to hunt for weeks, but the others wouldn't leave him alone and they tried to follow him back to the cave and he couldn't allow that. He could admit he'd gone overboard and his Siren was sure to chastise him for it but her safety was worth it.

The cave was warm for the fire that crackled merrily in the squat barrel and he tottered forward, dropping his armload of comforters on his Siren, purring at her shrieks of indignant laughter. Soon she had cocooned herself and he had dragged in enough old building timbers to keep the fire going overnight. He had just settled his body around her when a sound caught his ear and he raised his head. His Siren's hand stilled their motions in his patchy hair as he began to growl.

People. People in vehicles. Had they come for his Siren? Knowing he wouldn't settle until he'd checked it out, his Siren gave him leave to go and he sprang out of the cave, bare feet silent on still-damp sand as he headed towards the noises.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was barely an hour but already creeping dark when Athena rang them again to let them know they could see the caravan where they were. She wanted them to ready the caravan to go, because as soon as the creature was stunned they would need to peel backwards and away, wasting no time to get away. They would only have a few minutes. Athena, Vaughn and three of their fastest runners were coming weighed down with grenades. They would stun the creature, jump into the caravan and then they would connect with all the technicals a couple miles away.

Fiona raised the shutter as Sasha settled into the driver's seat, ready to turn the key as soon as the others were in. Fiona went to the door, ready to throw it open the minute she need to. Moments later the raiding party was there and Athena nodded, watching as one of the Children yanked a pin out of a grenade and tossed it into the dirt.

There was a sharp crack and a muted flash of light and then silence.

Then a roar shook the camp and a humanoid shape came crashing to the ground from one of the cliffs surrounding the camp, leaving a huge crater in the sand. The creature roared, a sound human vocal cords should not be able to make. But then again, according to Athena, it wasn't really human anymore, was it?

Everyone cocked their arms back, prepared to throw the grenades when a flicker of fire passed over the creature's face and Fiona felt herself freeze in utter horror just as Vaughn's scream rent the air.

"STOP!"

The Children immediately lowered their arms even as Athena hissed a curse at him. Even the creature stopped, lowering its arms and settling down into all fours. Athena's face turned the color of spoiled cream and she gasped and Fiona felt what little strength she had leave her knees as she slammed the door open noisily, spilling into the sand as if she could do nothing else, her sister behind her.

Rhys.

It was Rhys, it just had to be. He was tall still, so stupidly tall, and lanky but there was whipchord muscle there now, rippling as he shifted. His metallic arm was all chrome and black, purple lights twinkling here and there and his eyes, purple and slitted both watched them with confusion and hope and caution. Both hands ended in wicked claws and one fang hung over his lip. His hair, once so sleek and full, was shorter and uneven, like it had been groomed with unsteady claws and small black and purple horns, probably half a foot, jutted out of the top of his skull.

Wounds marred pale skin, some old, some new and still dripping pale purple fluid and they mixed with a terrible beauty into the new vibrant blue and purple tattoos that tracked over his entire torso, dipping into the waistband of his pants.. He was crouched in the sand like a dog, a long black tail with a purple tuft swishing in the air, a curious little whining sound leaving him and he took a few cautious steps forward. He walked on two legs and with an odd sinuous grace that was distinctly not human.

Athena raised her gun, making as if to shoot him out of instinct but Vaughn surged towards the other man, babbling his name all the while and bowling into him. Rhys went with momentum happily, rolling with Vaughn in the sand and nuzzling him, Vaughn's watery voice mixing with Rhys' high sounds of what was unmistakably joy.

Eventually they came to a stop, Rhys comfortably sprawled out under the smaller man, eyes closed and purring as Vaughn burrowed into his chest. It seemed like a moment they were very much not meant to witness and the Children had already turned away, Athena as well.

"Aww that's really cute!" They whipped around to the new voice and came face to face with a young girl. She was wearing fairly put together leathers in white and gold of all colors, and her long black hair was braided with obvious care, except for where it was shorn close to her head, revealing metallic ports. She was gazing at the scene with open affection as she swung her legs from her perch on an outcropping. She was barely a teen, maybe fourteen at most but she radiated power like nothing Fiona had ever felt in her life, except for maybe the vault.

Oh. Her brain put together the pieces faster than she would've thought possible at the moment. This must be the Siren.

"And who are you?"

The girl took her eyes off the scene to look at Athena, blue eyes calculating for a moment before she grinned widely and jumped lightly down, moving towards them with a grace that belied her age.

"Yea I suppose that's as good a place as any to start, since I can't imagine managing to pull those two apart any time in the near future." Her voice was light with honest joy and amusement.

"So, uh, yea! Hi, I'm Angel."

#borderlands #tales from the borderlands #fanfic #gayperion #bouncepaw writes #rhys #angel

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alainawriteswwe · 7 years

Text

Pride and Prejudice and Wrestling - Part 6

Characters: Seth Rollins x Reader, The gang from Raw

Summary: When a superstar Hollywood actress (The Reader), interacts with WWE Superstar Seth Rollins at Monday Night Raw, sparks fly. Can Rollins overcome his pride and convince the reader to take a chance on him when she’s still recovering from a nasty scandal caused by her cheating fiancé?

Warnings: Lots of flirting, angsty longing and maybe some bad words

Tags: @caramara3

Chapter 6

Three Weeks Later

“Are you sure you don’t want to do the movie? It’s a juicy role and could lead to some nice accolades during award season.”

My publicist Michelle swirled the striped straw in her unsweetened, locally sourced organic iced tea.

Michelle was a gem and a contradiction. She was always stylish but never in a Hollywood way. An older woman, she wore her chic hair in a long bob and took pride in the wide swaths of gray there when everyone was dying their hair blond to desperately keep looking like they were 27. She was a hard smoker but was refraining right now, even though we were in the open air, because I hated the smell.

She would scoff at my calling her motherly but she had been an incredible mentor to me. And, she had gotten me this far in my career in Hollywood. When I came here with $700 bucks in my pocket and no contacts, she had taken a chance on me, seeing something in me a lot of casting directors didn’t at the time. But her long term hunch paid off and she earned her money back in spades, 15% at a time.

“I am happy saying no to offers right now,” I replied, sipping from my Coke. The waitress seemed amazed it wasn’t Diet. “I want a sabbatical. Some time to sort myself out. A few months at most.” We were eating lunch at a swanky New York City hotspot. And by eating lunch, I mean being seen eating lunch at a exclusive spot outdoors in Soho while I pushed a colorfully, exotic salad around my plate.

Wouldn’t Seth laugh at me about this while he ate some healthy meal he carted around the country with him while wrestling. He would probably call my fancy salad, food fit for a rabbit princess. Or I bet he was eating ice cream right now. Asshole. Secretly I was following him on his Instagram, and he wasn’t joking about ice cream being a guilty pleasure for him.

“But this movie stars Michael Fassbender. You always said you wanted to work with him.”

“I know. I just need a break.”

Michelle sighed. It was a passive aggressive sigh. “This is about your fiancé, right? You’re ex-fiancé. You got to get your head out your ass about that and keep moving forward honey. You are embarrassed to be seen out. We are out right now. Eating at this ridiculous restaurant so we can be seen and have paparazzi shots on all the blogs. I mean we could be at my house on the Island, eating juicy steaks.”

I laughed at that. Michelle was an amazing cook. It was something I wanted to learn to do. Maybe I would do it now. I had the time.

I pushed my plate with its exotic micro grain salad away from me. “I told you I don’t need paparazzi declarations of my happiness in photo form. Also, a steak sounds amazing. As does a rest right now.”

Michelle put her hands up in capitulation. “Okay, okay. Well I will hold down the fort until you come back.”

Suddenly I was relieved. I pushed my Coke away.

“I will let the producer know that it’s a no from you.” She tapped at her iPad. “I think that’s it.” She tapped and swiped some more at her tablet. “Last thing I need to do for you is just respond to WWE. They have been insanely persistent.”

I was motioning to the waitress for the check when Michelle spoke and I could have gotten whiplash when I heard the word, “WWE”.

“Wait. What?”

“The wrestling people. They have not stopped calling.”

My heart was hammering at that. My mouth went dry. “Uh, what did they want?” Did that sound casual? Oh God. I was losing it. Be calm. Surely Seth wouldn’t use such a formal way to contact me.

“First, they wanted a coordinated response about the elevator incident and l told them the same thing I told TMZ. No comment. Then they called with a job offer. Can you imagine? You with two Oscars, working for WWE! So I told them ‘no’.

“Oh. Well, maybe we should hear them out.” I sipped my Coke again. I shrugged my shoulders and tried to sound flippant, when I was really shaky and nervous inside. “Just to see what the offer is.”

Michelle gasped. She seemed apoplectic. She was literally clutching the pearl necklace that was draped around her neck in a triple strand. “You turn down a role that could win you a third Oscar but you are interested in a offer from a wrestling company?”

I shrugged again. “Could be fun during my sabbatical.”

Michelle shook her head. “A fun way to destroy your career. You can’t take this offer seriously, hon. You would be laughed out of Hollywood.”

“But it’s something different.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Damn it. This is about the elevator guy, isn’t it? He’s a wrestler. What was his name? Shane? Sean?

I rolled my eyes. She knew his name. “Seth. His name is Seth.”

“Yeah, and his dick must be magic if you are thinking about ruining everything you’ve worked for over this job.”

“You don’t even know what the job is? You turned it down without even telling me what it was. Surely they don’t want me to wrestle. Aren’t you curious about what it could be?”

“I don’t bother you with jobs that are a waste of your time,” she answered in a haughty tone.

“But the job might not be a waste of my time. It could be a good distraction.” I paused. “And yes, his dick was magic.”I was joking with Michelle but not really.

Finally Michelle looked impressed and she laughed. “Well that’s something. At least you are getting some dick. I told you that would do wonders after that debacle with that louse you were engaged to. Get back up on the horse and ride it all night and all that.”

“Like you know about all that. I think your wife would take umbrage with you riding other horses, Michelle.”

“Never you mind me and my fabulous love life, my dear. It’s your love life I’m concerned about. And I admit I’m confused. You told me nothing was going on there, with Sean after the elevator incident.”

I bit my lower lip. “Maybe I was wrong there. About … Seth.” More like maybe I couldn’t help touching my hand on the hot stove even though I knew it would burn me.

“Unfinished business?”

Sure. If unfinished business meant constantly thinking about him for three weeks and constantly wondering if I should have left him without a word.

So why was I considering whatever WWE was offering? Because I was hoping it was Seth behind all this. And what would that serve if he was behind it? We couldn’t enjoy anything long term? He wasn’t suited for it with all the cheating in his past. And short term? I was so confused. But I missed Seth. I just wanted the chance to be near him and get to know him better.

I was so lost in my own world I had forgotten Michelle and her question. “Yes. I guess there is something unfinished there,” I finally responded.

“All right, hon.” She covered my hand with hers. “I will set up a meeting.” She looked me in the eye. “I hope he’s worth it.”

I didn’t answer because I didn’t want to think about the answer.

Later that night, Michelle called me to say I had a meeting at WWE HQ in Connecticut to discuss this job proposition and a car would pick me up the next morning. Michelle, in showing her displeasure at the situation could only say that I had a meeting with a guy who had way too many “H”s in his myriad of names. That made me chuckle.

But there was nothing to chuckle about as I made my way into WWE headquarters. It was serious business, with everyone in their corporate attire. I don’t know why I felt there would be people running around power bombing coworkers at the water cooler but I was disappointed that folks there were just as normal and boring as people in any office building in America. At least I didn’t feel out of place in my black slacks and simple silk blouse.

There were some gorgeous replica championship belts on display in the impressive glass encased lobby though and some larger than life photos of the various superstars lining the walls of the hallways. I tried to hide a smile as I passed the life sized picture of Seth on the wall in his shiny black ring gear, hair wet and devious smirk on his handsome face. His hands were clasped together like he was up to no good. The sexy devil. Damn him.

Triple H greeted me warmly in his gigantic corporate office with its lovely view of a manmade lake behind him. Pictures of his kids and of course Stephanie lined his large oak desk.

Despite the hand cut Italian suit, and the charismatic charm of his demeanor, Triple H looked as if he could cast off that corporate veneer and unleash some violence when necessary. Which had been proven at many a PPV and even the most recent Mania against Seth. I know because I watched it. I had been watching a lot of Seth’s old matches recently. It was a poor stand-in for being near the real thing.

“Thank you for meeting me.” His voice was authoritative with just a hint of gravel but it was also charming and welcoming. “And for coming out here to Connecticut. I thought you might hear the pitch better if you see how we operate.”

I put my business mode smile on. “You have a very impressive operation here.”

“Thank you. We are very happy when we achieve our goal of putting smiles on people’s faces.”

I couldn’t help a little smirk. “Yes, and profits in shareholders bank accounts.”

“Exactly. That’s why you’re here.

“You think I can make a profit for WWE? I’m not a wrestler.”

“True. But you do have something we can let’s say, use to our advantage.”

I had to admit I was intrigued here.

“Your hosting Raw was very well received not just here in the States but also around the world. Your movies do extremely well internationally and you have a very loyal fanbase in those countries that the corporation is looking to expand in via our television presence. We thought it might be a good idea to have you be a part of Raw more often. You could be an “in” for new viewers in those countries. They know you and your brand. They would be interested in the show and what you are doing on it. That could expose the WWE brand to more people worldwide. More smiles on people’s faces.”

I took a moment to let all that soak in. Then I channeled Michelle’s skepticism again.

“It could also diminish my brand. My fans could become confused. I’m a actress one day, and on a wrestling show the next. Why should I do this?” Michelle would be happy I was somehow channeling her so much.

Triple H got up and walked around his desk to lean against the front of it. He looked at me intently.

“I like to read people. Figure out how they tick and what works for them. It is a strategy that worked for me in the ring and in business.

“It’s no secret you have had a tough time in the press lately. I think you could use a break from Hollywood. I also heard you ‘clicked’ with many of our Superstars.”

I shook my head, disappointed in this line of conversation. Would he say this if I was a man? I couldn’t disguise the attitude in my voice. “You mean Seth.”

“I meant Sasha and Bayley but sure, Seth too.”

Okay. So I walked into that one. “I’m not saying I would do it but what would this job entail.”

Triple H tried to keep his victorious smile at a minimum.

“Something I think you will enjoy. You’re going to work with Seth. Creative has written a storyline where you are dating. I thought that would be easy for you two to pull off. It would sell better with the audience if you live that in and out of the ring. Travel together. Like a real couple. It would be for a couple months, three at most. All the way through Summer Slam.”

“So I’m what, Seth’s pretend girlfriend and his valet.” I remembered Seth’s harsh words to me that he didn’t need a valet. “I don’t think Seth will go for that.”

“Well why don’t we ask him.”

My heart skipped several beats.

My mouth went dry. “What? Seth. He’s here?”

“Yes. I thought it would be good to talk to you first before we all sat down together to discuss this. That is if you are interested. I don’t want to waste your time.”

Sly, sly man. They called him The Cerebral Assassin for a reason. I didn’t want to play all my cards right away so I tried to sound neutral.

“Sure. Why not, since I’m here and everything.”

Triple H led me through to the adjoining conference room. It was all shiny and modern and reminded me of a Bond villain’s lair. A wall of glass floor to ceiling windows took up one side with a view of the corporate park and the man made lake. Complete with geese.

And then there was Seth. He was standing, looking out the window. His hands shoved in the pants pockets of the immaculate black suit he wore. His hair pulled back in a low man bun. His dark hair seemed just a touch fuzzy at top and just a touch unruly still. Corporate Seth was not as comfortable as Tap Out sweatpants and baseball cap Seth.

He still looked amazing though. Sexy. Powerful. Immediately, I wanted him. My body responding to his presence in the most primal and basic ways, reminding me it had been three weeks since I was in his bed.

I smiled at him but Seth didn’t return that gesture. I swallowed hard. Something was wrong. He looked shocked to see me and just a touch unsure. So unlike himself compared to the cocky, over confident guy I met almost a month ago.

“I don’t think we need introductions. We all know each other,” Triple H announced. He sat at the head of the large conference table. The king on his throne. I sat across from Seth. He seemed a mile away sitting across the wide wooden expanse.

“So, Seth. I asked you to come by HQ today because Creative has a new storyline I think you would be very interested in. It involves this lady here.” Trips motioned to me.

“Now I know you will help me try and convince her to come on board with us and be a part of that storyline and our WWE family.”

“Okay,” Seth responded. He tapped his fingers on the table. “Creative don’t let go of their secrets easily or in advance so it must be big.”

Triple H grinned. “It is big, son.”

I was finally through with waiting. “Okay what are all the details?”

“A championship run for Seth. Multiple titles. And we are going to make our lovely guest here the new General Manager of Raw.”

I couldn’t help laughing out loud at that. If I had been drinking something it would have definitely been a spit take.

I touched my hand to my chest in disbelief. “Me. General Manager of Raw. I have no experience in wrestling. It’s crazy.”

Triple H nodded. “Yes. It’s so crazy it’s brilliant. No one will see that coming.”

I just blinked at the unbelievable news. Was this somehow a prank show? I hated practical jokes. “How? I mean in what world could I become General Manager?”

“Creative will figure out the details. The thing is this. If we have you and Seth date on the show, have that played outside the ring as well, the WWE universe will accept you and you will be over as we say.

“Plus, with you as GM, it will provide some interesting story plots. Part of Seth’s arc recently has been his redeeming himself from his time with me in The Authority where his title opportunities were handed to him. So what happens when it turns out his girlfriend is in charge and can hand him those opportunities again? Does he keep going on his own path as a face doing things the proper way or give in to those old heelish tendencies to take the easier path?”

I had to admit that did sound interesting. Seth, for his part was silent. Absorbing what was said. He was turning all the angles over in his head before he spoke. When he finally did he got to the point.

“Which titles?”

“Tag team with Dean leading into a battle between you two for the Intercontinental. If you win that you will be a Grand Champion. That’s exalted company as you know.”

I didn’t know what a Grand Champion was but Seth seemed to be satisfied. I realized how hard it was for him to be at the top of the company and have it all taken away due to your own body rebelling through injury. To find yourself having to fight your way back up the ladder. New contenders coming in everyday who were also fighting for your spot. It sounded a lot like Hollywood.

“And we have to date?” Seth asked, pointing to me.

Triple H nodded. “Oh yes. It’s integral to the storyline. Like I said, this story needs to stick inside and outside the ring. I think you two can do that. Unless there is a problem I am not aware of. Then we can call the whole thing off.”

Seth was silent again. I didn’t know what to say. What was wrong? Seth was cold, distant. He refused to look at me unless he absolutely had to out of politeness.

I tried to fill the gap of silence. “Well it does sound like a lot of work but I must admit I’m interested.”

Triple H was pleased. “Great. I must ask a really personal question then. You’re not seeing anyone currently? Someone who could blow this storyline up.”

Seth finally looked over at me. Even though he said nothing, I could tell he was interested in my answer.

“No. Maybe you should ask him,” I remarked pointing over to Seth across the conference table.

“I already know his situation. He’s clear. One more question for you my dear and I am afraid its even more personal than my first one. We can’t have you around the ring if you’re pregnant. So you would need to bow out now if that’s the case.”

Seth tilted his head. His eyes now showed expression. Curiosity.

I looked at Seth as I spoke. “No. I am not pregnant.”

Satisfied, Triple H motioned over to a leather folio. He passed it to me. “Inside is the contract. I don’t expect you to sign it right now but you can read it. I will have electronic copies sent to your agent and your legal team.”

I opened the folio. “I have some requirements.”

Seth scoffed but Triple H nodded. “Name them.”

“I get to approve all parts of any storyline I am a part of. I also control what I wear and how I look. My name and likeness will always belong to me.”

Triple H thought about it and then put his hand out for me to shake. “Deal.” He paused a moment. “I like you. You’re tough.”

I must admit I was proud to hear him say that.

“Aren’t you going to ask Seth here if he’s going to do this?”

Triple H looked at me as if this was a crazy question. “Seth is a company man. He will do the storyline. It’s you that has to make the decision if you will be involved and if the storyline goes forward.”

Ok. So no pressure. If I say no, I could stall Seth’s career.

Suddenly Seth spoke up. “Maybe we can have a moment alone, Hunter. To discuss all this.”

With a nod, Triple H left the conference room.

I could have sighed. Finally. Time alone with Seth. I had so many questions for him. Mundane stuff. How was he? Was he excited about the storyline? How should we play it? Whether this love story was going to really go on offscreen as well? Could it? Because if I was honest with myself, I wanted it to. Even if he broke my heart. Which, let’s face it was likely.

There was so much to talk about and this new life on the road would provide the perfect opportunity for all that. I was risking everything for this opportunity, but nothing in life is ever gained without risk.

I opened my mouth to start to put some of my jumbled thoughts into words when Seth cut me off with a wave of his hand.

“Look Princess, don’t say yes to this job if you’re not going to take it seriously. If you’re gonna leave in the middle of the storyline’s run because you can’t handle it or how grueling life is on the road. You need to tell Hunter ‘no’ right now.

“You have to make a lot of sacrifices in WWE. Something I’m sure you are not used to in Hollywood where your every want is spoon fed to you. There are no personal assistants on the road. You carry your own luggage. You take care of yourself and the people you are working with.”

The balloon of thoughts and hopes where Seth was concerned popped. How could he say this of me? I worked as hard as anyone on the set of my movies. I had a assistant but I could damn well live my life without him doing everything for me.

I crossed my arms over my chest in my seat, ready for a fight. Bring it on Kingslayer. “You don’t think I will work hard?”

He laughed. That horrible hyena laugh of his. “Princess, I know you are going to run when the going gets tough. That’s what you do isn’t it. I bet you think all this is a joke.”

He waved his arm around the room.

“Wrestling is as serious an art as your precious acting. I’ve dedicated my entire life to it. Twelve years I’ve thrown my body around in the ring to get to where I am today. I won’t have that ruined because you run out on all of us and this storyline. I won’t have you disappoint Hunter that way either. He doesn’t know what you’re like. I do.”

Each word, each accusation from his gorgeous pursed lips was a poison arrow to my body. My heart stammered in my chest. I had to drag myself to pull in air to breathe as I started to hyperventilate. This was a different Seth than the one I left in Miami.

I got up from my seat and went to his side of the table where he was still seated. The wall of glass behind him.

“Why are you being like this Seth? What exactly have I done to you? Spell it out.”

“I just see you for what you are. It took awhile. Too bad I didn’t see it sooner.”

Soon the penny dropped and I was furious once I made the connection. “You’re mad because you think I rejected you in Miami. Why? Because in your playboy mind you didn’t get to kick a clinging Hollywood starlet from your bed? And now your preciously fragile male ego can’t take it.”

I shook my head. Of course this was the outcome. Why should I believe I would ever have anything different where men and I were concerned. Seth was just living up to his reputation as a player now.

“I bet you still told it that way to your friends when you bragged about bedding me. I bet you told them I begged you to stay before you firmly put me out of your hotel room, like some discarded room service tray.”

I was so pissed off I could feel the energy of my anger shimmer through me. Growing in waves. I walked over to the window. Away from Seth so I couldn’t do him in with violence. How dare he be mad at me.

“Always the playboy aren’t you Seth. I should have listened to Finn. He warned me about you.”

That got a rise from Seth. Literally. He got up from his seat and stood in front of me at the window. He narrowed his eyes at me. His mouth a grim line. “Don’t you dare mention his name and compare him to me.”

I poked him in that solidly muscular chest of his. “Well too bad. Besides, you need to learn the lesson that everything isn’t about you, Seth. Even though you desperately want to ‘believe that’. Well, I don’t need you. You’re not some irresistible adonis.”

That is a damned lie, my body screamed as it responded to his sexual power on display just a touch in front of me, even as the words fell from my mouth.

I poked him in the chest again. Harder this time. “I don’t need you as a friend and I don’t need you in my bed.” Another god damn lie. “That’s something you should remember while we act out this farce for the cameras and the WWE universe.”

Seth was silent a moment. The smug, cocky grin on his face growing rapidly. “I don’t need a fuck buddy, Princess. I’ve got plenty of those in my phone’s contacts. All we have to do is try to be civil, try not to embarrass each other and stick to the storyline even outside the ring. That’s it.”

He paused before looking me up and down and shaking his head as if he was disgusted by what he saw.

“And you don’t have to worry about me making advances at you. You made it quite clear you had no desire to continue what started in Miami.”

He almost snorted in disgust. “You’re a Hollywood Princess.” He choked out the last word as if he didn’t even want it to pass his lips. “It’s quite a come down to find yourself waking up in bed next to what you considered a mere Iowa farm boy.”

I shook my head at that. “Seth stop.”

Something about these words seemed worse than his earlier taunts. They were twisting the knife he had already buried in my heart earlier. I was doing well in hiding my emotions but now the tears that were threatening to escape my eyes were very close to achieving their goal. And I would rather cut off my arm than have him see me wipe them away.

“No!” He answered defiantly, his voice grave. “You’re gonna hear what I have to say, Princess.”

“Okay Seth. So you want to do this now, do you? In this cold sterile conference room with a view of a fake corporate lake and people eating lunch on little picnic tables below us.”

Seth didn’t seem to care. “We don’t have to do anything. We are not going to do anything. We’re going to stick to the script and do what we are told. If Creative says I have to kiss you in public then I am going to pucker up with a smile and bear it the best I can because there is a title at stake, man. That is the only thing that matters here. The only thing that matters to me.” There was nothing I could say to that. How could I counter his accusations when my only defense was something I could never tell him. Would never tell him after realizing how he felt about me just now.

That what we shared in Miami was more than just sex. That I knew I was losing my heart to him that very morning, after only one night, and I was terrified of being hurt.

But I was also being hurt now. Being near Seth, knowing that he hated me was killing me. All that bravado and ego he displayed inside the ring and out just masked a deep insecurity in him. I realized that now as he lashed out at me verbally. It made sense that he was always striving to prove himself, to be The Man. The Champ. To draw in all that energy from the WWE universe where they loved him or loved to hate him.

I wanted to reach out to him. To touch him. Wrap my arms around that muscular chest of his and hug him tight. I hurt him by leaving him without a word that morning in Miami, and I hated myself for that. But at that moment, after our wonderful night together, protecting my heart was key after my cheating fiancé.

Seth had been a cheating fiancé. I didn’t want to have him tell me it would be different with me this time. Only to find him awkwardly sexting some new girl from NXT or some beautiful WWE groupie who was hoping for a come up.

How could I just minutes ago have thought we could make this work and have a relationship? A real relationship. I must have been crazy.

And now we were going to pretend to be a couple for the cameras. Travel together, all the while pretending to be madly in love for three months . It would kill me.

But I realized in that moment that I had to do it. I understood how much Seth wanted that title shot. Just like how I desperately wanted a Oscar when I came to Hollywood. Winning two didn’t diminish that desire in me. It actually made me hungrier for it.

I understood how much Seth needed that title for his career and I would sacrifice some of my lauded Hollywood actress reputation to get that for him even though he hated me. I wanted him to have that success he worked so hard for and that was cruelly taken away after so many injuries.

That was love wasn’t it? That word I tried to banish but could not with Seth. Pretending to hate him and trying not to fall for him further would be the hardest acting role I ever had.

I couldn’t look at him when I spoke so I turned and looked out at the geese roaming the corporate park below us. “Right. Message received, Rollins. You want a pretend girlfriend then you got it, Seth. I will batt my eyelashes at you and hang off your arm and look up at you as if you set the moon and the stars for me. People will be envious of how much it looks like I love you.” Because I do love you. And you’re breaking my heart right now.

“They will think we are the luckiest couple in the world. And you will win that title Seth. Then maybe once you do, you can turn heel and ‘cheat’ on me with someone in the women’s division and that will end our storyline. And then you will be free of me.”

I could feel the heat of Seth’s gaze upon me but when I turned my attention to him, his normally expressive eyes seemed inscrutable. It was almost like he was looking through me.

“I know you hate me Seth. You have your reasons. I won’t argue that. I wounded your ego and hurt your pride in Miami but let’s just try and get through this okay.”

I turned to walk out the room but Seth stopped me. His hand snaked out to grab my hand. Not hard. His fingers just encircled my wrist. His thumb gently stroked my pulse. Inwardly I sighed. A natural reaction. Each touch was sheer heaven.

Seth’s voice was low, serious. “Why are you doing this? Joining Raw? You don’t have to do it. What’s in it for you?”

His face searched mine for an answer, there was something oddly hopeful in his dark eyes.

I couldn’t give him the truth. My truth. That would be my secret, always. So I lied. “For the publicity of course.”

His hand fell away. He didn’t have to say a word for me to feel his disgust.

–

#seth rollins #seth rollins fan fiction #seth rollins fanfic #seth rollins imagine #wwe #wwe raw

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Monday Night Raw review- January 8th, 2017

Hey everyone! Happy Monday! I hope y’all are doing well, and that your 2018′s are getting off to a great start so far! I’ve been looking forward to Raw all day, let’s hope it’s a good show!

Please let me know what you thought of the show, as well as what you thought of this review! Any type of feedback and criticism is welcomed! Thanks so much for checking this out!

Opening segment- Roman Reigns

Last week we saw Roman and Joe for the IC title, and tonight we see him holding the title high. For those of you who didn’t see the match, I’d highly recommend checking it out because it was a phenomenal match that was put on by two really great performers.The crowd reaction seems mixed on Roman tonight, but overall he’s been getting more cheers than jeers lately.

Jason Jordan is now on his way to the ring, and I just don’t have anything positive to say about him. In the words of my father, “I just want him to get hurt, or something..” No one understands this kid, or why he’s getting this push that he is. His in-ring ability is pretty alright, but he just isn’t anything special to anyone.

Seth Rollins is now on his way down, and we have all 3 members of the “New Shield” joining us in the ring. Seth is definitely playing mentor/mentee with Jordan, and I wish I could pick Seth’s brain about how he feels about it.

OH BOY HOWDY IT’S FINN AND THE CLUB OH GOD I AM DEAD

God, I hope this elevates Finn’s status on Raw. He deserves a better chance, but it’s great to see Finn with Gallows and Anderson. Aaaaaand it’s great to see Finn so happy and smiling with some gggoooodddd boooyyyssss!

It was announced that the main event is going to be a 6-Man Tag match with the Balor Club against Roman, Seth, and Jordan! Get hyped!

Sasha Banks and Bayley vs. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville

I have to say I’m a little exhausted with seeing this matchup. Let absolution wrestle other women, because that’s what I want to see.

The match started off with the pairing of Mandy and Bayley, and I loved seeing the display of power from Mandy. I don’t think we’ve really seen her ability in the ring, and I’m glad that we’re seeing a showcase of it now. I will say, I am tired of hearing Booker T bring up the fact that Mandy was on Tough Enough a few years back. We get it Booker, you’ve seen Mandy before.

Coming back from commercial, Mandy has control over Sasha, but not for long as Sasha rallies back. Michael Cole is screaming into the mic and saying IT’S BOSS TIME and god help us. Sonya has now been tagged into the match, and I can’t wait to watch her take out Sasha. I don’t like how Sonya does the “put your hair up” thing because it really stops the flow of the match. Once she puts her hair up, however, she does deliver some really fast strikes. Mandy and Sonya really dominated through most of the match, which is usually the match style for these guys now. With a quick roll up from Sasha that turned into the Bank Statement, this less-than-exciting match is over, and the good guys get the win.

WOKEN!Matt vs. Curt Hawkins

Oh man, I love Woken Matt. It’s so weird and silly and I’m just happy that Matt has found something to do with Jeff not being here. Everyone knows that Jeff is the money maker for the Hardys, but with Woken Matt, things are great for Matt. I can’t wait for Jeff to come back to see what the brothers do next.

In the past weeks, we’ve seen Bray Wyatt and Matt go back and forth with promos, but this is the first time we’ve seen Matt wrestle like this. His style isn’t too different, but he does seem to be slowly “transforming” into something else.

There wasn’t much to say on this match, but it does suck for Curt that he’s basically a jobber. I miss him as an Edgehead, but that was a long time ago. Bray came out after Matt won the match, and it turned into a crazy contest with these two just laughing in the middle of the ring. I guess we’ll see if anything happens with these two in the upcoming weeks, and hopefully it doesn’t diffuse after the rumble.

The Return of The Miz!

He’s back everyone! With a nice introduction and song from Elias, The Miz has welcomed us to MizTV! He changed his hair back to the OG spiked haircut, which I like a lot better. I’m glad that MY INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION has come home. I can’t wait to see what The Miz brings us in 2018.

Miz’s guests for tonight were actually the Miztourage, which is a little bit of a letdown, but it was a good goofy segment because Dallas and Axel were giving Miz stupid gifts. But I think we all wanted to see Roman and Miz have a confrontation. As we all remember, Roman beat Miz for the IC title about 2 months ago, and while Roman is a good champ, The Miz is even better.

Miz began listing his accomplishments from 2017, and when you think about it, The Miz had a great year, and he really is one of Raw’s top talents. For 2018, he’s got a daughter on the way, a new movie or two, I think he and Maryse just got a new house?? He will most likely hold another title, and he promises to take back his title.

Cedric Alexander vs. Enzo Amore for the Cruiserweight Championship

I wish that this was a match that took place last week, but Enzo was out sick and could not compete, so we get this match tonight. Earlier in the show, we saw Goldust give Cedric some advice for the match, which is pretty sweet since Goldust is such a legend and to see him support the cruiserweight division is great.

Cedric got the opportunity to face Enzo for the title after a series of Fatal Four Way matches, which he first lost, but after Rich Swann was arrested for domestic violence, the WWE called for a new match which named Cedric as the number one contender.

Right before the commercial break, Cedric took a nasty fall from the top rope after Enzo used the ref as a distraction. For me, I think Cedric oversells and he’s a little too noisy in the ring. If he takes one forearm hit, he screams his head off, and it’s too much. Enzo was setting the pace for the match so far, but Cedric made contact with a dropkick to Enzo, and Cedric looks to make a comeback. With an amazing handspring kick to Enzo, the pin from Cedric leads to a near fall, and Cedric looks close to winning. After the kick from Cedric, it looks like Enzo has a cut above his eye, and from the words of Michael Cole, “Enzo’s face is a huge mess!” It’s hard to say whether or not Enzo is actually cut, or if he bladed, because once it got wiped off, it was like Enzo never got hurt at all.

With a suicide dive from Cedric to Enzo, Enzo got counted out, and with the champion's advantage, Enzo is still the champ. This match didn’t offer anything, and it sucks that Enzo is still holding the title.

The Bar vs. Titus O’Neil and Apollo Crews

Oh god, what even is this matchup? This is The Bar y’all, they don’t want to face these guys. I always think it’s great when guys who don’t normally get TV time are seen on TV and get a story, but no one wants to see this. The crowd is dead for this match, which is just a little upsetting.

It was announced before this match that The Bar would get their title rematch at the Rumble, so let’s just see this match as a warmup for The Bar. The crowd is now more into this match now that it is at its midway point. Titus got the crowd really hyped, but The Bar took control back, but not for long as Titus got the small package on Sheamus! I’m shocked! This is a huge win!

Brock Lesnar Responds

Last week, we saw Brock and Kane have a confrontation in the middle of the ring. Tonight, Brock is apparently responding to the attack? I am surprised that we are seeing Brock two weeks in a row. He took time out of his busy days to come and bless us two weeks in a row, what a hero. I am, of course, being an asshole and I want Brock to not be champion anymore. I don’t care who it is anymore, I just don’t want Brock as champion anymore.

I am not thrilled by the idea of this triple threat match for the title at all. It just sucks that Big Man vs. Big Man vs. Big Man sells tickets better than it should.

Kane eventually came out to attack Brock as he and Paul were leaving, and it has moved from the stage to the backstage area, where Braun was waiting to attack as well, and threw Brock and Kane into equipment. He then pulled a grappling hook out of nowhere and threw it to the top of a structure, which then toppled onto both Kane and Brock. We were led to commercial by Paul Heyman screaming his head off and questioning god why he would let this happen. Hilarious.

Samoa Joe vs. Rhyno

I’m sorry, but this match was made just to kill time, and that sucks. I think the stuff with Heath and Rhyno is overplayed at this point, but they’re just hanging onto whatever they can to stay relevant. I also think this is a step backwards for Joe, since he faced Roman last week for the IC title.

Rhyno landed the first few strikes to start the match off, but Joe is now dominating the match. Joe brought Rhyno down, and Rhyno tried to fight back with some chops to the chest, but it wasn’t enough as Joe immediately reversed and took back control. A coquina clutch brought Rhyno down to his knees, and Joe gets the win by submission. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a good spot for Joe after last week, but after Joe cut a promo, he apparently is in the mind set that he was the winner last week! If this is Joe being positive towards this spot, then I hope he keeps a smile on his face.

Asuka was supposed to have a match, but Nia Jax came out and attacked her from behind. I wish it was an actual match, but I guess we’ll see this happen next week!

6-Man Tag Match- Balor Club! vs. The “Champions Club”

Oh god, I’ve been waiting for this match the entire night! Finn being in the main event two weeks in a row is just amazing and I just love, love, love this so much. He’s finally getting some recognition again, he’s being put in a good storyline, and I’m incredibly happy for him, and Gallows and Anderson as well for that matter. Corey Graves brought up their time in Japan, and they showed us a bunch of pictures of baby Finn and the club. Corey even said Being the Elite!

It looks like Seth and Finn will start the match, and no one can forget their history, stemming all the way from Summerslam 2016. The two had a really fast-paced combo of moves that took my breath away, and now Karl comes into the match. Some fast tags in the match, and now the Champion Club has control leading into the commercial break. I don’t know what to call that team, so I guess that will stick for now.

After the break we find Seth and Finn going after each other again. Seth tags in Roman, and Finn looks to be in trouble. Roman went for the superman punch, but with a distraction from Luke, Finn hits a slingblade and tags in Karl. Luke is keeping Reigns down for now with a reverse crossface, but now Reigns is trying to fight back and take Luke down. I do like the fact that Jordan has been kept out of the match entirely so far.

Reigns ends up captializing on Anderson and hits a tilt a whirl, but Anderson is able to get a tag and Roman is not. After Gallows works on Roman, Roman finds a way to superman punch Gallows to tag in Rollins. It’s now Anderson and Rollins, and Rollins looks amazing. Rollins knew he had to fight back, and he really did. Rollins tried to pick up the win for his team, but couldn’t do it. The match got a little messy as both teams distracted the ref, and he couldn’t see the tag. Jordan completely screwed the match and got in the way, but the better team won and Finn hit the Coup de Grace for the win! Hooray for the Balor Club! My heroes!

I thought this was a pretty decent show. Unfortunately, it had a lot of spots that wasted time and could’ve had been better used. I, of course, loved the main event a lot, and Finn just looked so good and so happy. Big things are happening for RAW! The 25th anniversary is happening soon!

Check in tomorrow for my Smackdown Live review! Thanks so much!

#wwe #wwe monday night raw #monday night raw #roman reigns #finn balor #the miz #balor club #samoa joe #brock lesnar #bayley #sasha banks #paige #asuka #nia jax #wrestling #reviews

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