June 28
Following CC
“I hope they don’t plan on putting me in that bullshit Roulette division on a permanent basis,” Malachi said as he and Bella Madison exited the elevator at the hotel. They had their bags in hand, seemingly having just come back from the GO Gym after that night’s edition of Climax Control. “If I was to go for a solo title, I’d rather go for the Internet title. Not some crap where match stipulations are decided with a goddamn wheel with shit on it like ‘Dog Pound Match’ or whatever other convoluted bullshit they come up with.”
Bella just shook her head with a smile as she rested her head on his shoulder, threading her arm through his as they walked down the carpeted hallway. “Well, let’s just keep our focus on the mixed tag belts for now then, hmm?”
“Of course, macushla” he said, kissing the top of her head. “I know how much you want to win those belts, and we will in due time. I just meant if they’re gonna give me solo matches, I’d rather have them not be some circus side-show act.”
They arrived at their hotel room door, unlocking it and stepping inside. When she heard the door open, their energetic husky puppy Luka scrambled up from her bed near the window and scrabbled across the tile floor to greet them. But when she got a few feet away from them, she stopped dead in her tracks. Her ears flattened against her head, she bared her teeth, and a low growl started rising from her throat.
“Luka? What’s gotten into you?” Bella asked, crouching down by the dog. But Luka’s dual-coloured eyes were firmly locked on Malachi, as the growl grew a little bit louder.
“She probably smells all those other fuckin’ dogs on me from my match,” Mal said, slowly backing away in the direction of the bathroom as he kept his gaze on Luka. “Since I didn’t have time to grab a proper shower before we left the arena.”
A look of understanding crossed Bella’s face, and she stood up to collect Luka’s leash hanging on a hook by the door. “Alright, I’ll take her for a walk to calm her down while you get washed up. Hopefully by the time we get back, she’ll be OK.” Clipping the leash to Luka’s collar, Bella started gently tugging her towards the door. “C’mon Loony Luka, let’s go outside.”
Still giving Mal the stink eye, Luka allowed herself to be pulled towards the door, and when Bella successfully herded them both out and it closed behind them Mal let out a frustrated sigh. “Weird-ass dog,” he muttered to himself, stripping off his T-shirt as he headed towards the bathroom.
A little while later
Freshly showered and sitting in the living room with the remote in hand, Malachi flipped through the TV channels as he heard the door open. He turned to see Bella walk in with Luka, and a paper bag in her hand. She unclipped Luka from her leash, and the puppy walked into the living room. She stopped when she saw Mal, but a few tentative sniffs was all it took before she was wagging her tail excitedly and bounding up onto the couch into Mal’s lap, licking his face all over.
“Ugh! I just had a shower, ya mutt!” he spluttered, though there was laughter in his voice.
“Guess she thought you missed a few spots,” Bella giggled as she sat the paper bag down on the table and flopped onto the couch beside them. “At least she’s not jealous anymore.”
“I would almost prefer it over this,” he said teasingly as the dog settled in between them and rested her head on her paws. He glanced at the bag on the table. “What kind of new tooth-rotting sweet did you find tonight?”
A big smile appeared on Bella’s face as she reached over for the bag, opening it up and producing two large clear plastic cups full to the top. “Oh my god Mal! I passed by this place called Luv It and it practically screamed my name! They had so many flavours of ice cream, sundaes, milkshakes…”
He raised an amused eyebrow at her. “You know, if I didn’t see the way you train, I would wonder about where you put all this junk you like to eat.”
She rolled her eyes at him, thrusting one of the cups towards his chest. “Ugh, you act like I eat junk all the time! You’re the one that keeps us on that strict as hell diet!”
“It’s not even a diet! It’s just eating properly. You know, with us being high-calibre athletes and all.”
“Whatever. Today is cheat day anyways. And besides, they had a milkshake flavour called Health Bar. I’m sure it’s got protein and kale and whatever else in it. That’s the one I got for you. And I got the extra-thick kind, so you’re gonna need this.” She handed him a plastic spoon along with the cup.
He took them from her and popped the lid off, giving it a sniff. “Funny, it smells like chocolate.” He dipped the spoon in and brought it up to his mouth, giving it a taste. “This is actually pretty damn good.”
“Oooooo, lemme taste!”
He rolled his eyes as he scooped up some more and offered it out to her. She licked it off the spoon, and then burst out laughing. “So THAT’S why the cashier gave me a weird look when I ordered this one!”
He blinked at her in confusion for a moment. “I’m not even sure I want to ask…”
“Well, when I looked on the menu, I thought this one said Health Bar, and I figured you would like it. But now that I taste it, I realize that it’s Heath Bar! Yunno, like the chocolate bar?” She dissolved into another fit of giggles.
“Woman, sometimes I swear I should have you committed,” Mal commented dryly. Luka let out a short bark. “See, even the dog agrees with me!”
-------------------
July 3
Saxon Hotel
Another Friday, another promo filmed at the hotel. It was starting to wear paper-thin to Malachi, but there wasn’t much he could do about it unfortunately. He almost wished he was back home in Ireland, as at least Europe was starting to ease its restrictions. But because the majority of the American population thought a life-saving measure was “tyranny”, the US was still in varying stages of lockdown.
He let out a sigh as all these thoughts rolled through his brain, staring out at the neon glow rising over Las Vegas. What he wouldn’t give to see Waterford Harbour again. But, that would have to be put on the back burner. This week, he was teaming up with Bella - as the newly-dubbed Sass N’ Bash - going up against the husband and wife duo of Bill and Bea Barnhart. The Irishman looked to be relaxed and at ease as he reclined on the loveseat out on the balcony of their hotel room, but that probably had more to do with the fact that his fiancee was cuddled up next to him, engrossed in a thick novel. He glanced down at her with a fond smile, before he put on his “promo face” and sent an intense glare shooting towards the camera set up in front of him.
“You know, it almost seems like the closer we get, the further away the target is. Bella and I have been chasing these mixed tag titles for what feels like forever, and when we were finally close enough to practically feel that ten pounds of gold and leather in our hands….” He clenched his teeth together as he looked down at the ground for a moment, before looking back up with a focused intensity burning in his blue eyes. “And what should have been our rematch was instead given to the team that actually took the loss in that triple threat. Freebird rule or not, that was some complete bullshit if you ask me. And now, instead of Bella and I finally getting our rematch, we’re being forced to compete against a man who once upon a time could have had a lot of potential, but now has become the laughingstock of the locker room, and his little woman.”
He gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. “Yeah, I said it. I can recognize when someone’s got some real potential, and Bill had all the hallmarks of someone who could have gone far here. When you came into SCW, a lot of people sat up and took notice. Here comes this big, tough-looking guy, surely he’ll be a champion in no time! You racked up a few wins here and there, and now?” He shook his head ruefully as a grimace took over his face. “Now you’re just known as the guy whose dog wants to fuck a cactus. All I want is some goddamn competition around here, is that really so much to ask? Jesus, the more time passes around here, the more this place turns into some carnival freak show!”
He ran his hands down his face in frustration. “I have been a World Champion. Hell, even before I came over to the States, Lach and I traveled all across Europe, winning belts and becoming one of the best tag teams on that continent. I have trained with some of the most influential and premier athletes in this sport. I came to SCW because I heard it’s this supposed holy grail of talent and competition...and time after time I have been left disappointed. I guess this week I can’t really blame Mark and Christian. I will give the devils their due, they have been giving Bella and I the opportunities we rightly deserve. No, this week I have that entitled little shitheel George Washington to thank for this crap booking.”
Bella didn’t even glance up from her book as she corrected him. “Jack.”
“What about him? He’s off playing with that rat-faced dog of his.”
Bella shook her head with an exasperated sigh. “No, it’s Jack Washington. That’s the guy that set the card this week.”
Mal gave a shrug of his shoulders. “What the fuck ever. Idiot didn’t even give a shit when we told him we’re not actually a married couple, so why should I give a shit about his stupid name? Doesn’t even matter, Ben Jordan’s gonna wipe the floor with him and that’s the last we’ll ever see of him, hopefully. Just like you and I are gonna do to the Barnharts.” He turned his focus back to the camera. “As I was saying, I am a world-travelled wrestler. I’ve won more belts than you could possibly imagine. Bella is a second-generation superstar. This business is practically built into her DNA. Between the two of us, we should be ruling this company. And that will come in time. But for right now, we’ve decided to meld our considerable talents and start by taking over the mixed tag division. Now, it doesn’t seem like the two of you are chomping at the bit to throw yourselves full-time into the division, and for that I will say, smart move. Already we’ve had too many of these smart-mouth pretenders try to step up and cut the line, and we’ve put them in their place. And trust me when I say, we will not hesitate to keep doing it. We should have been the ones getting that title shot last week. But that’s fine. It was kind of entertaining watching as - once again - the Trenton Tigers got completely outmatched. We can only hope that they go away for a long, long time. Long enough for them to gain a semblance of in-ring ability, not to mention some humility as well. Because for all the shit they talked, they certainly weren’t able to back it up.”
Leaning forward slightly so that his face almost filled the camera frame, Mal’s blue eyes glittered under the neon night of Las Vegas as he spoke his next words. “Unlike me. When I tell someone that they are going to be in for a world of hurt when they face me, I’m just letting them know the score. Of course, my record isn’t completely spotless. I’m not so delusional to pretend otherwise, like some others around this place. But no matter what, when I step between those ropes and enter that ring, I make sure that my opponents know just who they’re dealing with. The ones that have handed me defeat have damn sure had to earn it. This week, though? The only thing you two are going to earn is a whole lot of pain and suffering. Bella and I are on a warpath straight to the heart of the Wolfslair and our eventual title reign, and you two just so happen to be in our way this week. And once you recover from the inevitable arse-kicking on Sunday night, you can thank our illustrious ‘King’ Washington for the honour.”
With a final cocky smirk gracing his lips and his signature taunt of drawing his thumb across his throat, he leaned back in the loveseat, wrapping an arm around Bella as the scene panned over to the neon lights before blurring out and eventually fading to black.
