***
***Off Camera***
Two Weeks ago
“Hey...”
Effie Bingham was not a sweet, soft spoken girl. She was loud, brash and bold. Showing genuine sensitivity was not a skill she had, but walking into Ty's bedroom, seeing him still in bed in the middle of the afternoon... she knew she had to tone it down.
He was laying on his side, looking out the floor to ceiling window, hugging his pillow. She had truthfully never seen Ty like this before. Between Fenris leaving in the middle of the night and then learning that the man might just be too broken to open his heart again, not even finally winning a much deserved title was enough to bring him out of this funk.
He doesn't respond to her, so she takes a seat in the chair opposite him, watching his face, Tousled hair and the smell indicates that it has been a few days since he stepped in a shower, but despite all those things --which she normally would not hesitate to offer a quick, witty and often hurtful retort-- she remains neutral, choosing instead to try to bring him out of this miserable shell he was hiding in.
Effie: “So what's the reason you are hiding out here? You are a newly crowned champion. You should be bragging about that, not moping over a guy.”
Ty looks up at her, he shrugs his shoulders but that is all the movement he makes.
Effie: “Look, I don't know what A told you and I'm not going to ask cuz we both know I can't be trusted with secrets, but whatever it is... girly hair is not worth all this.”
Ty sighs deeply but still makes no effort to respond.
Effie: “You didn't even get this upset over cuntface when she ditched you.”
The corners of Ty's lips rise slightly to give her the barest of smirks. The longer Court remained radio silent, the more bitter Ty became about the whole thing. Effie hated that Fenris’ quick exit had turned her normally joyous and upbeat friend into the mushy useless sack of meat that lay before her now.
Effie: “That's it, I'm getting you out of here. It is time to stop moping. Maybe you'll meet someone to take your mind off it all, eh?”
She moves forward, lifting the heavy man by his arms into a sitting position. She scrunches her nose as his body odor assaults her nasal passages.
Effie: Fuck! You are a smelly fucker. You need a shower. Come on..”
With a show of incredible strength, she pulls him out of the bed and he reluctantly lets her pull him toward the bathroom. She stands in the doorway watching him.
Effie: Well...
Ty: Are you going to stand there and watch me?
Effie crosses her arms over her chest, nodding her head.
Effie: I don't trust you to get in.
Ty would normally be bashful, but having no physical attraction to his bestie didn't have him feeling awkward in the least. He slowly discards his smelly pjs and gets in the shower.
Effie: I can see why Fenny-boy is so into you. Must have really made his night.
He could always count on Effie for her quick wit to bring a smile to his face. It was true though. Kristjan had been equally pleased and satisfied with what he had to offer. He only wished that the Icelandic hottie wanted more than just his body.
When he turns off the shower, he is surprised to find the bathroom empty and a folded set of clothes on the counter. The shower had helped a little but he still felt like he was undeserving of romantic love.
Effie had been his anchor as of late and he had no idea how to thank her for that. As he came into the kitchen, Effie was there with his laptop open. His first thought was how she managed to get past his password, but seeing as how his bestie was clever he wasn't actually surprised at all.
Effie: I set you up on a blind date
With that she clicks a few times and then closed the laptop, looking up at him with a smug, know-it-all smile on her face.
Ty: No. That's not really my thing...
Effie cuts him off abruptly by holding up her hand.
Effie: Don't even. Dating and sleeping with a guy wasn't really your thing until recently. You tried it and liked it. So...
Ty: So what, it's someone I don't know..
She cuts him off again.
Effie: That is usually why people go on dates Tyler. I'm just asking for one date. You don't want Hollywood hair barbie thinking you are cooped up in your apartment waneing over him like some heroine in an Jane Austen Novel.
She did have a point. He just felt it would be unfair to the unfortunate soul he went out with.
Effie: You might actually have a bit of fun for once. You are always all work. Maybe you wouldn't be so intense all the time if you loosened the tie a least a little.
Finally he agreed. Effie wrote down the address and he knew the place right away.
Ty: Karaoke?
Effie smiles, he always got scared when she did because it always meant there was some devious plan going on in her head.
Effie: Best way to open up. Have fun and I want all the details when you get back.
She suddenly stands, walking to the door and leaving. Feeling like he needed coffee he walked into the kitchen. He then noticed the note and a set of keys.
Pretty-Boy,
I am tired of being your chauffeur so I got you something. Time to put the Motorcycle license to good use. Happy Early birthday.
EB
How she found out that he was in fact a licensed driver, he had his suspicions. He knew that going through his wallet and personal effects was something she just did. She never stole anything so her snooping didn't really bother him. He wasn't hiding it, it just had never come up in conversation before.
***
The West-Ward Blogicles
Season 3, Entry #6 -- “Hourglass”
“I was told once by someone that he didn't envision me a quitter, or something to that effect. And I don't call myself one either. There is a difference between quitting and knowing when the hour glass has run out.”
Ty looks down at the roulette title in his hands. He is still glowing over his victory. After all his trials and tribulations, he had finally persevered.
“But this right here, is proof that my hourglass is still going. My time has finally come and I intend to beat the record of the last man who held it. Setting goals for myself is what I do best, the difference now though is that I know what not to do.”
He throws the title over his shoulder. The glint of the lights in the room highlight his name engraved on the front like a beacon of divine intervention.
“The most important thing is to not take a single opponent for granted and this includes Vinnie and Jake’.”
“Vin and I are amigos. Despite him cheapening out and winning our match by using a plastic pumpkin. You might have won our match, but at the end of the day, who here is holding a title? You couldn't beat Fen. So far no one has been able to pin him to the ground.”
He smirks as if remembering some private joke.
“And I believe that you were too cocky when you came up against him. I learned the hard way that things cannot always be predicted even if the obvious answers are there in front of you. Everyone has to fail sometime right? So by rights, Fenris will have to lose eventually. Yup. I believe that too. But that day is not going to be sunday and it probably won't be at your hands. I apologize if that comes out harsh senor, but that is something I feel a real amigo should be able to say to another without prejudice. I appreciate honesty in those close to me so I attempt to return that. You are a talented hombre, no doubt. You are creative and the best mariachi I know, but when it comes to inside that ring, I am not facing my friend, I am facing an opponent. It may not be for my title this time, but every match I have from now until my first defence is going to be proof of how capable I am of being a champion.”
“As for Jake? Well my first piece of advice would be to adjust your focus to where it matters. Calling out former SCW legends is not going to help you get credibility, if anything it will just be simply another piece of evidence that you're not up to the challenge. I am not claiming to be the best in SCW. Not by far but I was the best in that match to claim this title.”
He pats the roulette title again.
“And that is the standard that I am holding for myself. Winning a title doesn't mean it's time to sit back and relax, it means more work. More preparation. More interactions with people. I represent SCW by holding this belt and I don't take that job lightly. And neither does Fen. He may be cocky and arrogant but it is not undeserved. He works hard every day to keep in shape. His desire to to stay the champion long enough so that should Kris Ryans ever return, he can face him legitimately. Facing Jake or Vinnie or Joshua are not the real matches he prepares for. That doesn't mean to say that he doesn't put his all into his matches.”
“And he knows that someday, I plan to challenge him again. Not today and probably not for a while but someday. The best part is that we have developed a friendship and we know how each other works in a ring. It is, in my opinion, a real challenge to Vinnie and Jake. Two men that have not worked together, who have no bond. It is why I dislike tag team work, especially when it's random. I was just fortunate enough to be partnered with a friend.”
He stumbles a bit while saying the last bit, as if he didn't truly agree with him and Fenris being friends.
“As nice of a guy as I am, I have learned not to wish my opponents luck. Wrestling is not about luck. Not even by a little bit. Wins come by skill. Whether it be true in-ring ability or the ability to use dubious means. Either way, skill is required. I do not nor will I ever, take pride in winning by cheating. Like I said Vin, we are still friends outside the ring, but in the ring, I am looking to put you in your place. To take back that credibility you stole from me.”
He looks disappointed, even a little mad but continues.
“As for Jake. Man, I can't even begin to imagine what it's like to be part of a legacy family. I had a hard enough time coming in as just myself, older than most when they start a wrestling career but to live under the shadow of two men that have made names for themselves both in SCW and the world. It makes it twice as hard to succeed. I get how you feel about deserving shots and opportunities, as I wanted to prove my worth too when I inked my contract. However, questioning leadership is not the way to get your foot in the door. You can say that you are not here to win titles until you're blue in the face, but in the end? Everyone wants to be a champion. Even my best friend Effie, who fights as a form of release, wouldn't mind having a title to lord over people. Jake, you have a tonne of potential. I've seen a couple of your MMA fights. There is no doubt in my mind that you have the physical skill to be here. Now I don't like to put people down if I can help it, psychological warfare is not a game I play or that I'm particularly skilled in, however you are out of your mind if you think complaining about shit is going to get you anywhere.”
He sighs deeply, knowing full well that all of this probably would go in one ear and out the other
“But I will give you the fight you desire, no doubt in my mind. Now I want to take a few moments to address a few things I saw on the show this week. For one, was it just me or did Lachlan Kane say ‘Ty’ when his wife covered his eyes? I might have heard that wrong, but if not, let me clear up a few things. If it was a joke meant to demean me, that was a pretty low thing to do and you should be ashamed at your borderline homophobia. If it is genuine appreciation, I am flattered but you are not my type and I have never expressed interest in you in a way that was not professional. Or if I simply misheard, I apologize for my assumptions.”
Hand to his chest he nods but then as the next topic comes up, his neutral smile changes as the corners of his lips curl up in disgust.
“Blasted Monk seems to have a real chip on his shoulder regarding me. Even though until last week I had never said boo to the man. I welcome him to get in a ring with me again and I will leave no doubt in anyone's mind why I am the Roulette champion. I have worked my ass off in this company to get here while you just walked back in and got a chance. Everyone sees that, so don't go talking shit. I was the one that pinned Ben. Deal with it and stop being a catty bitch.”
He rolls his eyes and shakes his head.
“And Ben. Thank you for giving me the fight of a lifetime. And also, thank you for proving me wrong. It takes a great amount of strength of both mind and body to go out into that ring when you know inside your body there is a deadlier fight going on. I will forever be humbled by you sir and you have my respect. I will never turn down the opportunity to get in that ring with you again, should you desire it. Anytime, anyplace. You have my utmost respect.”
But once again his lips curl up as another thought about the man who had spoken so venomously about him crept into his mind.
“No idea why Monk thinks he knows me. Why he has a hard on to beat me in that ring or how, after losing, still believes he is better, but I am not a doctor so I can't diagnose any type of mental disorder or obsession. But thank you Monk, the more my name is on your lips, the more infamy I get. Nothing quite like publicity you don't have to pay for.”
He shrugs with a reassuring smile.
“In the meantime though, I AM the Roulette champion. I will carry this belt with the respect it has needed. Not to say Ben didn't do that. He absolutely brought back credibility. Now I will continue to do what he started. I wanted to win to prove I could. This...”
He looks at the title.
“This has been a carrot dangling in front of my face since I came to SCW. It has caused me sleepless nights and frustration. It has haunted me by always being right at the tip of my fingers only to slip away. But now? Now I have finally succeeded. But my journey is still ongoing. Now I have to defend it. Keep it here with me. And should Monk and I end up in a battle at the next supercard, I will be ready to punch him in the face again. I don't expect to change his opinion of me, but I will make him look like a crackpot for his unfavorable, untrue and ridiculous assumptions. That's just business.”
***
***Off Camera***
November 19, 2018
The walk was impromptu. Aron's anger was certainly felt, even over tweets. He was confused and unsure. This was all still new to him. The last thing he wanted was to push Kristjan away but did that mean he couldn't have other friends as well? Sebastian had been fun to go out with but there was nothing in him that screamed the same attraction he had to Kristjan. He couldn't even explain it and when Aron asked him what he saw in the icelandic champ, he quickly had inserted a joke. The truth was, he couldn't explain it. He knew there was so much more to him and now knowing about his past love, he understood him even better. He knew that expressing his feelings was not going to be enough. He wasn't a mushy, hearts and flowers kinda guy.
Ty knew that the intensity of their private time together was not imagined. He felt it the same as Ty did.
Before he knew it, his body had taken him to the double doors leading to Fen and Aron's building. He hadn't set out to come here but yet here he was. He waited until some drunk idiot got out of an uber and stumbled toward the outer doors, quickly catching the security door before it closed. He then decided that the stairs was a better option, if anything to give him time to think of what he was going to say was his reason for showing up at three am on a weekday. By the time he reached the floor the brothers resided on, he still didn't have and concrete, coherent plans.
He didn't want to wake Aron or their friend Dani so he texted Fen, hoping he answered.
“Come open your door.”
He waited, it took several minutes but before long he heard the grumble of icelandic swear words as the lock slide open. Fenris was there, his hair mussed from sleep, his eyes barely open and only a pair of boxer briefs barely covered him, leaving a lot of delicious skin for Ty to feast his eyes on
“What are you doing...”
Fenris didn't even have time to finish his sentence before Ty stepped forward, grabbing the man and kissing him. At first, Fen was resistant but it took zero time for his body to respond. Originally, Ty had planned to talk it out, tell him how he felt but all of that got thrown out the window the moment Fen answered the door. He broke apart from him, Kristjan looking a bit bewildered.
“Where's your bedroom?”
The champion points behind him and Ty grabs his hand, dragging him along and closes the door. From the couch, Aron opens his eyes, a grin spreading ear to ear before he readjusted on the couch.
***
***Off Camera***
November 27, 2018
Valora West was not a model. She wasn't what some people might find attractive either. Thick curly hair that seemed impossible to tame. Glasses that took up quite a bit of her face because the thickness of them made it hard to get nice looking frames. She was approximately sixty to seventy pounds overweight, which mostly lingered around her middle, giving her a prominent “Pear” shape. On top of that her clothes were outdated and way too baggy in a awful attempt to hide her expanded waistline.
Truth was, Valora had always been easily intimidated by women who fit that perfect ideal of what a woman should look like, including her naturally fit, blonde older sister Virginia. Despite that, to Tyler West, Auntie Lora was one of his favorite people. Being one of his biggest supporters no matter what project he was working on, so when she had announced that she was taking her two weeks of vacation in Las Vegas to spend time with him, he had been excited.
Lora was a spinster, meaning that in all of her forty-two years of life, she had never once had a boyfriend. She had no children, unless you counted the array of potted plants in her home and the greenhouse in her backyard. She also had an aging yellow & blue parrot but Ty and him never really saw eye to eye:
Ty West, as an eight year old boy is seen smiling in a rather eclectic looking house. He comes forward to open the cage of said bird only for it to fly out, squawking and clawing at him.
Standing within the group of other people waiting at the gate in McCarran International Airport, the memory makes him shudder. Ever since that incident, he had a slight fear of parrots, but he still loved every animal. He just would not shed a tear when Crackers the parrot finally flew to that bird sanctuary in the sky.
Lora was of course the last to come through the gate, lugging a bright pink suitcase with difficulty. She is wearing a large brimmed straw hat with some sort of vine winding around it where most people might attach a ribbon. Her sweatshirt has a worn picture on the front. The face of her nephew from about five years prior. The words in bold lettering proclaim, “Everybody Love Ty!”
Ty waves at his auntie with enthusiasm. The older woman screams in delight, dropping the handle of her suitcase, to run to her beloved nephew. She wraps her arms around him and with an incredible show of strength actually gets his feet off the ground.
He laughs at her joyful chuckle. Stepping back she wipes a tear from her eye.
Lora: Ty-ty! I missed you so much.
Ty had missed her, that was a given. He looked her over.
Ty: Have you lost weight Auntie?
The older women's eyes light up.
Lora: You noticed? I have been cutting out sugar and leading the seniors walk. I've lost eight pounds!
To most, it wouldn't seem like a lot considering how much she seemingly needed to lose, but Ty knew how much Lora had struggled with her body image. He smiles, nodding his head.
Ty: Of course I noticed. If I'm not careful to guard you, some handsome millionaire is going to steal you away.
Lora blushes, hitting Ty's arm playfully.
Ty: I rented a car to take us back to your hotel. I would have you stay with me but I only have one bedroom.
The real reason was privacy. He loved Lora to the moon and back but the idea of her being witness to his up and down moods in regards to Kristjan was something even Effie was limited in seeing.
Lora: Of course! I couldn't put you out of your bed. But I do want to meet this young man you told me about.
She smiles brightly and it makes Ty blush. This in turns sends the woman into a fit of uncontrollable giggles that sound very similar to Betty Rubble.
Lora: I can tell that you care about him Ty-ty. I just want to make sure he is up to snuff.
Ty retrieves his aunt's suitcase, pulling it behind him as his aunt rattles on about her patients at the retirement home.
Lora: ...And I decided, in January I am going back to school to finish my nursing degree.
Ty: That's fantastic Auntie. Do you know what school?
She blushes.
Lora: “Well... I want to be closer to the family, especially when your mother is going to be having another baby and all... so I was thinking I might go to Chamberlain. As long as you're okay with your auntie being around more...
Ty stops, hugging his aunt in a crushing hug.
Lora: ...Air...can't breathe...
Ty feels embarrassed and lets her go.
Ty: I'm proud of you for going after your dreams and of course I don't mind you being close. Hey I will even look into renting a two bedroom apartment in my building.
Lora smiles
Lora: “I'd like that.
The duo excitedly start making their plans while walking toward the rental car.
