The Queens Park Hotel -
London, England
It had been awhile since Carter had last accompanied Miles to his hometown of London, but circumstances had changed since then. The last time they were here, it was to soothe a homesick Miles who, at the time, was not even completely aware of what was wrong with him. This visit proved that you can indeed go home, and doing so sometimes was the absolute best of medicines. And this time? Sin City Wrestling’s “Royal Pain” tour was culminating for the Violent Conduct X Supercard event, and it just so happened to be in Miles’s backyard. But first things first…
The room reserved was spacious and comfortable, predominantly colored in tans and whites with wood panel accents. While there was a dresser with flat screen TV over it and a comfortable recliner in the corner with a desk, the predominant feature of the room was the king sized bed with golden headboard and matching comforter over the white linens and the white and turquoise pillows - and in the center of the bed a wicker basket filled with fresh fruit as a welcoming gesture. Very comfortable surroundings for a two-week stay.
The door to the room then opened with the soft sound of the key card lock being undone and the first to enter the room were two hotel porters in classic suit uniforms, delivering an impressive amount of luggage on a bellman luggage cart. While they proceeded to unload the bags and suitcases carefully and neatly along the far wall, Carter and Miles then entered the room where they would be staying over the course of the next two weeks; taking care of assigned SCW duties to better promote Violent Conduct X and Carter’s championship defense, while also working in some free time to visit Miles’s family and friends.
While Carter did his usual walk through the hotel room - a habit he seemed to have picked up somewhere and it carried over to every place they stayed together since - Miles tipped the two men generously before they took their leave, wishing Miles and Carter a pleasant stay with them. Miles walked over to the large, picturesque window and gazed out at the city surrounding them and he felt a tightness in his body and mind slowly begin to loosen. He still would have preferred to be competing on the biggest event his hometown had hosted in years but for now, he would have to be satisfied at playing his part and getting some rare family time.
Miles tore himself away from the window and wandered back over to the bed and had a seat at the foot, giving it a slight ‘bounce test’ when Carter emerged from wherever he had wandered and he proceeded to walk across the room’s threshold and he grabbed the first suitcase within reach and opened it, starting to unpack as Miles watched with curiosity.
“You okay?” Miles asked, causing Carter to look up from what he was doing with a quizzical expression of his own and he nodded, “Yeah, why?” But Miles didn’t answer just yet, as he watched Carter continue to unpack for them both and set their clothes in the dresser drawers until there was no room left and he then went for the nearby hangers in the room’s closet…
“Love, stop.” Miles' soft accented words caused Carter to indeed stop as he was walking back across the carpeted floor with a handful of hangers, staring at his husband.
“What's wrong?” Miles once again asked, but this time his words were stronger in concern, wanting an answer that was more than avoidance or denial in nature. Carter appeared to be lost or confused as to why Miles was asking this from out of the blue.
“Why do you think something is wrong?” Carter asked with a soft smile, to which Miles offered a shrug of his own muscled shoulders and he wore the wisp of a cocky smile on his lips as he answered, “Because since you and I first started traveling together, this is the first time we arrived at a hotel room where the first thing you wanted to do wasn’t … me.”
Miles then watched as the color rose from Carter’s lightly tanned neck and rose up to his cheeks, giving him a charming and endearing flush. It did Miles’ heart (and ego) a world of good to know that even after all this time together, their dating and finally their wedding, he still had that ‘hot flash’ effect on his husband. Where Miles was concerned, Carter’s “appetites” were damn near insatiable (thank GOD!), so this was indeed a change of pace.
“Are you worried about dinner with me Mum?” Miles asked all-too casually, earning him a look from Carter who asked, “Why would that bother me, having dinner with your Mom? We’ve had dinner together before.”
“Year,” Miles laughed to himself. “But back then she was the mother of either your boyfriend or fiance. Now…” Miles leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and a wicked smirk on his face. “Now she’s your mother-in-law.”
Carter just stared at Miles for several long seconds before he shook his head, “Sometimes you can be truly, truly evil.” Before he turned back to his duties and resumed unpacking. “Cute AF, but evil!”
Miles stood up from where he had seated himself and approached his husband from behind and wrapped his arms around his slim waist, reeling him in and holding him tight as he nuzzled his chin in that soft crevice at Carter's neck.
“I know what you’re uncomfortable about.” Miles confided gently, his words washing over Carter’s ear gently but he still had that effect that caused Carter’s body to tingle. “You’ve been acting like this ever since LJ won that match.”
That was when Miles felt Carter’s body tense somewhat, and he set the hangers down on the surface of the dresser and he turned around to face Miles while still remaining in his embrace. Miles saw Carter’s questioning gaze and his dark eyebrows rise almost to the hairline as he asked, “You think I’m bothered by having to defend against your brother?”
Miles did not answer directly. This indeed was what Miles felt was troubling his man. The moment Lyle Kasey Junior pinned “Unbreakable” Eddie Lyons in the Main Event of the Monaco tour stop, the champion - his husband - had little to no reaction. They had been watching on the monitor alongside Alexandra Calaway in the annals of the backstage area, and once LJ emerged victorious, Miles and Alexandra were each proud of the younger brother getting not only his first victory in an SCW ring, but gaining a championship opportunity in the process. Carter – simply walked away.
Miles shrugged and offered, “It’s not so unusual, being uncomfortable defending against family or someone that you’re close to…”
“LJ and I aren’t close…” Carter shook his head, causing Miles to close his eyes and draw in a breath before resuming, fully aware of the tension between his husband and his brother. He resumed, “But… look at how you and I reacted when Victoria put us against each other. Neither of us wanted to…”
“Miles,” Carter spoke softly. “That was different and you know it. She wanted us to hurt each other to the point one of us couldn’t continue because she’s a sadistic bitch. LJ…?” He shook his head. “The only thing about this match that makes me uncomfortable is the fact that it’s a ladder match.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Carter stressed. “I never understood how climbing a ladder was supposed to prove who the better wrestler was - but that’s not even the issue. The last time I was in a Ladder match, I was blinded and almost broke my neck. There’s still one or two demons at play about that up here…” He tapped a forefinger to his temple.
Miles smiled, knowing that match still haunted his husband, but also the fact Carter had his ways of getting past these hurdles to overcome them, both mentally as well as physically. Miles leaned in for a quick kiss, to which Carter all-too happily obliged, before he said, “Trust me Miles, this may or may not be what you want to hear given the circumstances but I am going to treat your brother like any other man who wants to try and take my championship.”
“Understood.” Miles nodded with acceptance. He had to accept it. What other option was there? He couldn’t rightly ask or expect Carter to ‘go easy’ on LJ when he knew LJ would be attempting everything to try and win his Internet Championship. He especially could not - would NOT - ask Carter to ‘allow’ LJ to win. The mere thought of that option was just unthinkable. Miles then looked again into those dazzling blue eyes and shrugged, “Then what is it?”
“Truth?” Carter asked, which almost sounded more like a statement than it did a question, with a touch more force to it than Miles might have come to expect.
“Yes, Carter.” Miles nodded. “The truth.” Miles took a few steps back, releasing Carter from his arms and had a seat on the edge of the bed. Miles continued, “I’m not your boyfriend anymore, babe. I’m not even your fiance. I’m your husband.” He nodded. “I deserve the truth.”
“Okay…” Carter sighed. Truth be told, he felt his heart pounding in his chest as he turned to face Miles. Like any good spouse, Carter did not want to upset or offend his husband. And it was true; Carter and Miles have had few arguments over the past two years and no full blown fights. But new as they both were to the world of marriage, Carter knew that they had to have open communication between them. He just had that nagging feeling in the back of his head, wondering if what he was feeling was petty or legit.
He resigned himself and finally said, “I’m upset because of how you reacted to the match. About my having to face LJ.”
“Me?” Miles’ own eyebrows rose in surprise, a hand on his sternum for emphasis. “What did I do? What did I say?”
“Nothing.” Carter answered. “And that’s the whole problem. The moment LJ won and the match was signed, you pretty much stepped off to the side and played the role of Switzerland in the War rather than support me in my first legit defense!”
“Carter,” Miles stressed. “I told LJ that he was on his own.”
“Yeah,” Carter nodded, his head downcast. “But it just feels like you pretty much told me the same, even if you didn't say the words outright. Rather than support me from the start, tell me that I've got this or … anything – it just feels like you and Ally have stepped off to the side and are just going to let Lyle and I beat the hell out of each other and whoever wins…” Carter held up a hand as if to silently say, whatever happens, happens.
*You're making it sound a lot easier than it is, love.” Miles stressed with a heaving sigh. “How do you think I felt when LJ won that match and I knew you two would be fighting in a potentially dangerous match? He knows how you feel about him and he's concerned himself about what this match is going to mean.”
“Which brings up an interesting point.” Carter nodded, chewing at his bottom lip. *I figured he knew how I felt. I mean, he seems to go out of his way to avoid me. I figured Alexandra probably filled him in but that begs the question… how did she find out?”
Miles blinked and glanced down briefly but nodded. Holding up his hand as if to silently answer the question. “I told her.”
“And now I’m the bad guy for how I feel.” Carter sighed with helpless resignation. “Even though you admitted yourself that the circumstances of his showing up were suspicious. And that Brianna felt the same way that I did.”
“Babe…”
“Miles,” Carter interrupted. “What we told each other in those sessions with Doctor Delacore was confidential. Or at least, it was supposed to be. You heard her number one rule…”
“I know, and I am sorry.” Miles sighed. “I just started feeling the pressure and felt like I needed someone impartial to talk to.”
“Someone like Alexandra who is one of your best friends and dating the aforementioned party?” Carter questioned with a risen brow.
“He's my brother babe…” Miles stressed.
“Yeah,“ Carter said gently. “But I'm your husband. We've known each other for, what? Three years? Four?” To which Miles nodded, saying, “Give or take “
Carter nodded, “You've known LJ for less than a year. Maybe I’m just old fashioned like that, I don’t know.” Carter said, tucking his hands in his pockets and sitting against the edge of the dresser. “But I was always led to believe that the choice between spouse and family is made when you take your vows.”
Miles briefly looked downcast, taking in everything that Carter had said up to this point and he nodded, “Fair enough.” he stated, finally looking back up. “I get where you’re coming from. You know I never intended for you to take any of this that way? I just …” he sighed. “I don’t want either of you to go out there and hurt each other. So I thought if I just stayed out of it…?”
“Things might work out for the best?” Carter smiled, to which Miles simply nodded. Carter just chuckled, “God I love you.”
“Now YOU tell ME the truth.” Miles stood up and said, gathering Carter once again in his arms. “You say spouses first, before family. Right?”
Carter nodded and Miles continued, “So if your Grams and I had a blowup, you’d side with me by rote?”
Carter scoffed, “Oh come on now, Miles! That is a completely irrational example! Grams adores you!”
“It is not irrational, Carter! It could very well… No, you’re right. She loves me. I’m wonderful.”
It was much like the last time these two had visited London, when they made the reservations for an extended stay in a hotel so as not to cause Miles’ - and now Carter’s in-laws - any discomfort by crowding themselves into Brianna and Garrett’s house. But now that these two newlyweds had settled between them what was troubling Carter - and they got back into their familiar routine of Christening their hotel room, they had decided it was time to accept the invite to dinner from Carter’s in-laws. Not that there was much choice in the matter. It was one of the primary reasons why the two men had arrived so early before Violent Conduct X; so that they had ample time to conduct their work for SCW while visiting Miles’s family at length.
Miles already didn’t get to see his family as much as he should, so they were going to make sure they saw them as often as their schedule allowed these two weeks.
They had pulled up in front of the house and walked the path and before they even reached the front porch, the door swung open and there stood Miles’ mum, and Carter’s mother-in-law, Mora. Her face lit up with unbridled joy as she ran straight for them and she enveloped first her son into her arms for one of those hugs mothers around the world were famous for. (So that’s where Miles learned his famous hugs from!) Once they separated, Mora turned to her new son-in-law and she lost none of the joy at the sight of the newest addition to their family.
She hugged Carter tightly, whispering into his ear, “Thank you so much for coming!”
“Thank you for having us.” Carter smiled as Mora took his arm into her own as a lady would a gentleman and they walked toward the front door, her free hand waving off his words, “Nonsense, dear. Bri and I wouldn't hear of you boys having anything else but a home cooked meal for your first night in London!”
“That does sound nice.” Carter admitted with a smile.
Mora continued, “So as a special surprise, we fixed Miles’ favorite!”
“Oh?” Carter said. “What’s his favorite?”
“Steak and kidney pie!” Mora exclaimed, and Carter’s head whipped to stare at his husband as Miles 'conveniently moved out of arm's reach of Carter to the other side of his mother.
“You’re finally here!” Were the first words Miles and Carter heard as they entered the house, Mora shutting the door behind them. They turned the corner into the living room where Brianna was seated on the sofa. She started to rise to greet her brother and brother-in-law and Garrett quickly made his way over to give her a hand, and once he did so, it was soon evident as to why.
Carter gaped and pointed at her obviously pregnant belly, "Do you know what you did!?"
All heads turned toward Carter and Miles smiled, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and drawing him in, "Isn't he cute?"
London, England -
King’s Cross Station
With the recent news of the passing of Dame Maggie Smith, there just seemed no more appropriate location for the reigning Internet Champion, Helluva Bottom Carter, to talk about his upcoming championship defense. And as the masses moved about the world famous train station, there was Carter himself, poised against Platform 9 ¾, clad elaborately in his Slytherin robes, the curved wand of Bellatrix Lestrange twirling idly in his fingertips.
“Professional wrestling, by nature, has always been a physically demanding sport. Often to the point of being physically brutal, even cruel. But more so than any other contact sport, professional wrestling has evolved since its earliest days. From the nineteenth century when wrestling first got a kick start as a professional sport, the men who were the biggest stars worked more than anything to physically wear their opponents down to the point they could not continue. Often resulting in a pinfall or a submission, and at times, a referee having to step in and make an official decision. It wasn't unheard of for a single match to last two hours or more because of the excellent physical conditioning of the wrestlers way back when, but as time moved on and what happened inside of the confines of the ring changed, there was simply no way matches could continue going on for that length of time. Physically punishing moves like body slams and clotheslines and soon suplexes took over much of what happened to wear down a body faster. Submission holds like Boston crabs and hammerlocks (yeah, hammerlocks!) could force a submission in record time if applied right.”
“And now, look at how far we’ve come as a sport. Or as some purists like to believe, how far we’ve fallen. Matches where the ring is surrounded by a steel cage or barbed wire, or even when the wrestlers are allowed to use any weapon at their disposal and fight anywhere in the building! Like it or not, that is just where we stand right now in this business. The more you do to physically punish your opponent, the more the fans are rabid for it. And the entertainment of the fans is chiefly what we are even putting our bodies on the line for. Am I right? These purists and so-called armchair experts want to go back to the territory days and think we were better off ‘old school’ style but I am here to tell you…”Carter leaned down close to the camera so that his face practically filled it.
“IT IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!!!”He then stood upright and adjusted his emerald green robes and leaned against a pillar in order to continue.
“Now… I don’t profess to be an expert on this business or even some kind of self-professed historian or student of the game. I just know one of my favorite hobbies is watching some of wrestling’s earliest matches and can you imagine how some of the stars of the Golden Age would react if they were able to look into the future and see what we’re doing now? Can you imagine them doing it then? Granted, the very first cage match in wrestling was held way back in 1937 so it has been known to happen. Can you imagine some of the original badass men in this sport like Dick the Bruiser or Bobo Brazil fighting in a hardcore match? They’d kill each other! But this business is all about the show. Give the fans what they want, and more often than not, what they want can be narrowed down to two things… Sex and violence.”
“Sex and violence are the predominant traits of this business. Way back when, it was a forbidden pleasure for the mostly male population in the arenas to get to sit back and watch two women in swimsuits scratch and claw and flip each other ass over! The sexism at the time behind women's wrestling was even one of the reasons why women weren’t allowed to compete in many states. It was unholy. Of course, they just said they were doing it for the women's…”Air quote…
“Best interests. And, let’s be honest, it wasn’t just about the women inside of the ring. Women attended matches too, and do you think they objected to seeing two handsome and physically fit men wrestle each other in nothing more than those little trunks? Sex. Sells. It’s a fact of life and this business, and it continues right up to this day. It doesn’t matter if the fans are men or women, gay or straight. They come to the shows to see and enjoy some eye candy and I say more power to them!”
“But it’s not just about sex. I mean a lot of it is, but that’s where the violence comes into play. There’s no other logic behind this, folks. The entire point of wrestling is to physically hurt or wear down your opponent’s body until they either can’t escape a pinfall or they end up having to submit so they can continue to fight another day. And as time went on, this just wasn’t enough. When two men or women hated each other enough, the promoters raised the stakes to satisfy the bloodlust we all know fans of this business have. Steel cages. Barbed wire. Thumbtacks… Scaffolds over piranha tanks…”Carter turned to the camera and cupped a hand around his mouth for a stage whisper…
“Sorry Miles! Just an example!”
“But the thing about these violent stipulations is that many times it just isn’t enough. In the eyes of the fans or the pockets of the promoters. The men and women that run this business often strive to reach new depths as far as match styles to shed blood and break bones, their only concern filling their pockets and not on the physical welfare of the men and women that they are technically responsible for.”Carter turned toward the camera, facing it directly.
“Which is where we stand right now. Where I stand, to be more precise. SCW is here in London for a Supercard event DEDICATED to these types of matches and yes…”Carter nodded in the affirmative, free hand on his upper body.
“I find myself in one as well, defending my Internet Championship for the first time against an actual contender and not some glorified jobber. Two issues, however…”He again held up two fingers to count off.
“One, is the fact that I am defending the championship in, of all things, a Ladder match. I make no bones about how I feel about Ladder matches, and that goes back to before that fiasco of a Golden Briefcase match I was in back in June of this year. You know, the one I would have won if it hadn’t been for Enti-oh, excuse me. Kevin Carter! The one where I got blinded and fell off a twenty foot ladder with no way to brace myself? Yeah, that one. No, my issue with Ladder matches is more basic. I don’t see how or why the better wrestler is decided by who is able to climb a ladder the fastest to reach the belt over the ring. That only tells the world who is the fastest or luckiest - not the best. But, it’s what the boss wants. More importantly, it’s what the fans want. So who am I to argue or dispute?”
“The second thing that has me feeling like I’m backed into a corner is the fact that I’m not facing just any random challenger, but my own brother-in-law, Lyle Kasey Junior who, I hope doesn’t mind that for the duration of this, I’m going to just call him LJ. The last time I was stuck in a spot like this, I was booked against Miles in a Knockout match, thanks to that raving lunatic Victoria Lyons. Things didn’t turn out quite how she wanted, but that’s more on her.”He shook his head.
“Not my problem. But as uncomfortable as that situation was, this feels just as problematic. And why? Have any of you even seen a Ladder match!? The things that go down just to immobilize your opponent enough so that you can climb the ladder freely without worry of being pulled down - or worse - tipped over and spilled out of the ring!? There’s no way around it! People are going to fall from that ladder! LJ and I? Neither one of us are going to be content to just stand back and watch the other climb up; me to reach and retain my title or him to win it from me. We’re going to pull the other down! I imagine if necessary, we’ll tip that ladder over if there are no other options. Someone is going to end up using that ladder or ladders as a weapon! Someone will POSSIBLY get hurt BY the ladder or ladders!”
“It’s an unfortunate fact of life when you get stuck in these types of matches with a championship on the line. But here’s the thing…”Carter glanced up and his eyes were focused. Intense.
“I have no issue with this. I don’t care right now who I’m up against. I fought for too long to win my first championship here in SCW, and I am not going to lose it in my first legitimate defense. LJ? I told your brother, and I am warning you. I am going to treat you like any other man coming at me to take the Internet title away from me. I am going to fight like a rabid bitch to protect what's mine! Now…”He raised a forefinger to stress a point.
“That doesn’t mean that I’m going to go out of my way to hurt or injure you. I know you might not believe me, given I know you know how I feel about you, but it’s the truth. I am just going to do whatever it takes to keep what’s mine, and to send you to the back sans MY Internet Championship. So don't take anything personally, LJ. Family or not, I just have a job to do, and a championship to retain. And you…?”Carter slipped the hood over his head, now hiding his young features and near-white hair in shadow.
“You’re going to find out why your own brother calls me a tried and true Slytherin!”He twirled his crooked wand around and a gathering of people passed, and once dispersed, he was gone.
As if by magic.
