Picking The Date
Las Vegas, Nevada
Wedding planning, LJ had learned very quickly, was somehow both exciting and absolutely maddening.
It wasn’t the big stuff either. The venue had been easy. The food? Surprisingly easy. Ally had already found dresses she loved, Ashlynn had opinions about colors that changed every forty-eight hours, and Miles had somehow become *way* too invested in tuxedo options for someone who kept claiming he was “just trying to help.”
But the date? The date was ruining their lives.
“Well, we can’t do late July,” Ally said for what felt like the fifteenth time as they walked side by side through an outdoor shopping district just off the Strip, "That’s too close to Miles and Carter’s anniversary.”
LJ shoved his hands deeper into the pockets of his hoodie, squinting slightly against the Vegas sun, because like an idiot, he forgot his sunglasses, "I know,” he sighed, "And if we do that or even August, we’re gambling with post-Summer Xxxtreme chaos.”
Ally glanced sideways at him, "You say that like wrestling season sounds normal to anybody outside your industry.”
“It is normal to me,” he argued.
“You once wrestled on a cruise ship.”
“...And?”
She laughed under her breath, shaking her head. Ashlynn was at school for the day, which meant this was one of the rare moments where it was just them. No schedules, no interruptions, no ring gear lying around the apartment, no casebooks taking over the dining table. Just LJ and Ally wandering through stores pretending they weren’t low-level losing their minds over calendar dates.
“I just don’t want to wait forever,” Ally admitted after a moment, quieter now, "Everything else is basically done.”
LJ looked over at her. That was the ridiculous part, she was right, the venue was booked with a wide open schedule. The wedding party had already been decided. Half the invitations were practically designed in Ally’s head already but somehow the actual day itself still felt impossible to nail down.
As they rounded the corner, Ally slowed slightly in front of a small storefront with elegant lettering across the window.
**Custom Invitations & Stationery**
“Oh no,” LJ muttered immediately.
Ally ignored him entirely, "This is cute,” she said, already drifting toward the door.
“Angel,” LJ warned, “we are supposed to be narrowing things down today.”
“We are.”
“You say that now.”
The bell above the door chimed softly as they stepped inside. The place smelled faintly like fresh paper and lavender. Samples of invitations sat displayed across long tables, different textures and colors and handwritten fonts spread out like tiny works of art.
LJ trailed behind Ally with the expression of a man who had accepted his fate. She moved from table to table slowly, fingertips brushing across different designs until one finally made her stop, "Oh...”
LJ looked up from pretending to understand invitation cardstock terminology. Ally was staring down at a cream-colored invitation with a soft red border and delicate gold detailing pressed into the edges and in parts of the paper. Elegant without being obnoxious with soft script lettering. It was all very simple and very her.
She picked it up carefully, almost reverently, "This one’s beautiful.”
LJ stepped beside her, looking over the design, "...Yeah,” he admitted, "That’s definitely us.”
Ally smiled faintly, but it faded just as quickly, "I wish we could order them already.”
There it was again, the date.
LJ leaned back against the edge of the display table with a sigh, "Alright,” he said, "Let’s logic this out.”
Ally snorted softly, "That sounds dangerous.”
“I’m in law school now, I use logic professionally.”
“You also once distracted a man by mooning him on live television.”
“...That was tactical.”
“That was your ass.”
“Hey, both things can be true.”
She laughed again, shaking her head as she continued holding the invitation.
“Late July’s out,” LJ continued, "And let’s call it for what it is, the majority of summer is a nightmare because SCW loses its mind after Summer Xxxtreme every year...”
“And September feels too far away,” Ally added.
“Exactly.” Silence settled between them again as LJ stared absently toward the front window, thinking and then suddenly, “...Wait.”
Ally looked over immediately, that tone always meant something, "What?”
LJ straightened slowly, eyes narrowing like pieces were clicking together in real time, "...Do you remember our first actual date?”
Ally blinked, "What?”
“Our actual first date,” he repeated, "Not the weird in-between flirting stage where we kept pretending we weren’t flirting.”
A reluctant smile tugged at her mouth, "That was not pretending.”
“Angel, you practically threatened me the first three times we spoke.”
“You were annoying.”
“I was charming.”
“You were 22”
“And yet here you are.”
She rolled her eyes affectionately, but he could already see her thinking now too, "...Carter got hurt,” she said slowly.
LJ nodded immediately, "Yeah. We’d gone to check on him and Miles after the show.”
“And then afterward...” Ally’s expression softened as the memory settled in, "...you took me to dinner.”
“June 30th,” LJ said.
She looked surprised, "You actually remember the exact date?”
“‘Course I do.” The answer came so quickly and so sincerely that it actually made her pause. LJ shrugged slightly, suddenly looking almost shy about it, "It mattered.”
That softened her immediately, "...June 30th,” she repeated quietly.
LJ nodded again, warming to the idea the more he thought about it, "Why not then?”
Ally tilted her head, "That’s a Tuesday.”
“We work weekends anyway,” he pointed out, "And honestly? Half our friends are wrestlers. None of us have normal schedules.”
“That’s... actually true.”
“And it means something,” LJ added, "Not just because it sounds nice or fits the calendar. That was the first night that this became...” He gestured vaguely between them, "...this.”
Ally looked back down at the invitation in her hands, then back at him and LJ watched the exact second she fell in love with the idea, "...June 30th,” she said again, this time smiling fully.
LJ grinned instantly, "That’s sounding dangerously close to agreement.”
“It is an agreement.”
“Oh thank Christ.” She laughed loudly enough that the woman working behind the counter glanced over with an amused smile. LJ stepped closer, slipping an arm around Ally’s waist, "So...” he said casually, "We are getting married on our first date anniversary or what?”
Ally shook her head fondly, "You’re so ridiculous.”
“And yet,” he smirked, “Still somehow the man you agreed to marry.”
She leaned into him slightly, holding up the invitation between them, "...I think we found the date.”
LJ looked down at the design again before nodding once, "Yeah,” he said softly, "I think we did too.”
--------------------
King’s Ransom
Downtown Bloomington, Illinois
Night
The camera opens on the glow of old streetlights reflecting off rain-slick pavement in downtown Bloomington. The city feels quieter this late at night, most storefronts already dark except for the occasional bar still buzzing with life through fogged windows.
LJ Kasey stands outside one of them beneath the warm neon glow of a flickering sign. There is no hoodie tonight, it’s dark jeans, black boots, a long charcoal overcoat hanging open over a fitted button-down, sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, with his hands tucked into his pockets against the cold Illinois air.
He looks less like a wrestler tonight and more like a man with somewhere important to be.
The camera slowly moves closer as LJ glances down the empty street before finally speaking.
“You know what the funny thing about opportunity is?” he asks calmly, "Everybody says they want it... right up until it starts hanging twenty feet in the air above a ladder.” A faint smirk crosses his face, “Then suddenly everybody remembers gravity exists.”
He steps away from the building, boots scraping lightly against wet pavement.
“And apparently King Ryan decided the best possible use of his royal wisdom was throwing me, Ciarán Doyle, and Logan Hunter into a ladder match with a title opportunity hanging above our heads.” He looks upward briefly, like he can already see the briefcase above him, “One contract. One shot at Summer XXXTreme and two men standing in my way.”
LJ begins walking slowly down the sidewalk, the camera following beside him. “Now let’s get one thing straight before people start misunderstanding me.”
He points slightly toward the camera, “I respect the hell out of Ciarán Doyle. No hesitation there. No bullshit. The bloke fights hard. He shows up and doesn’t spend half his life screaming about how dangerous he is online hoping people believe it. And honestly? That already puts him ahead of most wrestlers. I honestly believe that he could have been the King for a Day but shit happens and now he moves on. But respect and business are two very different things.”
His voice lowers slightly.
“Because if Ciarán’s standing on the top of that ladder and I’ve got the chance to pull him back down? I’m doing it. It’s a matter-of-fact with no apology attached. He knows it, he knows it’s how this business is and I would expect him to do the EXACT same thing to me.”
He stops walking near the edge of the sidewalk, turning slightly toward the street as headlights roll past behind him.
“And then there’s Logan Hunter.” LJ exhales slowly through his nose, “You know what bothers me about you, Logan? It’s not the ego. Hell, we all know that wrestling’s full of arrogant dickheads, and you are so not even close to the top of the list with the biggest ego. It’s the pretending and posturing that you do.”
His eyes narrow, “After you and I crossed paths, you moved on and got yourself a championship while everybody expected me to stay stuck cleaning blood off the floor. And then you walked around acting like you’re the most violent man in every room while conveniently forgetting we’ve already crossed paths before.”
He steps closer toward the camera now, “And trust me, mate...I haven’t forgotten.” His jaw tightens slightly, “See, guys like you think that this company runs on chaos and that it all belongs to you. You think if things get ugly enough, violent enough, reckless enough... everybody else panics while you thrive.”
He shakes his head slowly, “That stopped working on me a long time ago. I’ve already fought through your bullshit and I’ve already bled for opportunities. I’ve already had people try to break me before I could reach the next level.”
The mention hangs there without naming Barnhart and Hendrix directly.
“And the funny thing?” LJ says, "All it did was make me harder to kill. This is about taking something I should’ve had a real shot at a long time ago.”
The city noise hums quietly around him as he pauses.
“People keep talking about this match like it’s my opportunity to prove I belong. No, I already proved that when I stood across the ring from Alexander Raven for the World Championship. I proved it when I kept getting back up after Brandon Hendrix tried to take my damn head off.”
His eyes burn sharper now, “I proved it every single time somebody looked at me and saw Miles Kasey’s little brother instead of seeing me. This isn’t about belonging anymore.”
He points upward again, “This is about taking something that has already belonged to me without even getting a true chance...beyond Raven that is, when he was World Champion. This is about taking something I should’ve had a real shot at a long time ago.”
LJ looks down the empty Bloomington street before continuing.
“Because while everybody else is talking about dreams and opportunities and career-defining moments...I’m thinking about leverage. It’s a fuckin’ guaranteed contract, a guaranteed shot and a guarantee that at Summer XXXTreme, everybody has to deal with me whether they like it or not.”
A gust of wind catches his coat slightly as he moves a little more slowly towards the camera.
“And that’s the part I think Logan’s gonna struggle with. You can’t intimidate somebody who already accepted how much this is going to hurt. You can’t scare somebody who stopped fearing pain and you definitely can’t stop somebody who’s done letting moments slip through his hands.”
LJ glances briefly toward the arena lights glowing faintly in the distance.
“Ciarán’s got heart. Logan’s got rage.” Then he looks directly into the camera one last time, “But me?”
The faintest smirk returns.
“I’ve got a purpose and when that ladder’s standing in the middle of the ring...” His voice drops low, “I’m climbing it over both your bodies if I have to. Because at Climax Control?” LJ adjusts the collar of his coat, "One of us leaves Bloomington with a contract.”
“And the other two?” He starts walking away down the sidewalk, "They leave with the understanding that gravity is just a heartless bitch.”
