Pairing: Ortista (Batista/Randy Orton)
Dedication: BBreakdown
Trees up and down the Champs-Elysees strung with garlands of shimmering light, street lamps decorated with red and green ribbon, Christmas markets sprung up all around the city, with their warm wood roofed booths. Paris had burst out of its sleepy autumn quiet and lights out, literally and figuratively. One could smell the festive spirit in the air, along with the hot smell of vin chaud that tasted sweet with a hint of cinnamon.
All around me were happy people with happy smiles on their faces. Yet here I am, a scowl settled on my face, fuming out in anger.
"Dave!" I called, crossing my arms above my chest at the smiling man. He shouldn't be smiling.
"Yes, love?" He asked, disappearing the beam off his face, replacing it with a serious one. I huffed, feeling like he was mocking me.
"I want to go home!"
He pursed his lips, looking up and down the street. His brows furrowed in confusion, and he turned to me, scratching the back of his head. He still didn't remember. We were supposed to go home, a small cottage that we rented an hour or so before, but here we were, not knowing how to get there. I knew. I knew I shouldn't push him and blame him for not remembering how to get back there, but for god's sake-this was my first time here, and it was his third time. A sigh of frustration left my lips, and I shook my head.
Our one year anniversary was not supposed to go down like this. I tried to ask from someone for directions, but Dave, being the one to hold his pride over his head stopped me every time, saying that he could find the way back home. Still, we were standing on the same spot we have been for the past fifteen minutes. I cursed, out loud, scaring away some people who passed us but I didn't care. I heard Dave apologizing to them for my frustrations, and I aimed a punch at his arm only to get caught. I was pushed against the wall of the building behind me as he lightly pressed against me, brushing a thumb over my cheek. Pushing it away from my face I glared, hissing. "Dave, can we-"
"Babe, relax. If you overreact like this we won't be able to do anything. Just give me some more time to think of-"
"Time? Time? We already wasted two hours doing absolutely nothing! How can you want more time, Dave? We're lost and-"
"Hey…" his hand cupped my cheek, his warm brown eyes softening as he cracked an assuring small smile. "I'll take you home before midnight, okay? I promise. Just….let me…think."
I let my hands creep up his chest and curl on his jacket, dropping my forehead onto his shoulder. "What if we-"
"If we can't find it, we'll go to a hotel for the night. Is that alright?" He patted the nape of my neck, making me hum in exhaustion and sleepiness. Saying that I was tired was an understatement. His lips planted tiny pecks at the base of my jaw, following to the back of my ear. I bit my lip, tilting my head at the touch of lips.
"Not here," I whispered, already missing the warmth that his lips spread from his kisses. Pulling away, I closed my hand around his, lacing our fingers in a death grip. Dragging him away from the dark corner I walked towards wherever I felt like. The colorful ornaments and lights tempted to catch my attention, but only finding our place to stay lingered in my mind.
For about another hour we wasted strolling around streets, every corner we turned having less and less people. It was closing midnight and people were going home, while we sauntered around not knowing what to do. There was tightening in my chest, and I bit my lip to hold back a groan of disappointment. Sagging my shoulders in defeat, I looked at Dave who had a guilt filled look on his face. I was almost happy about that, but I couldn't be. He and I were in this together, and one of us had to make efforts. Someone tugged at the hem of my jacket, and I looked at Dave. He gestured down, and I dropped my eyes to see a little girl. She looked about ten years old. Strands of curly blonde hair fell around her face, her cheeks flushed a deep red her mouth almost not visible due to the fluffy scarf around her neck.
I crouched down to her height, and raised an eyebrow. "Hello, there… How can I help you?"
"Ceci est pour vous. D'un admirateur secret." She said, sending me a sunny beam before running away. I looked at the red rose she had pushed into my hands. A light blue ribbon was spirally wrapped around its stem. The words, J'ai Trouve, was inked on the ribbon, and I frowned. I found? My eyes roamed around the nearly empty street, and landed on Dave who was frowning at me. I looked at him and to the rose, back and forth for a few seconds. A hint of dread filled the pitch of my stomach. We've only been in Paris for a day and I already had a secret admirer?
"Randy!" I stooped halfway when I went to throw the rose away, and looked at him with wide eyes. "Don't… Wait till we get some privacy… He or she might be watching you right now."
I scowled and clenched my fingers around the delicate stem of the rose, knowing that I had almost crushed it. I didn't care who sent me the rose, but fuck, it was creepy. Fuck all those romantic movies which had scenes like this because getting anonymous gifts in the middle of the night when I was lost in an unfamiliar town was not romantic at all. "It's not polite," Dave murmured, tugging my hand and dragging me away.
There was my man. Didn't even care a stranger send me gifts. I held back on cursing. One day, he'd let someone else fuck me while he sat with us, watching. Biting back an embarrassing flush at the thought of it, I hurried behind him. He laughed when my stomach grumbled in hunger, and I stuck my chin in the air, looking ahead and ignoring him. I only looked at him when he bought me two buns with cream inside of them, and it was only to give a silent thank you. We sat on a bench and ate them quietly, watching a fountain that was built to the front of the benches where a group of angel statues circling around a baby Jesus statue in the middle.
"You remember last year?" Dave mumbled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close.
"Where this all began…" I whispered, placing my hand on his thigh and gently squeezing. "It's been exactly a year."
"Yeah… I can't believe I survived," he laughed, and I punched his arm again.
"We could've been celebrating… If you haven't forgotten where we supposed to stay," I muttered grumpily, jabbing a finger at his chest.
"We could still celebrate..." He motioned to us, "Here."
"I'm not letting you fuck me on a bench, mister," I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms.
"Don't be such a diva, Randal," Dave chuckled, nuzzling his nose against my cheek. I pushed his face away from mine and opened my mouth to protest, just when something caught my eye. I snapped my eyes towards the source and squinted them to get a better look. Gasping, I jumped out of the bench and quickly walked towards it, hearing small whimpers. I heard Dave calling me, but I didn't stop, until I was right in front of it. Kneeling, I reached out to touch the puppy that was lying on its paws on the cold ground.
"Dave…" I looked up at him, and the next second he was kneeling beside me. "Hey, there little guy," I picked up the puppy, holding him to my chest. "I think he's lost…"
"Randy…" He started.
"Please?" I plead, giving big, wide eyes at Dave who shook his head. We couldn't leave him out there alone… I checked the collar around its neck, finding no address or name there, except for Amour et L'amour printed in gold letters on red leather. Love and love? I nearly dropped the dog, if it wasn't for Dave catching him before he hit the floor.
"What's wrong?" He asked, frowning at frozen me. Then he checked the collar, his frown deepening. "I think we've got a serious case here."
How the fuck could he even be that calm? I was freaking out inside, not knowing what to do. I didn't know who the fuck was playing with me, or in fact, us, but when I found him or her, there'd be hell to pay. This wasn't a joke, and the incidents that have happened tonight didn't settle in me that easily.
"Babe… Calm down," Dave's palm glided on my back smoothly, attempting comfort. I leaned against him, receiving a kiss on my temple. The puppy yelped, wagging its tail and sticking its tongue at us. Suddenly… I didn't want to take it home with us anymore… "If you're thinking of leaving this thing here, we can't. We'll have to keep it us with us until we hand it over to a shelter or something. But we can't leave it here," he sighed, giving a tired smile. "I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you." I nodded, screwing my eyes shut and getting up.
"Let's go there," not even having energy to refuse, I let him drag me up a hill to a small bridge nearby. A stream was running under it, the quiet sounds of water flowing filling the freshly Christmassy air. I forced my head to calm down, engulfing my mind in the cool air that brushed past me. I hugged the jacket tighter to me, regretting not wearing mittens and a scarf like Dave was. I sat on the edge of the bridge, looking down at the stream. It wasn't dangerous hence there was no railing. Dave sat down next to me, his eyes locking on me for a few seconds. I felt his thumb trail over my jaw, but I didn't break my concentration on the water. "Are you still angry with me?"
I nodded.
"So… If I buy you whatever you want, you'll forgive me?"
I shook my head.
"What about letting you keep this puppy?" He held it up to me, a hesitant cheeky grin on his face and still, I shook my head, casting a glare at both of them. He sighed heavily, which sounded almost dramatic. "Was you…" He suddenly said, and I looked at him confused.
"What?"
"Was you," he said again, and I scowled. This was getting annoying.
"I don't-"
"Was you," he repeated, and cracked his infamous crooked smile that had me falling for him in the first place. "The ending words of that phrase…. Was you."
"Was me?" I echoed, ready to explode with confusion. "Dave, I can't-"
"Marry me." He said, and the puppy yipped happily. What? My lips parte with a pop, but the rest of my body stayed frozen to the spot. "Marry me," he said again, his smile widening into a full blown grin. I blinked opening and closing my mouth like a retarded walrus. "Randy?"
Accidentally, I tried to step forward, forgetting that I was sitting on the edge of a bridge. The next thing I knew was that I was thrashing in the water, gasping out for breath. I guess I forgot how to swim. Another splash faintly reached my ears and in a second I was secured inside two strong arms. I moved my legs to keep onto a spot and coughed my burning lungs out, holding onto Dave for balance. The water was icy cold, but it didn't do much for me because inside I was burning, something warm oozing out of my chest and spreading along the body through my veins. When my breathing finally returned to somewhat normal, I looked at Dave's worry filled face. Then I laughed, not even caring that I was crying at the same time.
"Say that again," I said, cupping his face.
His lips stretched into that smile again, and he breathed in those two words into my ear. "Marry me."
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him to a kiss, which I didn't let go until my lips started to hurt from the force I was applying into it. It was like every other time; he wasn't asking, he was saying… commanding. But, I loved him for that. Keeping one hand around my waist, he reached to his back from the other, and pulled out a blue velvet covered box that was dripping water. I bit my lip, staring at it at he opened it, plucking out a thin gold band of rose gold. He slid the ring into my trembling ring finger, and kissed my hand.
"You see that?" He asked, the tip of his finger trailing the ring. "I found love….and love, was you."
I gasped, my eyes widening. The rose… The puppy… And what Dave chanted when we were sitting on the bridge. "Tha-that was you?" I stupidly asked. He chuckled, nodding. Son of a bitch. Then, I kissed him again. I jumped out of my skin when something like a gunshot was heard. Dave caught my chin, lifting up my face to look at the sky. I gasped again, seeing hundreds of firecrackers exploding in the sky in red, green, and blue.
"That's Evan and John," Dave dropped a kiss on my temple, and I felt him grinning against my skin. "For us. For you."
"I love you," I whispered, resting my forehead against his.
"I love you too, babe," he said, turning to look at the sky again. A few minutes later when the sky cleared, I let Dave help me to the shore, and he handed me his jacket because I was shivering in cold. Just like our last Christmas, where all this began.
"I wish we could go home now," I sighed… snuggling into his coat.
"Well…"
"Dave," I warned, not liking the teasing look on his face.
"Why the hell would you doubt?! I'm still a young man! I do know and remember where our house is!"
"Fucker!" I cursed, only to be lifted and thrown over his shoulder.
"Let's go home," he laughed, slapping my ass and whistling for the puppy to follow us. I knew who I'd be voting for Oscars next year.