Title: Legends (1/1)
Rating: PG
Content: Slash, slight angsting
Disclaimer: the three don'ts - don't know, don't own, don't sue.
Distribution: my site, ffn, my lj, violent pretties, Camelot, anyone else please ask
Summary: What's Randy's reaction to what HHH said about him on Raw 21/3/05? HBK/Randy
"Shawn?"
The older man looked up, surprised at the tone of his lover's voice. It was tentative and nervous, and those were adjectives that weren't usually associated with Randy Orton.
"What's up babe?"
"I don't know."
There was so much melancholy in Randy's voice Shawn was immediately alert. He stood up and walked over to his lover, who was staring out of the hotel room window at nothing in particular. "Wanna tell me about it LK?"
Randy cringed at the nickname. He shrugged off the caring arm Shawn had wrapped around him and continued staring out the window. "I'm never gonna do it, am I?"
"Do what?"
"Be a legend. Be what I've worked so hard for. You, you're a legend. Some fans love you, some hate you, but they all agree that you're a legend. Me, whatever I do it's never gonna be enough."
"What's brought this on?" Shawn knew that Randy wasn't as supremely confident as the character he portrayed, but he had never seen him like this before.
"What am I doing?" It was as if Randy hadn't heard Shawn, he was stuck in his own little world, on his own train of thought. "I should have it made, I was the youngest champion, I was in the most powerful faction in WWE, the longest reigning IC champ in 7 years. Yet I find myself having to challenge the Undertaker to get myself a match at Wrestlemania, I have to RKO the sweetest girl in the business to get some cheap heel heat… how did I fall so far? Where Batista is now, that's where I should be."
Shawn sighed. Even though Randy had been practically raised in the business, he was still fairly naïve when I came to how things worked. "Randy, love… it isn't about what you've done and what you haven't. You've been handed some lousy storylines since they gave you the title. That isn't your fault." He laughed mirthlessly, "god, I sound like Snitsky." When that didn't raise a laugh from the younger man, he changed tack. "Popularity always goes in swings and roundabouts. Believe me, a few years ago I was hated."
"I'm not even hated though. I'm just…" Randy searched for the right word, "indifferent."
"Did Hunter's speech on Raw bring this on?"
Randy nodded, his face crumpling as he replayed the words in his mind again, "he knows me so well… what he said…" Sobs overtook his words as Shawn quickly wrapped his arms around him.
Shawn knew that Randy had idolised Hunter, and the older man had played on that and manipulated the young wrestler, tossing him aside when he had no further use for him. Hunter had used him to get the belt back from Benoit, when everyone else in the business had known full well that Randy would have benefited more from a slow build up to a title shot against Hunter. Randy had just been so excited to be winning the belt, and had been so much encouraged by Hunter, that he didn't listen to anyone else. And then, once Hunter had the belt back, he pretty much began ignoring the young man, attempting to crush his self esteem at the same time. Snide comments, petty gestures, Randy took them all personally. He'd been open with Hunter about a lot of things, and Hunter used them to his own advantage.
Shawn could do nothing but comfort his young lover for now. He'd get his own back on Hunter one day though. Randy was a sweet kid, too young for the complicated power games that ran the wrestling industry.
Eventually, Randy calmed himself and pulled away from Shawn, wiping at his eyes furiously. "I'm sorry." He tried to force a smile, but it wasn't forthcoming. "This isn't like me really."
"I know. Randy, it's hard enough dealing with Hunter's power games, but when you've had a relationship with him, it's doubly hard." Shawn was speaking from bitter experience there too.
"I won't run away though. Not this time." Randy licked his bottom lip and a determined look spread across his face. "He taunted me about that afterwards too. Said maybe I should run away from here the same I did from the army."
"That was low."
"I made a mistake and paid for it." Randy's eyes were downcast, and the determination slipped away. "I'm not even allowed to forget that. I won't ever forget it."
"You grew as a person because of that though." Randy rarely mentioned his army time, it was a sore point that he regretted dearly, and Shawn was only half aware of what had happened. "Don't let him mess with your head. You need to be strong and focussed when you're facing the Undertaker."
"I know." Randy sniffed and wiped at his eyes again. "Fuck I'm sorry Shawn, you don't want to be dealing with this right now."
"Don't be silly," Shawn ruffled his hair affectionately, "it's what I'm here for. If you can't lean on your lover, who can you lean on?"
"I do love you."
"I know." Shawn touched Randy's chin and forced him to look into his blue eyes. "Randy, you're not even 25 yet. You'll create your own legends, and you will be remembered. And one day, you'll be in the Hall of Fame just like your daddy. You've got years ahead of you. And you'll spend all of those years at the top. Starting at Wrestlemania, right?"
Randy forced a smile. "Thanks. I needed that pep talk. I do get a bit miserable sometimes… thanks for snapping me out of it."
"I kind of like the vulnerable side of the legend killer. It's cute. Don't ever be afraid of showing me that side of you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. If you can't be yourself when you're with me, there's something wrong." Shawn gently kissed one of Randy's swollen eyes shut. "Come on, lets go to bed. Forget Hunter, forget all the power games and everything and just concentrate on us."
"OK," Randy allowed himself to be led over to the bed. He was so glad that he had Shawn. It was hard keeping up the act of being cocky and arrogant all the time. For the first time with Shawn, he'd let the mask slip, and the older man hadn't turned him away. That meant everything to Randy. For the first time in a long time, he finally felt like he could be himself again.