The table splintered with a sickening crack that lit up all the pleasure centres in his brain. At first the crowd fell silent, then one by one torrent upon torrent of boos began to rain down all around him. He looked down at the prone form of the WWE champion among the debris at his feet. To think he once sided with this man, to think that he believed there was some code of honour and trust that bound them. He'd long since realised now that he couldn't trust anyone, but more importantly, he didn't need to. The scene before him was proof of that.
He had no equal, no one could rival his intensity, his strength, his intelligence, so why should he give them the time of day? They were but speedbumps on his road to certain glory, skittles waiting to be knocked down, meat on his table. He raised his arms aloft, and began to bellow those now-familiar words. The boos intensified. They could jeer all they liked, it wouldn't stop him. Nothing and nobody would. It was more than just a slogan, it was something he believed with every fiber of his being, a succinct embodiment of his unshakable feeling of superiority. And with each display of dominance it became harder and harder for anyone to dispute.
"Ryback rules!"
His mission comprehensively accomplished, the 290-pound colossus tore his way back through the curtain, quietly satisfied at all the glances that were furtively thrown his way as he prowled the corridors, then quickly averted when he returned their gaze. All the questions they no doubt wanted to ask him but daren't, lest they go the way of so many others before them. Some performed a complete volte face upon seeing him approach along the hall, or suddenly found the wall decorations terribly interesting. No one dared obstruct his path as he made his way toward the locker room, which would no doubt be quieter than ever tonight having seen him lay waste to not one but two of its most resilient figures.
He was one turn away from the door when all of a sudden he found his path blocked. AJ Lee stood before him, legs bowed, hands clasped together at her waist, and a look of unassuming, casual inquisition across her face. What was she doing? Didn't she get the memo? No one got in his way, least of whom someone who he could send hurtling through the air with a flick of his finger, or maybe even just by exhaling heavily. But then, she'd never been scared of him the way the others were. He'd noticed it when she was General Manager, the deference he was constantly shown on account of the obvious threat he posed when angered was always absent in her dealings with him. Life was one big game to her, its dangers apparently invisible, how else could one explain her willingness to leap into the arms of the Big Red Monster and plant a kiss on him, or to skip through the middle of a ladder match and shove a man to his doom.
"Move," he barked with the icy intent of threat that sent most sane human beings running. As expected she didn't budge, and instead cocked her head and flashed him that deceptively innocent smile.
"You're not my boss anymore, little girl, I don't have to play your games and I won't," he elaborated, fixing her with a meaningful stare. Still she remained silent yet thoroughly unintimidated, tapping her finger against her chin as if deep in thought.
This had gone on long enough, he was a man of few words and he'd already wasted far too many on this warped womanchild. Bending down, he lifted her from her feet with ease, spinning round and placing her back down behind where he had stood so she no longer obstructed his path. Nothing wrong with that. He'd given her the chance to move of her own accord. He hadn't hurt her, and anyway, what was the worst she could do? Set Big E on him? That might have worked with Cena and Bryan, but he'd already shown that night he was twice the force they were, and unlike them, he wouldn't let himself be a plaything for her twisted amusement.
He marched on toward the locker room, when all of a sudden he heard what sounded like slow, heavy footsteps behind him, but as a flash of wavy dark hair glanced across the bottom right of his line of vision, he couldn't believe his eyes as she skipped ahead of him then came to a stop outside the locker room, once again blocking his path to the door. To say she was trying his patience was an understatement. Would anyone honestly blame him if he launched her like a javelin down the hallway?
"Stupid..." he growled under his breath as he advanced on her, still she did not cower and seemed thoroughly amused by it all.
"Can you not take a hint? What the hell are you trying to achieve?"
"I wanted to thank you," she said firmly with another grin. Finally she was talking, but she was still making no sense whatsoever.
"Thank me for what?" he queried impatiently.
"For cheering me up, of course," she chirped, eyeing him in disbelief when he evidently failed to comprehend.
"Cheering you up? How have I..."
"I miss my Ziggy," she pouted, drooping her head forlornly. Even a heart as stony as his had to soften at this expression. But that was what she thrived on, this false aura of vulnerability, he couldn't get caught up in it.
"It's so lonely here without him. And to make matters worse, you've got Cena walking around grinning his douchey grin, telling his godawful jokes, carrying that other world title. And then you've got Daniel..." she paused and her whole body quivered, with disgust at the mention of this name.
"Did you hear them tonight? Cheering for him? Shouting that idiotic word? It doesn't matter to them that he broke my heart, reduced me to a sobbing wreck on worldwide television, it's all alright if he's got a catchphrase."
"They're sheep, don't listen to them," he said with a note of understanding and reassurance. He knew more than most how fickle and shallow the WWE Universe could be, rounding on him like they had merely for standing up for himself, for tiring of Cena's hypocrisy. But wait... did he just comfort AJ Lee? Did he just hint that he may be on her wavelength? This was definitely a bad move.
"But you knew how to make me feel better. You knew I never tire of seeing those two hurt the way they hurt me..." her eyes glowed with fiery indignation, and Ryback had to admit he was becoming more than a little afraid of this 110-pound girl.
"So, yeah... thank you. You didn't have to do what you did. I knew you and I were on the same page. We see Cena and Bryan for who they really are."
What the honest to God hell was going on in this woman's mind? Did she truly believe, in spite of the fact they'd seldom interacted since she was forced out of office, that the sole motivation for his actions that night was to entertain her? How could someone be so deluded, so self-absorbed? Yet somehow, it charmed him to receive some positive feedback having walked through volleys of abuse from the moronic multitude. In a strange way, she was right, perhaps they weren't too different. He didn't blame her for still harboring grudges against these men after the way they treated her, he might even go as far to say he was pleased that he'd inadvertently made her happy by laying waste to them. But he certainly wasn't going to tell her any of that, instead he decided to go with his initial reaction.
"You really are completely insane aren't you?" he spat cruelly. Her eyes widened with hurt and her lip trembled. It took everything he had not to cave in and apologise. She was trying to trap him again.
"I didn't do what I did for you. I did it for the only person Ryback does anything for, and that's Ryback. Got it?"
Next thing he knew she was doubled over in a flood of hysterics, as if someone had flicked a switch in her mind. Much as he tried to remain stoic, to pass it off as the cheap manipulation he knew it was, he couldn't help but want to make it stop. He understood now how it had happened, how all these men had been led astray. Few forces on Earth can wield more influence than a beautiful young woman in tears.
"Hey, hey, I'm sorry," he breathed in an uncharacteristically soft tone, finally relenting as her sobs grew harder. He extended an arm awkwardly around her shoulder.
"Things are pretty intense for me at the moment, you know, it doesn't take much to make me lose my cool."
"It's still a really mean thing to say," she sniffed, raising her head and giving him a pouty frown.
"I know, and I didn't mean it. You're not insane... as a matter of fact, you're a lot smarter than most people round here."
"Smarter than Kaitlyn?" she asked hopefully, her tears stopping in an instant and her expression growing eager and bright.
"Um... yeah, for what it's worth," he mumbled, baffled.
"And prettier too, right?" AJ questioned further, practically shaking with anticipation of an affirmative reply. She really was something else, and to his dismay Ryback found himself more than happy for her to put words in his mouth. There was just something about that smile.
"Yes, way prettier," he replied with a chuckle.
Without warning she knotted her arms around his neck, using its sturdiness to pull herself up and coil her legs around his middle. He'd seen this before and he knew exactly what was coming, but before he could contemplate how to react it was happening, her soft lips brushing tauntingly across his, almost daring him to reciprocate. He knew he should be pushing her off, telling her once again she was totally demented and this time not apologising, but there was no one around, and at the end of the day, what did he have to lose?
Soon he joined her in the dance, roving his fingers across the bare skin of her back where her half-shirt ended, allowing her tongue into his mouth without hesitation when it began lapping at his teeth. She was very good at this, no wonder none of her many conquests seemed in any great hurry to ward off her sudden assaults. He had one arm across her shoulders and the other around her waist, his tongue almost within touching distance of the back of her throat, when the true madness of the situation finally crested the waves of lust and he was able to force himself to set her down.
He eyed her with a look that took in shock, confusion and the slightest hint of satisfaction, while her expression only communicated the third of those emotions. She'd got him good.
"Don't tell Dolph," she cautioned calmly, fully aware he would do nothing of the sort.
"What... uh, why... did you do that?" he spluttered, though he knew her explanation was likely to be utterly nonsensical.
"Because I wanted to," she said plainly, flashing that enticing smile yet again.
"And, you were really nice to me. I'm gonna love watching you destroy John on Sunday, and it'll mean so much more now. I know you're bigger and better than him in every conceivable way."
"Did you really need to kiss me to establish that?"
"Are you complaining? You weren't exactly fighting me off. But yes, I did need to. A kiss really unlocks the mysteries of a man. Think of it as my seal of approval. An initiation into my little world."
With a satisfied smirk and a cheeky wave she was off, merrily skipping away as if she had said all that needed to be said, but no doubt fully aware she was leaving a million questions unanswered. He watched her go, mouth agape, furious he had been suckered in to the madcap game of human chess she constantly played, but unable to deny that he wouldn't mind playing again sometime.