"Where the fuck do you think you're going, Hunter?"
In that moment, there were very few things that could have gotten the man in question to stop in his tracks.
And his wife's voice was one of them.
"Where the hell do you think?"
But it did not put him back into an amicable mood.
They were in the private parking lot of the Toyota Center in Houston, Steph storming after the man in a way he'd kind of hoping she wouldn't be able to. Either due to shock or her love of ugly ass boots that were hard to run in, Hunter had been banking on getting out of the arena without her catching him.
No such luck, it seemed.
"Excuse me?"
His back was still to her and Hunter took that time out to lick at his lips a bit, toying with the cuffs of his shirt. Trying to think, really, was what he was doing. When he planned the whole thing out in his mind, he saw he and his wife discussing the entire thing back at home. Or a hotel room.
Not there.
Not in a damn parking lot.
Not when he was all jacked up.
"It was what needed to be done, Steph." Turning to face her as she approached, he said, "So just let me get the fuck out of here and- Hey!"
She'd slapped him. Hard. Across the cheek.
It wasn't the first time she'd done it.
But it was the first in a long time.
Long ago, the pair could be quite vicious with one another, but that wasn't the case any longer. Steph was still bitchy, for the most part, but rarely towards him. She was violent towards the talent and anyone that defied their authority. Their. They were on the same page and had been since their reconciliation back in the mid-2000s.
Clearly, however, his interference with the main event that night had put an end to this.
"What the fuck is wrong with-" He'd started after the slap, but stopped himself that time as she raised her hand again, to slap him. That time, Hunter was a bit more prepared and snatched her wrist in his vice of a grip. "Knock it off!"
"No!" She started to raise her other hand, to slap him with it, but he caught it as well. "You-"
"If you touch me again, Stephanie, I swear to God, I will do the same thing to you that I did to your stupid boytoy out there."
Her eyes changed then, ever so slightly. They had been wildly ablaze when she first approached him, but now he saw a bit of something else.
Fear?
Fear.
It had been so long since Hunter had seen his wife afraid of him (over a decade, actually) and that was something he never wanted to go back to. They were completely different people than they had been, when they first got married. Their union was built on more than just a desire to watch a company burn. They had respect for one another then.
A lot of respect.
He loved Stephanie.
A lot.
But damn she could piss him off.
Loosing his grip then, he allowed the woman to jerk away from him, her facing looking far more hurt than his own. You know, the one that she'd fucking slapped with no damn warning…
"What's your problem?" she asked with a glare.
"What's my problem? Are you serious? You slapped-"
"Not that."
"Well, that's what I'm on," he replied, still standing quite imposingly over her. "What the hell, Stephanie? Where do you get off putting your hands on me? You think that I won't hurt you? Is that what you think?"
That's what she knew. Short of the bruising she was certain her wrists would have, due to his tight hold on them, he wouldn't harm her.
He didn't have it in him any longer.
"You're the one that came and interfered with my show, Hunter," she accused as he looked off, her wounded look too much for him it seemed. "And without saying anything to me. Do you know how weak that makes me look? Huh? I've offered you to come here whenever you want, to do whatever you want-"
"And that's what I did!"
"But without me! And to Seth? What was that? Why did you do that? He's our-"
"He's not my anything anymore, Stephanie." Hunter tapped at his chest. "I only back winners. And that's a fucking loser if I ever saw one."
"Oh?" She was in shock, honestly, over the whole thing still, and only got out, "And Owens is-"
"A winner. A face of a company that you can be proud of. Not a sorry excuse of a suck up that has his head so up your damn skirt-"
.
"Hunter, I've told you before that… If this is about-"
"It's not about anything." He stared her dead in the eyes then. "Other than our damn company, Stephanie. It's about my fucking legacy that has been tarnished by that shit stain Seth Rollins long enough. He's a chump. A joke. And I'm tired of listening to it."
"What… I don't even..."
"Steph, look at me." Reaching out, he tapped at her chin forcing her to look up at him. "We made a mistake. We let this go on for too long. Rollins is… He' not the future. Hell, he's not even the past! He just… He was a mistake, baby. Everything about him. And I'm done making it."
"What has he done to you?"
"Nothing! That's point! He's done nothing. The only thing that dumb ass is known for is being around at my beck and call. And you know what? Steph? I'm tired of calling. I'm tired of you calling. He's...destroying everything we worked so hard at."
Her arms fell into folds over her chest then. Looking off, Steph whispered, "At least he didn't lose our title at Mania."
The parking lot was hardly silent, as the sounds from the rest of the arena could be heard throughout, but both Hunter and Stephanie heard nothing other than the awkward hush that fell over them both.
"You're still on about that?" he asked, voice softer then. When she wouldn't look at him, he said, "Answer me."
"No." Lifting her eyes back to him, her arms fell as the woman said, "You answer me. Why did you do this-"
"I just told you-"
"-behind my back?" she finished. "Huh? Why were you feeling all of this and saying-"
"I've been saying it! Why do you think I stopped coming around? Huh? Because I'm fucking embarrassed, Stephanie, with-"
"With me?"
"What? Of course not, Steph. Why would you-"
"You think that I haven't been doing as good a job with RAW as Shane had Smackdown and-"
"When did I ever say that?"
"You all think it. Admit it. You-"
"Hey, calm down." Hunter glanced around then before stepping closer to her. Less agitated then, he was actually a bit worried. In all the scenarios he'd played out happening between he and Steph following his intervening on the championship match, the last one he saw was her ending in tears. He hated when she cried. Or when any woman cried. It was so awkward. "Steph-"
"It's only been a few weeks and everything is already going to shit, Hunter."
"Take a breath."
"I can't." Sniffling, she wasn't sure if he was reaching for her or she was grabbing at him, but somehow she found her head pressing into his chest. "Stupid Balor got hurt and all the matches are shit and Shane is just running Smackdown so fucking well and he doesn't know what it's like anymore, to be here constantly. He just got to step right in and do whatever he wanted and-"
"Stephanie, you're doing fine." Patting her on the back, he took a glance around the parking lot, but they still seemed to be alone. This wouldn't last, he knew, as Reigns and Rollins would both be looking for him soon enough. "Listen, it's stupid Foley's fault. Not yours. You drafted a good round of Superstars. You hear me? If they're not producing and shit, maybe this has made them realize that they can't just run all over you. 'cause I'm here. And when I feel like I need to, I-"
"You'll just ruin my show without even consulting me first?"
"Baby, I didn't do it to hurt you. I'd never do anything to hurt you."
"You just threatened to Pedigree me."
'You slapped me!"
"So?"
Taking a deep breath, Hunter forced her back a bit, so that they could look at one another once more. "Steph, listen to me. It had to be this way, baby. I had to do this."
"Why without me?"
"Because Rollins...trust you. Or...whatever it is that he-"
"I've told you, I've done nothing with-"
"I know. " Letting out a short breath, he said, "But I couldn't risk you tipping him off. I-"
"Why couldn't Kevin done it on his own? Huh?" she questioned. "If he's so great and the face of our company-"
"Because I needed to make a statement, babe."
"That you don't trust your wife?"
"Stephanie, you are a shit actress."
"Hey!" She shoved even further back from him then, tears drying as his words surprised her. "Why would you-"
"You are," he insisted. "You're devious, fine, I'll give that to you. If I'd explained this all to, eventually you'd have agreed with me. Helped me. But damn, baby, you'dda blown everything. Rollins would have been suspicious as hell."
"That's not-"
"It is true." One of his hands came up, but instead of striking her face, he tapped her nose. His face wasn't playful and his body language was far from it, but that gesture was meant to put her at ease, Stephanie knew. Softly, he said, "I couldn't let you onto this baby, but I swear, from here on out? You're in on it. You're with me. Because you know what I've said is true. Don't you?"
Shaking her head at him a bit, she said, "I dunno, Hunt. This was… Wrong. Rollins did so much for us and-"
"He tried. Tried, Steph. To do stuff for us. And the only ones that I let get away with trying and not producing are my children. Our daughters. He's not my child. He's a failure. And failures don't get to ride my coattails. If I won't let him bring down me, baby, you better be damn sure I won't let him bring down you."
"But Kevin? Not Reigns or-"
"Kevin is the future, Steph."
"Because you've decided?"
"We've decided," he corrected. "You just haven't seen yet. And if he gives you any shit, you get me. Alright? I promise, this will work out. It's just not about your stupid brother and damn Smackdown. It's abut our company as a whole. And this is the way to go. I would never betray you, baby. Have I ever?" Then, considering this, he added, "Without you provoking it?"
When she shook her head no, Hunter leaned down to press a kiss to the top of it before whispering, "I take care of us, don't I? Always? So just trust me. Rollins is shit. And if he knows what's good for him, he'll realize this and just fade into oblivion."
"He's gonna be pissed. At me. And you're the one that's gonna go back into oblivion and not be around for anything expect stupid NXT-"
"You want me here? Baby? On Monday?" Again, he stared at her full on. "Say the words, Steph, and I'm here. But mean it when you say it. Because I do not wanna deal with damn RAW, but if you think you need me-"
"No," she groaned, looking off again. "I just-"
"You're the strongest person I know, Steph." She got a kiss to the lips that time. A peck, really. "And you can more than take care of yourself. This is your brand, ain't it, Steph?" When she nodded, he took a step back before saying, "Good. Now, I have to get out of here. I do not wanna have to deal with Roman and Seth. At all. Are you gonna come with me? Or-"
"No." Taking in a deep breath, she said slowly, "I have to deal with things here. I am the commissioner, after all."
"After all."
"Freaking Mick is probably gonna wanna bitch me out about you, anyways."
Hunter nodded before reaching out to tap under her chin one last time and ask, "You headed home? Or hotel?"
"Home."
"Then I'll see you there, alright? We can talk more. Just as long as you know that I did this for us. For you. Okay?"
Stephanie only moved to wrap her arms around him tightly, pulling the man down a bit so that she could whisper in his ear, "Even though I was beyond pissed at you, you do know how freaking hot it was, right? You just coming out of nowhere? And fucking with things? Mmmmm. I can't wait to get home."
His stomach had been clinched, the entire day, but the feeling of her warm breath on his ear and the words being whispered into it was more than enough to start something else pooling in the pit of his belly.
"Yeah, well," he said with a grin as Steph pulled back some. "You already got a head start on tonight, didn't you?"
When he tapped at his still slightly inflamed cheek, Stephanie moved to press her lips against it, whispering, "I'm so sorry, baby. I shouldn't have-"
"You're alright. And we're alright. Just let me get out of here, huh?" She got one last kiss of her own before he was moving back once more. "I love you, Stephanie."
"Mmmm. I love you too, Hunter."
Turning his back on her, he headed for his car (sneaking around meant no limo which sucked balls) and called over his shoulder, "I'll see you at home, baby."
"Yeah," Steph whispered to his back, rubbing gently at her right wrist, the one he'd bruised the most, as she turned to head the opposite way. Her determined face falling right back into place, she knew she still had to play it up to Rollins and Foley, backstage, that she had no idea what had just gone on. That Hunter was counting on her. He hadn't trusted her at first, but now he did. She wouldn't let him down. "Home."
Tashira danae requested this back in fucking October, but I'm just now getting to it. The request was for Paul and Steph, but I'm pretty sure you meant Hunter and Steph discussing the situation, like, in world or whatever.
I think the implication now is more that Steph always knew that Hunter was going to fuck up the match, but back when it happened, this didn't feel like where they were headed with that. I just got the sense that he did it without her knowing then, when we see them together again at whatever PPV was next (Survivor?), she'd just decided to join forces with him. Now it's played as if she was in on it the whole time and I guess that's fine, but that's would make for a rather dull conversation between the pair, so here we are.
Got a few more requests left, but always welcome to more of them.