Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE wrestlers mentioned in this story
A/N: First wrestling fanfiction so all comments are appreciated, thank you
- S
John groaned as he opened his eyes. Slowly, he turned to look at the digital clock next to his bed, cursing as he saw the time. He stretched his left arm across to the other side of the bed, groaning louder when his hand curled around nothing. John groggily stood up and padded downstairs in search of his husband.
Randy was standing next to the boiling kettle with his back to the kitchen door, dressed only in a pair of John's boxers which hung loosely on his hips. John leant against the doorframe with his arms crossed, enjoying the sight. Randy turned around when the kettle was whistling, nearly dropping his mug when he saw John.
"Christ!" He exclaimed, holding a hand over his heart. "You trying to kill me?"
"Never – I was just admiring the view" John answered with a leering smirk.
Randy rolled his eyes as he took the milk out of the fridge, "you want a drink now you're up, babe?" He poured the milk into his mug.
"No thanks, I'd quite like you to come back to bed though" John replied, as he sauntered up behind his lover and wrapped his muscular arms around the younger man's waist.
"Couldn't sleep, too warm." Randy slipped away from John's arms as he finished making his drink and walked into the living room. After turning the lights onto a low setting he eased himself onto the sofa, whimpering painfully. John followed his husband, frowning at his slow movements. John knelt on the floor by his lover's feet, looking up at Randy. The younger man stroked a hand down John's face, soothing the creases of the frown.
"Why didn't you tell me you were hurting, Rand?" John questioned, concerned.
Randy replied "it's normal, Johnny – it's expected at this stage."
John lifted his hands to rest them on Randy's swollen stomach. Underneath the taught skin there was a lot of movement, as though the fetus could sense its father's hands.
"He's becoming desperate to get out" Randy complained, "He will not sit still in there!"
John leant forward to pepper kisses over Randy's pregnant bump causing the tanned man to moan.
"Shush baby, settle down and let Daddy rest." The child seems to register John's voice as it slowed its movements almost immediately.
"Oh God, how come I can never do that?" Randy sighed mournfully, pouting adorably.
John couldn't resist his husband's lips so reached a hand up around Randy's neck, pulling him down to his level for a passionate kiss. When the angle became too awkward for Randy he pulled away, taking John's hands in his own and pressing a few kisses to the large knuckles.
"You will clearly be the soft one then Rand, the parent that our boy will run to when I'm being too harsh on him." John laughed heartily, trying to imagine what he had said being true. "Sorry babe, I'm struggling to reverse our personalities in my head here."
Randy couldn't quite manage a smile that met his eyes as he dropped his gaze to the floor and took his hands away from underneath John's.
"Babe, what's wrong?" John questioned.
"Nothing" Randy replied, pushing John's hands from his lap where they had fallen and attempting to stand up. After failing a few times he gave up, flopping against the sofa back and crossing his tattooed arms against his chest, all the time muttering under his breath. John bit back another laugh as he watched his husband's antics but sobered when he tried to think of why Randy had changed mood so suddenly. He was used to mood-swings, especially 6 months into the pregnancy, but he wanted this one to be resolved at such a late hour.
"Randy, what's the matter?" John asked again.
"Nothing, I told you" Randy snapped, turning his face from John's gaze.
John sat on the sofa next to Randy and resumed his stroking of their child. Randy's eyes had begun to water so John knew that he had to play it very cautiously if he wanted his husband to open up to him or if he even wanted to share a bed with him for the next week! People never saw Randy's emotional side; only John, their families and a certain group of close friends were privileged enough to see the Viper's walls break down.
John made a quick joke to lighten the mood "you're still mad at me for finishing your Oreos last week aren't you?"
Randy huffed a laugh at that and covered John's hands with his own, rubbing a thumb over the back of them. John leaned over and kissed Randy's temple, leaving his lips there for a moment. Inside John was cheering; he had learnt how to handle Randy's moods after a decade or so of friendship and a few more years of marriage, but he had to be so careful as to not push him away further. Often John would need to respond with cockiness or humour to match and balance out his Viper's personality, but he also knew how to make Randy's insecurities go away by approaching the situation extremely carefully with gentle caring.
Randy was quiet for a minute more until he began to explain his feelings.
"I just worry that what you said earlier will be true."
John remained silent but carried on massaging his lover's stomach.
"I don't want our baby…" Randy choked up for a moment so waited until he could continue. "I don't want our baby to be scared of me."
Randy began to cry, something John only rarely ever saw so he quickly pulled his hands away and wrapped his arms tightly around his husband, holding him securely against his body.
"He won't, Randy - why would he be?" John was hasty to reassure the sobbing man.
"Everyone else is - hell if Rhodes used to be and Slater still is, then a baby will hate me!"
John didn't know that Randy had been feeling this way, evidently for a long time.
"Cody is one of your closest friends now Randy, and who isn't Heath scared of? You have absolutely no reason to worry…"
"Yes I do John!" Randy interrupted. "Yes, I do!"
John knew that Randy needed to get this off his chest and confess his worries to someone so he merely hugged him tighter and waited.
"What will I have to bond over with this child? You will have the whole 'cadets' thing going on and he'll look up to you because of your make-a-wish work. You're practically the face of WWE whereas I'm having to take time off and then will need to retrain for a time and I just… I can sense he will be just like you, he'll have nothing of me" Randy took a deep and ragged breath before continuing.
"You'll be the dad that takes him to football and builds a treehouse in that back garden for him and who will I be? I'll be the one with the anger issues and the one that will lose his temper far too easily! I don't want my child to hate me, Johnny."
Randy ended in a whisper that had his husband crying too.
"I promise you he won't, baby." John reached a hand in-between their two bodies to resume his rubbing of Randy's stomach.
"You will have been his home for 9 months and when he arrives you're going to spoil him rotten – don't think I haven't noticed your internet history and the boxes piling up in the nursery" John pulled Randy's face up to wink at him. Randy managed a watery smile and began to wipe his face dry.
"Your son will admire your strong personality and your brave face that you use to battle through a match even when you're in terrible pain. He'll laugh at your dry sense of humour and he'll aspire to have your ability to comfort anyone that needs it. He'll turn to you when he wants a tattoo done, or when he hurts himself playing; you know I'll be useless at that sort of stuff."
John looked Randy straight in the eye, "and if you say he's going to be just like me then I can assure you, he is going to adore you."
Randy lunged forward and crushed his lips against John's.
"You promise?"
John kissed Randy again, "I promise. You'll have me every step of the way, don't worry. I'll be there to help you, just like I'll need you to help me. We're both new to this, Rand; I worry about screwing up too."
"Three more months, Johnny" Randy said, his eyes finally slipping closed.
John lay down on the sofa pulling Randy to lie against him, wrapping his arms around him once more. "Three more months."
