From that point on it became a lot harder for them to put a halt on the passion between them. Each kiss was like a drug that kept pulling them in deeper and deeper and stopping was the worst kind of withdrawal. Now that they knew they couldn't take it further it seemed to make the desire, the craving to do so ten times worse. Bayley always felt guilty afterwards too because she knew it was even more difficult for Finn than it was for her, and he never complained about it. Before she'd found out that sex came with a 'forever' clause attached to it she'd thought that they were ready, that she was ready, and that it was only a matter of time. Now it felt like they had to overcome the insurmountable mountain that was her fear that was standing in the way.
She knew that it was her hangup, her fear that was stopping them, but that didn't make their desire disappear, it didn't stop her from wanting him. She had to admit though that other than feeling like she was going to die of sexual frustration, just about everything else was damn near perfect. Feeling his love for her (which felt amazing and magical and unbelievable all at once), being in love with him, knowing that she could stay and knowing that that was what Finn wanted too had all added up to make a very happy Bayley. That edge of panic at the thought of forever was still lingering, and it still occasionally threatened to overwhelm her. She would remind herself that Finn really did love her, that they didn't have to come to the final decision right away, and that he wasn't going to walk away just because she hadn't agreed immediately. For the most part, though, she was able to push it to the back of her mind and enjoy the contentment that settled over them.
Even life at work seemed to take on a rosy glow, though at first they had experienced a little bit of a hiccup. When they'd started dating they'd kept quiet about their relationship, and most had been completely unaware that anything had changed between them. It was different though after they'd admitted their feelings. Suddenly it was a lot harder for either to conceal those feelings and they inevitably started getting looks from the other wrestlers and trainers. Sami and Carmella had known since the beginning and both supported them, but those that didn't know them as well were more likely to listen to the rumors that had begun to spread like wildfire. A lot of people remembered that Bayley had been in a serious relationship at one point, but few had known that she'd split with him months before, and so many assumed that Finn had broken them up or that he and Bayley were having an affair.
They'd both had to tolerate and try to diffuse the whispers, something neither enjoyed. They preferred to keep their personal relationships private and were uncomfortable with it being discussed so publicly, and while it wasn't easy for Finn or Bayley, for the demon it was unbearable. He often struggled to understand human nature and it both baffled and angered him that they would talk about his mate that way. His instinct to protect her was inevitably going to come to a head at some point, and it did one night in the locker room before a show.
Finn was finishing up putting on his gear when he caught the sound of a few of the newer trainees laughing and snickering in a corner. His demon heightened hearing picked up on one of them calling Bayley his 'whore', and the demon reacted before Finn even knew what hit him. He leapt across the room his eyes going completely black and attacked the boy who'd uttered the offense. Finn regained control when Cass tried to pull him away. He was breathing hard, his eyes still dark, and he could feel the simmering rage, the instinct to rip the boy to shreds. He realized that he had one hand grasped around the boys throat, and that he'd been using the other to brutalize his face. The boy was coughing and choking, his face already beginning to swell. Finn growled at him and said,
"Never let me hear you talk about her that way again."
"Okay," he said coughing and gasping for breath, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He managed to choke out. Even without the demon in control Finn was itching to attack again just to hammer the point home, but Cass continued to pull him away, and said,
"Come on, back off man, he's not worth it." He released the boy's throat and let Cass pull him away, thankfully just in time. The commotion had attracted trainers and security, but by the time they arrived the crowd had dispersed. When questioned the boy had said it was just a misunderstanding. He hadn't pointed any fingers, and no one else volunteered either, so they let it drop. If anyone noticed that Finn had moved unnaturally fast or how dark his eyes had been they didn't say anything.
That night when he admitted what had happened to Bayley, she simply rolled her eyes and got an ice pack for his swollen hand, which she kissed gently as she doctored it. Even though the medical staff had already looked at his hand (while blatantly ignoring where the injury came from) he enjoyed her attention and couldn't help but pull her into a quick kiss when she was done. For a moment he drank in her kiss, savoring her soft lips and the way she felt pressed against him, before he forced himself to break it off. She was reluctant to pull away as well which made it even harder. They'd found it more and more difficult to control themselves lately, and they'd had to be a lot more careful about how far they let things go. They'd tried to get creative and find ways that they could enjoy being together without putting themselves into a sticky situation, and he could tell that they had already reached that point this evening, so he pulled out the stack of board games that they had accumulated. Bayley sighed, but smiled at him none the less and helped him set up their current favorite, Scrabble. The game served to distract them for a little while though inevitably the words became more and more suggestive and eventually they abandoned the game in favor of sleep.
The fallout from the incident in the locker room caught up with him the next day. All of his friends to that point had kept silent knowing he liked his privacy, but when word spread about what had happened it was too much for them to ignore and suddenly even they were asking what was going on. Cass admitted in private that he'd known about them for a while, and he warned him to talk to Enzo as soon as possible if wanted to keep things private. Enzo had a big mouth that was as much a nuisance as it was entertaining, but if you specifically asked him not to talk about something he was surprisingly good at keeping secrets. The key was to get to him before he ran his mouth about it. However, it quickly became obvious that keeping things quiet was a lost cause, and talking to Enzo became unnecessary.
The original rumors had died out, but now everyone assumed (correctly this time) that they were together. At least now the things that were being said about them painted the two of them in a much better light. In large part due to Finn's extreme reaction, opinion had flipped from thinking they were cheating with each other to thinking that they were happily in love and on the verge of being engaged (which was again far too close to the truth.) If anyone thought any differently they certainly were't going to say anything for fear of bringing Finn's wrath down on them. Finn was an established champion, and his skill in the ring was unquestionable, but the incident solidified his reputation as someone not to be messed with, and no one was willing to test him.
With the cat out of the bag so to speak, the pair grew a lot more comfortable sharing their affection at work and in public. Finn suffered a minor ankle injury that put him out of action for a short time, but enjoyed being fussed over by Bailey, and got a sweet surprise in the form of her doing his entrance to cheer him up. They spent a quiet evening in for Valentines, and Finn was back in the ring within a couple of weeks. At house shows they were given a little freedom to goof off, and they had fun reenacting famous romantic movie scenes, which the crowds ate up. The couples happiness was infectious and seemed to spread to everyone around them as well. As champions they were defacto leaders and both put their whole beings into everything they did, bringing out the best in everyone around them.
The only blip on the radar of their happiness was the demon's desire to complete the claim. He couldn't understand the couple's reluctance to go through with it especially because they struggled so much with having to pull away from each other at night. Both were on the edge of giving in, and usually one of them had to play the responsible one and stop the both of them from crossing the line, but it was only a matter of time before neither had the willpower to do so. The demon wasn't helping the situation either. He often used his influence over Finn and his now intimate knowledge of Bayley to try and orchestrate them into situations where they would give in. Neither was willing to give up sleeping in the same bed, but the demon was pushing their boundaries there too. Often times a simple kiss good night turned into making out, which inevitably led to clothes on the floor without either meaning for it to go that far.
It had even gotten to the point that he and Bayley had had to stop working out together. Finn was too distracted with watching Bayley, and it had proven that working out with a hard on was neither productive nor comfortable. Thankfully Sami was willing to rearrange his schedule so that he had a workout buddy again, and he had even refrained from giving him too much flack over why he was no longer working out with his girlfriend.
The ever present tension was causing them to have meaningless spats that left them both irritable. That morning they'd blown up up at each other over nothing and he'd been off kilter ever since. He was supposed to be meeting Sami, but he'd forgotten his bag and had to turn around. He'd already been running behind, so he knew he wasn't going to make it on time. As he got out of the car he grabbed his phone to text Sami and let him know he was going to be late. He was concentrating on his phone and not paying attention as he walked through the bedroom door. He looked up searching for his bag and almost dropped his phone. Bayley was standing in front of the long mirror wrapped in a towel. She was humming and absently running a comb through her damp hair. She was a sight to behold, all bare, damp skin and raw beauty.
Not taking his eyes off of her he dropped his phone on the nearest available surface. He stalked towards Bayley driven by the instinctual urges of the demon combined with the fierce love and desire that he felt for her. She turned at the last second making a sound of surprise. He continued forward backing her into the wall and like a distant echo he heard the comb clatter to the floor. He grabbed both of her hands, pulled them above her head, and pinned the up against the wall. He slowly threaded his fingers with hers palm to palm, and pressed his body into hers.
He heard a low moan and a shuddered intake of break. He claimed her lips with his own, drinking in her sweetness. His tongue pressed against her lips seeking entrance, which she granted. For a moment they dueled for dominance before she ceded victory allowing him complete control. Her body melted into him and he released her hands so that he could cup her bare ass beneath the towel and lift her up. She instinctively wrapped her legs around him which was what he wanted and he pressed them back against the wall to keep them steady. In the process they lost the towel to the floor, but Bayley didn't seem to notice or care. Her elevated position gave him prime access to her neck and collarbone, and he began placing wet kisses and quick nips along her skin. After each kiss and bite combination he would blow gently on the sensitized skin causing her to shudder against him. Though this was not the first time he'd had the pleasure of seeing Bayley topless, he relished the opportunity to feast upon her breasts. He kissed his way down her neck until he reached her nipple taking it into his mouth, sucking and gently biting until she was mewling in pleasure. She called out to god and raked her hands through his hair.
The shorts he was wearing had been intended for his workout, and they were thin enough that he could easily feel the damp inferno of her sex wrapped around him, everything lining up perfectly. She rocked against him causing delicious friction and they both moaned with pleasure. He gripped her ass firmly and moved them from the wall to the bed. Laying her down gently on the edge of the bed, he dropped to his knees on the floor and before either had time to think about it too much he began placing the same wet kisses and bites along her lower belly and inner thighs. She made a low keening sound in her throat, her head thrown back, and grasped the sheets under her hands.
He didn't hesitate to move to his final destination, placing an almost sweet kiss right over her clitoris, then he dipped his tongue into her tasting her unique flavor. She gasped and arched her hips off of the bed. He gripped her thighs firmly to keep her in place and began exploring to see what she enjoyed most alternating between using his tongue deep inside of her and sucking at her clit. Her reactions to both were gratifying. She began to shake, the keening growing louder and he used his fingers to replace his tongue so that he could give her both at once. Even with his strong grip on her, when she came it was so hard her whole body arched off the bed. She spasmed almost violently and he rode the climax out with her gentling his actions as she came down.
She collapsed boneless against the bed, and he couldn't help help but smile a little in satisfaction. He rubbed his face and beard against the sheets to clean it knowing they would have to be changed anyway. She didn't move for a little while, but when she started to stir she gripped about seeking him. She grasped a hold of his shirt and tugged at it trying to pull him up on the bed with her. He complied and joined her, pulling her still naked form into his arms. She sighed in contentment and despite the fact that he was hard enough to cut glass he couldn't help but feel contented himself. When Bayley finally spoke she said,
"Wow, that was amazing. Thank you."
"You are most welcome, love."
"I needed that."
"I know, we both did."
"You have got to be uncomfortable baby. I'm not opposed to returning the favor once I can, you know, move." The look she gave him told him that despite being fully satiated moments before that she would not only be 'not opposed' to it, but that she would very much enjoy it, which made it even harder to say,
"I appreciate that, but I don't think that's a good idea. I'm not sure I can control the demon well enough at this point to make that a safe option." She grimaced in sympathy. He was definitely uncomfortable, but he didn't regret what he'd done. The tension that had existed between them for the last several weeks had dissipated some and while he was under no illusion that that would last long he was happy to have some relief for now.
He knew he needed to find his phone, wherever it had landed and let Sami know he wasn't coming, but for now he was enjoying holding her like this too much.
She sighed again and he could tell her mood had shifted. She said,
"We need to have that talk we've been putting off."
"Yeah I know," Finn said. He was glad to hear her admit it because the primary reason they had been putting it off was because he'd been waiting for her to be ready. He knew that when he'd admitted to her about the nature of the demon and the claim that he had scared her even if she'd never said anything. He hadn't wanted to push her and so he'd let the subject go, hoping she would bring it up in her own time. He had to admit he'd begun to wonder if she would ever be ready, so he was relieved that she finally had. He'd been torn between not wanting to put any pressure on her and knowing that the longer they waited the more they risked running out of time. They'd both been with NXT a few years now, and there was just no way of knowing how long they had until one or the other was moved to the main roster. The demon had made it clear that while any type of split, no matter how temporary, was undesirable, they absolutely could not be split up too soon after the claim was completed nor was it acceptable that they be split up without the the claim in place.
Though the demon had always been a large part of the driving force in his career he knew that right now and more than likely for the rest of his life that Bayley would always come first. When it was all said and done he knew that if it came down between her and his career, she would come first for him too, so he did't have a problem with that, but the demon approached everything with a single mindedness that was blind to the bigger picture. He didn't understand that he couldn't just drop everything or quit unless there was no other option. Either way it didn't matter without taking into account what Bayley wanted too, so it still came down to having the talk.
With the combination of Finn's natural body heat and the demon's unnatural heat, Bayley could have comfortably stayed naked in his arms all day, but eventually they had to move. She got up to put her clothes on and he finally found his phone to give Sami a call. Sami had subtly teased him about why he was a no show, but didn't seem too put out, and they made plans to meet the next day instead. By the time he got off the phone Bayley was dressed and pulling her hair back. He walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her and dropped a soft kiss on the nape of her neck. She turned her head to smile at him, and said,
"Ready?"
"Always," he said smiling back. They moved to the living room where they could sit comfortably together. Once they were settled in Finn asked,
"Is there something you want to start with?"
"I don't know. I guess we need to address our long term plans and wishes. If the claim is forever then that's pretty much like marriage right?" she hesitantly asked.
"Yeah I guess for the demon it's equivalent, except that there is no divorce from the claim, but just so we are clear here, the claim is for the demon and yeah, it's for me too because I need it just as much as he does, but that doesn't mean I don't want the human aspects of our relationship too. If we go through with this then I fully intend to marry you as well."
"Oh, um, wow," she said her voice going up a pitch.
"Hey don't panic, that wasn't a proposal, just a promise. We can take things one step at a time, and right now the claim has to come first, but you should know that that's what I intend."
"Okay."
"Are you all right so far?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry this is freaking me out. That I've been the one holding us back this whole time. I love you, and it's not like I don't want these things, it's just that we seem to do everything at lightning speed. My heart is with you all the way, but the rest of me is struggling to catch up."
"I know babe, you don't have to worry over it and there's no need to be sorry. It's natural for you to feel this way. If I was a normal guy without a demon influencing everything I do, I'd probably freak out too, but then if I didn't have the demon we wouldn't be here in the first place, and that I can't regret."
"Me either, I promise. No matter how much it scares me, I wouldn't trade it for the world."
"Okay, good, so one step down. Long term plans means more than marriage though, and I know you've had a lot on your mind, so whatever concerns you have let's talk them out now. I need you to be completely comfortable with this decision, and I'm not scared of the tough stuff. We can make this work, I promise."
"Okay, so um, kids?" She said still a little hesitant, but with more confidence creeping into her voice and expression.
"I like kids, love my nieces and nephews, kinda always saw myself as being a dad in the long run, so if that's what you want when we retire then I don't have a problem with it at all."
"Okay, I agree. Definitely want them just, you know, not for a while."
"See, we are on the same page as always," he said smiling at her. She gave him a look that told him she was on to his tactics, but smiled back none the less.
"You mentioned retiring, and I know that's one we don't have as much control over, but we probably should talk about it anyway."
"You're right we should, and you know this is actually one we've talked about before. We both know the reality of the business we work in, I know I'm hoping to get at least ten more years out of it at least, but much more than that is pushing it when you think of how long I've already been doing it. Did you have an ideal timeline in mind for yourself.?"
"I don't know, it's always been hard to see beyond getting here, and ever since I became a part of the four horsewomen my career has been snowballing forward. I've already come further than I ever really believed possible. I guess I really would like to be on the main roster, since that's been the goal all along, and I want to make more history with the my girls, push the boundaries like we've been doing this past year. As far as how long, I'd always just thought in terms of how long the'd have me. Most women in the past didn't get ten years, but yeah that sounds good to me."
"So we both want at least ten more years out of it, if we are lucky enough to get it."
"Yeah that sounds about right."
"Good, so after? I know what I've always had in mind, but I've never heard you talk about it."
"Honestly, that's because I haven't thought that far ahead, just a kind of a vague idea of maybe training or something similar. I thought I'd probably move home eventually, but it's never been a plan set in stone. I know you want to go back to Ireland, I've heard you mention it before, but do you know what you want to do?."
"Yeah, I kinda want to go back to where I started. I want to help kids who have that dream like I did to be able to get here. I thought I'd run a wrestling school, you know?"
"Yeah I can definitely see that. So I guess we move to Ireland and open a wrestling school then?"
"Hey just cause it's my dream doesn't mean you are stuck with it. Like I said, we can make it work. It's not like we aren't used to traveling. We can split our time between California and Ireland, and you can help me if that's what you want, but if you find something that calls to you more then we will figure out a way to balance it all."
"I kinda want to settle somewhere though, and I don't mind traveling, but that's one of the few things that I have been hoping for the future is to be able to spend less time in cars and on planes. I'd always assumed I would move home, but I think I could be okay with just visiting. Where you are from is kinda beautiful too, it wouldn't exactly be a hardship." Finn was surprised, but pleased that that was how she felt.
"Ireland it is then."
"You're right though, I can figure out what I want to do later, but helping train kids so they can follow their dream doesn't sound half bad and will definitely be one of the options I can consider. I've really enjoyed the leadership role I've had here in NXT and helping train the wrestlers coming up, so I think it might suit me"
"So we know what we want long term, do you have any concerns about short term?"
"Yeah, but I've been talking to a AJ Lee and a few others about how they handled it and what to watch out for. It will definitely make things more complicated balancing our schedules and travel, and still be able to see each other, but they all say that it's doable with a little extra planning." Finn was happy that even if she had been avoiding the subject until now that at least she had put thought into it. Something inside of him relaxed a little and he knew that this was going to work. He hadn't realized how anxious he had been that it wouldn't, that something would go wrong, or that fear would drive her away.
"I am nervous about the claim," she continued, "It's going to change things isn't it?"
"Yeah, it will, but I think it will be a good thing. It's going to connect you to me and the demon forever. The more insight he feels like letting me have the more I've been convinced that it will make us even stronger in the long run. He has warned me though that it will make us more susceptible at first. It's going to take a lot out of us, and at first we need to be together as much as possible."
"How are we going to time this then, we both have titles, we can't afford to be caught off guard."
"I know. It's been weighing on my mind ever since he told me, but there isn't another option. He says the sooner the better. We both have to go into it knowing we risk our titles."
"Oh god, I've got my toughest opponent I've ever had next. Asuka's no joke. If I go into it at anything less than a hundred percent, I won't have a chance. And Joe, I know you just barely survived him in London, how are you going to hold him off in Dallas if you are weakened?"
"I know babe, I know. We can wait until after Dallas, but the demon doesn't like it. I'm pretty sure until we do this he's not going to care much about either of our titles."
"Today's our last day off until after Mania, I'm thinking we're going to have to wait until then either way."
"You're right. The schedule should lighten up a little after too. Timing-wise it's our best option. It's still going to be risky though. Are you going to be okay with that?"
"Yeah. I know it's taken me a little while to accept it, but I'm ready now. I can't fathom this life without you, so there is no other way but forward. Losing is part of this business too, we both know that, I'm willing to risk it, I'm not willing to risk losing you." Finn was blown away. Just when he thought he couldn't possibly love her more, she snuck in and amazed him again. He reached over cupping her face with both hands and kissed her hard on the mouth. He poured his love and complete awe of her into it, bruising her lips with his. When she pulled back breathing hard he could see her love for him shining back at him.
The demon was surprisingly pleased. Finn thought he would give them more trouble because they were waiting another two weeks, but the demon was just happy they'd finally agreed and set a date. Without warning the demon took control,and before either knew what happened he leaned over and bit Bayley hard on the neck in the same spot that he had the first morning in the hotel. The bite was hard enough to draw blood and Finn could taste it on his lips when he took back control. Bayley cried out when it happened, though he knew her sounds well, and her cry was from pleasure not pain. She reached up and gingerly touched the bite, which was already healing, far too rapidly to be natural. She looked as stunned as Finn felt, and for a moment neither knew what to do.
Finn started ranting internally, pissed that the demon had given them no warning. It was obvious that for all the demon had revealed, he'd left out even more. The demon didn't respond, which made Finn even madder until something happened that left him in awe. He heard a tentative "Finn?" in his head. It sounded mostly like Bayley though just a little off. He crooked his head looking her in the eyes questioning her with his stare. He heard her again, "Finn, I can feel you." He tried responding 'talking' to her the way he did with the demon.
"Can you hear me?"
"Oh god, yes I can hear you. What the hell is happening?" Then they both heard the demon,
"It's the beginning of the claim."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Finn asked.
"Because you both worry too much. This is supposed to happen," he stated matter of factly.
"Why now?"
"The link has to be established first before we can complete the claim. You finally agreed. I began the claim," he stated simply.
Bayley could see now why Finn found the demon so infuriating at times. His nonchalance at taking such a step without their permission, his 'I know better than you' attitude made her want to scratch his figurative eyes out, but then he surprised them again.
"You are mates. Your strength lies within each other. You will know where the other is without sight, you will communicate without sound, you will feel each other without touch. Do not be so aggrieved, you are stronger as one. This is only possible because of the depth of your love. You will transcend beyond these petty fears, and be more than you thought possible."
