Was Dolph Ziggler even wrestling during this year? Probably not. But Mr. Ziggles is fun to play.

Here's a warning, it gets a little jumpy again. This is going on over a period of weeks, it's just a bunch of times Ted flirts around.


Ted started the plan straight away at the next arena, sifting through the roster for the least harmful of the lot. Someone who wouldn't mind a bit of flirting, someone kind of cute. Someone who was less handsome than John, for that would bug the man the most. And of course it had to be a guy, maybe a girl would work later on. But it was better to test the waters first. Ted planned it out, knowing just when John was going to come down the hall.

So Ted waited in that particular hall, keeping out of the way and watching the Superstars mull past. He knew he looked good today, there was no way he'd be turned down. It was all about picking the right prey now…

One certain star came up, messing with his phone. Platinum blonde hair, clad in his wrestling shorts and a black leather vest. He was kind of handsome (in an arrogant way.) Of course, he couldn't afford to be picky.

Ted cut him off, giving him a nice smile and stopping him in his tracks, "You're Dolph Ziggler, aren't you?"

The man blinked at him, a little unsure that he was actually talking to him, "Yeah, that's me."

"Wow, you're even more handsome in person" Ted held out his hand "I'm Ted. I'm sorry we haven't met properly."

Dolph reached out and took his hand, a grin coming to his face as he looked the blonde over, "Me too. Aren't you Cena's new valet?"

"Let's not talk about him" Ted shoved the man back against the wall, advancing on him with a sinful look "Let's talk about you, Nick. Can I call you Nick?"

Dolph was total putty in his hands, flirting back and staying against the wall obediently. A few touches, a couple chuckles, and he had the man trapped. He actually seemed like a nice guy, though a bit gullible. Ted was mentally counting down the seconds until Cena came, hoping to be the most provocative position he could mange.

Then he heard it, the distinctive shuffle of pristine tennis shoes against the floor. Ted ran his hand up the man's arm, fluttering his lashes at him.

"Wow, look at this" Dolph grinned at the flattery and flexed his arm, holding it up so the blonde could examine it properly "I bet you could bench press a car there, Tiger."

"Well, I try."

"What's this?"

Ted made a little sound of faux-surprise, turning with wide eyes to see Cena standing there. He looked annoyed, narrowing his own gaze at the bleach-blonde. Dolph swallowed nervously, dropping his arm and sending a silent prayer to God that he wasn't about to get his kneecaps smashed.

"Cena" Ted rolled his eyes "We're a little busy, so if you don't mind…"

John was a smart guy, he caught on to the game pretty quick. He simply shrugged and continued down the hall, not giving them a second glance. Ted scowled as the man left, he hadn't risen to the bait.

"Damn him" Ted pulled away, still looking at where Cena had turned and left at.

Dolph cleared his throat, "So, Ted-"

"Take five, doll face" Ted patted the bleach-blonde's shoulder, giving him a 'forget it' look "He didn't fall for it."

"Oh" Dolph realized what was going on and shrugged "Should've seen that coming. Sorry it didn't work."

"I'll make it work" Ted smirked to himself, already coming up with another plan "I've just gotta up-the-ante a little bit. You wait, I'll get him."

Dolph didn't understand, but he wished the DiBiase all the luck in the world on his endeavor.

~*~*~*~*~

Ted waited patiently at the meet-and-greet with the fans, his opportunity coming soon. It seems, with his few matches with Cena, he'd developed a small fan base. They were mostly women, but he didn't mind signing and taking pictures. Some were men who were fans of his dad or batted on his team, they were strangely polite. He'd always envisioned fans as rabid animals, but they were almost sheepish or just excited to meet their favorite wrestlers. The ring-rats lingered on the edges of his vision, but they kept their distance.

Ted gently took Gail Kim's hand when she passed him, she gave a soft giggle as he brought her into his lap. Ted gave her his most charming smile, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her steady while making sure not to get handsy.

"Hey there, Gail" he cooed "Have I ever told you that I admire you for being the first TNA Knockout Champion?"

An hour later, John was laughing with a group of fans. He signed their pictures, had a few jokes with them, and took some outrageous pictures. When they finally left, his belly was still aching with laughter. Before the next wave came in, he grabbed a water out of the cooler and chugged a good bit of it down.

"Hey" Randy came up beside him, snatching Ski for himself "Having a good time?""Ya know I'm for the fans, man" John replied easily, dimples evident "You?"

"Yeah" Randy shrugged "Can't wait until I can bring Cody, though. I'm still not ready for him to go out there with me yet, ya know? He's just a kid, and if he gets hurt…"

"He's stronger than you give him credit for" John stated.

"You're right, I-" Randy's words were cut off by a loud cheer. They both looked over to see a large group of fans taking pictures and cat calling, and only two people were the center of attention. John's face twisted up in jealousy, seeing his beautiful Ted with his arms full of that pretty little number Gail Kim. They were both laughing and posing for the cameras, making silly and sexy faces alike. She hopped up into his arms dramatically, squealing in delight when he easily caught her.

Randy's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, "Oh…wow."

"I swear, that boy" John grumbled, unable to look away even for a moment.

The fans started chanting, "Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!"

Ted shrugged, grinning brilliantly before swinging Gail down into a romantic dip and placing a chaste kiss on her lips. He almost faltered when she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, delighting the catcalling fans. Randy watched as his best friend's jaw flexed, hands balling up into fists.

"He's pushing it" John whispered tightly.

Blushing, Ted swung her back to her feet. He quickly regained his composure, grinning at the fans as they took a few more pictures.

John only looked away when Ted sought his gaze, facing Randy, "Maybe you should bring Cody next time, at least he'll keep Ted preoccupied."

Randy cleared his throat, a little uncomfortable, "John, man…I think he can fill up his own time."

"Shut up, dude. I'm in no mood…I might just kick you in the dick."

Randy took a big step away, for the first time seeing John in his dominant mode.

John Cena was a scary master, that was for sure, and the Orton now knew why Undertaker had chosen him as his left-hand man.

~*~*~*~*~

The Court had gathered together for lunch one rainy Saturday afternoon seated at one long tables in the dining room of their current hotel. Few others of the roster were there. Without anyone saying a word, the doms gathered at one end and the subs at another. The table was divided by groups almost down the middle, Matt with his brother and Randy with Cody. They ate heartily, talking amongst themselves, but half their attention was on the bunch at the other wide table across the room.

Ted was sitting on the table, hat lying behind him and exposing his feline features. It seemed he'd reeled two handsome blondes into his web, putting them under his spell with flirty chuckles and lingering touches. Sitting at the table was Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins, staring up at him in awe and lust. He teased them, tail slithering enticingly along the table or down by his legs.

John pointedly didn't watch as Curt got bold and let his hand caress down the boy's tail, getting a laugh and a playful smack. The two blondes cooed over Ted, totally at his mercy as he flirted with them relentlessly. Zack ran a hand up his thigh, obviously complimenting him. Ted shied away coyly, but his smirk was obvious.

Shawn speared his steak suddenly, snapping, "You are not condoning this, are you John?"

"Don't look" John kept his eyes on the table, calmly devouring his chicken "You'll only encourage him."

"I gotta ask" Randy dropped his fork loudly, turning to his best friend "How long are you gonna let him do this to you? How long are you gonna let him run around disgracing you?"

"He wants me to react, to get angry" John replied simply, giving Randy a matter-of-fact look "Eventually he'll snap out of this and give himself to me willingly. He loves me, I can see it in the way he gets angry when I'm kind to him. All he thinks about is how every man in his life as hurt him. By letting him go…I'm proving that I'm not going to force him into anything."

"You're being a pushover" Shawn pointed at him with his fork, giving him a meaningful look "If you don't lay down your dominance now, he is always going to walk all over you."

John shot his friend a glare, "You have no idea what he's been through or what he needs. I never questioned any of you on how to take care of your boys, and I expect the same Goddamn courtesy!"

John silenced when Undertaker raised a hand, all going quiet. Mark gave both his top men a firm look, showing he would have none of that here.

"John's right" Mark stated "We should not judge."

Edge and Jericho exchanged a long look over their protein shake glasses, quirking eyebrows but saying nothing for or against the behavior.

Down at the other end, Christian couldn't hold his tongue.

"What does he think he's proving? Parading himself around like a fucking poodle" Jay snorted, all but stabbing his knife into his steak "It makes us all look bad."

"Being seen with him makes us look like tramps" Morrison spat, nose scrunched up in disgust "I won't have it."

Cody sighing heavily, leaning farther onto their side, "It's not up to us anyways. If Ted thinks this will make him happy, and if John doesn't say anything against it, we should respect that."

Evan pouted against it, twirling his spaghetti around his fork. He always got a little upset when somebody in the Court was acting up or people were fighting. He was a sensitive little thing, and even Jeff couldn't help but loop an arm around the boy's shoulders.

"Don't pout, Ev" the currently red-haired man bussed a chaste kiss across the boy's temple "Things will get better."

The ravenette kept pouting, but nodded.

John kept his eyes down, ignoring the way his protective instincts were flaring and the pain of his heart breaking.

~*~*~*~*~

Ted got fed up with this petty crap, he decided to step up the game. He took the bigger blonde, Curt Hawkins, under his wing and fed him lie upon lie of lust. Such an easy target.

John made his way back to his hotel room, sweaty and exhausted from his heavy workout. He was looking forward to a long shower, that was for sure. He fished his keycard out of his loose gym shorts, mentally counting out the rooms as he passed. He turned the corner, knowing his room would be right-

"Oh, that tickles!"

The soft giggle met John's ears, stopping him in his tracks. His vision veiled red, teeth gritting so hard pinpricks of pain shot up his gums.

Ted was pressed up against their hotel door, eyes closed and head tilted back. Hawkins was pressed up close against him, all but humping him like an animal as he chewed on his neck hungrily. One of Curt's hands was curled loosely onto the front of the smaller blonde's jeans, thumbing at his fly insistently. With the way Curt was groping on the smaller man, he was surely drunk. Ted was doing all he could to encourage, giving these little sighs and wriggling against him. A physical blow to the gut came in the form of Ted wrapping his arm around the two-bit blonde, catching his mouth in a kiss. It was wet, sickening, and not a hint of hesitation.

Blue eyes cracked open, spotting John and smiling a bit.

"Oh Cena, there you are" Ted hummed, letting the drunk blonde bite at his neck as he gazed at the older wrestler "I forgot my room key, and we need the bed."

John sucked it up, knowing that if he lost his temper now he'd just be proving Ted's point. He knew that if he let his anger loose he'd end up smashing Curt into a pulp before grabbing Ted and laying his claim. He'd kill himself before he hurt his Teddy, so he played it cool. He calmly stepped forward, shooed them aside, and swiped his card through the slot. He opened it up, sweeping his arm inside.

"All yours."

Ted faltered, even as Curt eased up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Come on, baby, let's go."

"Cool off, buttercup, the big boys need to talk" Ted assured him, silencing the blonde easily "What the fuck, Cena?"

"Hey, if you two don't feel like an audience, go stay with him and Ryder" John flashed him a forced smile "I won't wait up, kay?"

John entered the room, letting the door shut behind him. He stripped off his shirt, scowling as he discarded it to the floor. He heard some scuffling outside, some whining, and then a low growl. A few moments later, the knob box lit up and the door swung open.

John couldn't help but ask, "Where's Hawkins?"

Ted charged at him, catching him in the chest with two open palm strikes. John grunted, but didn't back down.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Ted hissed, glaring at the man with pinned back ears "I'm walking all over your heart here and you can't even have the decency to yell at me!"

"It's your choice, Ted."

"What if my choice is to fuck everyone else around you?" Ted shot back snidely, a wicked grin on his face "Hm? You know, that Edge is pretty damn hot. I bet he wouldn't say no."

"I'll make sure to put in a good word for you."

Ted's ears twitched, showing his annoyance, "Or maybe Randy? He's got that cat fetish thing going on."

"Yeah, Cody will go for that."

"Stop it!" Ted shoved the man again, flushed with rage "Stop taking everything in stride! Stop being so fucking calm about this! I am deliberately going around mocking you with the entire roster! Everything thinks you suck as a master because you let your little pet run around letting The Blonde-Bimbo Twins grab his ass! Look at this!"

Ted pulled down his shirt a bit, showing the marks Curt had left on him from his gnawing, "I'm wearing another man's mark. Doesn't that piss you off?"

"A bit, yeah" John admitted "But if it's what you want-"

"Stop being nice!" Ted screeched, losing it "I'm a disobedient pet! Do something to me! Do what comes naturally to all masters and punish me!"

Ted smacked him on the chest again, and again. John grabbed the blonde's wrists, holding him halfway still so he couldn't strike out. Frustrated tears welled up in the blonde's eyes, trying to get away but eventually dropping to his knees. He grabbed John's wrist, putting the thick hand on his face.

"Hit me" Ted pleaded, digging his fingers into the back of the man's hand "Beat me. Take what you want, already. I'm tired, Cena, please…just take it and get it over with."

Ted dropped forward, bracing his forehead against the man's thigh. He choked back sobs, refusing to make anymore sounds than he could. He took in that rich masculine scent Cena always seemed to emanate.

"I won't fight" Ted rasped, breath hitching "I'm so fucking tired of fighting everything. Just punish me and end this. I can't take it these games anymore."

Long moments went by, filled with tension and soft crying.

John finally dropped to his knees, taking the blonde into his arms and hugging him tightly. Ted had finally broken down, and he was like soft putty in his hands. He buried his face in Cena's neck, hands clutching onto his massive shoulders. John kept his grip firm around the boy's waist, dropping a few chaste kisses into his dark golden hair.

No words were needed.