She is Beautiful
By
TraceAce
A/N: Okay, this is a new story. If you can't figure that out by now. Benoit/Lilian pairing, not very serious at all. ^^; But serious enough. It's gonna be…odd. Just work with me here.
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in this fic. WWE owns their asses. Well, not just their asses. They ain't models, you know. I also don't own the song this story is named after. Because Andrew W. K. sings it, with much energy mind you. And I don't own Andrew, because I have 10 cents to my name and he's at least worth a dollar minimum…
"I never knew girls existed like you
But now that I do
I'd really like to get to know you"
- "She Is Beautiful" ~ Andrew W. K.
Chapter 1
~~~
He noticed the little things about her personality. The innocent smile she gave, even when the person was being a jackass, the ease she had prodding information out of even the most stubborn of people, the calm attitude she always managed to stay in. She was really beautiful, in and out, from her blonde locks to her petite frame. Her voice and her mind. He hated feeling like that, though. He didn't know why he noticed it, and when he started acting like a perpetual stalker.
It wasn't as if she ever would look his way. Comparatively, he was actually one of the meaner ones towards her. Not that he actually meant to be. He said things when he didn't want to say the other things. He called it a defensive instinct. The 'instinct' made him seem like he was going to kill her in her sleep one day if she happened to say something that he could snap at. He didn't really ever WANT to mean any harm to her, it just always came OUT that way. With that information embedded into his knowledge, he had been telling himself for weeks to just give it up. He wasn't ever going to be able to even try to win her over, considering the minute he tried before he ended up with the result of her looking as though she wanted to run as far away as possible in fear.
"Damnit." He lowered his head, running a hand through his scruffy brown hair. He willed himself to shut off the tape, because he found it to be completely depressing. But he didn't, instead rewinding it to stare at his screen some more, like a lovesick idiot. Inwardly he berated himself, because he was being semi-obsessive and that just annoyed him to no end. HE was supposed to be a hard-edged SOB who enjoyed destroying people. What would people think if he suddenly started acting all gentlemanly toward this girl that he was never nice to before. Ever. He would be going…soft. An involuntary shudder ran up his spine at the single thought.
"Hmph. I should have figured I'd find you here."
He leaned over to the VCR with a complete attempt of being inconspicuous, which hadn't worked very well. The TV turned from the VCR footage to snowy static, and he refused to look upon the one that had snuck up on him in fear that he had turned completely red in embarrassment.
"And what was that?" the voice continued. He saw his hand reaching to turn the VCR on, and instantly he tried to deter him from doing so.
"No, no, JERICHO!" He shouted, sounding almost panicked. He finally faced him and saw the wiry smile on his best friend's face as he continued to attempt to get to the 'play' button. "CHRIS, don't make me kick your ass!"
He stopped a moment, grinning mischievously toward him. "Aw, Benoit, those threats don't become you buddy."
Off guard for that moment, Jericho managed to snake his hand under Benoit's to that button. Instantly the static disappeared and on popped the video, and Benoit really felt his cheeks flare red. Jericho cocked his head, watching the video intently before bursting out laughing. Benoit pushed the taller Canadian aside and shut the tape off as quickly as he could. It was an empty gesture, since Jericho had seen enough of the tape to know what he was watching, and how it would give him enough things to tease about for months.
"Damnit Chris, you're such an ass." Benoit snapped.
"Well if I'm an ass, you're a tomato, 'coz you're certainly red enough." Jericho spoke innocently. Benoit clenched his fists in attempts to calm his anger AND to return to his usual coloring. Contemplation of beating the crap of his friend ran though his mind, but he knew it wouldn't do much of a difference. Instead he took a deep breath and looked away.
"You had no right doing that, Jericho. I swear to god, you're such an annoyance!"
"Maybe so, but…my my, Christopher. Do I sense amorous feelings toward a certain blonde announcer coming from you?" he questioned innocently, crossing his arms in front of his chest. His face held one of his oh-so-famous knowing smirks and he knew that he was caught, even if he did decide to act like he wasn't caught watching a tape over and over again.
It didn't stop him from trying. "You don't know what you're talking about, Jericho."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess you were looking at the one she was interviewing then?" he asked sarcastically.
"Just shut up." He huffed, grabbing the tape from the VCR after he ejected it. "It's none of your business."
Not taking the hint or the cold shoulder, he continued to pester. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. But seriously, Benoit. You like her? Come on, you can tell me."
"You don't know how to bug off do you?" Benoit asked, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Not at all." Jericho grinned. "So, you have a crush on Lilian? It's not that bad."
"I DON'T HAVE…" he instantly stopped, knowing he was practically yelling. In attempts to keep from anyone else knowing, he lowered his voice and continued, "I don't have a crush on her. I barely even know her. Hell, I haven't even spoken to her unless she's asking me some annoying bullshit question."
"…You DO like her! Ha." Jericho smiled proudly. "I've known you for a very long time, and I know when you're lying. It's written all over your face."
"I don't remember asking for your opinion."
"I don't remember you ever asking for my opinion, Benoit. I'm not gonna wait forever you know." Jericho explained. "And my opinion is that you should go for it."
"There's nothing to go FOR, Chris."
"That's what you said the last time I saw you watching that tape." He reminded helpfully. "And you said 'I'm not watching her, I'm watching…'."
He stopped in mid-sentence when they both heard the rap on the door. Benoit threw a dirty glare at Jericho before walking to the doorway. And, of course, since fate never seemed to be nice to him…there stood Lilian Garcia, and in a complete instant he went literally mute, already feeling the usual butterflies in his stomach fluttering up.
"I'm sorry to bother you two." She spoke a bit timidly, looking in. Benoit looked toward Chris who beamed and smile toward Lilian.
"Hey Vivian." He greeted in his usual cheeky manner. Benoit tried not to imagine strangling him and his damn smart ass attitude. He walked over to the door to stand next to his tag team partner.
"I was wondering if I could ask you two a few questions on your win last Monday night on RAW." She explained.
"Sure, we'd love to. Right, Benoit?" he inquired. Benoit shook himself out of his daze, shooting Jericho another more secretive glare before nodding.
"…Whatever." He muttered, trying not to bring attention to himself.
"Alright then. People are really wondering now…how can you two, after all the things you've been through, still manage to be able to work as a team?"
"Benoit here and I have found enough common enemies to bury the hatchet." Jericho explained. "Before we became tag partners, we were always on the same page but in different books. Now we have enough similar goals to work together."
"We're still completely different though." Benoit spoke up, giving him a glance. "And Chris talks too much."
"Benoit's still dull." Jericho shot back.
"DULL!" he huffed.
"Yep." Jericho smiled.
"Well at least I'm not a…"
"Ah, okay, that's enough of the interview." Lilian interrupted, stopping the fight.
"Wait wait, Vivian…"
"No, don't worry about it. Thanks you two."
They watched her quickly leave, and when she was out of earshot the fight continued. "Damnit Benoit, look what you did!"
"Well it was your own fault for pissing me off earlier."
"I was just speaking the truth!" he exclaimed. Benoit shut the door with force.
"I don't like her, alright? Just drop it."
"Why don't you say that when you stop blushing every time you see the girl!" Jericho argued. "What's so bad about liking her?"
"Get out, Chris." Benoit pointed toward the door.
"You're kicking me out?"
"Now."
Jericho, looking slightly scorned, made a pouty look but did retreat from the room. When the door closed, Benoit sighed loudly.
"Stupid blonde idiot, I really need to become anti-social again." Benoit muttered. He looked at the tape in his hands. He went to toss it across the room but he found himself unable to and instead laid it gently on the TV. When he heard the knock on his door again he instantly got pissed once again, really not feeling like dealing with Jericho at all anymore.
"What the fuck do you want!?" he questioned the minute he opened the door. He was startled to find it wasn't Jericho there but Lita, who looked as though she was ready to get her ass kicked by him as she flinched. "Oh, Jesus, Lita, I'm sorry, I thought…"
"Jericho, I know." She said, uncoiling. "He sent me to tell you that he's sorry or something."
"REALLY sorry!" Benoit heard from down the hall.
"He's REAL…wait a second, what the hell am I doing? You guys are acting like kids and I'm condoning it!" she realized, "Chris, get over here and talk to him yourself."
"Excuse me, Lita." He pushed past her to see Jericho walking over from down the hall, looking exactly like a scolded child.
"We have a match later, you're not allowed to be pissed at me." Jericho stated.
"Well if you weren't such a dumbass, I wouldn't get mad."
"I was just stating the obvious!"
"BOYS!" Lita got between them, putting them both at arm length. "Stop this bickering this instant!"
"He started it." Benoit huffed.
"I don't care. Now, tell me, what the hell is this all about?" Lita asked calmly.
"Benoit likes Lilian!"
"…You do?"
"NO!"
"Oh. Then you don't."
"You're gonna believe Mr. No Feelings here?! He just doesn't want to admit it!"
"Oh YOU should talk!"
"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!" Lita silenced them again. "Listen, as far as I know…Jericho, if Benoit doesn't like her or doesn't want to say he likes her, that it's none of your damn business. Benoit, stop calling Jericho names. Okay?" She looked at the two. "Alright?"
"…Fine." They answered together. Lita shook her head, smirking.
"Now, you two make nice. I don't want to hear any more yelling. Gives me a damn headache. Apologize, both of you."
"But…"
"NOW."
The two much larger males both scowled toward her, but since apparently she somehow scared the shit out of both of them, they didn't dare go against her wishes.
"Yeah, I'm sorry." Benoit muttered. "Even though you're a…"
"BENOIT!"
"I'm sorry too." Jericho grumbled. "But you DO like…!"
"…I give up. You two are hopeless." She flailed her hands in annoyance.
"You know Benoit, you can deny it all you want, and just hide away like you always do in your hermit shell, but I can't help but actually want to see you be happy for once in your life." Jericho explained, a little pissed. Benoit went silent at the outburst. "Because I know if I don't, you're never gonna be able to act on it."
"I think I'm going to go now…"
"I'm fine the way I am! I can tell someone I find them attractive! Like Lita, you're hot! See!"
Lita turned a crimson red.
"But Lita doesn't count!"
"HEY!"
"No no, he doesn't –like- you like that though. I didn't mean it in the offensive way."
"How do you know I don't like her like that?!"
"Wait wait, you like me?" Lita asked, confused.
"…No. But I COULD!"
"Okay, before I get any more into this domestic squabble, I'm going to go and deal with the sadly more normal brothers Hardy." Lita shook her head, stomping off. They both watched her go, then turned their attention back on each other.
"What do you want from me, Chris?" Benoit asked, sounding exasperated.
"Because if you do, I can help you." Jericho explained, sounding as though he was calming down. "That's all. I'm not going to go telling the nation."
Benoit went silent again, looking all the way over toward the tape he had placed down. He started thinking about how he been feeling for all the time that had past. "…I'll listen to what you have to say. That's all I'll promise."
Jericho visibly brightened.
"In that case, let me tell you just how you get a girl…"