Randy sat on the bench in his locker room, his head in his hands. His eyes were clenched shut, fingers resting on his forehead, and ache in his chest like he'd never experienced before. It was Sunday…Survivor Series. He hadn't seen or heard from John since their encounter at RAW…and frankly, Randy was glad for that. He didn't think he could look John in the eye after what had happened. Nothing had made him feel more worthless, more pathetic then when he'd eagerly allowed John to fuck him in the locker room. Was he really so pathetic that he'd allow John to fuck him—even after everything that had happened? Gritting his teeth together, Randy shook his head, trying to take slow, steady breaths, trying desperately to calm himself down. He'd already changed into his black ring gear: his trunks and wrestling boots were chafing at his skin, making him feel hot and itchy despite the small amount of clothing he was wearing. The entire week had gone by in a flash, leaving Randy's head swirling with a mixture of emotions. Glancing towards his right, Randy winced as he saw the gleaming WWE Championship belt resting in his gym bag. This was it…wasn't it? The last night he'd have the championship…after this match it would belong to Wade Barrett. Just the thought of that slime being crowned WWE Champion was enough to make Randy's stomach churn into thick knots. How had it come to this? How had he allowed himself to be taken advantage of? He should've never let Johnny get so close…he should've never trusted him… The muscles in his jaws flexing as he grinded his teeth, Randy stood up, the sinewy muscles in his back flexing as he bent down and picked up the WWE belt. Pursing his lips into a sad scowl, he headed towards the door, his shoulders heavy with doubt.
Wade Barrett had slipped away from his followers, finding himself leaning against the bumpy drywall of an empty locker room. His heart was thumping in his chest, pure giddiness flowing through his arteries like thick blood. Tonight was the night…tonight was his night. All damn week he had been waiting for this…waiting for the night that would finally bring all of his plans to fruition. For weeks he had been planning for this, thinking of nothing else but getting his championship, and now the time had finally come. Tonight he would beat Randy Orton into the ground, tonight John Cena would earn his keep and count to three for Wade, tonight he would raise that belt in the air and gloat as all the fans hissed in rage. Oh yes, he was greatly looking forward to the looks on the fans' faces as he crushed their WWE Champion… Smiling to himself, Wade straightened up, leaning away from the wall, folding his arms across his chest. Once the belt was taken from him, Randy Orton would no longer be a threat…even better, once John counted against him, Randy would never trust the Chaingang Soldier again. He would be weak, doubting himself, and—best of all—left all alone with no one to protect him. After Survivor Series, the Nexus would rule Monday Night RAW, with Wade Barrett as their leader. And the first thing he'd demand as ruler would be Randy Orton… Wade's smile curled into a dark smirk at the thought of forcing the current WWE Champion to bend to his will… Once Cena was fully under his control, once he'd completely broken Randy and made him his…there'd be nobody left in the WWE to oppose him. Turning to head towards the ring, Barrett puffed his chest out arrogantly, daring anyone to deny him. Tonight was his, and no one was going to change that.
It'd been almost a full week since he'd seen Randy, John realized as he slipped the black and white referee shirt over his head. After the locker room incident…John had hurried back to his hotel room, locking himself in, trying his hardest not to punch a couple holes in the wall. He had lost control of everything, Cena thought as he shook his head, pulling the shirt down and across his stomach. He was standing in the Nexus locker room by himself—thank god. Who knew where Barrett and the others were, honestly John didn't give a shit. He didn't want to see anyone from the Nexus, didn't think he could handle their gloating. He didn't know how everything came down to this…didn't know how something so good had turned bad. The short time he had spent with Randy had been wonderful…how had he allowed someone like Wade Barrett destroy that? The week after RAW had been hard…at least ten times he thought about calling Randy, thought about pinning the younger man down and explaining everything, forcing him to see the truth… The only thing that had stopped him had been the fact that he knew Randy would want to focus on his match at Survivor Series. He wouldn't want John making things more difficult for him… Well, John thought as he reaching out for the door handle, after tonight he was going to fix things with Randy. He couldn't let it end like this…hell, he didn't want it to end at all… Pulling the door open, John walked out. Wade and Randy would already be out in the ring as he got into the gorilla position, and that made John's breath catch in his throat. The thought of Randy being anywhere alone with Wade—even in front of millions of viewers—frightened him. The leader of the Nexus was unstable…who knew what he would try to do to Randy if given the opportunity…
When his music played, it took every ounce of his will power to walk out.
The stadium erupted as John made his way down the ramp, a black frown on his handsome face. The fans seemed unable to decide what they thought of him in his striped referee shirt, for some were jeering, booing, sneering down at him with a hatred. A good amount were cheering however, chanting 'Never give up!', smiling down at him. Seeing the 'You can't see me!' signs in the audience made John grimace almost like he'd been physically struck. How could his fans still believe in him after all that had happened? Their unflinching faith in him was inspiring, and at a better time it would've made him smile widely, but after everything that had happened this week… Shuffling his feet slowly, John walked down the ramp, his eyes stuck on the two men before him. Randy was standing in the far corner, pale as a sick ghost, his eyes cloudy and devoid of any pleasure. To John's dismay, Randy wasn't watching his entrance. No, the Viper's stare was coiled around the leader of the Nexus. Barrett was standing in the opposite corner, a confident, disgusting smirk plastered across his face, reaching down and adjusting the laces in his boots. Lights flashing as his music boomed through the air, John continued down the ramp, trying his best to ignore the thunderous booing. Both Randy and Wade turned to stare as he climbed into the ring, reaching with his arm and pulling himself up effortlessly, his biceps rippling.
He froze as he climbed over the ropes, eyes stuck on Randy Orton, willing the Legend Killer to look at him, to meet his gaze. Randy turned away from him, however, his tan, lithe body giving John the cold shoulder.
"Cena." Barrett growled, directing the referee's attention back to him.
John scowled at the sound of Wade's voice, refusing to turn to his so-called leader. "Let's get this over with." He hissed, heading towards the middle of the ring.
Reaching his arms out, John signaled to the men at the ringside. Almost immediately the bell sounded out, the high pitched ringing striking through the air like lightning. Some of the fanfare died down, then, the men, women and children's eyes going wide as they stared down into the ring. Randy and Wade began circling each other like caged tigers; the Viper taking careful, calculated steps, his eyes narrowed and focused on the taller man before him. Barrett looked far more arrogant, tilting his chin up, smirking down at Randy, completely at ease with himself. They moved around each other slowly, with John standing in the far corner, his heart thumping so hard in his chest that the sound dulled out the noise of the crowd.
Wade struck first, of course.
He rushed forward, his lanky body making it all the way across the ring in less then two strides. He moved so quickly that he took Randy by surprise, catching the older man with an uppercut to the jaw. Cena cried out in anger as Randy was knocked off his feet, crashing to the ground on his back. Barrett made to kick him then, causing the crowd to roar in disgust as the heel of his boot came crashing down on Randy's exposed ribcage. Orton screamed in pain at that, quickly rolling to the side, his body sliding across the flat ring floor as he dodged a second kick from Barrett.
"Running away are you?" Barrett scoffed loudly.
"Shut up!" Randy growled as he stood up, his hands readily clenched into fists.
Orton leapt at Barrett, the crowd screaming in approval as he clotheslined Wade to the ground, literally knocking the smile right off his face. Randy jumped into the air, launching his knee out to catch Barrett in the gut. Screams of outrage echoed throughout the stadium as Wade rolled away, jumping up and turning his body in the air, his foot spinning around and slamming into Randy's temple. Orton cried out in agony, staggering to the left, reaching up and clutching his head with his hand. Barrett wasn't one to waste a good opportunity, he rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Randy's waist and swinging him into the air. The Viper fought back, clawing at Barrett's hold, but he was still dazed from getting knocked in the head, and his attacks were useless. Wade held him in the air for a moment before turning his head to the side, smiling widely at John.
"No!" Cena howled as Barrett dropped Randy, slamming his body onto the ring floor.
Randy's body curled up as he lay on the floor, writhing back and forth, the muscles twisting under his skin.
"Aw, that looked like it hurt…" Barrett sneered, taking a step towards the downed man.
He picked up his leg and let it hover above Randy's chest for a brief moment, savoring the twisted expression of pain on Orton's face. Grunting in effort, Wade dropped his foot down, planning to stomp Randy right in the sternum. To his shock, Orton somehow rolled to the side, picking up his foot and striking out. Barrett screamed in pain as Randy's foot collided with his shin, the very force of the impact sending numbing shockwaves up Wade's leg. The fans stood up in their seats, screaming madly as Randy scrambled to his feet, blue eyes flashing with hatred. Barrett jumped up and down on one leg, reaching down toward his shin, biting his bottom lip so hard he was drawing blood. Randy gave him no pity; he let out a roar of fury and ran forward, jumping through the air and spearing Barrett in the gut. The duo went tumbling toward the floor, with Randy landing on top of Wade, his hard thighs on either side of Barrett, pinning him to the ground. Pulling back his fist, Randy struck out, punching Barrett in the jaw so hard that the pinned man's head snapped back with a nasty jerk. Orton didn't stop there, he punched Barrett again and again, his legs holding the squirming man tightly down and he rained his fists down on Wade's face.
The audience cheered enormously, sadistically encouraging Randy to continue his onslaught. The Legend Killer gleefully gave them what they wanted, a haunted, toothy smile breaking across his face as his knuckles knocked Wade in the teeth.
Randy was so caught up in exacting his revenge on Barrett that he didn't notice John Cena standing in the corner. Cena had begun pacing across the ring, conflict cutting into his chest like a knife. Barrett was screaming his name, his words coming out as moans of pain as Randy hurt him, but his desire was clear: he needed John's assistance. But if John stepped in now…Randy was mere moments from winning, John couldn't help Barrett without costing Randy the win… But if he didn't stop Randy then Wade would surely fire him…he'd be furious after the beating he was currently receiving… Swallowing thickly, John winced with every punch that Randy stuck Wade with, knowing that every second he wasted would add to Barrett's anger… But he couldn't hurt Randy like this, he just couldn't! The championship was everything to Randy…how could John step in and allow it to be handed over to a monster like Barrett? Every fiber of John's morality screamed at him to turn the other way, to allow Randy to eliminate the parasite that was the Nexus…he'd be doing WWE a favor, all the superstars and divas would breathe a sigh of relief if Randy finally put Wade down… But WWE was John's life! He couldn't get fired, he couldn't leave the WWE like this—a pathetic slave to the Nexus! He couldn't go out like this! John was nothing without the WWE…he would not allow himself to be shamed into retirement because of Wade Barrett and the damned Nexus!
John jumped forward, sliding his hands under Randy's arms and yanking the smaller man into the air, easily tossing him halfway across the ring.
"You…!" Randy snarled as he landed on his side, bouncing once and then hitting the ring floor hard.
"You know I couldn't let you do that, Randy." Cena said, trying to keep his voice calm, holding out his hands in a peaceful gesture.
"Fuck you!" Randy yelled, climbing to his feet, his eyes wide with rage.
"Randy, please calm down…" John said slowly, trying to ignore the cries of rage from the crowd, "You were about to get yourself disqualified—"
"You fucking selfish piece of shit!" Orton roared, baring his teeth in an infuriated snarl, "You know what he'll do if he wins! You want him to fucking run this company? You want the Nexus to own everyone here? All because you don't want to lose your fucking job? You'll let him hurt everyone just to save your own ass? Fuck you!"
"Randy…this is my life!" Cena cried out, reaching up and running a hand through his buzzed hair, "What would I do without this? Who would I be without this? I can't…I can't let them end me like this…"
"Well congratulations John!" The Viper spat, his pale eyes going icy, "You won't be known as the guy who got kicked out of the Nexus…no, now you'll always be known as the man who let the Nexus take over the WWE! You'll always be fucking known as the man who put himself first! Everyone's going to remember you as the Nexus's bitch! Is that what you want?"
"S-shut up!" Cena stammered, hands curling into threatening fists. The crowd was getting curious now, the fans leaning on the edges of their seats, trying to decipher what it was that was getting John Cena so clearly agitated.
"Why?" Randy hissed, leaning forward and sneering at John, "Too afraid to hear the truth?"
"I said shut up, Randy!" John shouted, taking a step toward the younger man, his eyes flashing dangerously.
"No!" Randy snapped, slashing a fist through the air with emphasis, "You need to know what your—"
It happened so fast John didn't even have time to react. Randy suddenly went flying through the air, screaming in pain and surprise as he landed on his stomach. Barrett was standing over him, scowling deeply, his face contorted into an expression of pure hate. Grunting, he pulled his fist back and struck out, his hand snapping right into Randy's jaw. The force of the punch was so strong that it launched Randy into the air again, this time causing him to land on his back.
"What the hell are you doing?" Cena cried out, rushing to Randy's side. He fell to his knees, reaching out and placing a hand on Orton's bare shoulder, causing the injured man to moan in pain. The crowd had gone eerily silent at Cena's actions, suddenly sensing that the match had taken a darker, more sinister turn.
"I am winning this match, Cena." Barrett replied calmly, "What the hell are you doing? Get away from him and let me end this."
John turned, looking down at Randy. Orton's normally handsome face was marred with a sickening purple bruise on his jaw and a small cut over his left eyebrow, a bump that was already beginning to swell…
"You don't need to hurt him anymore!" John shook his head, looking up at Barrett's towering form, "This is enough! Just pin him and be done with it!"
"I will do what I want, Cena!" Wade roared suddenly, losing his cool demeanor as he was practically spitting with anger, "Now do as I say and get the fuck out of my way!"
"No!" John howled, standing up.
He couldn't do this anymore…he couldn't let himself become a pathetic pawn to be used by the Nexus! Randy was right…fuck, he was so right… Letting out a roar of rage, John rushed forward, fists in the air. Barrett was caught by surprised as John's fist suddenly rammed into his cheek, knocking the leader of the Nexus off of his feet. The crowd went absolutely insane, shouting and cheering so loud that the entire stadium vibrated. Both the announcers were on their feet, spitting into their mics as fast as they could as John stood above the fallen Barrett. He had done it…he'd broken away from the Nexus…and damn, did it feel so good…
"Are y-you...fucking k-kidding me?" Wade stammered as he attempted to stand up, swaying back and forth, his entire skull throbbing in pain.
Neither John nor Wade had noticed a certain Viper crawling to his feet, but the audience did, and the last thing Barrett heard before feeling Randy's fingers grip his head was the chant of R-K-O…
Randy had leapt up with incredible speed, his entire body going horizontal as he grabbed Barrett by the head and slammed him to the ground. The stands erupted at that, getting louder only when Randy went for the pin, draping his body across Barrett's, allowing himself a small, satisfied smile. Cena dropped to the floor, smacking his hand on the ground three times. The screams of the crowd grew so loud that they made Randy's ears ring, but he didn't care as he stood up, raising his arms into the air, smirking arrogantly. Chants of R-K-O thundered across the stadium, echoing in Randy's ears, reminding him that what he thought would be the worst night of his life had taken a turn for the better.
His smirk turning into a wide smile, he widened his arms and puffed his chest out, taking his Legend Killer stance.
Randy burst into his locker room, grinning from ear to ear despite the swollen bruises on his jawbone and eyebrow. He couldn't believe what had just happened…couldn't believe that everything had turned out so well. Barely an hour earlier he had been sure that he was going to lose his scholarship, that he and John were done… Now here he was, belt in hand, still the champion! Before he had left the ring John had pulled him into a tight embrace, using the hug to hide the fact that he was whispering into Randy's ear, telling the Viper not to leave the arena without him, that he'd come to his locker room as soon as he could. There was a fluttering in Randy's chest as John spoke those words, and it only intensified as John pulled away, giving Randy a small, apologetic smile. Randy had left the ring after that, practically skipping back to his locker room, the belt slung over his shoulder. Striding across the tile, he leaned over, dropping the belt back into his gym bag, carefully setting it down. He'd been stopped by Cody and Ted as he headed to his locker room, both shaking his hands and eagerly congratulating him on his victory. John Morrison, Santino, and even Kozlov had all stopped him in the hallway and congratulated him, with Santino even going so far as to hug him tightly and lift him into the air, spinning Randy around so fast it made him sick to his stomach. He would've blanched at the sudden sappy, affectionate human contact if he hadn't been so impressed as Santino's ability to lift him so easily…
He didn't know what suddenly caused John to change his mind about helping the Nexus, maybe it was something Randy had said, but he didn't care what it was, he was just glad that John came to his senses. The fact that John had been willing to turn on Wade gave Randy hope, made him think that maybe, just maybe he and John might have a chance at trying something again… Randy grinned to himself as he sat down on the locker room bench, reaching down to unlace his black wrestling boots. The way John had smiled at him after they hugged…maybe he was reading to much into it, but it seemed like John was really happy at the idea of seeing Randy later. Well, Randy thought happily, he certainly couldn't wait till John got there. He felt like a dumb teenager, he was so giddy as he thought about John… Things had been so good when they were doing their thing together, maybe they could go back to that? But then there was the Nexus…would Barrett really fire Cena? He would try to, Randy knew. Well, Randy shook his head, he would do whatever it took to make sure Cena kept his job. The Nexus was the most hated faction in the WWE…maybe he could get others to help him help John…maybe he could get others to help him overthrow the Nexus and end them for good. Yes, Randy thought with a nod, his nimble fingers at work on his laces, that's what he would do. He would take care of this little Nexus problem…he'd make sure that nobody controlled him or John or anyone else at RAW again…
"I'll bet you're real proud of yourself, aren't you?
Randy jumped to his feet, turning around to stare at the area that had been behind him, his hands clenching into fists immediately. No…it couldn't be…
Wade Barrett stepped out of the adjoining bathroom and shower. The leader of the Nexus looked a mess, his face covered into purple and blue bruises, his lips split lined with dried blood. His lean body was moist with sweat, and even his short brown hair was mussed, sticking up in all directions. He was a frightening sight, but the worst part was his eyes. Those golden brown eyes of his were glaring at Randy so intensely he actually took a step back, a chill running down his spine as he met Wade's gaze. There was a dangerous edge to Barrett's look, something sharp and deadly that was making the hairs on Randy's neck stand up. There was something wrong with Barrett…something very wrong…
"Everything just always works out so perfect for you, doesn't it?" Barrett continued, circling Randy.
"You lost Barrett," Randy replied quietly, taking a few slow steps away from Wade, "Get over it and get out of here…"
"I get it now," Wade continued, ignoring Randy's words and still circling him like a predator, "I understand why you're the champion…"
"Because I'm better then you?" Randy snorted dryly, trying to hide the fear in his voice.
"Because you're a little slut who's slept your way to the top." Barrett snapped, slamming his fist into the wall. The loud bang from Barrett punching the wall caused Randy to flinch, recoiling in fear away from Wade.
"You see, you wouldn't have won tonight if you hadn't been sucking John Cena's cock." Wade went on easily, "He wouldn't have decided to help you if you weren't getting him off…and that got me thinking, who else have you been fucking to keep that championship?"
"I earned this, Barrett," Randy claimed, "I haven't been—"
"You must be real good at giving head if Cena's willing to sacrifice his job for it." Barrett shook his head, "Though, I'm sure tonight he'll be expecting more than just a blowjob…you do owe him for handing that championship to you."
"You should really get the fuck out of here." Orton growled, trying to maintain his composure. Fuck, he was in trouble…
"Oh no, Randy," Wade shook his head again, those gleaming eyes of his narrowing, "You took that championship away from me tonight, and now I'm going to make sure you never defy me again…"