Alicia laughs, shaking her head and leaning over to pet an excited Zeus after Ricardo cursing out the Pidgey that had landed on the dog while they walked him had startled him. "Did you catch it?" she asks, only a vaguely teasing lilt to her voice. He nods and glances at her before typing in his phone. "What're you doing?" she wonders, leaning against his arm and staring at the screen.

"Naming the Pidgey after you," he chuckles, showing her. She scoffs and pinches him, watching as the screen confirms the name. "Pidgeys are kind of silly at first, but when they grow up, they become a beautiful Pidgeot, so I think it's fitting."

Her eyes soften. "Well, I guess it works. I'm silly and beautiful." Her dark eyes stay on him, judging his opinion and is rewarded by an agreeable nod and smile by the man, her arms latching around his as she leans into him, the two of them continuing to walk while Zeus trots on ahead of them, his tail wagging excitedly.

Once they return to the apartment, Zeus sniffs at Misty before nudging into his water bowl, lapping rapidly at the cool liquid. Alicia watches him for a moment before settling in next to Ricardo on the couch, resting her head on his shoulder. "So when are you going to England?"

"I have a match on August 2nd in Florida, then it'll be a couple of days after that," he tells her. "I have events outside of WAW planned too. It should be interesting." She hums and nuzzles against him, breathing softly as he strokes her hair. "I'm just glad the DMV business is handled. That's always the worst part of all of the red tape."

She smiles a little. "Well, at least Britian has a decent public transportation system if you really have a problem."

He chuckles. "That's true." They sit quietly for awhile, watching the cats wandering around the living room before Misty curls up by the window and Kitty climbs up onto the back of the couch, staring back at them with beady eyes. Zeus is fast asleep and Zero is nosing at Ricardo's shoes, nipping harmlessly whenever Ricardo nudges at him. "I'm going to miss this."

"So will I," Alicia shares quietly. "It's snuck up on me."

He rests his head on hers and looks around the room. "Will you be alright with this zoo while I'm gone?"

"Yeah, sure," she smiles bravely. "My sister loves animals, she'll housesit while I'm on the road, I'm sure."

He cups her jaw and tips her face up, lightly kissing her. "Alright, that's good." She sighs against his mouth and he strokes her chin, tilting his face and deepening the kiss just a little, trying not to overwhelm her or move too quickly, but needing to feel more, taste more, just for a few moments. She goes with it, not complaining in the slightest, and he groans low in his throat when her fingers graze along his sides, arching up against him. He sighs and pulls away, smiling sheepishly at her as he strokes her face and offers her a couple of more, chaste kisses.

She pouts but accepts his slowing things down without complaint, reaching over for the TV remote and finding some ridiculous movie to fill the silence as they cuddle up close once more, the sleepy, peaceful atmosphere leading them both to doze off against each other as the sky darkens outside.

-x

The latest rumor is that Alberto is thinking about leaving WWE. Ricardo stares at the online scuttlebutt, swallowing. Of course he would have an out, he thinks. What then... if we're both on the indys, I may run into him. Bookers may expect me to work with him...

Alicia is on tour currently so he has no one to talk to about this. Just the animals, and he knows the cats won't care, and Zero is off somewhere so he curls an arm around Zeus' body and buries his face in his furry neck. "I'm really gonna miss you guys when I leave," he murmurs. "But I'm glad I get a break from all of this mess. I don't know what to do anymore. I have a good thing with Alicia growing, I think, but it hurts so much when I think about Alberto and Paige. I don't want to suffer through this again, and I don't want to push Alicia through more crap either, I know she's still hurting after everything with Alex." He presses closer to the dog, running his fingers through Zeus' thick fur. "You're lucky, the worst problem you have is when your next walk is going to be."

Zeus whines at him, then licks his face, causing Ricardo to laugh.

"Your breath is awful," he says fondly. "But I love you anyway." Looking over at the cats who are pointedly ignoring them, and Zero, who is still fast asleep, he smirks. "I love you too, you lazy bunch."

Settling into a meditation pose, Ricardo isn't too surprised or bothered when Zeus sprawls out over his legs, his panting serving as a focusing point for Ricardo as he closes his eyes and loses himself in the ebb and flow of their breathing.