Mutual Weirdness
I returned your blanket but it may have some hair on it. I don't know the first thing about washing faux fur throws from Pottery Barn. -E
Bayley tried to hide her goofy grin as she unwrapped her travel blanket. True to his word, a light dusting of Kugsha hair covered the entire blanket. She knew she should find this odd but she couldn't.
Dr. Seuss once claimed “We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”
Bayley wasn't sure how true she found that to be. She knew she was weird. She knew most of the people she surrounded herself with were weird. She knew her casual dating friend was weird. He was like this on a normal day but especially considering he turned hairy and chased his tail once a month? He was STRANGE. Okay, his weirdness got along with hers. They were in mutual weirdness.
Okay, she could admit it. Dr. Seuss was right on the money.
"Thinking of your Kugsha?" A deep voice startled her out of her thoughts. Her gaze drifted up, uncertain of what she heard. As far as she knew, only three people (her, Matt and Bray) knew that outside of Elias. Who the hell else would know about THAT?
Balor
To the unknowing eye, she spoke to Finn, the eccentric Lego lover from Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. To her trained eye, she spoke to Balor, the demon who rented space in Finn's body.
"Haven't seen you in a while," Bayley commented, her voice icy. She didn't hate Finn. Even after their break-up a few years earlier, she still cared for him a great deal. She couldn't deal with Balor. He took up too much space, and liked to make his presence known at the most inopportune times.
Balor was the ultimate cause of their breakup.
"Well, I wasn't going to say anything but we were walking by, and I could smell it. He must have a like of Old Spice and Lavender Beard Oil." Balor spoke as though he were unfamiliar with the words.
"I will neither confirm or deny." Bayley refused to give Balor anything that he could use against her. "How can I assist you?"
"Have you given any thought to giving Finn another chance?" Balor's gold-yellow eyes narrowed at her. "Before you answer, consider this. Why would you break my vessel's heart because you couldn't deal with me and yet, you take up with a Kugsha?" He reached out, clamping a hand around Bayley's wrist.
"Let me go, Balor." Bayley wrenched her arm out of his grasp. She folded her arms across her chest. "Why now? Finn and I haven't been a thing in years."
"Well, he's taken up with that vapid Banks woman. I cannot stand her. She refuses to acknowledge my existence. Also, you're more of a lady than she will ever be...please. In no way does she compare to you."
To be frank. Bayley could not understand what someone as great as Finn saw in Sasha. She was stubborn. She was vain. She was disloyal. She had no redeeming qualities.
In that same breath, Finn was a big boy who could make his own decisions. If he wanted Sasha, who was she to interfere or worse, sacrifice her own happiness?
"Bayley, you could never be happy with a Kugsha. They'll make off with your children in the night. He'll never hold a real job. What if he transforms in the middle of the ring?" Balor spit story after story at her, until her head started to spin.
"Balor, I will take this into consideration. I have a headache now, thank you very much." Bayley gave him as scathing a look as she could muster.
"Well, you have until tomorrow before your beloved Elias transforms again. Blue moon." Balor spun around, leading Finn towards the locker room.
Bayley pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing in concern. Was there any truth to the hatred Balor spewed? Could Elias be evil? Was there more to him than butter cookies and belly rubs?
"Ah! The lover of Affectionate Squeezes!" Matt threw his arms around her in a huge hug. "How can I be of assistance today?"
Bayley returned the hug, surprised that she would seek Matt out. He'd helped her so much the first time. Could he steer her in the right direction this time too?
"Balor visited me," Bayley confided. "Finn's demon?" Matt nodded, as though he understood.
"Nasty fellow. Did not like the Colossus of Rhodes. Baffles me to this day. What about him?" Matt dug through his crossbody bag, finding yet another battered tin. "Candied Lemon Peel?"
"No thank you. Can't have anymore treats this week." Bayley shook her head. "As I said, Balor visited to tell me I should give Finn a second chance. He also informed me a Kugsha was nothing but pure evil."
"Lies!" Matt exclaimed. "Lies!" He glared into the tin.
"Balor lies?"
"No, Queen Rebecca did. She gave me candied orange peels, claiming they were lemon."
"What do you know about a Kugsha?" Bayley tried again. She knew talking to Matt required total patience but she didn't think it would be anything like this.
"Not much. It was only what Sister Abigail told me. I can consult Denneval who attempted to catch the Werewolf of Gévaudan. He is a Chartreux who visited from the woods and never left. That will take a week though. We are coming up to Wrestlemania if you haven't heard." Matt sighed. "I am quite sorry, My Dear!"
Bayley rose to her feet. She didn't want to let on how disappointed she was. All she needed were answers, lest she succumb to the charms of Balor once more.
Balor could be a manipulative bastard under the best of circumstances. After all, it was this charm and wit that kept him alive for centuries past what made sense. He'd hurt her one too many times, leaving her in tears and Finn coming to with no clue what happened.
At the end of it, Balor was the reason they could never be happy together.
On the flipside, Finn deserved so much better than Sasha. How many lives had she watched her ex-bestie destroy because she could? What if Finn was one of those people?
What was she supposed to do?
Bayley wandered outside the arena, her head heavy with thoughts. She cared a great deal for Elias. She cared about Finn's well being. She didn't care about Balor but he was part of Finn.
"Well, look who it is," a slow drawl said, dragging her attention over. "How are you doing tonight, Miss Bayley?"
"Bray." The name on her tongue almost choked her. "What are you doing out here?" She faced the man, staring hard at him. She owed him a gratitude- he'd spared Elias from a cruel fate but she also knew the fact Elias was a Kugsha could be blamed on Sister Abigail.
"Just thinking about my life. It's bizarre to be alone. I've had someone with me for as long as I could remember and now, I don't. She was a terrible person but she was mine." Bray shook his head. "I have to make amends for the things I did. I don't even know where to begin." He pursed his lips. "I thought I was doing it for the greater good of all man but now, I don't know. What person would forgive me? I stole their chances. I hurt people. I wanted to be the beacon of hope and instead, I did terrible things."
Bayley sat next to him. She wasn't sure what came over her as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder. She should hate him and yet, she can't bring herself to that. Bray looked alarm at her touch.
"I forgive you." Her voice softened to a whisper. "I forgive you. I thank you."
"You thank me?" Bray's eyes were large and wounded. "Why do you thank me?"
"You spared Elias as much as you could. I am grateful for that." Bayley bit on her lower lip. "I don't know why you did it but I thank you. I also forgive you for your part."
"He didn't deserve the fate suffered by so many. She recognized his strength. I offered him the light, and he was content with the life he led." Bray shook his head. "He said he would rather be a loner with a brain than a sheep with a family." He chuckled. "I was proud of him. He was so brave. I refused to condemn him to a fate. I made it gentle."
Bayley exhaled again. She couldn't be here. She needed time and space. She needed to think about all of this.
Bayley did the only thing she could think of. She explained to the Powers that Be that she'd taken ill. With being so close to Wrestlemania, she couldn't risk not being healthy. Mania Week was all hands on deck.
They reluctantly let her go after making her promise to keep them updated.
She booked the first Mountain retreat she could find. She wanted to be off-the-grid and far away from everyone and everything. Bayley needed the chance to be alone, contemplating her life and its direction.
She loved Elias. She couldn't imagine her life without him. He added a certain something that her other boyfriends hadn't had. Their relationship was still new but it wasn't above the realm of possibility that it could be more.
The night around her was pitch-black with a sky studded with stars. She'd never seen so many. It was like the night stretched on for eons.
Bayley settled on the porch swing, staring at the sky. The quiet night made her pause, as she swung back and forth, back and forth.
There'd been a point where she imagined her happily-ever-after being with Finn. He'd shown her the world- his seaside cottage in Ireland, his most precious Lego models and promised he'd show her everything.
She loved Finn but then, there were the nights of Balor. Nights where Finn wouldn't come home until the first light of Dawn. Because Balor took over, Finn would have no idea where he'd been or what he'd done. Nights where it wouldn't be clear which side she dealt with until Balor gave himself away.
The nights she spent terrified something would happen or Balor would hurt her...
He'd given her a ring, asked her to be his. She didn't hesitate to say yes. Since she'd been a child, she'd dreamt of her wedding. Then, Balor came by to offer his congratulations and she realized as much as she loved Finn, she could never be with the Demon until the End of Days.
Bayley did the hardest thing she'd ever done. She gave him his ring back, kissed his cheek and walked away.
It took her a long time to get over Finn. She'd gone as far as to swear off dating. She didn't want to ever risk pain like that again. Being a spinster didn't sound like such a bad idea, especially compared to the pain she'd gone through.
Bayley just hadn't counted on a man with strange gray eyes sweeping her off her feet.
Something furry brushed past her leg, causing her to jump. She reared back, about to scream. She knew the nearest neighbors were miles away but if she made enough noise, she'd scare off whatever was on her porch, and maybe someone would hear her.
Black front paws landed on her shoulders, shoving her back on the swing. Bayley knew those paws. She'd spent an entire night stroking them. It couldn't be...could it?
A pair of sad grey-green cow eyes connected with hers. Do you know how hard you are to find?
"Well, Eli, I needed space so I ran. Better question- where the heck did you come from?" Bayley scratched the soft fur between the Kugsha's ears. She hadn't told anyone where she'd gone. The fact The Kugsha made it this far seemed almost miraculous.
I have a powerful sense of smell. Also, you left your laptop with Matt. The Kugsha rested his body in Bayley's lap, curling just enough to fit on the swing.
"Tired, Eli?" Bayley stood, wincing as the Kugsha fell off the swing. "Sorry, Babe." He rested a paw on her shin, as if to say 'it's fine'.
She opened the door to the cabin, motioning for him to follow.
Bayley woke to find Elias curled around her chest. He'd become human at some point in the night. His head rested on her chest with his arm curled around her middle. She wrapped her spare arm around his shoulder, and closed her eyes.
She should have found it odd that she'd gone to sleep with a dog and woke up with a man. Yet, this didn't bother her. She loved Elias and all of his forms.
"Morning, Beautiful," he whispered, his eyes slowly opening. "How'd you sleep?"
"Better once my shaggy companion turned human," she murmured, brushing her fingertips against the top of his head. A soft smile turned up the corners of her lips.
Mornings like this made her decision easy.
Waking up with Finn never made sense. He never remembered what happened with Balor. It made things difficult. She never knew if she'd get the blue-eyed boy she loved so much or the golden-eyed demon that made her miserable.
She'd fallen asleep with The Kugsha curled against her, his shaggy head on the pillow. She wrapped an arm around his furry neck, laughing as he tucked his head underneath her chin. Then, she drifted to sleep, knowing she was safe and loved.
She woke up to find him back to his human form, sleeping on top of her. She knew she'd be greeted with the grey eyes she knew so well and he'd remember what happened the night before.
This is the kind of thing she could live with.
She couldn't live with the fear of Balor and the chaos he might bring.
Bayley loved Finn, and probably always would. She didn't love his demon. She couldn't accept Balor, and thus, they never would have worked out.
She'd always stay friends with Finn but for now, she intended to stay with Elias, in all of his forms, as long as he would have her.
It just made sense.
-Fin-