Work Text:
1. Taste the Rainbow
Jeff Hardy was one of those unique people in Trish's life who she genuinely got along with and found it utterly awkward to kiss on screen. Not that he wasn't a good kisser and completely gorgeous to look at, but Trish had discovered early on that he had a girlfriend and while she was okay with him cheating, Trish refused to be any man's other woman. It wasn't her style and never had been. But Jeff had been relentless with her. Asking her out every time he saw her, continually propositioning her and offering her things she found very hard to resist.
But she always managed to resist him. He knew the rules and she didn't date men who had significant others. He never stopped pursuing her until he was no longer with the company. Even then, she still found herself being asked out by him.
2. You Can't See Me
Trish couldn't deny that John Cena was particularly attractive to her. He was funny, sweet, good with kids and he was generous with his time and efforts when it came to helping the younger wrestlers breaking into the WWE. He liked spending time with newcomers and was always willing to give helpful advice to anyone who asked. Add in the fact that he was built like a Mack truck and you had a complete package.
But Trish had another rule about not dating co-workers she actually liked as people. So when John asked her out, even though part of her wanted to say yes, she just smiled, kissed his cheek and shook her head. "Sorry John. You know my rule." And he did, but that didn't mean he wasn't disappointed. He however, got the point and didn't ask her out on a date again.
3. The Viper Strikes
When Randy Orton first started flirting with Trish, she found herself in an unusual position of being off balance. She'd just ended a relationship with her on-again/off-again boyfriend and she'd known she wasn't taking him back. It had ended amicably enough, but that didn't make it easy on her heart. She was flattered by Randy's determined flirtation and she had to admit she was tempted. But part of her had never liked his cocky, self-serving attitude. She knew that wasn't him all the time, but she'd seen enough of it when he was with women to know she didn't want anything to do with him.
His relentlessness proved to be hard to say no to though, but she managed, reminding him of the many times he'd called her a bitch and stuck up and all of the other things he'd said about her. Then she'd pointed out that she had always promised herself she would never date anyone who thought he could treat her like that. Randy hadn't taken rejection kindly, calling her names and telling her if she kept being a "picky, prickly bitch" she'd never find anyone to love.
4. Absolutely Dashing
Cody Rhodes was probably the biggest surprise of the men who pursued Trish. He was considerably younger than her and sweet, but he'd never been her type. That didn't stop him from flirting and asking her out. He was at least inventive. He never asked her to dinner or dancing or to the movies. He'd invite her to amusement parks or picnics. It was flattering to have someone so young and attractive pursuing her.
But Trish couldn't seriously consider dating someone ten years her junior. She had a hard enough time dating men her age or at least close to her own age, because they always seemed so immature. She let Cody down gently and then found out he was already off pursuing another Diva. She laughed about that and hoped she was free from wrestlers trying to get in her pants.
5. Under a Barrage
When Trish made her reappearance in the WWE, she never really expected to be asked out. She had thought that John, Cody and especially Randy would have warned all the newer superstars that she was not interested in their advances. So she was surprised when, at Elimination Chamber, the Englishman started talking with her-- flirting, but it was subtle enough that she couldn't really call him out for being too aggressive. None of his suggestions were lewd enough or obvious enough that she could call him rude or misogynistic. And after she'd seen him, several weeks in a row, she was actually flattered by the attention and the careful way he treated her. He wasn't like John who was overly affectionate or Jeff who'd been crudely magnetic. He wasn't aggressive like Randy or so very over-eager like Cody. He was sweet and kind and the subtle way he'd make her laugh had her attracted-- more attracted than she'd been to any man in a long time.
It wasn't long before she was pursuing him more than he was pursuing her-- or so she thought at the time. She didn't realize he had heard about her from the others, so he'd set about seducing her in his own way and he was determined to make her want him as much as he wanted her.
After Wrestlemania, Trish found herself sitting alone in the ring, her face buried in her hands. She missed this. She loved this. She knew, without a doubt, that the open-ended contract the McMahon's had dangled over her head for years was going to be signed before long. She wanted to be back here, doing what she loved. Her business could survive and she didn't have to come back full time. She smiled and lifted her head when she heard a noise. "Thought that might be you," she murmured when she saw Wade climbing into the ring.
"You looked... Well, you look rather pleased with yourself, don't you?" he asked before sitting next to her. "Make some decisions, did you?"
"I'm coming back."
Wade licked his lips, all his hopes of dating her flying out the window. He'd heard from several people that one of her rules was she didn't date co-workers. "Good. It'll be good to have a real Diva back in the ring."
"Don't hate on my girls." Trish pushed him gently before she shifted up to her knees, staring into his eyes. "Wade..."
"You don't date co-workers, right?"
"That's always been the rule, but... I want to make an exception."
"Yeah?" Wade reached for her and pulled her onto his lap. "With me, yeah?"
"No, I was thinking I'd go find Orton. Think he'd still be interested?" She giggled when Wade started tickling her. "Well?"
"Brat." Wade stopped tickling her and drew her close, licking his lips when he realized she was only a few millimeters from his mouth. "Trish... I want you."
"Want you too," she murmured, closing the distance between them.