When Elizabeth was focused on a task, Pac had found it was easier to just let her do as she pleased without interruption. If he tried to help before she instructed him to do such a thing, he'd likely only get in her way and make things more difficult — then she would politely ask him to fuck off, in that way only she could.
At the current moment, Elizabeth was getting dressed for the day. Something simple, in theory, but Pac knew his girlfriend and he knew how she operated.
It could take her anywhere from fifteen minutes to two hours to make herself presentable for the day. It all depended on if she had everything together and ready to go or if she had to go hunting for things.
When she joined him in the kitchen, half-dressed, Pac realized that the latter was going to be the case for today. Her hair and makeup looked wonderful but the tie-dye AEW shirt that she wore surely wasn't her first choice for the day. Pac also assumed, naturally, that she'd be putting pants on at some point or another.
"That's certainly one way for you to dress when we're having both of our parents over for dinner," Pac remarked, looking her over from behind the mug he'd raised up to his face. He made no effort to hide the way that he appreciated the fine curves of her legs or the marks his teeth had left on her inner thighs. "Unless you'd rather cancel?"
While he hadn't been entirely serious making that suggestion, he also wouldn't have been heartbroken if she agreed to it. Pac cared for his own parents and had grown to appreciate Elizabeth's (her mother more so than her father, though Oscar was still a fine man), but he still wasn't thrilled about the idea of having both the Satterley and Wells families together at once.
"Have you seen my sweater? The stupid Christmas one I bought last year, when we went shopping with Max and Page. The Rudolph one?" Elizabeth asked, disregarding him.
Pac knew of the sweater she was referring to. It was about what one would expect for a tacky holiday sweater, festive red in color and complete with a light up nose on the iconic reindeer.
"Haven't seen it. Not since you bought it, anyway," Pac sat his mug down on the countertop after taking another drink of his coffee. Leaning back against the counter, he asked, "But why the fuck are ya asking about a sweater when you've not even put your damn trousers on?"
Not that he was complaining about the view.
"Because if I don't have that sweater, your mother's going to be disappointed. And I don't want to break her heart," Elizabeth frowned, once again no-selling his response. "She thinks it's the cutest damn thing and insisted that I wear it for a few pictures, and I'm not about to make her sad."
"I think she'll live, love."
"Are you sure you haven't seen it?" Elizabeth was beginning to sound a bit more frustrated with the whole situation. Placing her hands on her hips, she took a deep breath and leaned her head back as a thoughtful expression crossed her face. "Okay. I stopped by my place before I came over here last night. I had my gimmick bag, which is in the car, and that's also where my travel bag is. Then there's the bag with my Switch and my clothes that's in the bedroom, then the sweater... I was positive I put it in my purple bag, along with the gifts I got for your parents and- Shit!"
Pac watched as the realization crossed Elizabeth's beautiful features and she instinctively patted her thighs only to realize that, as he had stated, she wasn't wearing any pants.
"Fuck, do you have your phone nearby?" She asked, sounding even more aggravated than before.
Instead of verbally replying, Pac merely pulled the device out from the pocket of his hoodie and passed it over to her. He watched with a curiously raised brow as Elizabeth unlocked his phone and quickly dialed a few numbers.
"Mum? You've not left yet, have you?" Ah. So she was calling Amelia. "Oh, thank fuck. Shit, I– Sorry, sorry. Can I ask a huge favor before you leave?"
The call didn't last long but once Elizabeth gave a relieved sigh, Pac knew that the crisis had been averted. Once she had finished talking to her mother, she returned Pac's phone to him and he placed it on the counter next to his cup.
"And your parents won't be here until seven?" Elizabeth asked, staring at him as if it was the most important question in the world.
"They're nothing if not punctual."
"I just mean, they're not going to show up earlier?"
"If they do, what of it?" Pac gave an indifferent shrug. "You forgot shit. We all fuckin' do it. Besides, Oscar and Amelia will be bringing everything you forgot with them, so it's fine, isn't it?"
"It is, it's just..." When she sighed and took a moment to gather her words, Pac could see the stress threatening to overtake Elizabeth. "Fuck. I don't know. It's just... I feel like I don't know what the fuck I'm doing anymore. If I'm here or there or wherever."
To some degree, Pac understood how she felt. To be a professional wrestler was to travel the world, of course, but this entire year had more or less consisted of Elizabeth traveling all over the place. 2023 had been the best year of Elizabeth's career, from her heel turn in January to winning the AEW Women's Championship at All In. The same sort of success could not be said for Pac, who had wrestled a total of six matches since the beginning of the year.
Since Pac and Elizabeth had begun dating in the summer of 2021, they had spent most of their time together on the road. Of course, there had been occasions when they had been apart during that time, but 2023 had been quite the test for them and their relationship.
They had been together as much as they possibly could but there had been times when they'd gone weeks at a time without seeing one another. For as much as the introverted Pac enjoyed having time to himself, he couldn't deny how much he had missed having Elizabeth by his side. She always had a way of making things better, even when he was so incredibly fed up with the world (and the injuries that had kept him on the sidelines).
It had been hard on Elizabeth too, he knew that. While she had plenty of friends who she could travel with and enjoy the company of, Elizabeth loved Pac and had missed him just as much as he had missed her. Actually it was possible that she missed him even more than that, based on the way she always hugged him so tightly whenever they first saw one another again and the messages that she often sent while he was asleep.
"You're here, Elizabeth, and everything's fine, alright?" Pac said as he stepped closer to her, his voice stern but low. "You've not got to worry yourself about anything. Relax."
Elizabeth took a deep breath and held it for a long moment, her eyes locking with Pac's even as she exhaled slowly. Pac raised both of his hands up to her face, resting one on each cheek as his thumbs gently skimmed her soft skin.
"I guess I just feel like I never have time to gather my thoughts anymore, you know? Like I'm always in some big hurry to get from point a to point b. If I hadn't been rushing myself so damn much yesterday then I wouldn't have forgotten my bag, but if I hadn't rushed myself, I wouldn't have been able to spend as much time with you and that's more important to me than anything, but..."
The pout that came to her lips might've been cute, had it not been so goddamn heartbreaking. No matter how hard she always tried to hide her worries and fears from Pac, they almost always ended up in a situation such as this, where she simply couldn't take it any longer.
"Look, you've done the best that you possibly can, huh? Traveling from England to America and back is a bitch, I know that all too well, but you've put yourself through it more than usual this year simply for my sake. While I've been here on my ass for the better part of ten months you've been running back and forth not only from here to America, but from my home to yours, when necessary. Don't think for one moment that I don't appreciate every single thing that you have done for us this year."
Pac leaned down just enough to place a kiss on Elizabeth's forehead but as he did, she wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him even closer. In turn, he moved his own arms to drape around her shoulders as they shared a tight hug.
"I just miss you so fucking much, Ben," Elizabeth muttered as she squeezed him just a bit tighter. "Feel like I'm losing my bloody mind without you there to keep my head on straight."
Even at this point in their relationship, Pac's cold heart was always warmed whenever Elizabeth spoke his shoot name. There weren't many people in this world that referred to him in such a way (and he actually liked no more than a handful of them) but it only truly felt special when it fell from her lips.
"I know, Liz. I know," Only with her, in moments so emotionally vulnerable, did he allow his own voice to take on such a soft tone. "I've missed you, too."
The way Pac felt as he stood there with Elizabeth in his arms was as close to peace as he could ever be. In the back of his mind he knew it wouldn't last, that in a few days she would once again have to leave him behind when she returned to work, but dwelling on their frustrating reality wouldn't do them any good at that moment.
"But if it makes ya feel any better," Pac spoke first as they finally, regrettably, pulled apart. "You lost your bloody mind long before we met."
"Shut up," Elizabeth's laugh was a joyful sound as she playfully bumped his shoulder with her fist. "Just couldn't help yourself with that, could you?"
"I never said it was an issue, did I? Believe it or not, I'm quite fond of you the way you are."
"You're too kind."
"I know."
At the very least, the smile that came to Elizabeth's face was a genuine one and that was good enough for Pac.
"So what's the plan while you wait on your mother, then? Are you going to continue prancing around the house with your legs and ass out? Because–"
"My ass isn't–" Elizabeth interrupted him with a laugh as she reached back to pat her rear and confirm her point. However, the look on her face changed immediately. "Okay. Fine. I'll go put on my damn trousers, alright?"
As she moved to walk out of the kitchen, Pac took only a moment to appreciate the fine curve of her ass, even the bits of her silly tattoo that peeked out the side of her panties, before following after her. Noticing that he was trailing after her even towards the bedroom, Elizabeth stopped by the couch and turned to look at Pac with an amused expression.
"What? Do you plan on making sure I don't get lost along the way?" She teased. "Or are you interested in helping me put my clothes on for once?"
Pac gave a small laugh, the faintest bit of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He truly did love this woman.
"As tempting as that offer is, I actually wanted to talk to ya about something. Figured we could discuss a way or two to relieve all that stress that's been weighing on your pretty little head."
Elizabeth stared at him for a long moment. "You're sending me so many mixed signals, love. Do you want me to get dressed or not? I mean, I'm not particularly interested in taking another shower before our parents arrive, but I suppose–"
"Sit," Pac interrupted and motioned for her to take a seat on the sofa. "And just talk to me for a moment, alright?"
Although she was obviously confused and uncertain where he was going with this, Elizabeth did as instructed. Pac sat down on the opposite end of the couch, angling his body so that they could easily face one another.
The conversation they were about to have was one that had been on his mind for quite a while, but it wasn't the sort of thing that he wanted to just spring on her until they were able to properly talk about it in person. He'd planned on doing it at some point during the week before she left anyway, but with the weight of the world so heavy on her shoulders, he supposed he might as well go ahead and handle it at the present.
"Your house, it's in your name, isn't it?" Pac's first question only furthered Elizabeth's confusion.
"Yeah, it is. It's been mine, officially, for close to six years now, I guess? Since before I signed with NXT back in 2018. Dad's an only child and when his father passed, he left it to him. You know how dad is, he loves the place but mum didn't want to leave their house so he gave it to me."
Elizabeth had told him some of those things at some point in the past but when Pac had been doing his preliminary planning over the past month or so, he hadn't been entirely certain of the specifics of her current housing situation. It wasn't something that they had ever discussed in great detail.
"And if you were to ever move out, do you believe Oscar and Amelia would be interested in it?"
"There's no doubt in my mind they would. Not too long ago actually, me and dad were talking about it and he said they'd gladly take it anytime I wanted out. Then again, in that same conversation he both suggested I moved to America to save on travel and begged me to stay in England so I'm not quite sure what the fuck he wants from me," Elizabeth gave a small laugh and shrug of her shoulders. "I don't think he does, either, but he's trying. I give him points for that."
Nothing Elizabeth said was particularly surprising to Pac, based on what he knew about her father. Oscar was a complicated man but he had always wanted the best for his daughter and Pac respected that.
"Eager as he is, I assume he'd be willing to help pack up your belongings, should you wish to leave?"
"Yeah, of course. He's my dad. Even if he didn't want my house, he'd still help me," Elizabeth said as though it was obvious before pausing for a moment, looking at Pac with more confusion than ever. "Wait, why are you asking me all of this in the first place?"
"Why do you think I'm asking you about your living arrangement, Elizabeth?"
"I don't know, that's why I asked," Elizabeth frowned, her brows furrowing slightly. "But what I do know is that you're not asking me to move in."
Pac gave a short laugh and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back on the couch. "And just what makes ya so certain about that?"
"Because the last time we talked about living together you said there wasn't enough room here for all my retro consoles. You also said that you weren't giving up your football room for them," Elizabeth's reply came quickly.
Pac vaguely recalled the conversation as it had been quite a while since then. Listening to Elizabeth speak of it now, it seemed as if it had really stuck with her.
"And when did we have this discussion?"
"I don't know," Elizabeth hummed thoughtfully. "Months ago? A year? I don't see why that matters."
"No, what I mean is, what were we doing at the time?"
Elizabeth had obviously not committed that part of the discussion to her memory quite as well but the answer came to her after a moment. "That was when mum brought me all the old games that I'd left at their house. There was so much shit there that I hadn't seen in years, like my Pikachu N64."
Pac stared steadily back at his girlfriend. "I want you to think about many games you own and then I want you to think about how we could possibly fit them all in my football room."
His football room, of course, was Pac's favorite room in the house. It was where he stored all of his most prized possessions, from his special jerseys to autographed memorabilia. There weren't many things that Pac would call himself a collector of but he certainly loved football. He was proud of it, too, even if Elizabeth had said that the section dedicated to Newcastle United looked more like a shrine than anything.
The room was damn near full, leaving very little space for anything else without making it just look like a cluttered mess.
"I'm not asking you to give up your space for my shit, but what I'm saying is, you were adamant there's not enough room here for everything. We've got too much stuff between us," Elizabeth protested. "And I know we're both too stubborn to give any of it up."
For as much as Pac loved this woman, he had to admit that she could be as dense as a brick.
"Has the possibility of us finding a new home together crossed your mind during any of this? We've not got to stay here simply because I'd like for us to live in Newcastle."
Based on the way Elizabeth looked at him with such surprise it seemed as though the possibility had not come to her mind. Her expression quickly softened though, a smile coming to her lips.
"You're serious about this, aren't you? About wanting to live together?"
"It's more practical, more convenient. We've both spent the majority of the year here as it is, when you've not been on the road, so doesn't it make the most sense for us to live together?" Pac had put a lot of thought into it. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have presented the idea to Elizabeth in the first place. "You won't have to run all over the damn place whenever you return to England. You'll just be able to come home, to our home. Not just yours, and not just mine. One that we share together."
The emotion on Elizabeth's face was enough to make even Pac's heart flutter in his chest. As she looked at him now, there was nothing but the utmost affection in her gaze, an unapologetic love for him and no one else. Elizabeth adored him, just as he adored her.
"And besides," Pac continued teasingly, "It'll save your poor mother from having to make an extra stop on her way here in the future just because you've misplaced something."
Elizabeth was quiet for a long moment and Pac could practically see the gears moving behind her eyes. When she spoke up, she asked in a serious tone, "If I move here, to Newcastle, then who's going to feed Balls once you're back on the road, too? Mum's not going to want to drive up here several times a week or more, depending—"
It was natural for her to worry about their beloved feline during the time that they'd both be traveling. Before this year, Amelia had been the one who primarily took care of Meatball while Elizabeth was away from home. Meatball had been staying with Pac for almost the entirety of 2023, though, while Pac had been healing up.
Meatball was as much Pac's cat at this point as he was Elizabeth's.
"Do ya really think that Gill Satterley would let her grandson starve to death? She asks about him every time she calls. I guarantee you, the moment she walks through the door tonight, she'll be looking for him."
"You've got it all figured out then, don't you?" The smile Elizabeth wore widened as she leaned back a bit on the sofa, allowing her shoulders to relax. "Would I be fair in assuming you've already got a few places in mind, then?"
"I've looked at some different places, yes. There's one in particular that I think you'll like, based on the size of the master bedroom," He said, having remembered how Elizabeth had spoken in the past of wishing for a large bedroom. "Plenty of room for everything we could want there, too. We could have the perfect at-home gym, much nicer than what I've got now, and–"
"Both football and gaming rooms?" Elizabeth interrupted, her eyes twinkling with amusement and excitement.
"Yes," Pac had to laugh. "You can have your own personal paradise, however you'd like it."
"And you'll help me organize everything properly on my shelves, won't you? Without complaining, like you did last time?" He knew she was just teasing him now.
"Don't push your luck, alright?" Pac rolled his eyes without any malice behind the action. "Especially when your father and I will be the ones doing most of the work packing all those precious cartridges up for ya and making sure they're safe."
"Okay, okay. I suppose I can't ask too much of you," Elizabeth playfully shook her head at him before pausing for a moment and releasing a relieved sigh. "I love you, Ben."
"I love you too, you silly woman," Pac said as he shifted himself a bit on the couch, making it so that she could easily come and cuddle up to him. "Now, why don't you come over here for a moment and let me hold you, huh?"
He didn't need to say anything else. Elizabeth gladly scooted over, leaning against Pac as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She rested a hand on his thigh idly, her thumb affectionately caressing his skin over the fabric of his shorts as they shared such a gentle moment together.
At least, until Elizabeth's hand began traveling a bit further up his leg, her touch slow and teasing.
"I thought you didn't want to take another shower?" Pac asked with a smirk as he and Elizabeth moved to look at one another.
"And I thought you wanted to help me get rid of all my stress?" Elizabeth shot back at him. The look of desire on her face told him everything he needed to know. "Us moving in together will help quite a bit, but I think I've got another problem you could help me solve."
"Is that so?" Pac leaned down, his lips so teasingly close to hers. "Then please, let me help you, Elizabeth."
After all, they could begin house hunting tomorrow. For now, Pac and Elizabeth were just going to enjoy a bit of time together before their parents arrived.