Everyone always assumed that Finn Balor was a kind, gentle, nerd of a sweetheart. That he had no mean bones in his body. That the Demon character he played was him basically cosplaying, pulling from other entities and ideas that weren't really him.

Those people were wrong.

Finn was able to make the Demon part of his persona so real because it was in some way. True, most of the time he was the nice one, the soft one, the fun one. But everyone had a dark side, parts of themselves they weren't always the proudest of. Cruel. Manipulating. Conceited. Finn, he had that too. It was better known as Prince Devitt before he came to the WWE.

She'd only moved to North Carolina a few weeks ago for her job. Prior to that, she'd been in Jacksonville, Florida for years, which is how she had met Finn. The story was blurry after almost two years but it involved a bar and a healthy amount of beer.

It was an open secret that she and Finn weren't "just friends". Fuck buddies, that would be more appropriate to say. Even if she didn't see it that way. But no one dared say anything out loud, at least not that she'd ever heard. It was based on the looks she got as she walked the hallways, attempting to find the area where Finn said to meet him, that she knew everyone knew.

The farther she got into the arena in Greensboro, the more she had to reflect on just how she had gotten here. She had assumed it was just a one night stand when she had met Finn. But NXT traveled to Jacksonville regularly, and it wasn't like his home in Orlando was all that far at only two hours away. She had in fact done that drive more than once. She tried not to call it a 'booty call', claiming that it wasn't like that. Her friends never let her get away with it though.

She had always anticipated that their relationship would go beyond physical acts and into more. So she kept coming when he called.

Hope was a dangerous drug.

"…where do ya want me?"

His voice was so easy for her to pick out over the other sounds of the backstage area. It wasn't even the accent, unique to him. But it was his tone, the little flit it had. Maybe she was the only one who had ever noticed that.

Stepping into the room, she did her best to stay hidden. Her eyes scanned over every detail of Finn in his ring trunks and leather jacket, surrounded by lights against a white background. The photographer was moving around a bit as Finn stared them down. She wondered how hard it was to narrow down pictures of him, knowing that almost all of them had to be great.

Five minutes later, he was being told he was done. As Finn walked off the set and came behind the lights, his eyes finally landed on her.

"OW OWWWW!" She couldn't help but call out, giggling after. Many of the heads of the people in the room turned at that but turned back around once they realized Finn clearly knew her.

"Did no one ever tell you that catcalling is rude?" he questioned as he came closer.

"Guess I missed that lesson," she teased back, standing on her toes to kiss him. Finn, however, put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in the motion.

"Not here."

She was used to this, but it still stung a bit.

"Come on." She followed after Finn out of the room, always staying a step behind him in the hallway. It was the routine. He was a private person, and he didn't want his coworkers blatantly knowing how they were. There was nothing wrong with that. He wasn't a fan of PDA, not everyone had to be.

"Hang here for a minute, yeah? I'm gonna change," Finn explained as he gestured towards the locker room they had arrived it. She nodded slightly, watching as he walked away, the door swinging shut behind him.

And then she was left in the hallway, without the reason she was here. She didn't recognize anyone that walked by, but she still felt like they were staring at her, questioning her presence, judging it. She stepped back until her body met the opposing wall, trying to shrink into herself the most she could.

It had never been like this at NXT. Why did it feel so…suffocating now?

The minutes ticked by slowly as she waited for him to reappear. And when he did, dressed in black track pants and t-shirt, she was pretty sure she stopped breathing. How did someone look so good all the time no matter what? It was disgusting, honestly.

No words were said, just head tilts and eye contact, that let her know he expected her to follow after him.

"So how's North Carolina treatin' ya?"

"Good so far," she answered. "Settling in just fine. Did you see the pictures I sent you of my view from my place?"

"I did, yeah, sorry 'bout not replyin'. Been a bit busier now bein' on the main roster," Finn explained.

That was fair enough. She knew it was a lot more taxing to be traveling further and more consistently. His life had changed a lot recently.

But apparently what hadn't changed was them, as she found herself led into an empty room, far away from where they'd come from.

He felt the same against her, his body still just as solid and strong against hers. Skin so soft yet so taught. His kisses were the same; possessive, rough. She knew to get her own shirt off and push up his, as he was too involved in working on her jeans.

The sex was the same as it always when backstage: fast, hard, intense. This wasn't about tenderness and affection, this was primal and wanting. It was never this harsh when they were at his place, but public sex had a sense of urgency ingrained in it.

Finn, to his credit, always made sure she got off the same he did. It was a show of care for her that she always told herself meant something. That this wasn't just about him.

It was quiet as they got redressed, and she couldn't help but sneak peeks at him as they did. He never looked at her, but she enjoyed watching him all the same.

"Will I see you after the show?"

"Probably not, love," he replied, pulling his t-shirt over his head. Love. It was meant to soften the blow, she knew, but it didn't. "We have to get on the road."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry," he stated, finally turning to her, taking her face in his hands. His kisses were soft this time, soothing her.

"It's fine," she assured him, her hands going to his sides, gripping at the cotton. "You're a lot busier now. Not like you're just driving home a couple hours."

"Very true," Finn agreed, kissing her again, letting go of her. She took the cue to release him as well. "I'm sure we'll be back in this area soon enough though."

"Probably," she agreed, though she wasn't sure of the truth of his words. "And I know I'll be back down in Florida in a few weeks probably. Family is still there and all. I'll let you know when."

"Yeah, OK." With a kiss to her forehead, he looked her over once more. "Ya look good, babe. Take care of yourself."

Finn turned, opened the door, and walked out.