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stray-kaz · 1 year

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On Blind Faith : a Matt Murdock x reader FF : TEN

The black sack was pulled off your head twenty minutes after the car had stopped and you were shuffled out of it and inside a long, low building that echoed with every concrete step. You were led to a chair, encouraged to sit, and then the sack was ripped away.

A door opened at the other end of the room, and your heart sank even further as Leo’s mother walked through the gap and strode purposefully in your direction. Luca squawked as you held him even tighter, terrified. You stared up at Leo with wide, desperate eyes.

“No” you whispered. “Please no.”

He merely shrugged.

“You took him away from me” he said. “Now I’m going to take him away from you.”

You didn’t want to hurt Luca, so when Leo wrestled him from your arms, you let him go, tears burning your eyes and sobs choking your throat. You watched with blurred vision as he was carried away from you and given to Gabriella Ricci, your fists clenching emptily on your thighs.

The far off door was closed and Luca was gone. Another man, one you had seen in passing in Chicago but didn’t know the name for, approached you warily, black flex cuffs in one hand. You glared at him but he didn’t waver in securing your hands together and your ankles to the chair legs.

You wished you had a threat to make, an ace up your sleeve, something to hold over Leonardo Ricci, but there was only Luca, and you would not use him as cannon fodder. And Matt and Foggy were only lawyers and couldn’t go head to head with big game like Leo, and Karen. You closed your eyes as the memory played in your head of Karen being knocked out cold. Kind, tenacious Karen who only wanted to help.

“I’ll get him back” you said quietly, at last.

Leo looked over at you.

“What?” he asked, bored.

You lifted your chin in defiance.

“You won’t have him forever. He’ll learn the truth one day and I’ll get him back. He’ll come home to me.”

He strode across the floor and backhanded you hard across the face, his bulky signet ring opening a bloody slash across your nose. You cried out in shock at the pain, your head whipping to the side and back, tears arriving unbidden.

“Don’t cry” he sneered. “You always were weak. Running away like you did? Pathetic.”

You dug your teeth into your lower lip, eyes dark with pain and anger.

“That was the strongest thing I have ever done” you said softly, and closed your eyes so you wouldn’t see the next hit coming.

His punch landed hard on your left cheekbone, and you knew that tomorrow there’d be dark purple and swelling. Pain blooming across your face, you could only hope and pray that Matthew was safe.

Matt crouched on the roof of a building across the street from the green one his intruder had informed him of. They all seemed the same to him, outlined in fire, but once he was close enough to the right side of the city, he could hear your heartbeat distinguished from all the others. It was sprinting with the speed of a hummingbird’s, slamming against your rib cage. Tilting his head a little, he could also make out Luca’s, but it beat far away from yours.

More anger rose at the thought of them taking your baby away from you. He clenched his jaw and began his descent, his boot soles whisper quiet when they landed on the concrete at the base of the building. He crossed the street in silence, blending into every shadow.

Several different heartbeats coming into his hearing, Matt slunk along the outside edge of the building, every sense on high alert. He counted twelve heartbeats in total, one yours and one Luca’s. Breathing in hard, he detected the barest scent of citrus perfume; it burned his nose, and wasn’t anything you would ever use, so there was another woman inside.

That meant two nonthreatening, one possible threat, and nine definite threats. As he reached the first entry and slipped inside, his nostrils flared upon recognising the smell of blood. His blind vision burned red; he knew it must be your blood that was spilled.

Matt paced a long, empty hallway, then stopped when he heard the faint hum of electricity to his left. He turned and realised he was facing the power box for the whole building. He felt for the primary lever and pulled it down, dousing the lights.

You lifted your head from its lulling position when the room around you was plunged into the dark. You heard Leo curse somewhere near you, then mutter something involving Matt’s name.

“What’s happened?” you asked, speaking into the shadows.

You felt strong hands gripping the back of the chair you were tied to and hot breath scald your ear as Leo spoke into it.

“One man with a gun clearly wasn’t enough to get rid of your boyfriend, baby. I do believe he’s come knocking to get you back. You and the rugrat.”

“He’s a lawyer.”

Leo shook his head behind yours.

“He’s more than that.”

Then the screams started. Loud shrieks and yells followed by thuds and ricocheting bullets. Your eyes adjusted to the darkness and you could make out human shadows racing for the nearest door, rifles slung across backs and handguns held low. One man gripped a knife; it protruded, long and sharp, from his closed fist, like an extra extension of his own arm.

You sank your teeth into your bottom lip again, so deep this time you tasted copper.

“Matthew, what have you gotten yourself into?” you whispered.

“He’s gotten himself into you, I’d wager” Leo said from behind you.

You slammed the back of your head into his face and felt something give way with a wet crunch, and then something damp dripping into your hair. You heard him hiss a nasty word at you as he backed away, cupping his nose gingerly as blood dripped between his fingers.

Something heavy fell against the door and slid down. You tried to control your breathing, heavy and frightened in your own ears. What if Leo was wrong and it wasn’t Matt?

The door burst open, clanging against the brick wall. It started to rebound, but a strong, blood streaked hand held it at bay. Eyes fully adjusted to the shadows, your gaze travelled from the tops of black boots, up black clad legs, to a skin tight black shirt, and finally, to the most beloved mouth you knew. Five o’clock shadow, sharp jaw, brown eyes hidden by a tied mask.

“Matty?” you breathed, relief drawing air back into your lungs.

He turned in your direction, fingers flexing at his sides.

“Yeah” he said lowly. “I’ll explain later. Business first.”

He stalked past you on the chair, blood pumping hard through his veins, adrenaline flooding. Leo raised his gun and aimed, rage twisting his features into something ugly, but he never got off a shot; Matt leaped into the air and kicked it out of his hand, sending it skittering across the floor. He then gripped Leo by the throat and walked him into the wall, pressing his cheek into the rough brick. Leo screamed as the roughness tore into his face as Matt dragged him along it.

“Finders keepers, jackass” Matt growled. “I found her, I get to keep her. She’s mine!”

Leo let out a weak, tremulous chuckle.

“She was mine first. Damaged goods now.”

Matt pulled Leo’s head back and rammed it against the wall again.

“That’s not how it works. I am going to take her home, her and the child, and you are going to crawl back to where you came from and never, ever set foot in my city again. If you do, I’ll make you wish you had died today.”

Leo laughed again, even as his broken nose throbbed and his face ached from the damage Matt had caused.

“Has she let you screw her like a dog yet? That’s her favourite, you know -”

He didn’t get to finish; Matt shoved his head into the wall so hard, his eyes rolled back in his skull and he dropped to the floor, boneless and still.

A split second passed and then Matt was running to you and kneeling in front of the chair. He ran his hands all over you, checking, and when his fingers reached the cut on your nose and the soft swelling under your left eye, his jaw tightened. Without a word, he freed the knife he had taken from one of the men and sliced through the flex cuffs binding your wrists and ankles.

The moment you were freed, you launched into his embrace, arms wrapping around his neck and almost knocking him onto the floor. He held you firmly, his body heaving against yours.

“How did you find me?” you mumbled against his skin.

“Not just a lawyer” he said, stroking your back carefully. “I’m Daredevil, beautiful girl.”

You pulled back and stared at him, at the clothes he was wearing, and the black mask.

“Wow” you whispered, and a slight smile tipped the corners of his mouth.

“Really?”

You nodded, leaning against his shoulder again.

“Uh huh.”

Matt gently pulled your head away so he could kiss your cheek, rough stubble scraping your skin.

“Where is Luca?” he asked you.

You bolted upright and pulled him with you.

“Leo’s mother took him, this way” you said, and dragged him by the hand towards the door she had carried your baby away through.

You checked room after room, listening to Matt’s assurances that he could hear two heartbeats not far away. And at last, you found them. Gabriella was holding onto Luca, but as soon as he saw you, he started to pull away, little hands reaching out. You ran, heedless and fearless, and snatched him out of her arms.

“Is my son alive?” Gabriella asked you, her jaw set and fury in her eyes.

You nodded and glanced back at Matt.

“Yes” he said. “And he’ll stay that way if he keeps his filth out of my city and away from my family.”

Gabrielle pursed her lips, but she nodded.

“All right” she said quietly, dark eyes fixed angrily on you. “I’ll make sure he does that.”

Matt reached out and took your hand to guide you through the building and out into the cooling night, Luca the sweetest weight in your arms.

Matt sat with you while you fed Luca to sleep, unwilling to let him go just yet, even when he had long stopped drinking and was instead asleep at your breast. You finally got up and carried him to bed, reluctantly laying him down on his back and watching him stretch out like a starfish.

Matt turned you around, now dressed in nothing but sweatpants, soft and grey, clinging to his hips. He held your face in his hands, bloodied knuckles and all, and kissed your forehead tenderly. Then he began to undress you, slowly sliding your tank top up over your ribs, his fingertips trailing fire in their wake. He dropped it onto the floor by his feet and reached behind your back to free the hooks on your bra, sliding the straps along your arms until it, too, hit the floor and he pressed his chest against yours, quietly reveling in the peace of skin to skin.

Matt’s nimble fingers then unzipped and unbuttoned your shorts and slid them down your legs and over the tops of your feet. He smoothed his hands over your thighs and pressed kisses to the sides of your calves, but left your underwear on, a wordless promise that nothing was expected this night.

He climbed under his sheets and held out his hands to beckon you to follow. You climbed in on top of him and stretched out, your toes touching his calves and your head against his heart. It beat a steady pattern under your ear, lulling you to sleep as surely as the touch of Matt’s hands stroking your hair.

Safe.

Tagging: @succsessions @harringtonstudios @emiemiemiii @moxkindagirl

#matt murdock #matt murdock x reader #daredevil #marvel #liss writes

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wanderingdarlingblog · 2 years

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"The Bewitched and the Beguiled" Ch. 2: "The Devil Went Down to Vegas"

Summary: After a stressful morning at the airport, one of her old NXT alums helps her through her day before her main roster debut at SummerSlam 34.

Word Count: 5.6k

Warnings: mention of alcohol, swearing, sexual innuendos, cannon wrestling violence, poor writing of a Scottish accent, flirting, spelling errors probably.

A/N: This one was a bit of a monster, but Chapter 2 is done! The reason for such a delay is because I ended up messing around with the order of events and decided to change around some things and move it to the next chapter since this one seemed to be getting a bit long. If you have any feedback, it is much appreciated. Let me know if you want! Just message me or respond on the post itself. If you're feeling like it, you're more than welcome to reblog or repost with credit, but please do not copy without credit. Thank you for the support! <3 I hope yo are all enjoying this series so far. If you want to be added to the tag list, let me know!

-WD

Sneak Peak Ch. 1 Ch. 3 Ch. 4 Ch. 4.5

Las Vegas, Nevada August 21st, 2021

The moment she stepped off the plane, Michelle called her sister. She was supposed to be on the flight with Michelle, but somehow she missed the flight.

Ring...ring...ring...

"Hi! Sorry I missed your call, just leave a messa-"

Click.

"Damn it!" Michelle growled as she rolled her small luggage to baggage claim and dialed again.

Ring...ring...

"Micky I'm so sorry-"

"What. The fuck. Is wrong with you." Michelle's hushed voice was dripping with venom. "I am in Vegas. Where are you?"

"Phil is driving to the airport right now-" Darcy started, panic obvious in her voice as she tried to keep herself and her little sister calm, but Michelle was beyond consoling at this point.

"I knew I should have picked you up this morning, but I thought you were the responsible one of the two of us. I kept calling, and calling and calling. This is the biggest night of my life thus far and you're still in Chicago." Michelle's voice was slowly raising in volume, causing people to turn their heads.

"I'm gonna try to get there as quickly as possible, honey, okay? I went a little too hard last night and I slept through my alarm. It's only a four hour flight, I'm so sorry." Darcy tried to bargain, but she braced herself on the other end for Michelle's wrath.

"Sorry? Oh you're sorry? Yeah, because 'sorry' is gonna magically poof you here in Vegas. We'll be square if you can make it to Vegas before the show. Text me updates on your flight. Goodbye, Darcy."

Click.

Michelle ran a manicured hand through her hair and heaved a sigh as she approached baggage claim. She grabbed her other suitcase and made her way to call an Uber to get to the hotel, but her eyes caught a little sign to her right, which read "MJ :)" in thick red ink.

A smile cracked her exhausted expression as she met eyes with the one of the only people who could possibly ease her worries at this moment.

"Damien...?"

"Hola, hermana." Damien grinned with a heavy pat on her shoulder, which turned into a hug. He looked similar to Michelle, dressed casually in a pair of sweats and a loose tank top. "How was your flight?"

"Awful, Darcy missed her flight." Michelle tried not to sound too disappointed, but Damien's eyebrows flew up and his eyes scanned the airport behind her like this was the first time she noticed she was alone.

"No kidding...huh. I'm sorry, Micky." Damien leaned over her and grabbed the bigger suitcase from her hands, pushed down the handle and grabbed hold of the other handle that was stitched to the bag. "C'mon, I'm parked in a red zone, you'll catch me up in the car."

Michelle couldn't help but laugh a little as the two jogged to Damien's car, haphazardly threw her luggage in the trunk, and drove off.

"I thought no one was supposed to know I was coming." Michelle finally asked, which made Damien chuckle.

"Yeah, well that all got ruined when I accidentally overheard Stephanie and Vince chatting. One thing led to another, I offered to pick you up, they said yes, and now I'm here. I was told not to tell a soul though. Sounds like you're a pretty big deal tonight?" Damien wiggled his eyebrows.

"No pressure." Michelle's sad little chuckle did not go unnoticed by Damien.

"You'll be great, chica! From what I overheard, you're gonna steal the show." Damien reassured her as they pulled onto the freeway.

"Knock on wood." Michelle leaned on the car door and stared at the Vegas strip, which did not look quite as magical in the daylight.

"Hey, the girls will be excited to see you tonight." Damien tried to bring a smile to his friend's face. "Dani, Bella, Rhea..."

Michelle did smile a little at the thought of seeing her girls. She grew up with Dani and Bella in Minneapolis. The three met at a wrestling camp Darcy signed her up for when she was just a little kid, and they were fast friends. Fast forward, now those two are the current women's tag-team champions and Michelle had finally made her way to join them in the big leagues.

Dani's ring name was Ivy Stone, but they tend to shorten her name to Ivy, and she's been nicknamed "The Spitfire" for her spunk she has in and out of the ring. Her in-ring personality was not far off from her actual personality, maybe her real personality had less of a filter. Her big mouth has gotten the three of them into some trouble over the years, for sure. She was strong and was known for her tricks and flips during her matches. She's loud, bodacious, and unapologetically herself, which is what Michelle thinks attracted Damien to her in the first place. They've been dating for about nine months, and from what Michelle can tell, they've been pretty happy.

Annie, whose full first name is Annabelle, goes by Bella Mason, and her character could not be more different in the ring versus outside. Bella has always been on the quiet side, rarely speaking out of turn. Polite, genuine, harmless. In the ring, however, she's a terrifying 5'4 little monster. Fast, nimble, unsuspecting. She was nicknamed "The Bombshell" for her blonde hair at first, but her technique in the ring proved to be more fitting for the nickname.

The three women were in NXT together, and soon enough Michelle met Rhea. Rhea and Michelle bonded quickly and slid into the friend group rather quickly. Dani and Annie often joked that Michelle and Rhea could have been related, since their aesthetics matched well. Both had an overall dark look with dark makeup, and both were fairly intimidating to share a ring with. They both were tall, and had broad shoulders and strong legs, but Michelle was a little smaller than Rhea overall when it came to muscle mass and wingspan.

"I miss them." Michelle smiled at the memories flashing in her head. "Do they have any idea something's happening tonight?"

"Not that I know of." Damien shrugged as he took the exit off the freeway. "You know Dani, she would be all over me if she knew you were coming. Those three have been waiting for Vince to bring you up for months. If she knew, I wouldn't be able to stop her from coming to the airport to pick you up!" Damien laughed, and finally Michelle started laughing, a weight lifting from her chest.

"You're right." Michelle's laugh died down to a chuckle as they pulled into the hotel parking lot. They both got out of the car, grabbed her bags out of the trunk and started walking to the elevators to get into the lobby.

"So how was Rampage last night...? Traitor." Damien teased, shoving her shoulder gently. Michelle's eyes lit up and she shoved him back hard, making Damien howl with laughter as he stumbled. "I was kidding, chica! Relax."

"You better be." Michelle laughed, an honest grin on her face. "It was great! Phil was wonderful, my sister couldn't be prouder, and I got to see Jon, which was nice. Some of the guys recognized me over there, which was surreal, but it definitely was a bit of an ego boost. Of course most of them just knew me as 'Punk's Niece' or 'Darcy's Sister', but they also said that they watched some of my NXT stuff. Weird, huh?"

"You saw Jon?" Damien's voice fell to a whisper, like he was afraid Jon would hear them gossiping all the way in Chicago.

"That's all you got from that?" Michelle shook her head as she pushed the elevator button.

"Well no. Congratulations they saw your work in NXT, congratulations to Punk and your sister, blahblahblahblahblah," Damien's voice moved a million miles a second and his hand moved in a talking motion. "But you saw Jon?"

Ding.

The pair shuffled into the elevator and watched the doors close.

"Yes."

"And?" Damien waited with an expectant face, almost looking offended she didn't give him any more information. "This is the same Jon Moxley you were like, in love with, right? What happened"

"Okay, let's not go that far-" Michelle sighed, regretting bringing his name up, but Damien cut her off almost immediately.

"Oh come on, drop the ice queen act for two seconds, hermana. Don't think I didn't forget that night you got absolutely trashed and spilt your guts to me after that one NXT Takeover in New York." Damien chided, making Michelle groan and roll her eyes. She needed to get out of this elevator.

"Will you stop bringing up that night? I was so embarrassed in the morning." Michelle muttered bitterly.

Ding.

The elevator doors slid open and air conditioning hit Michelle's face. She let out a content sigh.

"What happened?" Damien pressed as the two wrestlers walked to the front desk.

"Not much really. I had to leave fairly quickly after the show to get some rest for my flight. We said hello, shared a drink, swapped numbers." Michelle shrugged. She chatted with the front desk, got her room key, and they both made their way to another elevator.

"That's it? I thought you would have found the closest storage closet and fucked like rabbits." Damien laughed, then winced when Michelle promptly elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow, fuck what was that one for?"

"For being a jerk," Michelle laughed, not being totally serious in her insult. A beat or so passed as they entered the hotel elevator and pressed her room level. She glanced up at Damien and smirked. "but don't put something like that past me."

"I don't. That's why I said it." Damien smirked back and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Don't make me elbow you again." Michelle warned.

"Sorry." Damien chuckled.

The conversation was minimal for the rest of the elevator ride and the walk to Michelle's room. It mostly consisted of more teasing and Damien inviting Michelle out to drinks and clubbing with the rest of the roaster after the show, which Michelle obviously accepted.

"I'm just down the hall. If you need anything, text me. Vince told me to give you strict instructions to not leave your room until this afternoon, I'll give you a drive to the arena and get you to my trailer where you can get ready, and you stay there until your run-in. Got it?"

"Got it." Michelle nodded.

"Awesome. I'll swing by around 11:45? We gotta be there at noon." Damien checked his watch. "So you got about a few hours to just hang out, order some breakfast. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Damien." Michelle waved him off and closed the door.

She heaved a sigh, threw herself onto her bed and moaned. The bed was so soft. She grabbed her phone and set an alarm so she could squeeze in a little nap before the show tonight. She crawled under the covers, shut her eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

..........................

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEE-

"Fuuuuuuuck..." Michelle groaned, feeling like shit as she awoke from her nap. It was 11:00, and she had a text message from her sister.

"Sis⛓: Hey Micky! I got a ticket for a 2:00 flight, I'll let you know when I land. Keep me updated!"

Michelle released a sigh of relief at the text. She might be cutting it close to her match, but she'll make it in time.

"Hey Darcy, that's great news! Just woke up from a little cat nap, I'm about to get ready to head down to the arena. Damien is here with me, sounds like he's gonna be sneaking me around tonight. Can't wait to see you. ❤️"

She pressed send, threw her phone in front of her, and hopped off the bed to start pulling herself together to leave. She splashed some water on her face, pulled together everything she needed into her smaller carry-on bag and she was pretty much ready to go.

She waited for Damien to knock on her door, he swept her away and they were off to the arena.

"Nervous?" Damien asked as they pulled up to the arena.

"I'll feel better when Darcy's here." Michelle concluded, feeling a little overwhelmed at the size of the Allegiant Stadium.

"I'm glad she got a flight out." Damien smiled as he parked his car next to his trailer. They both got out, Michelle grabbed her suitcase from the trunk and he opened the trailer door. Michelle turned around to look at the stadium again, thinking about how many people were gonna be watching tonight. She started to feel the nerves, but Damien's voice broke her out of her thoughts. "Shake a leg, princess, anyone might see you out here."

"Sorry." Michelle muttered. She turned on her heel and jogged up the few steps that lead into his trailer. Damien turned to leave, but Michelle called after him. "Wait!"

"What?" Damien whispered with wide eyes, glancing around the other parked trailers.

"Can you get me some food from catering?" Michelle asked with a sheepish smile.

"You didn't get room service at the hotel?" Damien's eyebrows raised, slight annoyance obvious on his face.

"I took a nap." Michelle cringed.

"YOU TOOK A-" Damien's voice boomed, but he quickly drew back. He closed his eyes and scowled, trying to calm himself. "You took a nap?"

Michelle shrugged and nodded. Damien pinched the bridge of his nose, took a deep breath through his nose and took a step towards her.

"Do you know how hard it's gonna be to go in there, grab food for the both of us, and not look suspicious?" Damien pointed in the general direction of the arena, his lips in a thin line of irritation.

"I know, I'm sorry. Please? I need some food, the last thing I had was a finger sandwich at the Rampage last night. I'm so hungry." Michelle bit her lip, eyes pleading.

Damien thought for a few moments, jaw clenched and fingers tapping impatiently on his hips. He sighed and wagged a finger in his friend's direction.

"Fine. But!" he pointed at her definitively. "We do it my way."

"Thank you, Damien!" Michelle grinned and gave him a quick hug. "You're amazing."

"You vex me, Grimes..." Damien shook his head and jogged off.

Michelle shut the door with a rattling thud and took a moment to look around the trailer. The first thing that caught her eye were the several photos he had framed on the small dining table.

There was a picture of Damien and Dani the night he one the NXT North American Championship belt. She was in her ring gear, grinning from ear to ear as she looked up at him. He had an arm wrapped around her. He was looking at the camera, holding the title. Even back then, she had a major crush on him, but she would never admit it.

He had another picture of him, Dani, Annie, Matt Riddle, and Michelle. It was a self-timer photo someone had taken on their phone in some hotel room. The group of them were squished shoulder to shoulder on someone's bed. Our chins were placed in the palms of our hands and we were smiling like idiots, we looked like we were taking a cheesy family photo.

The last photo was a picture of Damien, Rhea, and Michelle. She was standing between Damien and Rhea, holding the NXT Women's title. Michelle smiled at the picture, recognizing it as the night she pinned Charlotte Flair to obtain her second title win during her time in NXT. Michelle's makeup was smudged and her hair was a mess, but the smile on Michelle's face was beaming.

She sat down in one of the chairs strewn around the trailer and held onto that memory a little longer, a ghost of a smile on her face.

"So long ago, but it feels like yesterday..." Michelle whispered to herself as she spared a glance at the pictures, and then at the trailer around her. "Look where I am now."

She poked around the trailer a little more, seeing if anything piqued her interest, but she decided to just sit on her phone and scroll through Twitter and occasionally went over her lines for her promo tonight. Soon enough, a knock came knocking at the trailer door. Michelle scrambled to her feet and not very gracefully tripped over a pair of Damien's shoes, but she caught her footing. She tip-toed to the door and cracked it opened to not only see Damien, but Matt.

"Holy shi-"

"No way-"

Matt and Michelle spoke at the same time, both of their faces lighting up. Michelle threw the door open and waved both the boys in, then promptly shut it behind them.

"What's up, MJ?" Matt put down the two plates of food in his hands and hugged the redhead in front of him.

"Just flippin' out, nothin' crazy." Michelle laughed and turned a pointed look of confusion to Damien, who just had a cocky smile on his face.

"This was my way." Damien gestured to Riddle, who just had his signature smile on his face. "I had to tell someone to come eat with me in my trailer, so I didn't look too crazy. I was gonna bring Dani, but she's with hair and make-up right now."

"So you're the big secret, huh?" Matt crossed his arms and looked her up and down. "Y'know, I've heard some rumors that some shady stuff was gonna happen tonight, but I'm so glad it's you."

"I'm happy to be here," Michelle smiled and glanced at the two plates he brought in, piled with food. "What-"

"We didn't know what you wanted so we got you a little of everything." Matt's lopsided grin made Michelle laugh and her chest warmed a little.

"Guys, you're the best, thank you." Michelle picked up the two plates and sat down at the small table to start eating.

The three swapped stories and caught up on anything that came to mind, but time flew by and Michelle let out a noise of surprise when she checked her phone.

"You guys gotta go! I gotta start getting ready, you guys need to get in your gear. Get out!" Michelle jokingly started to shoe them out, causing the group to giggle. "Out with you!"

"Kicking me out of my own trailer, unbelievable." Damien rolled his eyes, but Michelle just scoffed.

"You can have it back later, I need to get ready." Michelle finally got them out the door. "I'm so happy to see you both. Thank you for the food."

"Of course, Micky." Matt gave her a huge smile and a thumbs up. "You're gonna kill it tonight."

"Yeah, come find me after your run-in, hermana." Damien waved goodbye as the two men sauntered off back to the arena.

The next couple of hours were a tornado of hair and makeup. She ended up pulling her hair into a messy updo with some stray hairs pulled over her forehead. She did a dark smokey eye with her signature burgundy lip. She started to dig through her suitcase to change into her custom ring gear when her phone pinged. She picked it up, thinking it was her sister, but it was a text from Jon.

"Mox: Break some legs tonight, kid. Lots of love from home."

She opened the text to see there was a video attached. It was a video from Phil's living room. On the TV was the first SummerSlam match of the night, which was AJ Styles and Omos versus Randy Orton and Matt Riddle. The camera panned to the couch. On the couch was Phil, Matt and Nick Jackson, Eddie Kingston, and Adam Page. They were all waving and sending good wishes. The camera flipped, so Jon was in frame now. Jon made a face that made Michelle laugh through the tears welling up in her eyes.

"You got this kiddo!" Phil smiled through her little phone screen. "I wish I could be there with you."

"Show them how it's done!" Eddie cheered.

"We'll be cheering you on, you got a support system over here, Mickey." Jon gestured to all the men behind him.

"It's about time! Welcome to the big leagues, kid!" Matt whooped.

The video ended, and Michelle got a little choked up but she pushed the tears back down since she just finished her makeup. Her fingers flew across her phone's keyboard to respond.

"You got me tearing up in full hair and makeup. Thank you guys for the support, it warms my heart."

She put her phone down after she hit send and fanned her face to try to stop from looking too blotchy. After a few deep breaths, she went back into her suitcase, grabbed her gear, and changed.

Her new gear was mostly red and black with some white accents. The pants were leather, with the white accents being a latex-y reflective material. On her hips were her initials in big white letters "LG", and on either side of the initials were two big red devil horns. Her top was a black bra with red accents, and her boots were red with black accents.

There was a small full body mirror in the trailer and she was able to get a good look on how it fit. It was snug in the right places and hugged her curves. Her shoulders and back looked good and her abs were toned. She looked good.

A knock at the door startled her, a small noise of surprise escaped her throat.

"What the fuck..." She slowly approached the door and put her hand on the door handle. "Who is it?"

"Special delivery for Lilith Grimes, it's the Sister Special."

Michelle threw the door open and grabbed her sister in a big hug.

"I'm sorry for being so upset this morning-" Michelle started, but Darcy cut her off.

"Bitch!" Darcy laughed and gently shoved her back into the trailer and closed the door. "Don't even try to apologize, I was a jackass for being hungover and not being able to support you throughout today, I'm sorry."

"But-"

"No buts." Darcy shushed her sister, but then gasped. "Holy shit you look HOT. Damn."

Michelle laughed and put her hands on her hips. "I missed you today, I'm so happy you got a flight out."

"Fuck, me too. I was so worried I wasn't gonna get a flight out, but I'm just so happy to be here to support you on your big day. When do you go on?"

"Soon." Michelle sighed. Since there was not TV in the trailer, Michelle had to keep up with the show on her phone, and from what she can tell, Becky Lynch just defeated Bianca Belair. She grabbed one of her NXT hoodies and zipped it up. "I should actually start heading over now, the next few segments are gonna go by fast."

"Oh shit, I was just in time." Darcy laughed as she opened the door.

"Yeah." Michelle laughed and skipped down the steps and jumped onto the asphalt. She stretched and cracked her back and turned to walk side by side with her sister.

Once they were inside the arena walls, Michelle's heart was beating in her ears. Her palms started to sweat and she started to bite the inside of her cheek.

"Y'know what helped me when I got nervous right before I went on?" Darcy nudged Michelle's side gently to get her attention.

"Hm?" Michelle hummed, trying to focus on the sound of their footsteps echoing off the arena walls to calm down.

"I tried to say the alphabet backwards." Darcy grinned.

"You what?" Michelle laughed, confused.

"I would be so concentrated on trying to spell it backwards, I couldn't focus on my nerves. Every time I messed up, I started over." Darcy giggled. "I still do it every now and then, but I've done it so many times now, I know how to say the alphabet backwards now."

"I'll keep that in mind." Michelle nodded as they approached the gorilla position.

It seemed like Nikki, Rhea, and Charlotte had just finished their entrances and the match had just started. Producers and sound technicians spared a couple glances our way, but not much was said before Vince got up from his chair and extended his hand to Michelle, which she firmly shook his hand.

"How's it goin' boss?" Michelle tried to be playful, but as soon as it left her lips, she regretted her words. "Was that too casual? Oh god."

Thankfully, Vince chuckled a little.

"Goin' great, Lilith. You ready? You got the script right? You remember your lines?" Vince's gruff voice was stern. Michelle nodded quickly with a smile.

"Yes sir." Michelle nodded again as she unzipped her hoodie and threw it on an abandoned chair.

"Good. We'll make sure to give you the signal to head out there. Break a leg, kid." Vince put his headset back on and sat back down. "Nice to see you, Darcy."

"Thank you sir." Michelle turned her attention back to the several TV screens broadcasting the show happening 100 feet from her.

"Nice to see you too, Vince." Darcy nodded in her old boss's direction.

The next several minutes were a tense silence, with Michelle silently muttering the alphabet backwards. The silence was broken, however, by a booming, thick Scottish accent.

"Well if it isn't the Dynamo herself!" The two girls turned to see a rather large specimen of a man. He towered over Michelle, and his bicep was the size of her head. He was glistening with sweat and his abs were clenching with every deep breath.

"Drew, hey! Congrats on the win tonight." Darcy casually hugs the giant behind her with a smile.

"Well thank ya, lass." Drew chuckled and shrugged.

"Hey, I want you to meet my sister. I guess it's no use trying to keep it a secret anymore, she's debuting tonight in like five minutes." Darcy patted Michelle on the back, silently urging her to take a step towards Drew. "Drew, this is my sister Michelle."

"Pleasure to meet ya, miss." Drew took a small step forward, took Michelle's hand and kissed the back of it. All the while, his eyes never left hers. Michelle felt a hot blush creeping up her neck, but she played it off as casually as possible

"I've heard so much about you." Michelle had a smile creeping onto her face. She bit her lip for a moment as she took a once over of him quickly. "You've got quite the reputation."

"So do you. I've heard you can get pretty extreme." Drew nodded, his eyes doing wandering of their own before they went back up to her eyes and engaged in conversation once again. "Are the rumors true?"

"More or less." Michelle's smirk grew to a mischievous grin. "Guess you'll have to find out for yourself."

Drew's eyebrows raised at her challenge. He chuckled deeply and nodded.

"She'll fit in just fine." Drew said to Darcy, which she laughed at. "I know you're about to head out there, so I won't keep you. Lovely to see you both."

"See ya, Drew." Darcy waved.

Michelle fluttered her fingers, silently saying goodbye.

Drew took one more look over his shoulder before he disappeared backstage and winked.

"You weren't very subtle." Darcy pointed out under her breath.

"I wasn't trying to be." Michelle shrugged with a smirk.

"You haven't even been officially assigned to a brand yet and you're already flirting with your coworkers? Michelle." Darcy scolded.

"Don't judge me!" Michelle whispered. "I haven't gotten laid in a minute, and he looks even better than he does on TV."

"You're gonna get yourself into some deep trouble, Micky." Darcy warned. "If that's what you want, you're playing with fire."

"Trouble always seems to find me anyway, Darcy." Michelle pointed out, which made Darcy chuckle.

"Lilith," a guy with a headset taps Michelle on the shoulder. "Charlotte just got the pin. You're cue is in 10, 9-"

"Holy shit." Michelle jumped in place and started walking to the staircase that led up to her entrance.

For a few moments in that dark hall, the only thing Michelle could see was the light coming in from her entrance into the arena, and the only thing she could hear was the cheers from the crowd. Then just for a moment, all she heard was her heartbeat, like it was about to burst from her chest. And then, her music hit.

The heavy guitar strums from the beginning of "Ride with the Devil" by Motley Crue echoed through the arena.

The crowd went nuts. Lilith came around the corner and was momentarily blinded by the spotlights, but the adrenaline pumping through her kept her laser focused on that ring at the end of the ramp. Her focus was on Charlotte, who went from triumphantly holding the title above her head to dropping it at her side.

Lilith bounced from foot to foot and then began a dead sprint towards the ring, high-fiving a few fans at the barricade on the way.

"I can't believe it!" Jimmy Smith exclaimed from the announce table. "It's Lilith Grimes from NXT!"

"What the heck is she doing here?" Byron Saxton was on his feet and his hands were on top of his head.

"Here she comes! The Moxie of NXT has made her way to the WWE Stage."

Lilith dived head first and slid under the bottom rope, and pushed herself up to a kneeling position about two feet away from Charlotte, still maintaining intense eye contact. She got to her feet and took a step forward, her aura dripping confidence.

The crowd was still going ballistic. Nikki was in the corner of the ring, mouth hanging open. Lilith was able to catch Rhea out of the corner of her eye. She was favoring one of her knees, but the look on her face was priceless.

"What the hell are you doing here." Charlotte sneered at Lilith.

"Aww, you still hate me?" Lilith's face morphed to faux sympathy. "Glad to know some things don't change."

Lilith started circling Charlotte, looking her up and down, then locking her eyes on that title belt.

"You didn't answer my question." Charlotte whipped around to be almost toe to toe with Lilith.

Lilith licked her lips, trying to intimidate her opponent. She caught a glimpse of the Jumbotron, the camera was focused on trying to catch a glimpse of the heated words being passed between the two wrestlers in the ring.

"I'm here for your title, bitch." Lilith spit out slowly. As soon as the last word left her lips, Lilith attempted to grab the title out of Charlotte's hand, but Charlotte was quicker.

Charlotte took a couple steps back, spun around and was gonna try to hit Lilith with an elbow to the jaw, but Lilith duck out of the way just in time. Lilith blew a low whistle and her eyes went wide.

"Woah, calm down." Lilith's voice was dripping in condescension, which only angered Charlotte more. She bounced her body off the ropes, ran full speed at Lilith and reeled back a punch.

Lilith quickly rolled out of the ring and threw her hands up, motioning "wait".

"Is this what you want?" Charlotte shouted, holding the title up. The crowd roared, waiting for Lilith's response. "Come back in here and get it then, bitch."

Lilith shook her head, jumped up to the apron and slugged Charlotte with her forearm, knocking the newly crowned champ back. Lilith bent down, jumped over the top rope and clotheslined Charlotte onto her back, dazed.

Lilith rolled out of the ring, and made a grabbing motion in the direction of Jimmy Smith.

"Mic, please." Lilith's tone was biting. Jimmy quickly handed her a mic. She tapped it a few times before she started speaking into it. "Charlotte! Long time, no see, huh?"

Charlotte started to get back to her feet as Lilith got back onto the apron and bent at the hips to enter the ring over the second rope.

"Thought you saw the last of me?" Lilith challenged as she became eye to eye again with the champ. "Think again. I'm back, and I'm back with a vengeance."

Charlotte nabbed the mic out of my hand with an aggravated look on her face.

"What do you want." Charlotte's voice was dangerously low.

Lilith laughed and swiped the mic back with a little more force.

"I'm here to take another one of those from you, since I had so much fun taking it from you last time." Lilith pointed at the RAW Woman's title that Charlotte had just won.

Charlotte gripped the title a little tighter and shook her head. She grabbed the title and launched herself at her opponent, using the belt to bludgeon Lilith to the ground. After taking a few hits, Lilith was able to kick out from Charlotte's straddle and escaped to a corner of the ring. Charlotte dropped the title and charged at Lilith, who at the last possible moment ducked to the right. Charlotte followed her, but quickly regretted it as Lilith bounced off the ropes and leaped into what could have been a hurricanrana turned into an octopus submission hold.

"Tap, and I won't dislocate your shoulder." Lilith spoke through her teeth, her voice was venomous.

After a few moments, Charlotte tapped. Lilith held the hold for a few extra seconds, then released Charlotte where she collapsed on the mat.

She took a couple breaths, grabbed ahold of the title that was tossed aside earlier. The crowd erupted into cheers. She examined the title, smiled, and tossed it onto Charlotte's body on the floor. Her music started to play as she rolled out of the ring. She made eye contact with Rhea, sent her a cheeky wink and mouthed "We'll talk later". Rhea nodded with an amused look on her face.

Lilith marched her way up the ramp, cracked her neck, and walked backstage with a smile.

Taglist <3:

@cherrytheeredheadmamaclaymore

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springgirlwaiting4fall · 2 years

Text

The Nanny: Eddie Kingston and You

Part Two

Part 0ne

Apparently a pay per view is not just a one night event, as Renee, Stella, and you leave on Thursday night and are not flying back until Tuesday afternoon. Flying to Chicago was uneventful; well as uneventful with a baby could be. Jon will be flying in Friday night after an independent show.

Renee has nothing planned until Friday afternoon and so you are Baby free until than. You never have been to Chicago before, but the time difference is making you feel lazy and tired. So you decide to just sunbathe by the pool and catch up on some reading.

Walking to the pool, you cross through the lobby and see some dudes trying to throw mustard packets into a bowl. One guy is filming and a couple are talking and watching. It’s odd, but you don’t really think much it, except for thinking one of the guys watching in a black T-shirt and Yankees hat is really cute.

Friday afternoon and Saturday Renee and Jon are both really busy; One being interviewed and the other one doing the interviews. You have Stella both days and the two of you explore Chicago going to Maggie Daley Park, The Field Museum and Navy Pier. While going in and out of the hotel, you notice a lot of cute men, none of however compare to the guy you seen the first night.

You had never been backstage at any type of show, you were not expecting it to be so busy and filled with people. It was definitely overwhelming. You knew Renee wanted to catch up with friends and network a little bit, so you were more than happy to just entertain Stella and stay in the background. At one point you had to Change Stella and when you came out of the bathroom with her, Renee was gone.

Renee had told you that if you had gotten lost to either go back to Jon’s locker room or catering. You didn’t feel comfortable going into Jons locker room, so Stella and you followed the signs to catering. This was definitely the center of backstage. People rushing in and out and others sitting down relaxing. You grabbed a banana for Stella to suck and drool over and sat at the last open table.

After Stella had destroyed the banana, making a complete mess of herself, and cleaning her up; you gave her a bottle and lay her down in her stroller fast asleep. You checked your phone and saw Renee texted you making sure Stella and you were okay. After replying telling her yes and you two were in catering, you started reading a book you packed in Stella’s diaper bag.

You were a couple of chapters in your book when Jon walked into the room. He bent over to kiss to a still sleeping Stella, asking how her day was going, than asking “You doing okay kid?” Rolling your eyes at him calling you kid, you assured him you were fine.

Than the cute guy from the hotel lobby walked in; he was in wrestling gear and even more beautiful up close. Jon said something about you eating and than he was yelling. “Yo Eddie. EDDIE,” you watched as hotel lobby guy walked over. “Eddie this is Stella’s nanny. Y/N this is Eddie.”

Eddie gave you a head nod, you suddenly felt very shy and gave him a small wave. Jon takes your book from out of your hands. “Y/N go with Eddie and get some food. He’s never shy about eating.”

You followed Eddie to the buffet table trying to play it cool and not snort laugh when Eddie yells back at your boss “fuck you.” He hands you a plate, you start noticing all these little things about Eddie. Like how he smells so incredibly good, his one knuckle is fucked up but that only adds to your attraction, and how his eyes change colors. At the lobby they were green and now they are blue. He doesn’t touch you but his hand hovers over your lower back as he guides you over to the table.

When you been eating for a while Jon ask how it is. You squint your eyes and say “it’s good but not as good as my pasta was.” Before leaving for Chicago Renee had taken you and Stella out for lunch. You ordered the most amazing pasta and brought the leftovers back to their house for lunch the next day. But after looking forward to it all morning, it was missing from the fridge “I should have stabbed you.”

Eddie let’s out a bark of laugh, “I’ve never heard anyone speak to you like that before Mox.” Your stomach tightens at sound of his laugher, you want to keep making him laugh. And you also wish Jon would go away so you can spend time with Eddie on your own.

But you don’t have that kind of luck. Just as Jon leaves to do some type of interview. Renee walks into catering and joins you two at the table. “Eddie, I have a huge favor to ask,” Renee explains that she ordered a playhouse for Stella but Jon won’t be home to build it and she wants it up for a photoshoot she’s having done. “Is there anyway you could come over?”

Eddie tells her not to worry about it, he will build it no problem. She give him a date and he says he will be there. You secretly hope that you will be working that day.

Renee looks at her Apple Watch and sees its time to get going back to the hotel. Stella needs to get to bed and Renee needs to watch a hockey game. Renee tells Eddie she will text him all the details for the playhouse later. You say goodbye and say it was nice meeting you to Eddie. And you feel your heart melt when he replies back. “You too sweets.”

#aew #aew fanfiction #eddie kingston #eddie kingston imagine

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maccreadysbaby · 9 months

Text

CRASH AND BURN™︎

fem!oc x preston garvey

in which a strange girl shows up in the commonwealth to tell the minutemen that an old enemy is rising up from the capital wasteland, and they’re not just coming for kicks and giggles. oh, and an unassuming second-in-command manages to catch her silver eye, even on the brink of war.

❝ if this is what it feels like to fall for you, garvey, i don’t want to stop until i crash and burn ❞

this is chapter eight. full chapter masterlist can be found here.

TW: none

❝ SETTLE ❞

Vault 62, DC, Capital Wasteland

Aug 11, 2287, 0900

— HEARTLEY HADN’T SPOKEN TO ANY OF HER FRIENDS BESIDES MARKUS, CHICAGO, AND MERCURY FOR FOUR DAYS. Simon and Tuesday’s father, after hearing about the wedding lying extravaganza, forbade them from hanging out with, quote-on-quote, bad influences. Jericho’s mother, after he got spontaneously better from the spontaneous sickness, had him on total lockdown; Heartley hadn’t seen him once. Scout had gone completely off the grid, probably wrestling with the fact that Riot may or may not be living anymore. Markus, Mercury, and Chicago’s families all knew that Riot was missing, and all knew varying degrees of what the children had been up to, but none found it fit to punish their kids. Neither did Heartley’s mom.

Whatever her mother said to Alec, thankfully, stopped him from throwing the kids in confinement again. It was past the weekend and he hadn’t made an appearance. Heartley was thankful.

She sat in her mother’s lab, spinning around and around in her desk chair. Riot’s disappearance was still a phenomenon within vault sixty-two, but no one dared speak about it outside of hushed tones and locked rooms. That’s always how it was when something went down in the vault. Because, when something bad happened in a vault, the person behind it had to be inside, lurking.

Heartley sighed as she spun around for the up-teenth time, glancing at her mother, who was fiddling with a little electronic machine on her worktop. She had her tongue sticking halfway out of her mouth, and was wearing some glasses with makeshift magnifiers on the lenses. Heartley was just thankful she wasn’t poking at a liver or something.

“-and then I just tighten this stupid little screw that my stupid little screwdriver can’t fit in-“

“Mom,” Heartley started, pausing the spinning chair to face her mother. “You’re narrating. You’ve been narrating for twenty minutes.”

She didn’t even look over at her daughter. “I’m focusing.”

“Calling your tools stupid helps you focus?”

Her mother only snickered lightly.

Heartley brushed her hair over her shoulders. “What are you making now, anyways?”

“A very small machine,”

The girl rolled her eyes with a smirk. “You’re a real joy to talk to when you’re working.”

“It sends electrical pulses. Kind of like a pacemaker,” She explained.

“A what?”

“Pre-War medical equipment that sends electrical pulses to help the heart beat on time,”

“Ah,”

There was a short silence.

“Hey, mom?”

“Hon?”

“What did you see in Alec?”

Her mother paused, glancing over at her. “Where’d this come from?”

Heartley shrugged. “Just curious.”

Her mother chuckled, a melodic sound. “Alec used to be different. Kind, charming, smart and loyal. Much like your friend Markus is to you.”

“Mom,” Heartley groaned, running a hand over her face.

“Just saying, Heartley. Anyways, I was one of the Enclave’s biologists, he was an engineer. We had to work together sometimes. I guess it just sprang from there. Acquaintances, friends… We got married twenty-one years ago, and a year later, we had you,”

Heartley nodded along, spinning again.

“He was… the only guy my age that I worked around. All the other men were front liners, clonking around in power armor, having to fight the useless wastelanders. I was scared if I didn’t pick him, I’d never get to pick anyone,” She murmured, still fiddling with her little screwdriver. “That I’d be alone.”

Heartley hummed. “So you didn’t actually love him, then?”

“No, I did. Just… not as well as I could have,” She admitted. “He loved me. Oh, he loved me. I could tell by the way he looked at me. He was head over heels and I… well… I chose the first boy that was presented to me.”

Her mother sighed, lifting the small machine with her hand. “That’s why, Heartley Hathaway, you don’t settle for someone just because you want a relationship. If you wait, one day, you’ll find the person that loves you endlessly that you can love endlessly, too.” She stated. “Love is a two-way street. An expressway where both directions go the same speed. If either of you are driving in the slow lane, it’s probably best you pull over.”

Heartley snickered, watching the white ceiling spin above her. “Wow. I didn’t know you had such emotionally charged intellectual rigor, mom.”

Her mother snorted. “I can say it in less philosophical terms,” She muttered, clearing her throat. “You jump the gun, you end up divorced with the biggest dick in the vault as your ex.”

Both women chuckled that time, the older of the two ending with a sigh.

“Hey, mom?”

“Hey, Heartley?”

The girl stopped spinning, glancing down at the desk. “What if I never find that person? I’m friends with pretty much all of the options available to me and… I don’t feel that way toward any of them.”

“Yet,” She added.

“I’m serious, mom. Markus is my best friend and I love him to bits but I could never ever date him. Simon and Tuesday are great and all but they’re like brothers. They’re all like brothers. The only one that wasn’t was…”

“Riot,” Her mother finished the sentence for her.

“Yeah, he was different. But I’d still never date him. I can’t see myself having a future with any guy in this vault,” Heartley complained. “I’m gonna be alone forever!”

“Y’know, staying unmarried isn’t a bad thing. You can use your time to focus on yourself, and whats most important to you,”

Heartley spun again. “But I… don’t do anything. I don’t have a job. I cant follow in your footsteps because I’d need an hour just to memorize the titles of the books you know by heart. If I stay alone, then I’ll be… nothing.”

“Heartley, honey, your worth isn’t in your job or how successful or well known you are. Your worth comes from what’s inside. Your character. The positive and negative traits that make you a unique and diverse individual. Your strengths and your weaknesses, and everything in between… that’s what gives you value,” She murmured.

Heartley’s brown tilted inward. “If you believe that, then why does the Enclave hate wastelanders? Aren’t they just people, too? People with positive and negative traits that make them unique and diverse individuals? They have strengths and weaknesses and everything in-between…”

Her mother looked over at her, sternly, and it made her shut her mouth.

After a few moments of silence and spinning, her mother piped up: “You know why I want you to be with Markus?”

Heartley paused and looked over at the silver-haired woman, suppressing an annoyed glare. “Why?”

“Because I see the potential in him to be so much more than Alec ever was… and I want you to have that. I don’t want you to go through what I went through, I want you to have the perfect person, from the start. Because you deserve it,”

Heartley smiled warmly. “I know you only want the best for me, mom, but I think the best for me is to find my person myself. Wait until we find each other, like you said earlier. And whether that’s Markus in seven years or someone in this vault I’ve never spoke to before, I still want to wait, not settle. Weren’t you just lecturing me about not settling, and now I'm lecturing you on it?” Heartley chuckled, and her mother did, too.

“I guess so,” She stated, lifting up the magnifiers from the lenses of her glasses. “You’re an astounding young woman. Whoever has the privilege of finding you, Markus or not, will be an incredibly lucky young man.”

Heartley smiled again. “Thank you, mom.”

A pleasant silence passed, during which Heartley thought about her future. She wondered who in the vault it would be. Maybe it really was Markus, and they’d look back and laugh at all the times they called her mother crazy. Maybe it would be Simon, and they’d have wished they got married when they pretended they were. Maybe it’d be… maybe it’d be…

…Riot. Maybe she’d find him. Maybe he’d come out of hiding. And she’d never let go of him again.

Her mother snickered.

“What?”

“You haven’t taken off Simon’s lab coat since he let you take it,”

Heartley scoffed, glancing down at the white coat that covered her jeans and purple flannel. “Why take it off when it gives me a perfect excuse to play scientist with you?”

They both chuckled, but abruptly stopped when the lab door slid open with a muted hiss. Their eyes both flicked to the door, the same confused expression crossing their similar features.

Tuesday Jones was standing in the doorway, eyes wide, scanning every nook and cranny of the lab. After he’d successfully dissected the entire room his expression fell into a state Heartley had never seen on him before: fear.

“Oh my God, this can not be happening. This can not be happening,” He muttered, turning and escaping back into the hallway. Heartley and her mother shared a glance, the youngest of the pair hopping out of the chair and jogging after him.

She turned into the hallway, trotting to keep up with his quickly fading back. “Tuesday. Tuesday, what’s going on?”

“You still have his lab coat,” He muttered, not turning back or pausing on his way to the stairs. Heartley jogged behind him.

“Does he need it back?”

“He went to get it back last night. He was going to you and coming right back, I should’ve gone with him, but I was so stupid I didn’t even consider it. I just said okay and went to bed, how-“

“Tuesday,” Heartley caught his shoulder before he could take the first step down the stairs. “Tell me what’s going on.”

He turned to her, his brown eyes empty. He was disheveled; Heartley had never seen him like that before. “We can’t find Simon. Dad and I were in bed when he left to get his lab coat back from you. He wasn’t there when we woke up.”

Heartley’s blood ran cold, and she felt a little dizzy. “What time did he come to my room?”

“Maybe midnight, or half past,”

She wracked her brain for any memory, but it came up empty. “I was already asleep, I think. Mom surely would’ve told me if he came to the door.”

Like her words were a queue, her mother poked her head out of the lab. “Honey, everything okay?”

Heartley glanced over at her, frowning harder. “Did Simon come to the door last night?”

Her mother humphed. “No. Why?”

Heartley turned back to Tuesday, whose face was losing color. She didn’t have time to answer her mother before he continued: “I’ve checked everywhere he would go.”

“Mercury’s?” She tried.

“That was the first place I checked. Mercury hasn’t seen him,”

“Chicago’s?”

“Nope, hasn’t seen him, either,”

“Markus?”

“Last saw him in the medbay with you,”

“Jericho?”

“His mom used some very colorful words to tell us no,”

“Scout?”

“He’s been in confinement since the night you and Simon told us about the terminal. Long story short he drank himself senseless and tried to talk to Alec,”

“Closet?”

“Empty,”

“Medbay?”

“Likewise. I told you, Heartley, I checked everywhere he would go,” He stated, running a stressed hand through his hair.

“Have you told security?”

“Not after what they did to us over Riot. I think my dad will soon, though,” He stated. His hands were starting to shake by his sides. “I can’t… I can’t think. If I could just think I might be able to solve this. I’ve watched dad do open heart surgeries, I’ve seen people on the brink of death, this… this should be nothing. I should be fine.”

“Tuesday. Slow down. Breathe,” Heartley ordered, placing her hands on his shoulders. His eyes met hers but they were shielded — cold. “Our friend disappeared out of thin air and now you can’t find your twin, you have the right to be upset. It’s okay to be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid,” He brushed her hands off and continued down the stairs, and she followed him. “I just need to sit down and think. There’s always a solution, there has to be. Everything in life has a formula. An answer. Everything is an equation, and if you put the pieces in the right place, you’ll find the answer.”

“Tuesday,” She tried as she trailed along behind him. He was making for the medbay, and she could see his father inside.

“I just need to-“

She stepped in front of him. “Breathe, Tuesday. You need to take a minute and breathe.”

“I am breathing,” He shot back.

“You’re also shaking, and pale. Give yourself a minute,” She stated, stepping a bit closer.

He wouldn’t meet her eye. “I’m not going to waste time being upset when I could be finding an solution.”

She reached up and squeezed his shoulders reassuringly. His eyes trailed down to the floor, and a second later, he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Why did it have to be him?” He muttered. Heartley frowned, stepping forward and pulling him into a one-sided embrace. It wasn’t often she hugged Tuesday Jones, he never needed it.

This was bad.

#oc; heartley #mb; crash and burn #preston garvey x oc #fo4 preston #preston garvey #preston

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astralbondpro · 1 month

Text

November 3, 1950 -

Gorgeous George has some trouble with Hans Schnabel, as promoter Fred Kohler presents Wrestling From Chicago.

#Gorgeous George #Hans Schnabel #Fred Kohler #Wrestling From Chicago #Wrestling #Wrestling From Chicago Gifs #Wrestling Gifs #Gifs #AVGifs #AVWrestling #AVWrestlingGifs #AVWrestlingFromChicago #AVWrestlingFromChicagoGifs

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wardlowsbabydoll · 2 years

Note

Uh may I please request a Raquel González or Cora jade fanfiction or both x short and cubby possible black female reader

Of course! I will admit that I am not a huge follower of NXT, I watch it once and a while so I am aware of who they both are.

I would also like to preface this by saying that I am not black, I cannot fully speak on what a black person experiences. But I have done research and will be very respectful towards writing this and any future stories on my page with a black reader. I also consulted with the wonderful @moxleyunstable and she gave me some advice so that what I would write would be appropriate and respectful. Thank you for that btw bestie.

Also for this, I’m sorry to have to say that you’re going to have to suffer through headcanons instead of a full blown imagine. I hope you still enjoy it though!

Of your girlfriends, you had met Brianna (Cora) first

You had known Brianna for years (you were childhood best, friends)

She was older than you by a few months (she was born in January and you were born in August of 2001)

Growing up, Brianna was a huge fan of wrestling (you not so much) but after she introduced you to watching by some of AJ Lee’s matches, along with Naomi who was part of the Funkadactyls at that time you were hooked.

After saving for months, you surprised Brianna with tickets to Monday Night Raw that was taking place in Chicago

This was how you asked her on a date

Soon after, all of your dates were to the local indie promotions shows.

Brianna had convinced you to go to wrestling school with her after you both graduated from high school early

You could never say no to her and so off you both went to wrestling school

Your mother was furious when she found out that you went to wrestling school (she hated wrestling and had banned it in the house) and because you were 18 at that point in which you finished your training (Brianna finished first, you had a bit harder of a time handling the rigorous training schedule on top of your job) your mother kicked you out

Without question Brianna and her mom (who loved you like her own) let you move in with them

You were there for almost a week before your mom came over and asked for you to move back home

She was afraid you were going to hurt yourself and took her fear out on you

You reassured your mom that you would be okay and that you would show the world that big, beautiful, black women could do everything that other female athletes could do.

You and Brianna soon became a tag team and gained a following in the indies

You made appearances in Impact and AEW before you both signed with WWE at the beginning of 2021

That’s where you both met Victoria (Raquel)

It was your first day at the PC and you were both quite nervous

Victoria showed you both around and told you both if you needed anything to come to her

You and Brianna both knew you were polyamorous and when you met Victoria, you both felt like you found the one

But you both didn’t want to come off as obvious, and Victoria seemed (to the both of you at least) to be completely oblivious

Although you would both later find out from Victoria that you were about as subtle as fire engines with the sirens going

It started with the two of you becoming training partners with Victoria and Cheree

Eventually, it lead to Brianna asking Victoria to have some coffee with you both

She was the one to "confront" (if you could really call it that) you both about your as she called it "pussyfooting around your feelings"

You were the one to say that you were interested in her as a partner

She asked for a couple of days to think about it and you both agreed

After four days she showed up at your's and Brianna's apartment and accepted

All she wanted was to take things slow which you both agreed to

You went at Victoria's pace and after three months of slowly escalating, it was officially official

It wasn't a secret around the PC about your relationship, in fact, many of the talent supported the three of you and spoke out against anyone who would try and trash the three of you

You were the shortest between the three of you

Brianna stood at five foot six, Victoria at six feet, and you were five foot two

they often hid things on the top shelf so you would have to ask them for help

That, your beautiful chocolate skin tone and your penchant for wanting kisses all the time led to them affectionately calling you their Hershey Kiss

They also called you "Chocolate Queen", & "Sassypants" (sometimes it just happened and other times someone just pushes the right buttons in the correct order)

Expect lots of compliments on your skin tone

You all had food associated nicknames for each other, (you were Hershey Kiss, Brianna was gumdrop, and Victoria was lolly (short for lollypop obviously))

Cuddle puddles happen all the time, usually, Victoria is squished in the middle while you and Brianna curl into her sides

That's usually how you would fall asleep

Here you go, my friend! I hope you enjoyed this, I'm quite nervous to put this out there but please feel free to message me if anything feels off about this. I want to educate myself, and be able to do better in the future. Thanks again for the request and sorry it was headcanons instead of a full-blown imagine!

#cora jade #wwe #wwe x reader #black reader #raquel gonzalez #wwe headcanons #polyamory #wwe imagines #wwe fanfiction

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byeskyebye · 10 months

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--- 🌙 Once I had a 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 and it was a gas Soon turned out had 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 Seemed like the r̲e̲a̲l̲ thing only to find Mucho 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭, love's gone behind.

BIRTHNAME: Skylar Dolecki NICKNAMES: Skye, Scoobs, Blue, Bluberry DATE OF BIRTH | AGE: October 2nd, 1999 | Twenty-three years old [ 23 ] GENDER | PRONOUNS: Female | she / her BIRTH PLACE | HOMETOWN: Chicago, Illinois - United States of America CURRENT RESIDENCE | LIVING CONDITIONS: Chicago, Illinois | Two bedroom apartment that she shares with a roommate. CURRENT CAREER: Professional Wrestler currently contracted with All Elite Wrestling. HEIGHT | WEIGHT: Five feet and two inches tall, [5'2"] | One hundred and ten pounds, [110 lbs]. EYE COLOR | HAIR COLOR: Her eyes are a deep chocolate brown. | Though her hair is more of a darker brown, Skylar often adds a variety of softer brown highlights, especially during the summer months. Here lately, she's been experimenting with various blue streaks and extensions to add a pop of color that matches her gear. TATTOOS: Six, currently. The number '21' on the outside of her right wrist, a floral crescent moon on the inside of her right forearm, two initials on each thumb, cursive bite me above her right butt cheek, and a floral bouquet on her outer left thigh. PIERCINGS | RETIRED PIERCINGS: Right nostril piercing, double right ear piercings, and triple left ear piercings ( including a stud in her upper left cartilage ), and a navel piercing that is often adorned with a simple stud. ORIENTATION: Heterosexual RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single, recovering from a recent breakup. DRINK | SMOKE | DRUGS: Yes. | No. | No. HOBBIES: Sewing and knitting. PERSONALITY: Growing up, Skylar suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks, mostly triggered by claustrophobia. An introvert by nature, the Chicago native is learning how to enjoy the career of her dreams which just so happens to place her in front of thousands of people on any given night. A career she loves with every ounce of her being, that is truly worth the extra effort it takes for her to step out of her comfort zone. Interviews aren't her strong point but she knows that it's part of her job, and while she'd rather let her in ring work do all of the talking for her -- Skylar is quickly becoming more comfortable expressing herself verbally. CHARACTER NOTES & CHANGES: Skylar recently went through a break up with Dante Martin, but the two have been on the mend the past few weeks. I will be acknowledging that Skylar is "healing" from a recent serious relationship ending, but I will not name Dante as her ex-boyfriend. This way, if someone would like to bring in Dante and portray him -- they will be free to do so without any baggage to carry with them from my plots and storylines. Her ex, for all intents and purposes for my portrayal will be an unnamed individual ( perhaps an initial or something of the sort will be stated at a later time ). For continuity of the group, Dante Martin and Skye Blue have only ever been friends and co-workers & anything romantic that has been seen on television is strictly for show and storyline purposes only. all plots are open. feel free to dm me if you're interested in plotting anything. i don't mind coming up with the plots as long as I know you're interested! if you're too shy to dm me first, then leave an emoji in the replies and I'll come invade your dms! 💙

#b.b.intro

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xkittypunkerx · 11 months

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Falling In Line

What happens when CM Punk and The Second City Saints get a new member that was originally from their worst Enemies The Prophecy?

Pairing: CM Punk x Female

Rating: M

Warnings: Very Strong Language, Graphic Rape, Strong Rough Sexuality, Strong Volience

Chapter 1

PAYBACK!

Taylor Sky is a 20-year girl and she's from Philadelphia, PA. She has been dealing with her abusive and alcoholic Father all her life. He would abuse and Rape her almost everyday. She's a sweet girl and just want to enjoy life happily and to feel loved but also has a feisty and disrespectful side that made her an out cast.

She moved to Chicago to start a new life and pursue her wrestling career to get away from her terrible life back at home. Along the way, she meets Christopher Daniel in IWA Mid South Wrestling . He was there for her and helped her become who she is today. They both broke out in Ring Of Honor along with their best friends Allision Danger, Dan Maff and BJ Whitmer aka The Prophecy she finally felt loved and wanted That is Until she ran into The Second City Saints Leader CM Punk.

CM Punk is a 24 year old punk rock who became the wrestling God of the indies. He is also Straight edge which means; he is drug free, alcohol free and he is better than you and everyone else in the world. CM Punk is the Leader of the Group The Second City Saints which consist of; Colt Cabana, Ace Steel, Lucy Furr and Traci Brooks. CM Punk is an arrogant, self proclaimed, highly disrespectful, asshole in all of Ring Of Honor. He is The Ring Of Honor Champion, The Ring Of Honor Tag Team Champion with Colt Cabana. CM Punk is not to be messed with and he is very Dangerous. Plainly CM Punk don't give a fuck!

What will happen when he meets Taylor Sky?Will She Fall In Line or will he finally be tamed?

Chapter 1

PAYBACK!

I wished this was a dream and I could just wake up to fresh smell of coffee and sun beaming down on me with birds chirping but it wasn't. This wasn't even scripted this is was as real as it gets. The people cheering had no clue this was not scripted but reality because of what happened to Lucy. I had nothing to do with her, I didn't even know her but I knew she was CM Punk's girl and all I could ask myself was 'Why BJ? Why?' I don't know what he did to Lucy but whatever he did looks like I'm the one paying the price for it.

The shit that was going down in front me scared me shitless. My tough side wouldn't even come out that's how terrified and scared I was. People told me about CM Punk and his reputation and his attitude towards others that wasn't like him. Chris told me never to Trust him, He was a monster that had to be put away and that He only cared about himself. I hated him with every fiber in me. I wanted him to burn in hell and stay there forever. He destroyed a lot of my friends careers in ROH and the last thing I wanted was to be anywhere near him. My thoughts was yanked out of me suddenly when I felt the pain of my black long stringy hair be pulled out of my head by none other than CM Punk who was angry and his grip made note of it.

"Get the fuck off me!" I yelled trying to get him off my hair but hurting myself in the process.

"Shut the fuck up you stupid bitch! fuck you chris! this is payback for what your buddy did to lucy!" Punk yelled back at them as he begin laughing sadisticly and shoving me down on the floor towards the entrance area.

The crowd was so loud that I could even hear myself coughing from falling to the floor. I pulled my hair back behind my ear trying to focus where I was going.

Colt and Ace continued to go at The Prophecy causing the arean to go up in a roar as people begin trying to challenge CM Punk and Second City Saints.

"Punk if you hurt her I will fuck all of you up! don't play with me bitch! Dan yelled at Punk,Colt and Ace as every one in the arena knew Dan was snapping and punk was getting under his skin when he had shoved Taylor to the floor. Dan was so mad that he picked up a metal chair and threw it randomly at The Second City Saints causing the mayhem to escalate "I will fuck you up you punk ass bitch! Come get you some bitch!" Dan was fuming and trying get to punk as security tore threw the arena.

"I'll take good care of her .. Prophecy" Punk laughed maniacally and retreated to the exit doors as Colt and Ace followed him while pulling me with them forcefully. Before punk could leave and an idea came to his head and he turned around. Smiling sadisticly and laughing at the crowd who processed to threaten and scream at him he grabbed a very terrified me against him so I was facing The Prophecy. He had a microphone in hand and held me closer to him. He begin yelling at the prophecy to pay attention to him as Chris And BJ did.

As scared as I was I had to admit to myself 'how can someone so Sexy and cute as CM Punk become like this?'

" Listen up!, I have your precious Taylor! and what I will do to her will be way worst than what you did Lucy! This is payback and I'm gonna enjoy doing what I want! When I want! and most of all as I want to her! and there's nothing you MOTHERFUCKERS can do about it! Oh and Dan if you thought me shoving her to the floor was bad just imagine that as my BED!.. Punk started laughing crazily at the idea as Dan Maff begin trying to force his way through the guards angrily "IM A FUCK YOU!" Dan yelled while being held by the guards.

"Cuz I'm gonna have so much fun doing the things you wish you did!" Punk yelled as he threw the mic at the prophecy not caring if is hit them or not. The crowd cheered still believing this was all an act and I only wish they knew how wrong they were.

"I AM CM PUNK! I AM STRAIGHT EDGE! THAT MEANS I AM DRUG FREE! ALCOHOL FREE AND THAT I AM BETTER THAN EACH AND EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!" and with that Punk retreated pulling me along to the back with Colt and Ace behind him running to the exit to there car.

Sorry it's short but I hoped you liked it. Let me know in the comments. Chapter 2 will be out tomorrow.

#cm punk fic #cm punk roh #cm punk iwa #cm punk

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thalassofins · 2 years

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( KING SHARK, CIS MAN, HE/HIM ) — Look who it is! If you take a look at our database, you’ll find that FINS is a TWENTY-SIX year old UNDERGROUND FIGHTER that has been in Chicago for THEIR WHOLE LIFE. According to government files, they’re a MUTANT on LEVEL TWO with the power of SHARK PHYSIOLOGY. That must be why they’re CURIOUS and SUBMISSIVE. If you ask me, they remind me of THE SCRATCH OF SANDPAPER AGAINST YOUR FINGERS, A CRACKED BOWL REPAIRED WITH GOLD, AND THE SOFT EMBRACE OF RAIN ON A COOL MORNING. They are affiliated with THE MORLOCKS.

background.

the day fins graced the world, screams of terror were wrought in his wake. born to one human parent and one ( dormant ) mutant parent, neither was prepared to deal with the reality of creating something so... different. horrified and disgusted at the appearance of their son, they begged the doctors to take him away from their sight. and away he was taken, wrapped in a towel and dumped into a backalley for what hopefully wouldn’t be an entirely unpleasant death. who, after all, would want to care for something like that?

but someone did care for the pup thrown out into the night—his own kind. from the grates came others like him, those who had been forced out of human society and into the drains, ready to take him somewhere he would be safe. while sad for the orphaned child, the morlocks knew that it was better this way, better to grow up among those that would love and care for him instead of those that would rather leave him to die.

life in the sewers beneath the city was harsh. food and supplies were scarce among those who couldn’t work to retrieve them, limited to what they could scavenged out of the ruins... and out of the garbage. but to a child that knew no other life, surrounded by those that loved and accepted him without question, with a family, with a brother, it might as well have been heaven. even so, growing up meant curiosity—why did they have to seclude themselves in the sewers, when others could enjoy the sunlight? why did they have to struggle if life could be so good on the surface? and how could they explain hatred to innocent children?

seven’s, his brother’s, curiosity got the better of him first. out onto the surface he went, gone in an instant. he didn’t return. a few of the others, experienced in covering their tracks from humanity, went looking and found no trace of him, offering grief but little in answers. fins’, as he had been named by his surrogate family, own curiosity, his own anguish, his own refusal to accept that seven was dead or gone grew stronger. not only was he no longer content to simply forage among the refuse, to hide away for the sensibility of those he could only ever imagine, but also plagued by a sense of familial duty. he would find out what happened. he would go out onto the surface.

so, while planning was scarce and encouragement scarcer, fins made the decision to leave the only home he had ever known—the sewers, the morlocks—in search of a better world... and hopefully, his lost brother. despite hardships, despite hatred and fear and strife, he has slowly but surely began to carve a place for himself in the world. in his dreams, he sees a place higher than the dumpsters and alleyways, a place where people—humans, even—can coexist. where he can be welcomed into society, into work, into homes, without fear of being treated like scum on the bottom of someone’s boot.

quick facts.

has been roped into fighting in an underground ring under the guise of being accepted by people. is given lots of rewards for winning fights and has been tricked into believing that, much like wrestling on television, everything is staged and he’s not actually hurting people.

with the money he gets from winnings, he buys... mostly food. given his huge size (over 7ft tall, 400lbs) he has to eat a huge amount. some of it is gotten through dumpster diving, some of it through gently passing money to local shopkeepers that have learned he means no harm. the rest? given to other homeless people/anyone who looks like they need it.

he is illiterate. :( he can write his name, if there’s a pen big and sturdy enough around, but nothing else.

bi... ;)

his favorite place to go is, obviously, the lakes! but... only at night where there’s not anyone around to scare. he tried once during the day and the screaming and panic was too depressing.

possible connections.

other fighters. anyone who’s down in that ring would probably know of him! he’s quite the winner, after all! could also be anyone who’s aware of the fights, too.

tutors. if you’re nice enough to be able to work around the big teeth, he’s always on the look out to learn things, academic or otherwise!

friends. pwease?

anything else. i’m literally down for anything, hate him or love him. he WILL cry if you hate him though.

#intros #teehee

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squad3-sevcase · 2 years

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I Know Your Heart (4) Mon Amour | Chicago Fire Fanfic

Summary: A chance encounter with the family of the late Andrew Darden puts many things into perspective for Kelly in a way that causes him to lash out. On an emergency call at a construction site, Kelly and Becker come face to face with time itself.

Warnings: general Chicago Fire warnings apply. Read at your own discretion.

A/N: episode 2 is one of my favourites because of everything it forces Kelly to confront, so the next few parts are from his point of view. This is straight-up sadness. I’m sorry. Edited 14th November 2022.

Taglist: @campingmonkey @fullwattpadmusictree @marvelatthetwilight @fictionlover100 @deardelicatedamage

For Kelly Severide, the days following the Franklin Street building fire were rough. He wrestled, day and night, with memories of losing Andy, and almost losing Becker. Though the two situations were different, he couldn't help wanting to still lay blame on the Truck lieutenant's shoulders. If he had truly been watching out for Andy, if he hadn't been so stubborn and bullheaded with his sister, neither instance would have occurred. At least, Kelly reminded himself sadly, Becker Casey lived to follow him through hell another day. Not all was lost.

He arose a bit earlier the following day and planned to head for coffee before Becker made her return to work. He volunteered to take a few days off and be with her during the recovery period for her arm, but she wouldn't hear of it. “A couple of days without me won't kill you, Severide.” she jokingly admonished. “Besides, I could use some time without you and my brother up my ass. Go be a hero.” So, that's what he did.

Now, he was eager to grab their caffeine fix and meet his best friend back in the one place everything made sense: Firehouse 51. What Kelly wasn't expecting, was running into Heather, Andy's widow, and her two boys at the coffee shop on his way out.

“Okay, guys. Let's get you whatever you want, okay?” he heard Heather's voice saying sweetly and looked up to find her entering the quaint coffee shop with her sons.

“Heather,” he called as she followed the boys inside.

“Hi, Kelly!” the excitement in the boys' voices made his heart flutter.

He smiled. It had been a while since he'd seen them, they looked bigger. The boys, Griffin and Ben, rushed forward to give him hugs. It was familiar, he missed them. “Hey!” he greeted cheerfully, wrapping his arms around them, careful not to spill the tray of coffees in his hand. “Hey, guys!”

Kelly missed that feeling, the feeling of family. He still had it with Becker and Shay, but the Darden kids were different. He'd seen them both born, seen them take their first steps, heard them say their first words. . . Andy Darden's family was his family. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Heather wouldn't meet his eyes as she ushered her boys inside. She chuckled awkwardly and pulled the boys away from Kelly's embrace. “Okay. Okay, kids. Let's go in.”

“Hey,” Kelly said, “how are you doing?”

“I'm good, Kelly,” she replied, hesitant. “I gotta go in.”

“Uh, hey. . . Wait, I've. . . been meaning to come by and―”

“Just save it. Really.”

Kelly knew Heather was grieving. He knew she probably blamed him and everyone at 51 for Andy's death, but he had to try. They were family. He tried not to think of how different things would be if―

“Come on. Andy and I were―” Heather cut him off.

“Stop right there.” The pain in her eyes turned to blame, and something else Kelly didn't want to put a name to because if he did it would only break his heart more. He wanted to reach out and hug her, if only she would let him. “Andy never even would have been a firefighter if it weren't for you,” Heather reminded him, voice breaking at the truth of it all. She turned to leave, allowing Kelly to sit with the resentment she left behind.

An emergency call to a residential district later that day should've been enough to take Kelly's mind off of his run-in with Heather, but he was too wrapped up in guilt that wasn't his alone to carry. When Cruz called up to Mills on the ladder, Kelly's resolve finally broke.

He stepped away from where he was talking with Becker and the other Squad members. No one else would die on his watch. “Hey, Candidate! One hand on the beam, Candidate! I don't care if you're carrying a damn cow!” he yelled up to the newest recruit. “Men die when they relax!”

“Okay, Kelly,” Casey said. “He gets it.” His eyes found his sister's over Kelly's shoulder, she sent him a discreet nod. I'll talk to him, it said.

“Yeah, he better,” was the Squad lieutenant's reply. His shoulder hurt. Everything hurt.

Kelly returned to Becker's side; he knew the look on her face well, it wasn't pitying. She never pitied Kelly. Instead, she called him out on his bullshit, always. He hung his head, breathing a deep sigh.

“There were better ways to do that,” she said.

He nodded. “I know.”

“You can't fly off at the handle like this anymore, Severide.” Becker's eyes darkened and Kelly found himself looking away from the vibrant sky-blue irises that saw anything and everything about him all at once, eyes he found himself lost in more often than not. “Talk to someone. We're all going through it.”

“Yeah,” he said. He rubbed his shoulder, it seemed to hurt worse knowing he disappointed the one person he always wanted to impress. Kelly pressed his lips into a thin line and left Becker standing by the Squad rig with a short nod of his head. He needed to speak with Shay, she'd have something to help with the pain at least.

Shay and Dawson were chatting away at the back of Ambulance 61 when Kelly approached. Dawson excused herself leaving the Squad lieutenant and her partner alone. Several seconds passed without a word between the longtime friends; Kelly massaged his shoulder. He should hate that he was asking Shay to do it again, he should hate lying to his comrades that way, but he didn't. . . not when it helped.

“Hey,” he said.

Shay stood up as he drew near. She knew what he was coming to find her for, and while it twisted her stomach in knots most days, how could she say no to her best friend? “Hey,” she greeted.

“I need something,” Kelly confessed, voice strained as he leaned his weight against the back of the ambulance. He knew she'd help him, she always did. Leslie Shay was as loyal as they came; a trait she shared with Becker Casey.

She sighed, opened her bag, and retrieved a small vial. Kelly reached for the tiny bottle and Shay clutched it to her chest. “That's the last one,” she warned. She shouldn't do it, but she was going to anyway. They both knew she would.

“Yeah,” he agreed.

“I mean it.”

“Right. It's all good.”

Shay handed the vial to Kelly and looked away as he slipped it into the pocket of his gear. “And you tell MC. She already knows something's up and I hate lying to her.”

Kelly said nothing else as he walked back to his crew.

The next morning at the station was silent. Kelly Severide considered himself many things but never one particularly capable of lying to the people closest to him. He couldn't bring himself to tell anyone about his shoulder. He knew the risks of continuing to work with his injury, but he also knew what would happen if he let it be known. On top of that, he couldn't stop thinking about Heather Darden. He was in for a very long shift ― hell, a long week ― at the rate things were going.

He hadn't stopped for coffee, choosing instead to drink whatever was around the firehouse. It would be a while before he felt right going back to the shop; he told himself Mini Casey would understand. Mini Casey, was the nickname given to the woman by Kelly himself when she joined the Firehouse. Shay warned him to tell the younger Casey sibling what was going on. But if he did, would she understand? Then, there was the matter of Becker instructing him to talk to someone. . . What good would that do except force him to dwell on everything he already knew? He sighed, just another obstacle to get through.

Kelly glanced up as Casey entered the locker room, duffel bag over his shoulder and closely followed by his sister. It was good to see the two of them civil again. Though, civil, he supposed, was reaching a bit. If anything, Becker tolerated her older brother simply because she had to ― they were on the same force after all.

“Mornin',” Kelly greeted warmly as the siblings split ways to their respective lockers.

“Mornin',” Casey returned.

“Hey, how are the Darden kids doing? You talked to Heather at all?” Kelly asked, pulling his shoes on and deciding to talk to someone, even if it wasn't exactly what Becker meant.

Casey stepped around the row of lockers separating him and Kelly. “Uh, yeah. As good as can be expected, I suppose. You seen 'em?”

Kelly ducked his head, he was not going to tell Casey or Becker the whole truth. “Yeah.”

“I hear they're coming to the barbecue.”

“Good.”

“Yeah.”

Becker watched her brother walk away; she turned to Kelly. “The hell was that?”

“What?” he shrugged.

She narrowed her eyes and gestured to the spot her brother occupied moments ago. “That,” she said.

He shook his head. “What? It was nothin'.”

“You're acting real strange, Severide.” She stripped out of her t-shirt and leggings and pulled on her uniform, careful not to pull the bandages from her arm. Then tied her curls back with a hair tie while she closely studied her lieutenant's face. “I don't know what's going on with you these days, but we both know I'm gonna find out. Might as well save me the trouble and come clean with whatever it is.”

“You're seeing things, kid. I'm fine.”

“Sure. 'Cause yelling at Mills yesterday just screams fine. Right, okay.”

“Will you quit doing that?”

“Doing what?”

Kelly motioned to her head with a dry chuckle. “That thing you do. Analyzing me. Stop it.”

She folded her arms over her chest and scoffed, “I'll stop when you tell me what the hell's up with you.”

“Nothing is up,” he said, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his slacks. “You're paranoid, Mini Case. Maybe you should talk to someone.” He winked, leaving the locker room in search of the chief.

He hoped his answers were sufficient enough to keep Becker off of his back. The conversations about his shoulder and Heather weren't ones he wanted to have any time soon. He knew what she'd say and he wasn't ready to hear it, not from a licensed professional and certainly not from Becker “Mini” Casey.

“Hey, Chief. You got a second?” he asked, knocking on the doorframe of Chief Boden's office. If this conversation went well, at least he wouldn't have to face Heather and the kids on Saturday. He couldn't, not when Heather blamed him for her husband's death.

“Sure, Kelly,” the chief said, looking up from the paperwork on his desk.

“Looking for a few extra shifts this month,” he offered, stepping into the room. “How's Saturday sound?”

“Saturday's barbecue,” the chief reminded.

“I've been there before,” he tried confidently, hopefully.

“No way, every man on deck on this one.”

“Chief, I could really use the cash.”

“Ask me next month,” said Chief Boden with such finality Kelly knew it was pointless to argue.

“Okay.” He nodded and turned to leave. That weekend would not be easily navigated.

Kelly's shoulder tensed. He thought of Darden and Casey, he thought of Shay and Becker. One of those people he lost in an accident that never should have occurred, and the other three he found himself growing estranged from. He and the Truck lieutenant may be on speaking terms again but what did that truly mean when everything Heather said ― or didn't say ― only reminded him that Casey failed to keep Andy from entering the attic?

And Shay. . . There she was, risking her whole career to help him with the pain caused by the same accident that killed his best friend. Had he ever told her the reason? He couldn't remember. Finally, Becker, the proverbial pain in his ass. What would happen to their friendship once everything was out in the open and she knew the truth? He didn't want to think about that.

Ignoring the storm of chaos waiting to unleash its hell in his life, Kelly made his way out to the Apparatus Bay as the announcement of Christopher Herrmann's visit rang out over the PA system. Suddenly, he was brought back to the night Herrmann, Casey and Becker almost died. It felt like so long ago, though, in reality, was only a couple of weeks.

“Hey!” everyone cheered as Herrmann limped his way into the bay, aided by a cane. He looked well, better than he did after his surgery and during the days that followed. He survived, they all had.

“Welcome back,” Otis said, meeting his friend on the floor. “Jesus, man.”

Kelly sensed the sadness in the room, uncomfortable and strangling. Becker stiffened at his side and he knew seeing Herrmann brought back memories of that night for her, too. It had been a while since he last checked in with her, sat down and truly asked her how she was doing. Becker didn't do feelings; she hated confronting them, hated anyone else confronting them for her. Kelly hadn't found a good enough time to do it anyway.

He bumped his shoulder against hers, offering a small smile when she looked up to meet his eyes. She returned it with a tight-lipped nod of her head. He didn't press further.

“They ticked a nerve in my leg,” Herrmann was saying when Kelly faced forward again. “I may not walk straight again.”

“Candidate, get him a chair,” Vargas ordered.

The Truck members parted down the middle and allowed Mills to roll the office chair to the centre of the group. Everyone sported grim expressions, no one wanted to entertain the idea of going on without one of their own so soon after losing Darden.

“Thanks, kid,” Herrmann groaned as Mills and Vargas helped him sit. He eyed his colleagues mournfully. It could not be the end. “Ah, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second, fellas, um. . .” Herrmann looked around at the men and women who became his home away from home. “Are any of my kids around here? My wife or her parents?”

“No, why?” Otis asked.

“What the hell?” The company watched as Herrmann shouldok his leg, pushing himself up from the chair and dancing in place. He grinned. “I'm healed!” he exclaimed, dancing around the circle. “It must've been living with my damn in-laws was breaking me down.”

Cheers erupted among the firefighters and paramedics of Firehouse 51; Otis rushed forward and lightly tackled Herrmann in a hug. The air grew lighter then.

“All right,” he warned, “not that healed.”

“Glad you're back, Herrmann. We're a better house with you here,” Chief Boden said. The scene before him reminded Kelly of Becker's first day back after her Leave of Absence. It was good to see some things didn't have to change.

He smiled. “Thanks, Chief.”

“Uh, later on, we're gonna have a whiteboard session about what happened in the Darden incident last month. I expect you all to be there.” The chief glanced around the circle, lingering on his two lieutenants. They hadn't done a great job of leading their crews in the wake of Darden's death and he had to give them a stern reminder of their positions and the authority they held within the firehouse. “But on another note,” he said a bit lighter, gesturing to the young woman Kelly remembered briefly seeing outside the chief's office, “this is Nicki Rutkowski.”

Kelly smiled, she was beautiful, and she was smiling at him.

“She's gonna be working with us next month, helping out with the payroll. Her father is one of my oldest friends. We were in the Navy together, so y'all just treat her like she's your very own. . . sister.”

“Thanks for having me,” Nicki said. Kelly wasn't sure what to make of the grin she was giving him.

“Welcome. Don't screw up the checks,” Herrmann offered playfully. “The first and the 15th.”

“Oh, I will,” she shot back, and the bay resounded with laughter cut short by the alarms.

Accident, multiple injuries ― Squad 3, Truck 81, Engine 51, Ambulance 61.

As they rushed to don their turnout gear, Kelly glanced back over his shoulder at Nicki one last time. She was watching him walk away, and Kelly Severide had a very bad idea.

Pulling up to the construction site, Kelly wasn't sure Becker could assess the damage from their point of view the way she usually did. The dust around the workers settled in quickly and even he couldn't tell what was going on. He turned in his seat, their eyes locked and he knew instantly that she understood. No matter what happens, on me. We go in together, we come out together. He refused to let fate entertain the idea of taking her from him this time.

“What's goin' on?” Chief asked, surveying the sight of the building in front of him. It was a mess.

“The foundation collapsed, and there's three guys down in the basement hole,” one of the workers informed.

51 would not lose more of its members today.

The chief faced his men. “I'm gonna need a 2 1/2 up there,” he orders.

“On it.”

“Let's go,” Kelly said, heading for the stairs. He peeked over his shoulder, confirmed Becker was behind him and continued. Not another basement. He knew Becker clocked the shift in his nerves when he felt her brush up against his back, she was on him as instructed, partners to the end. Two in, two out.

At the top of the structure looking down, the firefighters were met with another gaping hole, much like the one that almost claimed three of their own in the apartment fire. Kelly studied the tension in Becker's jaw, whether from the trauma of what happened or sheer determination, he couldn't say.

“There's no fire, but let's drop the 2 1/2 into the hole from the ladder. Cruz, hurry it up!” Chief Boden radioed down to his men on the ground. The ladder was positioned over the building and extended as far as it would reach. “Get that hose up here,” he called again. Those on the structure watched as Mills climbed with the hose up the ladder as far as the chief deemed high enough to reach into the hole. “There's good. This area may give some more, so let's move quickly. Now, charge it.”

The valve on the engine was opened and water surged through, the hose went rigid and provided the firefighters with a way down into the hole. One by one the members of Truck and Squad slid down to the crumbled building floors below. They quickly sifted through the rubble, locating the trapped construction workers and assessing their injuries enough to figure out who must be evacuated first.

“I'm under here! I'm under here!” calls for help were heard beneath a pile of flooring that collapsed and covered a worker. Kelly and Casey moved quickly, removing the slabs of material together and allowing him to breathe.

“Are you okay? Can you sit up?” Casey helped the man into a sitting position.

“Peter's farther down,” he said, “I heard him talking but I couldn't see him.”

“Here, take him out,” the lieutenant instructed, helping lift the injured worker. When they were clear, he crawled to the edge of the hole and shined his flashlight into it, looking for Peter. “Peter?”

“I knew this was gonna be a bad day,” Peter replied. “I told my wife this morning I had a premonition.”

“Are you hurt?”

“I can't breathe, can't move.”

Sweeping his light around the hole, Casey saw the large slabs of concrete pinning Peter in place. Getting him out would be a challenge, one he was not equipped for. “All right. We'll get you out,” he assured. “I need three pipe poles and a saw.”

“How you doing down there, Peter?” Becker asked to keep the man conscious for as long as possible.

His eyes travelled up to the sound of her voice, “I've been better.”

Kelly didn't have a plan. Kelly hardly ever had a plan, but he wasn't going to leave the man trapped alone in a hole that could give way at any moment. It was a bad idea, trading in his life like that, but he had something to prove. He just wasn't sure to whom he was proving that something.

“I'm going in,” the Squad lieutenant said, and two pairs of blue eyes snapped to his face. The Casey siblings were too alike in more than one way.

“It's unstable,” was the Truck leader's response.

“Aren't we all?” Kelly joked.

“Clearly some of us more than others,” added Becker. “Severide.”

He looked into her eyes, committing their blue hue and the frustration in them to memory. He fit himself at the mouth of the smaller hole and prepared to climb down, carefully lowering himself into the darkness below. Kelly was known to be reckless at times, but that was going a little too far.

“Not so bad, right?” Peter said as Kelly surveyed the damage keeping the older man pinned in.

“It's Peter, right? Can you move your foot?” Kelly knelt in the rubble, doing his best to assess what he could see of Peter's injuries.

Peter shook his head, “No. I haven't even felt it for half an hour.”

Kelly attempted to remove the block from Peter's leg but it was too heavy, he couldn't do it without help. “How about the rest of you?”

“Can't breathe too good.”

He reached forward and pressed his hands along Peter's torso, when he touched the spot under his ribs, Peter flinched, yelling out in pain. It wasn't looking good. “Okay, okay.”

“Just― just get my foot and I'll be fine.”

“Okay. We're gonna get you outta here.” He knew better than to make such promises.

“Do me one favour?”

“Yeah?”

“No lies.”

Kelly sighed. He loved his job but he hated this part. “Fair enough. I think you're bleeding on the inside, and your foot is the least of your problems.” He looked above him at the siblings watching him from the edge of the hole. “Casey! We need this hole opened up.”

“On it,” Casey called back.

Kelly glimpsed a myriad of emotions washing over Becker's face, he could tell by the look in her eyes that she was about to do something he'd regret. He shook his head telling her to rethink whatever she was going to do, she stared down at him defiantly.

Becker crawled down into the hole before Cruz brought the saw to the debris. She dropped down beside Kelly, wordless and stone-faced. This woman will be the death of me, he considered before fixing her with a hard stare.

“What the hell do you think you're doing, MC?” he hissed.

“Two in, two out,” was all she said, and Kelly knew Becker would be just fine.

He shook his head and turned back to Peter who had been watching the two of them with warmth in his eyes. “Hang on, we'll get you back to your wife in no time.”

“Yeah, sure,” Peter said.

“You saying I got a bad poker face?” asked Kelly; Becker snorted.

Peter smirked. “I'm saying I'd be all-in on that one.”

“I have to agree,” Becker put in with a friendly smile. “You're breathing and talking, so that's good.”

The building trembled. Becker and Kelly positioned themselves over Peter's body as best they could to shield him from anything else that might fall. They were running out of time as the structure's stability continued to weaken, threatening their lives and the lives of the construction crew still waiting to be evacuated. That was not the day Kelly envisioned when he got to work that morning. Dying in a hole with Becker by his side. . .

“Severide? MC?” Casey called down to them as the shaking ceased.

“Yeah, fine. Get Dawson over here!” Kelly couldn't wait any longer.

Dawson appeared at the edge of the hole. “Here.”

“His lower leg is trapped, there's internal bleeding.”

“There's no way to release it?”

“No.”

Becker's blood chilled.

“Other than that,” Peter remarked through laboured breaths, “everything's peachy.”

“All right, I'll call for a trauma surgeon,” Dawson said, pushing herself up from the hole's entrance.

“Hey, how long?” Kelly asked.

She sighed. “I don't know.”

“And what would a trauma surgeon do that you two couldn't?”

Becker let out a deep breath and swallowed. “Take off your foot.”

Kelly was glad Becker climbed down with him. They would have to discuss her attitude and why she thought following him into the hole of a crumbling building was a good idea, but that could wait. For now, he allowed himself to calm into the presence of his partner by his side. She was following his orders this time, at least. No matter what happened, she was staying with him.

Peter's leg was in bad shape, his whole body was in bad shape. There was no guarantee they'd be able to get him out in time to receive treatment. Kelly hated failing and knew Becker did as well. Breaking news of a person's death to their family was always the hardest part of their job.

“What's your name?” Peter inquired, studying Kelly's face.

He glanced at Becker and then turned to the injured man in front of him. “Severide, Kelly,” he said, looking down at his hands. “Everyone pretty much calls me Severide.”

“Not everyone,” Becker muttered under her breath.

“Kelly. You married, Kelly?” It wasn't the question either of the firefighters expected to hear that day, it threw them off balance a bit, though they didn't show it.

“No.”

Peter looked over at Becker. “What's your name, sweetheart?”

She smiled a soft smile usually reserved for Kelly, she figured Peter could use the gentleness. “Casey, Becker. But I have an older brother up there right now who has the authority to boss me around almost as much as this guy does,” she said, nodding to Kelly's quiet form. “So, thanks to this one, everyone calls me MC. It's short for Mini Casey.”

Peter chuckled, the sound came out pained and Becker's heart broke. “Becker,” he confirmed with a nod. “How about you? You married?”

She shook her head, anything to stop the tears forming in her eyes. “No, sir.”

“Don't wait too long.” a pause. “My wife's name is Georgie. Her dad wanted a boy but he kept getting girls.”

“There was a barbershop on my street named Harris and Sons. Mr. Harris named it when his wife was pregnant with their first. Ended up having five girls,” Kelly laughed. He couldn't imagine laughing at a time like that, but it felt good.

Peter coughed, blood pooled at the corner of his mouth and the two Rescue Squad members eased his upper body to the side just enough so he didn't aspirate. The humour was gone, and the moment passed. Becker's heart continued to clench.

“Severide, find a vein and get this saline into him,” Shay called, handing an IV drip through the hole.

“How long on that surgeon?” he asked, reaching for the supplies and getting to work on Peter.

“15 minutes,” she answered, meeting Becker's gaze. She didn't ask why the other woman was in the hole, she knew it was where she needed to be.

Peter coughed lightly. “Kelly?”

“Yeah?”

“We don't have time for a surgeon. You're gonna have to do it, you and Becker. Take off the foot. Get me out of here, get me home.”

“Tell that surgeon to hurry the hell up!” Becker screamed up to the firefighters above her.

The structure trembled again and Kelly threw himself protectively over Peter's body. When it was done, he looked to Becker for confirmation that she was all right. He wouldn't lose her down there, he couldn't.

“You're all right,” he said to Peter.

“MC, Severide, we need to pull back. It's gonna give.” Sometimes Kelly hated Casey's voice.

“That the older brother?” Peter said to Becker when he noticed the lingering stare between her and the man above him. Her silence was all the proof he needed. “He's right,” he said. “Go.”

“Kel?”

Kelly refused to fail. “Casey, I need a Sawzall!”

“What are you doing?”

“Two in, two out, right?” He was asking her to trust his reckless judgment one last time. She nodded. “Hey, Peter.”

“Yeah, I'm st― still with you, Kelly,” the older man assured.

“Tell us about Georgie.”

Peter smiled and laughed. “I-I married above my head. Been playing catch-up ever since.”

“Do you have any children?” this from Becker. We go in together, we come out together.

“No, we tried.”

Casey's voice sounded above them, “Severide.” He lowered the Sawzall down. His light eyes flickered over his sister's face. She could see the anger and hurt and fear deep in his features, but he said nothing.

Kelly and Becker set to work attempting to move the piece of concrete to get them enough access for the amputation. They worked silently, in tandem as one mind. When Kelly moved, so did Becker. He knew he was lucky to have her on his team.

“Kelly?”

“Yeah?”

“You got a phone?”

#chicago fire fanfiction #one chicago fanfiction #chicago fire series #fanfiction #kelly severide fanfiction #matt casey fanfiction #i know your heart series

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blxckdragonfly · 2 years

Text

Darkness Finds You Saga Outtake #1

(Warning: None/Bit of Blood.

Pairing: Malakai Black x Lyra Crowe (FC: Mothica)

Synopsis: Lyra invites her Owlman and now friend, Benedict Cumberbatch to see the inside of the wrestling world)

AEW All Out- September 4th, 2022. Chicago, IL.

We had about thirty minutes before MB, Brody and Buddy were taking on Darby Allin, Sting and Miro at All Out here in Chicago and tonight was going to be his last match for a while. I’d also decided to invite two very special guests to come see us perform for the very first time and that was Benedict and his wife, Sophie.

They were backstage as we were getting ready. I slipped into a black faux leather halter crop top with matching faux leather leggings and a pair of heeled boots on my feet.

I had the hair and make-up team put my hair up into a bun and had black eyeshadow and dark red lips, I also slipped a black shawl around my shoulders and put on a black fedora to give it more of a Stevie Nicks feel.

I walk out of the locker room to see Malakai, Brody and Buddy standing in the hallway, talking.

I take MB’s hand and pull him away for a second. “I think we should initiate two new members into the house,” I say.

“Who might those be?” Malakai says and I shove him playfully, making him chuckle as I turn my head and shrug over at where Benedict and Sophie were sitting together, talking.

He nods as he goes back into his locker room to grab one of his bandanas, kissing my cheek after whispering to Brody and Brody nods, walking away.

“Hey, Owlman. Come here a moment,” I say as I wave my hand as I call Benedict by the nickname I gave him.

Malakai returns with the bandana as Benedict walks over to us. I smile as I turn to face him.

“There’s a reason why I called you over here, you see,” I told him as I took both ends of the bandana and I draped it around his neck so the scythes are pointing forward. I gently tied it around his neck. “Welcome to House of Black, my friend.”

“I-I’m in House of Black?” Benedict asks. “Since when, exactly?”

“Ever since the day you walked into my studio and became the creature known as Owlman for my album, you’ve always shown dedication towards The House.” I told him as Malakai nodded in agreement.

“Well, it’s rather too bad that I couldn’t wear something like this back when I was doing Sherlock,” Benedict says and I hear Malakai’s chuckle in the background as he hands me a small box with the scythes on the front of it, inside contains his necklace with the Cernunnos mask on it.

“This is for Sophie, as she is also a part of The House too.” I say, setting the box in Benedict’s hands. “And we also have something for your boys too. Brody?”

Brody comes back and he has three shirts that he has on his right shoulder, he shows them off to Benedict. It’s the House of Black design with Malakai holding his hands out with his Janus mask.

I watch as his face turns from shock to a look that seemed like he’d been touched. “Lyra…”

“Hey, I told you before. You’ve shown dedication to The House. Therefore, we look after our own. You, Sophie and your family will always be our own.” I told him.

“I don’t even have the words to tell you how much of an honor this is. I feel like saying thank you isn't enough but it is. Thank you."

I smile as he embraces me in a hug and I pat Benedict on the shoulder. "Stick around, we're going to do our entrance and I promise you, it will be unlike anything you've ever seen, just watch the monitors. Ready, boys?" I say as Malakai, Brody and Buddy nod. I hear the beginning of the swamp sounds and we take off through the curtain.

I take my place in front of the House of Black banner while the lights are out. The lights turn back on and there's a green light shining over the banner.

I slowly lifted my arms to the side before raising my hand up and making the banner fall as Absent In Body starts to play, the boys standing beside me.

"Accompanied by Lilith Czar, Buddy Matthews, Brody King, Malakai Black– House of Black!"

Hearing the crowd cheer as the lights go out and we head toward the ring. The lights turn on and we're standing on the apron, Brody and Buddy on the turnbuckles. Lights turn off and turn on again as we're standing in the ring.

Malakai hands me his mask after he's taken it off.

After the match that we sadly lost, even though I tried to use my blood mist on Darby, which he had just been able to dodge, barely and during this match, Malakai did get torn open near his eye.

We walk back through the curtain and I grab a bottle of water to get the taste of the blood mist out of my mouth, red dripping down my chin. Benedict looks completely interested in everything and Sophie looks kind of squeamish.

"Just so you know, the blood mist in my mouth is not real." I point at my chin, wiping it away before Malakai walks up behind me, placing a soft kiss on my temple and I point at the cut next to his eye, blood dripping. "This is real."

"Does this always happen, blood being drawn in matches?" Benedict asks.

"Not really, unless you're a main-eventer." As I said that, Jon Moxley walks by us and I make a gesture toward him. "Exhibit A."

Mox hears me and he turns to face us before flipping me off, I start laughing. "Love you too, Moxley."

"Yeah. Whatever, Lyra." He heads out to get ready for his and CM Punk's match as Benedict chuckles.

"Seems like a lot of you are friendly behind the scenes, like I am on set. Except when I did The Power of The Dog when I had to stay in character for most of the filming."

"We try to be, yeah. It makes what you do more exciting when you have everyone applauding each other at the end of the day," I nod.

"Hi, Lyra," I look over to see Dr. Britt Baker. She sees Benedict and her eyes widen. "Holy shit. You're…"

"Maybe I should have worn a disguise here?" Benedict says.

"No. A disguise wouldn't have mattered. I'd recognize your voice anywhere," Britt says with a laugh.

"Here's Exhibit B of a main-eventer. Benedict, I'd like you to meet Dr. Britt Baker,"

I say as we both do her pointing gesture. "DMD. Britt, I assume you know Benedict Cumberbatch. This is his first AEW show. He came along to see all of us perform. We were speaking on the subject of blood in matches."

"Is it really? Like Lyra said, us main-eventers do get torn open quite a bit. When it happened to me, it became a new development for my character on-screen," Britt explains as Benedict nods. "I started intertwining blood drips in my gear, my jacket, all of that."

"I think you even had some blood red makeup looks too, right?" I ask and Britt nods. "See? Blood can be used as a creative tool. Britt's a great example of that."

I gave Britt a side hug as she glanced over at Benedict and Sophie, extending her hand to shake his and embrace Sophie with her free arm. "Welcome to our AEW family."

"Thank you, Britt. It's lovely to meet you," Sophie says. Britt nods as she walks off.

"Alright. I think it's best if we get you out of the arena before anyone else in the locker room knows who you are." I say and Benedict nods, pulling up the House of Black bandana over his nose and mouth as Malakai, Brody and Buddy start snickering. "Hey. I'm trying to get him out of here. Zip it."

I gesture for Benedict and Sophie to follow me out of the arena, I walk with them to the SUV parked outside and embrace them both in a goodbye before walking back inside.

"Who was that, Lyra?" I see Toni Storm standing by the door.

"Just some friends of mine," I say.

"Hmph, cause I could have sworn I knew the guy in the bandana." I sigh and shrug.

Oh well, at least they've got to see The House of Black perform.

Tagging: @xbreezymeadowsmunsonx (who loved MB and Lyra once upon a time) and of course my co-writer @blackrose-92 🖤

#malakai black fanfiction #with cameos from jon moxley and britt baker #and cameos from brody king and buddy matthews #malakai black x lyra crowe #darkness finds you

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