#so much potential with Jimmy going *back* to being human that I don't see often

[tev-the-random]

(Technically a distant continuation of this, but can be read on its own!)

His skin was an imitation of life that refused to age or scar. Although the years had moulded Jimmy into someone near unrecognisable, he looked no different than he did when he left Tumble Town. It was quite anticlimactic, to think he had nothing to show for his trials other than some patches on his clothes and perhaps a sharper wit to his eyes — metaphorically, that is. His actual eyes looked just as glassy as ever.

So after everything he went through to find himself here, he supposed the location was fitting. It, too, was rather anticlimactic: nothing but an old shack in the woods. It didn't even look dilapidated enough to be haunted. The forest didn't bother to have ominous crows cawing at him or any particularly disturbing tree — on the contrary, there were small patches of sunlight shining through the leaves above, and the smell of morning dew was fairly pleasant. If not for the peculiar plants growing in the little garden in front of him, which his cat sniffed suspiciously, he would have thought this was the wrong place.

These weren't plants you could normally find in the Overworld, that much Jimmy was sure of. From bushes of glowing, multicoloured berries to herbs that floated in the air like little leafy balloons, their roots hanging loose. The red vines crawling up a trellis close to the wall reminded him of the Nether, though the blossoming black flowers that grew on it would suggest otherwise.

"Awfully poisonous, those flowers."

He jumped, sword in hand.

Without producing shadow or sound, a person stood beside him, towering over Jimmy. Their silvery hair, washed out robes and sickly pale skin made them stand out against the background; a desaturated figure in the otherwise verdant woods.

There was a moment of silence in which Jimmy tried to gather himself. Any information he had about the one who supposedly lived here left his brain entirely. All of his well-thought-out bargains and self-confident arguments were startled out of him, leaving an uncertain tremble in his voice.

"Um..." He blanked.

In order to give him some more time to think — or maybe they just didn’t care enough to pay attention to him, — the stranger walked past the small man to take a closer look at their garden. They merely shooed Norman, who hissed at their approach before moving to stand beside his owner.

“You ever seen prettier experience bushes?” They said casually, getting rid of a few dead leaves on one of their plants. They examined its colourful berries carefully, only to let them go with a disappointed sound. “Incredible magical properties, but it’s so difficult to grow them right this time of the year...”

"Are you— are you the person I'm looking for?" Jimmy finally spoke. "I was told I could find a wizard in these woods that could help me with a curse."

By their curious demeanour and wise, elderly face, Jimmy expected them to respond with some enigmatic question of their own, something a mysterious master would say. Perhaps a meaningful silence and a sharp glance. Instead, all he got was a quirked eyebrow.

"Well, does it look like there's anyone else around here?"

He made a conscious effort to not look bashful. What a talent he had to surround himself with people who loved patronizing him, huh? But he had had enough time to learn that, if he took the bait and let himself be played for dumb, he wouldn't get anywhere. Seize the discussion.

His determined eyes didn’t move from the grey figure.

"I just got here. Don’t waste my time—"

"Yes, yes. You sure did take your time," said the stranger, moving to the red vines on the trellis. With a pair of small pruning shears they fished out of their pocket, they started cutting away at the flowers. "I, myself, thought you had keeled over and died somewhere along the way. I've been waiting for years, Jimmy! Surely you can hold on for a couple more minutes?"

"You— what?” His focus wavered ever so slightly. “How do you— you've been waiting for me? Like, for me specifically?"

"Who else would I be waiting for?" They chuckled. The sound ringed in Jimmy’s ears, bothering him the same way it always did when people laughed at him. In that regard, he only changed for worse.

Even though he felt like it, he didn't groan. He stared at Norman as if the cat could tell him what the deal with this unusual character was. If he knew how to, Norman would shrug.

Taking a deep breath, Jimmy forced calmness into his tone.

"How would I know?" He'd gotten better at not gritting his teeth at frustration, though he still sounded like he had swallowed a lemon. "You could be waiting for a hundred other people, maybe that’s your deal. I don't know you."

"Ah, but you certainly know of me! Otherwise, I wouldn't be the person you're looking for."

"Oh my g— Are you them or not?"

"Yes." They still didn't bother looking at him. Once satisfied with the number of black flowers they had gathered, they turned around with a swish of their robes and opened the door to their hut. "Well then. Come on inside."

Jimmy hesitated to follow. Norman, on his part, sniffed every inch of the chipped wooden door before sitting resolutely by the entryway. Jimmy took it as a warning. I’ll keep an eye out.

When he stepped inside, he concluded that this was, without a doubt, a wizard's house — a very disorganized one at that. The cabin was much larger on the inside, tall bookshelves extending far into a ceiling that seemed never-ending. Manuscripts littered the floor and desks alongside scrawled notes and old hardback books of all sizes. There were a multitude of coloured candles on nearly every surface, illuminating vials and more vials of the most peculiar ingredients. Jimmy consciously chose to believe that the blood in all those organised flasks on top of the nearest shelf belonged to some wild animal.

From the walls hanged more vines of strange plants, as well as all sorts of animal skins and various paintings and pictures — some pristine, others completely defaced. But they all seemed to depict a same theme, a same character: a very familiar deity with a golden trident and exaggerated grandeur. It was hard to ignore such clear obsession for someone Jimmy thought to be so incredibly unremarkable. The so called god of Stratos was the very reason he ended up like this to begin with. Religious fanatics were the last thing he needed right now.

Completely oblivious to their guest’s discomfort, the mage stood hunched over a counter, surrounded by multiple powders, herbs and and fluids in jars. Their hands worked on a mortar and pestle.

"You could have come sooner, you know?" They commented. "I don't know why you'd go through all that trouble with witches and pirates and whatever else you were doing when you could've just asked Scott for my address, I haven’t moved. But then again, you are the second pettiest individual I've ever seen. Leave it to you to go on some wild goose chase."

Jimmy stopped eyeing the room to stare at them. His brows quickly furrowed, suspicion immediately arisen.

"What does Scott have to do with this?" He asked. His hand itched to grab his sword again. "Actually, no: how do you know me in the first place? How did you know I was coming, huh?"

They hummed. "I’ve got eyes everywhere. You just happened to stumble upon one of them a long time ago."

The wizard stopped their motion to point at an open cabinet to their left. It was low enough that Jimmy could see its contents, and it made him raise an eyebrow: it was a human skull. Inside of one of the eye socket, there was a bright pink jewel; in the other, an unique blue stone caught his attention — it was intricate, as if it had been made to truly look like the iris of an eye.

Absentmindedly, Jimmy reached his wooden hand to touch the artefact, looking for something that could explain its purpose.

But when he blinked, he was on a hill. Vibrant flower patches stretched along the brick roads of a colourful kingdom, where glowing clouds of all colours painted the sky, constantly pumped by tall chimneys on cyan rooves.

Right in front of him, an excitable man dressed in orange spoke; Jimmy couldn't hear any of it. The man, too, glowed ever so slightly, and it made him want to squint at the vibrancy of the scene. The entire world was in deep silence, despite how much it looked like it was screaming at him.

Jimmy raised a hand to run it through his hair in exasperation, only for it to hit something. The cabinet. He blinked again, and back he was at the wizard’s hut as if he had never moved at all.

“What in the world—?”

“Funny, isn’t it?” The mage chuckled. Adding a few drops of a green liquid into the mortar, they went back to crushing. “What was he doing this time?”

“He was— I was just... in Chromia,” Jimmy murmured in disbelief, not knowing how to feel about it. Haunted, he stared at his strange host. “What was that?”

“The eye I gave Scott Smajor has many perks for him. But mostly, it has perks for me. It pays well to have such a well-connected informant. Don’t tell him about it, though, I’m sure he would hate it.” They didn’t sound apologetic at all.

“What do you mean you gave him an eye?!”

“Did he never tell how he got that magical yellow eye of his?”

“I assumed he was just born like that! You know, like, it’s a condition! Het- hetochro- heterochromia? Don’t look at me like that!”

“Oh, trust me, there is nothing hetero about that man.”

Jimmy continued to stare. For the sake of his own sanity, he tended to avoid thinking about any of the emperors he left behind. It had been so long since he last uttered the name of Scott Smajor, and the memories he held weren’t exactly the fondest. But a part of him couldn’t help but feel bad for the collector: this was, at the very least, a huge breach of privacy. Did he even want to know why this random guy in the middle of the woods needed unaware spies? Were they just a creep, or were they looking for something in particular? Did they assume Jimmy was coming over eventually, or had Scott been following him this whole time? Could they even make him do that? Could they control him?

The thought of being a mere puppet to someone made him sick in a horribly familiar way. He had half a mind to get back to Norman and leave.

But, he thought to himself, what if this is the only chance he has? In the years Jimmy had spent travelling, looking for a way to reverse this stupid toy curse, all he’s ever found was disappointment. Rejection. The frustrating loneliness that comes with learning people can’t be trusted; nobody cared enough to help, and those who did were never able to. When he was told there was a powerful wizard in a far away forest who could fix him, he took the lead with multiple doubts.

Now, he faced them all at their full force. What if they were to scam him? What if they were, in fact, nothing more than a massive creep? What if they killed him? Tortured him? Locked him away?

Just what price would he have to pay for his humanity?

He didn’t want to spend another hundred years running around looking for what he had lost. Jimmy was an imitation of life that couldn’t age or scar, but he was tired. So very tired of being a thing, tired of being a walking reminder of his own weakness in the eyes of others. He was tired of being so pathetic, no matter how hard he tried.

“You know what I’m here for, then,” he stated dryly. Resolute.

The mage hummed once more.

“Well, I have an educated guess.” They finally turned their head to look at the toy. The little glass eyes they met were unwavering. “You want your old body back. To be human again. Am I right?”

“You are. And I’m willing to do whatever it takes. But don’t you try anything silly!” His hand brushed against the hilt of his sword, pointedly displaying its netherite shine.

“Oh, don’t bother with threats. This is just as worthy an exchange to me, you know?”

“... And what do you want? In return, I mean.”

They didn’t respond immediately. With an amused smile on their face, they turned back to their workstation and, one by one, started tearing the black flowers from their garden into pieces. Into the mortar the shredded petals went, and after a minute of silent work, the wizard seemed satisfied with the solution they had made. There were another two or three minutes in which they put it through an old brewing stand before transferring it into one of the glass vials scattered around their desk.

With that, they handed him the concoction. Although it may have seemed like there wasn’t much of it in there to begin with, to Jimmy it felt more like a bucket full of bricks. He blinked, as if to ask ‘what the hell am I supposed to do with this?’

“Drink it, boy, drink it!”

Their eagerness wasn’t lost on him. The small man stared down at the inky substance, which smelled no more pleasant than spoiled milk.

“I thought you said those flowers were poisonous,” he pointed, stalling.

“Hm, yes, I do pride myself on growing the finest wither flower hybrids.” They waved Jimmy off as if he had said something particularly flattering. “But alchemy works in fascinating ways, so really, that mixture should be fine. Well, at least I haven’t killed anyone with it yet.”

The toy looked back at the front door, where his cat sat like a gargoyle. Upon noticing the his gaze, Norman got up with all that feline grace of his and approached to sniff the potion. His reaction wasn’t encouraging — he let out one of those tiny cat sneezes that often made Jimmy laugh, — but if he didn’t make a fuss about it, it was probably fine. Either that or the cat didn’t know a thing about magical ingredients either.

“And... what does this do, exactly?” Jimmy asked, still grimacing.

“In theory,” the wizard said from an unknown corner of the room, where they were now heaving an old-looking box from another one of their cabinets. He definitely hadn’t seen them move, “it allows me to freely tinker with you. Think of it as a surgery of sorts,” they quickly added at Jimmy’s horrified expression.

“You do realise this is the most suspicious situation ever?”

“Yes.”

“And you expect me to just drink this, then?”

“Well, if you don’t want it, you can leave.” They shook their head at him while they examined the instruments inside of the box. “I do have other things to do.”

“No, no, just... how can I know you’re not trying to trick me? You know, it wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Jimmy, if I wanted to do you any harm, I would have done it already.” Their sigh came from somewhere behind him. What were they, a transporter? “Do you think I let just anyone find me here? No. Now, you might have never heard it before, but you are quite special. And I personally would hate to let your potential go to waste because of some tasteless joke.”

That was it. Not pity, not scorn, not condescendence. It was as simple as ‘you deserve better.’ He did deserve better. So he did it.

The potion was thick and oily, and it burned on the way down. It was a mix of spicy and sweet that frankly made him want to throw it right back up. But the vial was small enough that he managed to down the whole thing in a few gulps.

He couldn’t remember anything after that.

---

When Jimmy woke up, the first thought that crossed his mind was that he had to have been buried alive. There was a suffocating weight on top of him, while his body sank heavily on an unstable surface. His chest was impossibly tight, and some horrible, almost painful texture seemed to envelop every inch of his skin.

His skin.

 He bolted upright.

The room Jimmy found himself in felt claustrophobic; not because it was particularly small, but because he fit inside of it. It made him dizzy, like it was too foreign to process. But it wasn’t nearly as overwhelming as what he was feeling.

What was he feeling? It was hard to name it all.

A breeze made its way inside through the ajar window, and he could feel it on his face and shoulders like cold knives. The hairs along his arms stood up, goosebumps seeming to make their way into his very soul. There were no more ball joints, no more creaking, no wood grain — instead, he could faintly she the lines of his veins under pale skin.

He kicked away the covers he was tangled up in. The itchy, heavy thing had so many little loose threads, it felt like bugs crawling up his legs. The mattress was no better: his weight made it shift under him; he was almost sure it would swallow him up.

Jimmy touched his face to find that he could feel his own stubble, the lack of hinges on his jaw — it felt so loose, so free that he feared it would somehow fall from his skull. Pressing the palms of his hands against his eyes felt weird. His cracked lips, glued together from sleep, also felt weird. His hair— gods, it was so smooth! The knots were less like fraying yarn and more like he just hadn’t washed it in a few days.

His chest was wrapped in the most uncomfortable bandages possible. They were tight, rough, and Jimmy could feel every last fibre digging into his sides. But he could still run his fingers over his own ribs, touch his own stomach — it was squishy, not like cotton filling, but like flesh.

From the tip of his toes to the top of his head, he was flesh and bones and skin. And gods, he could feel it all — there was so much more surface to feel than he remembered! If he didn’t know any better, he would say he was about to combust.

He laughed in disbelief, only to immediately hug himself when it startled him; since when did his voice vibrate so much? Why was he so hot, yet so cold? So heavy? Why did his skin feel like it was melting underneath his fingers? Why was the sun so blinding, the room so small, the shifting of the bed so loud? Why was his chest even tied up, it didn’t have enough space to breathe—

“Woah there, let’s not do that.” A formless voice ringed in his ears.

Rough hands took hold of his wrist, and Jimmy pulled away like they burned him. His nails had dug bloody marks into his arms.

“Come on, deep breaths,” the owner of said hands told him. They sounded oddly close by, but Jimmy couldn’t bring himself to look at anything other than his own knees. “Yes, like that. Everything is fine, you just gotta readjust to it. Take your time”

He took in air that didn’t quite seem to fill his lungs. Without making a sound, someone closed the window and drew the curtains, cutting that cold breeze and bright light. It became easier to focus on the sting of the bruises he had produced, clinging to himself to confirm they were there.

A new weight dipped the mattress beside him and a mass of greys, browns and whites invaded his vision. Norman stared at him, sniffed at his hand, but was kind enough to not jump on him. If anything, the cat seemed suspicious.

Jimmy cleared his throat; it gave him a headache. But he was smiling fondly. Norman was so... tiny, like a kitten. Had he always been that small? His owner at times thought of him as an impromptu horse, tall and strong. He was a fluffy little thing.

“Hey, big man,” Jimmy murmured hoarsely, surprising himself with his own tone. Raising a hesitant hand, he caressed the cat’s waiting head and promptly melted.

He had forgotten what it was like to run his hand through Norman’s soft fur, to bend down and place a kiss on his little forehead. He’d forgotten the warm weight of the animal on his lap — or his own weight, for that matter. To make the floorboards creak under him, to leave a dip in the bed, to cast a long shadow on a wall. Oh, it was horrendous, too much at once — yet it was every fantastic bit like he had longed for.

“I’m not a toy.” He could shout it from the rooftops. Instead, he let out a wet and true laughter into Norman’s fur. He didn’t even realise he had started crying. “I’m not a toy.”

The wizard observed ominously. They left him a glass of water before exiting the room without a word.

For the first time in years, his own blood underneath his nails and sweat running down his back, Jimmy was alive.

#cw: sensory overload #To be continued #I had to split this one in two parts oops #anyways Jimmy gets to NOT be a toy. As an end-of-season treat #Because the end doesn't mean I'll stop compulsively thinking about them lol #But yeah here's that random wizard from Scott's backstory with their random cursed skull. I claimed them they're mine now #so much potential with Jimmy going *back* to being human that I don't see often #Here's to ruining it for him in the next part #(this is an invite to talk to me about him please-) #Empires SMP #Empires season 2 #empiresblr #Solidarity Gaming #Red Light Bandit AU #Don't Mind Me I'm Writing My Blorbos

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

January 3rd or One's Beginning is another's end (Daughters of Darkness)

This passage contains potentially: Explicit Language, Depictions of Violence (including mentions of blood), Smoking, Slang and maybe some bad translations.

Summary: An introduction to the world of the Daughters of Darkness, through the eyes of series protagonist Kirby 'Gluttony' Lucifarian. The first day and night, from her perspective, of them working for the WWF.

Kirby's POV:

Tuesday. The first day of being 'on the job', Tuesday the third of January 1984. Damien got us into the WWF. … Damien, managed to get us into the quickest rising wrestling promotion, popularity wise. To be honest with you, Damien's given us free reign to get to know people, for now. I don't know anyone here. I've heard of people here, such as the most famous giant in the world, and … Hogan.

I'm not here because I earned it, I'm here because I'm a necessity for the team. That's how I view it. That's how I've always viewed it. Vickie needed someone to make fun of and, well, I'm the easiest choice. Then, in the midst of a darker path of thought becoming clearer in my mind...

WHAM

Both me and the figure I waltzed into thudded to the floor, "Oh, my good lord. I'm so sorry are you o..."

I looked at the figure before me, taking in how much trouble I had created in the last three seconds.

Taller than myself.

Head covered by a wild afro.

Around double my weight.

André.

André the giant.

Flat on his arse … because of me.

Oh … Shit.

"Are you alright, Mademoiselle…"

I could tell he was searching for a name but didn't know it. Too frightened to even speak I glanced away. I noticed his shadow move.

"Mademoiselle?"

His footsteps came closer, he sounded … worried, as if he didn't want me to get fired for this.

"Mademoiselle?"

He picked me up, not off the ground, but so I could stand. I whispered out a small 'thank you', or rather 'merci'. His hands still on my shoulders, he smiled sweetly and nodded, as if to beckon forth more words from me.

"I'm Kirby, or rather, Gluttony. I'm new around here."

André grinned, putting his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer before stopping upon seeing how much taller than every other woman in the company I am.

"Are you, uh …" he searched for the words

"A giant, yes, technically a giantess."

I feel I should summarise the next hour or so, but, André took me on a tour of the backstage area and we talked, about everything. Within an hour I had gained a new friend, a genuine friend, someone who didn't care about my height or looks. I know the only reason he didn't care is because he knows what it's like to be stared at just because you aren't 'normal'.

By the time André's tour had ended it was time for Vickie and Damien's interview with Mean Gene, which I was to attend. I said a goodbye to André and rushed off to perform my usual role.

The Enforcer, or rather, the intimidation device, that's my role in this group, to scare people, that's all I do. Before joining the group I was part of another group back in England, The Celtic Warriors, I was part of a championship winning tag team. Now what am I, a damned intimidation device, a human scare tactic.

The Interview:

Gene's first question for us, actually, Damien and Vickie (whilst I stood behind them and looked 'menacing'), was 'How are you doing so far?'

Damien began, "You know something, Gene, my girls have yet to have a match, but we are doing absolutely fine. In shape, ready to rock, ready to roll. Gene, every one of the Daughters of Darkness are doing fine."

Vickie followed suit, "Just look at us," She gestured to me and then herself, "Don't we look marvellous, Gene."

Gene smirked, "You could say that again, miss?"

"Pride, though you can call me Vickie."

Damien glared at the smaller man, almost as if he was daring him to try and flirt with her.

Gene readjusted and focused in on the prospect of new women in the WWF and the possibility of more matches. "Uh hum, yes, now how soon do you girls think you'll be seeing a match on the cards?"

"Soon, Gene, Soon." Vickie stated, ending the interview by walking off.

The first night after 'work' was surprisingly normal, Damien and Vickie went off in their rental car, taking Holly and Eli with them whilst the rest of us stood around backstage for a while.

Billie brought a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of her purse, lighting one up and walking over to me, sitting down on a box placed near by and blowing the smoke away from me she spoke up.

"What's up with you, Tall-ass."

"Thinking."

"Dangerous pastime hermana."

"I know, hermana"

"You collect phrases, don' cha?"

"They may come in handy, Billie, one day."

"You going to the gym tomorrow?"

"Of course. Gotta train. Gotta … gotta settle in somehow, right?"

"Right, mi hermana, I'll see you around, alright?"

"See ya, Billie."

She waved back at me as she walked away.

Billie was the only person who knew that I 'collected' those little phrases that seem like nothing until spoken. Language isn't my strongest aspect, more often than not I'm silent and I try to avoid other peo-

"Hey! watch where you're walking man!" I yelped out, shocked back into the present moment. Instantly regret flooded my mind as I realised who had barged past me to get out of the building.

Big John Studd.

One of the most disrespectful 'giants' in the world of wrestling. famous for being the one man who pisses André off more than anyone else, including the Iron Sheik.

He sneered back a quick, "Who gives a fuck." and continued to stroll away.

That … that fuckwit. Who does he think he is. I felt a gentle hand place itself on my shoulder. I turned, expecting to see Eli or P.G, I was face to, well, chin with André.

"Forget about him," He started, with that same sweet, friendly smile from earlier, "Damien said you may need a ride back to the hotel. I don't recommend you walk back now, too dark out for a young lady such as yourself."

The way his R sounds turned into faint W's and he missed off or faintly implied H's was calming. Almost in the same way that hearing a parents voice would calm a child after a nightmare.

"Oh, uh, it's okay André, I was going to get a taxi."

He nodded in response, somehow both downhearted and curious, as if he knew that I was either lying to him or if I did get a taxi, the immense pain my back would be in the following day. André sauntered off, leaving me, once again by myself.

I don't mind being alone, in fact most of my life I have been alone, always the outcast, it was only when I got into wrestling that it started to change.

I picked up my bag and started walking, buttoning up my shirt up to the top of my chest, my near-neon orange shirt covering down to my mid-forearm, hiding any noticeable tattoos, except the one on my wrist, when I turned eighteen, I got a small, runic 'R' on my right wrist, in remembrance of my uncle Rory, the tallest of my dad's brothers.

It took about an hour to get to the hotel, an hour of walking through a city I'm not familiar with, when I eventually got to the hotel I went straight to my room and locked myself in. All alone, I could practice or train if I wanted, so I did.

I took off my black shirt, shoes and belt and I stood in the middle of the hotel room and practiced punching, then I switched to doing my warmups and working out, push-ups, planks, squats. By the time I finished it must've been around midnight, maybe one or two am. I got some sleep, waking up at six, getting changed into some fresh workout gear and headed straight to the gym.

You meet all sorts of characters at a gym, or so I've been told. Back in England I would go to my parents house and use our home-made gym to work out. Not an option that I have anymore, however, the moment I got into the gym, I felt like I was in a whole new world, as if I was just getting into the business all over again. I scanned for any faces that I knew, Mr Fuji, Tonga Kid, Sgt Slaughter, Don Muraco, Lou Albano, Iron Sheik, Freddie Blassie, Tito Santana, Jimmy Snuka, Bob Backlund, Gene and Pat, David Schultz, and … who is that?

I walked over to David and this mystery guy, nodding at David and heading to the heavy bag next to them.

"Mornin' Gluttony, André's been talkin' about ya."

"Oh really, Mr Schultz?" I tried to keep my breath noises to a minimum as I continued to hit the bag.

The mystery guy snickered, quickly shutting up after Schultz glared at him.

"C'mon girl, you know you can call me David. An' yeah," He stopped punching and instead leaned on the heavy bag in front of him, forcing the other guy to hold it still "Giant's been talking about him havin' a new friend and how much he likes ya."

"He's a good man, it's good to have friends in new places. Who's your pal, David?"

He smiled and slung his arm around the shorter man, "This here, this is Roddy Piper. He's like you."

I tilted my head slightly to try and make him explain further.

"You are Scottish, right?"

"I'm a quarter Scottish. Anyway, Piper, Do you speak Gaelic?"

"Uh, no, I can play the bagpipes however." his eyes lit up slightly, a sort of mad fire behind a haze of brown or maybe dark blue.

"Well, I'll see you around I guess, I've gotta warm up for later though."

I tried to block the two men out and focus on my own workout but Piper seemed to stick around a lot longer than David. He was still there when my workout ended.

"What do you want?"

"You're a quarter Scottish, you're also a giant. How do you fight? Show me." He seemed to get more energetic the more he talked.

"Right now?"

He nodded, "Right now, c'mon."

He led me to a ring that some other wrestlers were using to brush up their skills.

From the looks of the ring, it was actually used for boxing.

Roddy entered the ring the same way as most six-foot-two guys did, through the top and middle ropes. I tested the ropes, and seeing that they had just enough slack, used them to jump over the top rope.

"I've never seen a girl do that before."

"Mistake number one, I'm a woman, not a girl. Mistake number two, you expected a giant to be normal."

He scoffed out a laugh and got ready to lock up.

We locked up and Piper hit me with a knee to the stomach.

I got him back with an Irish whip into the corner, accidentally winding him by being too stiff.

"You're gonna pay for that, lass." He snarled out, already getting pissed off.

I sized him up, trying to see how high I would have to get myself in order to dropkick him to the mat.

Piper tried to hit me with a running high knee strike but I countered with a dropkick, taking us both down to the mat and slamming my face into the mat.

The mat was a lot harder than I was used to, it felt like I had rammed my head straight into a cinderblock, I started breathing heavier than before.

I rolled over and put my arms up, making an 'X' with my forearms. Piper stopped and walked over.

"You alright?"

I shook my head.

He knelt down and pulled me up into a sitting position.

I hesitated, knowing I had to take my mask off to see what was wrong but truly not wanting to. Piper managed to unbuckle the straps of my mask and winced as he saw what was underneath. My mind went slightly mad not knowing if he was wincing at the injury I had caused myself or the fact that, compared to the rest of the D.O.D, I'm truly the worst looking, beauty-wise, that is.

Hitting my mouth so hard on the canvas of the mat below us, I had managed to hit my mask in a way that the bottom edge, which curved under my chin, cut into my flesh and made me bleed.

I put my hand up to the cut and Piper quickly held my arm by the wrist and shook his head, "Don't you dare."

By the time I received medical aid, which consisted of cleaning the cut and putting a band-aid on it, Piper had given me back my mask and asked if he could work out with me sometime. Knowing that he was currently on a different show, I said sure and we had split ways.

END OF ONE'S BEGINNING IS ANOTHER'S END / JANUARY 3RD

#Lucifarians #wrestling fic

[punkscowardschampions]

Janis & Jimmy

Janis: 🖕🖕🖕 Janis: Just in case you were thinking I was too nice Jimmy: nah Jimmy: only that you look it Jimmy: know better, don't I? Janis: 😈 for you baby Janis: 😂 and you're just bigging yourself up 'cos you picked the 'fit Jimmy: definitely tweet that Jimmy: maybe Janis: First bit or? Jimmy: yeah, can't give me credit for your clothes Jimmy: would sound like I'm a right controlling dickhead Janis: You don't want credit for all this 🔥🔥🔥? Jimmy: it's yours, babe Janis: You look cute Jimmy: 💕 Jimmy: You look better but tah Janis: defs the best looking fake couple here Jimmy: the real couples can't compete 🥇 Janis: true Janis: not sorry everyone Jimmy: want another drink? I'll go Janis: I'm allowed Janis: Goody 😜 Jimmy: Can't challenge you then give you nowt to prove yourself with Janis: 🍾🍾🍾 Jimmy: don't make me change my mind, pisshead Janis: Joking, babes Janis: though it'll make your absence easier to bear 💔 Jimmy: if you're gonna be that funny, do it out loud Jimmy: give the fans what they need Janis: 😏 Janis: Find me on the dance floor then Jimmy: alright Jimmy: in a bit Janis: you gonna dance with me Jimmy: Gotta Jimmy: my moves are #goals Janis: believe it when i see it Janis: hold you up when you breathless Jimmy: hang on & you will Jimmy: yeah? I believe you just wanna hold me, girl Janis: Gotta show I missed you ain't I Jimmy: they'll believe it when they see it Jimmy: go on Janis: Challenge accepted Jimmy: do you wanna take a swig first or do I look THAT cute? 💕 Janis: 🤔🤔🤔 Janis: Gonna have to inspect you bit closer Jimmy: now's your chance Janis: Now I've got my drink might start looking REAL cute in a bit Jimmy: saying I don't now 💔 Jimmy: it's 'cause I dance too white 🎻🎻 Janis: Not bad Jimmy: you can piss off with the compliment I was gonna give you then Janis: Aww tell me Jimmy: no chance, dickhead Janis: How can I make you? Jimmy: you can't Janis: 😭 Jimmy: just don't make the actual face Jimmy: crying drunk girl ain't #goals Janis: #domestic Janis: gonna go get comforted by the other drunk girls Jimmy: nah come here Janis: if you insist Jimmy: I'll whisper it for you Janis: 😳 Jimmy: now you look cute Janis: shh, if i'm smiling too much at my phone they're gonna think it's not for you Jimmy: better stay here & put your phone down for a bit then Janis: I wanna 🚬 gimme one Jimmy: 👌 Janis: Be right back Janis: stay alive Jimmy: do my best Jimmy: didn't actually kill me by taking my breath away Janis: 🤷 Janis: you want me to try again Jimmy: do you wanna be 🥇 or nah? Janis: I've gotta, no wanna about it Jimmy: go on then Janis: [A smoke/moment later] Where you gone? Jimmy: kitchen Jimmy: where you need me to be? Janis: Stay there Janis: some countertop action gonna jog memories Jimmy: alright Jimmy: decent dedication Jimmy: you want me to clear you a space or are you gonna sweep the shit off dramatically for the oscar? Janis: Don't need to be getting that messy yet Jimmy: 👍 Janis: I think this stoves' been on recently Janis: concerning Jimmy: [picks her up and moves her 'cause EXCUSE ME you don't need to be this fucking hot lads] Jimmy: alright? Janis: yeah Janis: better Jimmy: that's a really good angle for you Jimmy: where's mia when we need her? Janis: fuck knows, crying 'bout it, eating another victim? Jimmy: gonna pop out the oven door Janis: 😂 tryna burn me, knew it Jimmy: was it hot as hell though? Janis: Close Jimmy: you're alright though, for real? Janis: 'Course Jimmy: can't afford a compensation claim you know, rich girl so no lying Janis: check if you wanna but unlike you i'm not down to show this entire party everything Jimmy: we can get some privacy, I'm not a total animal Janis: shame 😉 Jimmy: if that's a challenge think carefully about saying anything else 'cause you know I'll do it Janis: I'm thinking Janis: Hard Janis: can you tell? Jimmy: yeah Janis: Decisions decisions Jimmy: just don't look at me like that when you're trying to make 'em Janis: don't you wanna help me decide Janis: we're a team Jimmy: you just want me to help you win Janis: Can't we both? Jimmy: depends Jimmy: what are you thinking? Janis: I don't know if I can say Jimmy: whisper it then Jimmy: that don't count Janis: It's still scary though Jimmy: you don't have to tell me Janis: I want to but Jimmy: but? Janis: I don't know Janis: tell you later maybe Jimmy: alright Jimmy: let me know when you do Janis: 'Course Janis: Going loo Jimmy: 👍 Jimmy: if you find any other drunk girls, chat about me Jimmy: #goals like Janis: duh, what else do we have in common? Janis: fuck ya bechdel test Jimmy: 😂 Jimmy: I'm going outside find me when you're done Janis: 👍 Jimmy: 🚬💕 Janis: I know 💔 was trying to ignore the other woman but it's impossible Jimmy: 🎻🎻 Jimmy: find yourself one in the toilets, fair's fair Janis: 😑 Janis: Sometimes I think you forget why we're doing this Jimmy: I don't Jimmy: but like you said before, only human Jimmy: it's a hot scenario to think about Janis: Yeah? Janis: Maybe Jimmy: haven't you ever fucked a stranger at a party before? Janis: No one's a strange 'round here to me Janis: not properly Jimmy: I really am gonna have to take you up north then Jimmy: You're missing out Janis: What are you, my pimp? 😂 Jimmy: the cash would be good Janis: absolute prick Jimmy: it's a compliment, dickhead Jimmy: I told you, you look really good Janis: It is not! You're gonna need to work on your chat before you're allowed near a real girl Jimmy: well that's how I meant it Jimmy: sorry Janis: You're funny, it's cool Jimmy: You reckon I'm funny? Jimmy: that's funny Janis: You are Jimmy: you are Jimmy: when you're not being unfunny deliberately Janis: 'scuse you, I'm always on these days Janis: you're more demanding than Kubrick, that's all Jimmy: Piss off Jimmy: I'm the best fake boyfriend you've ever had Janis: One of one, congratulations baby 🎉 Jimmy: 🥇 Jimmy: come outside Janis: Are there other people out there Jimmy: nah, that's why I like it Janis: Jimmy Jimmy: ?? Janis: Don't be angry or weird with me  just ignore it 'cos I'm drunk and this is the same as whispering so it don't count Janis: what if i wanna kiss you a bit even if no one's out there Jimmy: I already told you to come outside Jimmy: It's not just 'cause I can't finish a 🚬 without you Janis: it's alright, yeah Jimmy: I like kissing you Jimmy: You're good Janis: I like it too Janis: I wanna do it just 'cos, just once Jimmy: Let's just see what's it's like then Jimmy: without anyone looking at us Jimmy: might be shit Janis: If it is, or even if it isn't, I promise we don't have to again Jimmy: I'm not asking for you to promise that Jimmy: but alright Janis: I'm just saying, I won't be weird Jimmy: You're always weird, Janis Jimmy: Be weirder if you weren't Janis: 😩 Jimmy: let me give you a compliment, dickhead Janis: You've called me a freak and a good potential prostitute Janis: somehow I still really want you Jimmy: I told you ages ago, I'm better at not talking Janis: I know Janis: but I like talking too, you know Jimmy: don't get weird about it but it's alright talking to you too Jimmy: it's just not what I wanna do right this second Janis: Me either Janis: fighting my way downstairs as we speak Jimmy: #goals Janis: It's kinda rude like excuse me whilst you're all getting yours you're in my way Janis: gonna start kicking Jimmy: it's rude for you to let me imagine that Jimmy: if I didn't know better I'd reckon you do want me to die Janis: Payback, if you feel even half of what I'm feeling Jimmy: I feel Jimmy: I can't tell you Jimmy: But Janis: Not even if you whisper? Jimmy: Just let me show you, alright Janis: I want that Janis: make me feel it Jimmy: get downstairs & outside then Janis: Fuck Janis: Okay Jimmy: now, if you can Janis: [After 'cos well] Jimmy: so much for staying alone Jimmy: let's go back in Janis: okay Janis: sure Jimmy: drink? Janis: Please Jimmy: [takes her hand 'cause cute] Jimmy: come with Janis: 👍 Jimmy: 👌 Janis: do we talk about that or nah, genuine question Jimmy: depends Jimmy: do you wanna or nah? Janis: I just wanna know if you thought it was shit or not, that's all Jimmy: did you think it was shit? Janis: I mean, obviously not Janis: I meant to touch you more but then I just Janis: forgot Jimmy: if you didn't think it was shit why would I? Jimmy: shit that we can't be left alone for a fucking sec when we wanna be but like Janis: that's why we were doing it, yeah, to see if it was without everyone watching Janis: and then that twat shows up, should let 'em all know 🚬 kills then we might have outside to ourselves Jimmy: least he can let everyone know that we continue to be #goals Janis: true Janis: win win Jimmy: yeah Jimmy: ['fixes' her hair for her 'cause that's the kind of shameless excuse we're going with here] Janis: Shit, do I look a state? Jimmy: You look Jimmy: you know Jimmy: good Janis: Tah Jimmy: I just like touching you Jimmy: for real Janis: I like you touching me Janis: do it more often Janis: whenever you like Jimmy: after tonight? Janis: Yeah Janis: We don't have to stop there, do we? Jimmy: ask me when you aren't pissed, girl Jimmy: if you can Janis: Don't Janis: I'm not Jimmy: we are Janis: alright Jimmy: it don't mean I don't want to Jimmy: I'm not saying that Jimmy: but we can't pretend we aren't Janis: Yeah, okay Jimmy: just ask me tomorrow Jimmy: or whenever Janis: I will Janis: don't pretend you can't remember Janis: you aren't that drunk, I know Jimmy: don't pretend you can't Janis: can't remember or can't ask Jimmy: both of 'em Janis: I won't Janis: I might bottle it though Jimmy: stop looking at your phone for a sec & look at me Jimmy: you won't Janis: Okay Janis: I won't Janis: tomorrow then Jimmy: what now though? Janis: do you have to go home or can we stay Jimmy: I don't wanna go home Janis: I know Janis: let's go back but just smoke in the garden Janis: I'm bored of everyone here Jimmy: Alright Jimmy: are you gonna stay at mine again? Janis: I don't wanna go home either Janis: but I can, if I have to Jimmy: then stay Jimmy: same deal as before Janis: Okay Jimmy: now? Janis: Is there anything else you wanna do before Jimmy: [kisses her 'cause really there's your answer] Jimmy: nowt else Janis: Works for me Jimmy: [kisses her again 'cause extra] Janis: Tell me why we have to wait 'til tomorrow again Jimmy: I don't remember Janis: You look so good Jimmy: You feel so good Jimmy: & you taste like Janis: Jimmy Janis: [Kisses him why not] Jimmy: You hardly ever kiss me first Jimmy: you know Janis: I want to, have wanted to, loads of times Jimmy: do it more Jimmy: from now on Janis: okay Janis: ask me tomorrow, boy Jimmy: I'm asking you now Jimmy: in writing Jimmy: girl Janis: It's a deal, then Jimmy: alright good Janis: It feels good doing this 'cos I want to Jimmy: yeah Janis: i'm not being pushy am i Janis: i can go home its no big Jimmy: I don't want you to Janis: just checking Janis: i'll stay then Jimmy: 👍 Janis: knock if i need anything, right? Jimmy: or we could just stay together Jimmy: maybe Janis: it is your bed Jimmy: but I offered it to you Janis: I want you more Jimmy: [kisses her again 'cause damn Janis go off okay] Janis: You literally keep getting better I wish you didn't have to stop Jimmy: I don't Janis: You do here, on this random's sofa Jimmy: alright but gimme one more Jimmy: for the road or whatever Janis: [Another kiss] Jimmy: fuck Jimmy: let's just Jimmy: go Jimmy: that's what I need to say, isn't it? Janis: Yes Janis: exactly Janis: take me home Jimmy: come on then