Date August 7th 2020 / Time 2:14PM / Status Not Recording
Location The Lee/Wylde Residence – New York City, New York

“So.”

I open my eyes and look up at him, which isn’t too terribly hard considering I’m laying across the couch – my head in his lap.

“So?”

“You announce that you’re going for the Co-op titles… With me and-”

I chuckle softly.

“And their first thought is to put me into a Co-op match with Konrad instead? Yeah, maybe they’re trying to tell me something.. Hmm?”

He gives me a look and I close my eyes again. He rests his hand on my stomach and lets out a sigh.

Would I have loved to have flexed our Co-operative muscles in a match before our title match? Hell yes. That would have been much preferred to this thrown together affair with someone I have no interest in teaming with against two people I’ve already beaten. I’m not pursuing those titles with Konrad.

But it is what it is.

I open my eyes once again to see Joe staring off across the room and I let out a sigh of my own.

“Konrad’s a nice enough guy, but he’s no you.”

“Well I know that.”

“The look on your face says otherwise.”

He scoffs and pulls his hand away, running it through his hair.

“The look on my face doesn’t say shit, Luce.”

“If you say so.”

I reply, sitting up and moving to the other side of the couch. Things aren’t bad. Between us, I mean – It’s just… I don’t know. He’s seemed distracted. I dunno, maybe I shouldn’t have left him out of the big secret. I mean it wasn’t really that big of a secret, I think.. Which is more evidence in the argument that I probably should have just told him.

“Listen..”

I say softly, turning towards him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what I was gonna do.”

“Why did you pick to go after those belts… With me?”

He retorts, turning his head towards me. I shrug my shoulders.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

To me it’s a no-brainer. I had my mind made up even before Eden and Donovan had won the Co-op Championships. Shit, I had my mind made up moments after I won the Wrestlestock Cup.

When he doesn’t respond after a few moments, I sigh.

“I love you, Joe. I could have done whatever I wanted with that win. I could have tried to become a two time World Champ, a four time Cross-Hemisphere Champ, or I could have gone for the Chaos title -”

“So, why didn’t you? You won the cup. You didn’t have to drag me along for the Co-op titles.”

“But I wanted to do this with you. I guess I wanted you to know that I’m not what T– That’s what this is, isn’ t it?”

He eyes me up questioningly.

“That’s what this is… What?”

“The shit Tempest has been saying is getting to you, isn’ t it?”

He narrows his eyes at me, shaking his head.

“Yeah, right. That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?”

I ask, staring right back at him until he finally gets up off the couch and starts pacing around the living room. He only does this when he’s trying to work through his thoughts – So either I’m right, or I just pissed him off.

It could definitely be either at this point.

“You honestly think I’d let some fucking moron like Tempest get into my head like that?”

Instead of getting up myself, I lean further back into the couch and close my eyes.

“I don’t really think it’s a matter of you letting him, Joe. You don’t think he was trying to get to both of us last week, hmm? Why do you think I wanted us to go for the Co-op titles, together? I want that fucker to know that–”

“Yeah, you’re only teaming with me because of what he said. And you’re telling me he’s in my head.”

He glares at me before turning and moving through the condo, into the kitchen. I sit there for a few seconds, telling myself to just let it go. Just let it go. We can talk about it in our next session of therapy.

No reason to escalate things.

No reason to make things worse.

He’s in a mood. Might as well just leave him–

“No, I didn’t like that he blamed me for your failures – Like I’m the fucking kryptonite to your career…”

My yelling echoes through the room as I get up and follow him into the kitchen.

“And yeah, it got into my head a little. But unlike you – I’m using it to TRY and show him a united front. I’m using it to strengthen our relationship… But you’re just treating me like I AM the enemy.”

“I am not!”

“BULLSHIT!”

He stops what he’s doing and stares at me from across the island.

I try to do something for us. I try to prove that I’m not the person Tempest thinks I am, the person he’s trying to convince Joe that I am and what do I get for it?

“Forgive the fuck out of me for caring more about YOU than what some piece of shit has to say. Yeah, I did it to prove a point but I was going to pick you anyway! I had my mind set on what I was going to do the night I fucking won the God damned thing, BEFORE I ever faced Tempest. But don’t believe me. Believe some psycho in face paint instead.”

I spit that last sentence in his direction, turning to leave the room. I’m tired. I’m just so fucking tired. So I’m gonna do what I should have done instead of following him in here and screaming my head off – I’m gonna go to our room and I’m going to take a hot bath and drown out the rest of the world for a while.

Let him sit down here and pace himself to death if he wants.

“Luce..”

His voice is soft, I almost don’t hear him over the thoughts racing in my own mind. I stop, my back still facing him as I look across the condo at the view just outside the windows.

“Yeah?”

I stand there and wait for a response, but after a little while I turn around to see him leaning against the island, watching me. He looks like he’s thinking about something – I don’t know what, but in the end he nods and glances down at his hands.

“Thank you.”

My eyebrows raise in surprise.

“Wait, what?”

 

Teeemmm-Peesttt.

Temmmmm-Pessssst.

Looks like you get me again, you know – Instead of Jayyyy-Ceeeee.  How disappointing, huh? 

From what I’ve gathered about you and your little band of clowns though, I think you’re gonna use this as another opportunity – another attempt to get into Joe’s head, because you don’t have anything better to do, am I right?  But with people like you, it doesn’t surprise me.   I mean, it’s smart.  Trying to rip Joe and I apart.  Even before I announced what I was gonna do with my Wrestlestock win… You sensed who the real threat was, and you wanna eliminate him… or rather, us – before we can do anything about it. 

But Joe’s better than that.

I’m better than that. 

You’re gonna have to try a lot harder to make him truly believe the shit you’re spewing from that hole you call a mouth, honey.   I’ve known Joe for a long time, we’ve been through hell together.   We’ve been each other’s greatest enemy and we’ve been each others greatest ally.  

But you, Tempest?  

You’re just a bug bite on the ass of the UGWC.   A little prick.  A little pain, and really, really annoying.  

So why am I even paying you any attention at all when we both know your partner for this week is the real threat?   Ain’t that right, Addy?

Wouldn’t want you to get insulted because I’m not giving you enough credit – But hey, I beat you too, right?   You know, after you said all that shit about me.  The funny part is, you don’t have a God damned idea of who I am.  Wouldn’t know that though, by watching that God awful promotional video you made for Wrestlestock.  

“Dippy blonde cunt“, huh?  

Dippy blonde cunt that kicked your raggedy ass out of the fuckin Open, yeah?

You talked an awful big game, I’ll give you that.  You just didn’t have the fucking goods to back all that bullshit up.  Telling me.. Telling THE Lucy Wylde that she can’t handle the ‘heat’.  Bitch, really?  But you were right about one thing, Addy.  One, singular, little thing. 

You aren’t like the ‘muppets’ that I beat for the World title.  You aren’t anything like Jet Somers, Zane Scott and Phrixus Deimos.  Nah, you’re the fucking toilet paper those men wipe their asses with.  You’re a fucking dumpster fire, bitch. 

Do I think you’re talented, yeah.  Do I think you can beat me?  Nah.  Not yet. 

Right now you’re just a mouthy skank who’s gonna get punted in her mouth.   You’re gonna learn real quick that I’m not just another fucking woman, I’m not just another ‘pretty’ face.   I’m one of the best wrestlers that UGWC has ever seen – Does that mean I’m unbeatable, hell no.  But does that mean I’m leaps and bounds above your stupid ass? 

Damn straight it does. 

So get the dick off your breath and close your fucking mouth for once and maybe you might actually learn something from someone who’s BETTER than you.

But yeah, that’s about it.  

There’s not much else to say about the two of you, is there?

Konrad and I will see you on Monday. 

Oh, one more thing… Konrad?  Don’t disappoint me, partner.

 

OOC: JC used with permission