#and logan almost won a championship with them

[23fallencomets]

SARGENATION THERES LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

[mxstellatayte]

next door kind of love.

warnings: none, just some childhood best friends to lovers and tooth-rotting fluff. make your dentist's appointments now yall.

growing up living next door to the sargeants was an interesting experience. your parents were friends, having bonded when logan's parents moved in a few months after your own parents had. then, a few years later, they had dalton. just over a month after dalton's first birthday, you came along, and then eight months after you, on new year's eve, logan was born.

the three of you were inseparable as you grew up. you'd accompany them to their races and they'd support you at your roller derby tournaments. they would find a new way to climb the tree in your back yard and you would set a time record for climbing that route. the three of you had more inside jokes than you could count, made up more backyard games than anyone could ever begin to comprehend, and trusted each other beyond the ends of the earth.

when the sargeants moved to switzerland, though, you were crushed. sure, their plan was to only stay for two years, but those two years started to feel like an unbearable eternity after just the first month.

"mama," you said, a bite of peanut butter and jelly sandwich in your mouth, "i miss logie and dalt. when are they coming back?"

"not for a long time, honey. i'm sure they'll come visit, though. how about we call them and see how they're doing?"

your face lit up. "yeah! can we call them now? can we can we can we?"

your mother smiled and shook her head, the papers surrounding her full of confusing numbers and big words like "homeowner's insurance" and "disability pension application."

"maybe, honey. we'll have to see what time works for them. first, though, i need you to finish your lunch, strawberries and all. can you do that for me?"

"sure, mama."

lo and behold, two years had passed, and the sargeants were almost back to florida. your father had the idea of surprising them at the airport, so you'd made a giant sign that said "WELCOME BACK SARGEANTS!" in bright blue magic marker. after selecting a spot you deemed visible enough, you craned your neck every time a new flow of passengers exited, hoping to see your best friends. every time you caught a flash of what might've been one of them, your heart skipped a beat, but when you finally saw dalton, logan, and their parents, it felt like you were on the moon.

you mustered up as much air into your thirteen-year-old lungs as you could and screamed.

"DALTON! LOGAN!"

every head in the airport whipped around to you, but you couldn't care less. your two best friends were running full speed at you, suitcases abandoned with their parents, and you couldn't stop smiling. you're slammed by the tightest hug you've ever experienced and you might be seeing stars from your ribs being crushed but that doesn't matter when you finally have dalton and logan back with you in florida.

you're muttering so many "i missed you"s and "i couldn't wait to see you guys"s and "i have so much to tell you"s into them, and it feels like forever before you guys let go of each other.

"you guys ready to get out of here?"

when logan won the karting championship in 2015, you'd never screamed louder. you were the first person he looked for after the race and the person he hugged the tightest.

when you made it to the top roller derby league in your area, he was the first person to congratulate you, and he brought you a small bouquet of your favorite flowers- baby breath, white tulips, and jasmine.

as logan worked his way up through the different levels of formula racing, you'd always manage to stay up to all hours of the night to watch him race or even send him a simple "good luck" text.

when he told you he'd been admitted to the williams driver academy, you almost tackled him to the ground with how much force you hugged him with. "i'm so happy for you," you said, repeated like a mantra.

"and guess what?"

"there's more?" you pulled back from the hug, looking up at him.

"i get to do a post-season test drive in abu dhabi."

"what?!" the smile on your face is not only from pride, but now also shock. "lo, are you serious? that's amazing! when did you find out?"

"maybe..." he checks his watch, eyes looking up. "five minutes ago?"

"wait. did you tell your parents? and dalt?" he hesitates, a blush of embarrassment creeping up his cheeks. you can't help but think, even for an instant, that it's... kind of cute?

"logan hunter sargeant, did you tell me before you told your parents?"

"i might have..." the scowl on your face deepens, and you pull away from him, remove the house slipper you're wearing, and whack him across the head with it.

"out of my house! go over to your own and tell your parents, your literal givers of life, that you're driving a fucking formula one car! out! out with you!" you wave him out of your front door and watch with a smile on your face as he runs back to his own home, laughing when he trips over himself and falls into the grass. a few minutes later, you hear dan and madelyn scream with joy.

"my best friend is going to drive a formula one car," you say to the wind. "holy shit."

a bit over a year later, when logan signs with williams to drive with them in 2023, he still tells you before his parents.

the tuesday after the austin grand prix, a new post on your private instagram account appears. its location is tagged as the circuit of the americas and the caption reads "one of the perks of your best friend being a formula 1 driver is getting to go to austin and get paddock passes for free. the other is getting to spend the weekend with your best friend."

in may of 2024, logan brings you to the miami grand prix. at the end of the race, you are the first person he looks for. you are the person he hugs the tightest. you are the person to tell him that it wasn't his fault that he crashed and he did everything he could. you are the person whose shoulder he cries into and the person who gently holds his face and wipes his tears away with your thumbs.

you are the person to stand on your tip toes to place a kiss to his lips, the salty taste of his tears reaching your own lips. you are the person he sees when he opens his eyes and, when you backpedal in the slightest bit, you are the person he pulls closer and kisses like he means it.

you are the only person that hears when he says that he's loved you since you surprised him at the airport when they came back from switzerland. you are the only person that hears him say that it's always been you that he's loved, that he's never seen anyone else besides you.

and he is the only one that hears you say that you love him, too.

[aduckinpain]

The Ice and The Snow

(can't melt with each other near)

Tags: Loscar, Logan Sargeant centered, Logan Sargeant Character Analysis, Hurt/Comfort, Rookies handling their first year as mirrors of each other, Happy Ending, That one radio in Qatar with James Vowel, Las Vegas 2023 Grand Prix, the consequences of Qatar haven't left yet

Word Count: 2.7k

This work is also on AO3 under user roianamustang (me).

Eyes would blink open. Body wrapped in a soft, fuzzy blanket. The air cold, but the atmosphere warm. Winter had always felt special, with its holidays, weather, and new year resolutions.

With the snow. Gentle snowflakes descend slowly. Each one has intricate and unique details. Yet each one still falls down. Depending on where they land, they either melt, or they pile up. Stacked on top of each other, invincible to the human eye when they stand alone, but wondrous when they form their patchworks. It’s almost as if a needle is being thread, linking each one with the other.

But this link never happens so delicately. The snow's weight pushes on itself, causing it to get packed. The pressure never leaves, it just unifies them.

Living in Florida gets everyone accumulated to heat and humidity, so when winter starts knocking on windows, it is rare that the package that arrives with it, is made of fluffy whiteness. 

But snow can get deadly. It is slippery and wet. It builds up and always keeps on tumbling. It drags along everything in its path. It pulls.

An avalanche is a large amount of ice, snow, and rock falling down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. 

With 2023 starting, Logan felt like he was hit by an avalanche with no ground to stop him. He was stuck under layers of freezing temperatures. Tremors and shivers were expected. Ice involuntarily and unknowingly scraping his skin.

And he was trying so, so hard. He kept digging and pushing around. But he’s been there for some time. He can’t find a way out. He can’t see the light.

Which way is up and which way is down?

Please. I promise I can do this.

Being the first American to win an FIA Karting World Championship title since 1978, is a fact that Logan keeps close to his heart. Lets it rest there, coil around. Reassure.

Entering in 2015, opened up new pathways and a clear goal to aim for. So the years continued. Full throttle.

The snow kept falling. Piling up.

Snowmen were created, snowball fights were won. And in 2016, as a newly entered Formula 4 driver, he met Ice.

The ice was immovable and quiet, yet intimidating. Somehow it has always been there, yet it just showed up. 

The title was won with him standing as a solid third in the championship ranking. He was closer to the cold than to the trophies. 

Soon enough in 2018, Logan wasn’t achieving podiums anymore. He was achieving wins. The high was exhilarating, the slower he fell from each cloud, the more he appreciated the crisp, fresh air. But the clouds kept rising and without him noticing, the pressure was increasing. His ice left for a bit. He missed his comfort. After all, the cold keeps the snow from melting.

2019 was a year full of points and disappointments, but Logan didn’t let that deter him. His path was now drawn and he’d entered it with purple sectors. The wind had picked up a bit, kept changing the trajectory of the flakes, but the destination was clear. 

In 2020 the ice returned stronger than ever. The snow solidified with no chances of melting and plummeted to results. He ended up third in the championship. A result he added to the coil around his heart. His glacier won the championship, but the snow would catch up.

I promise you James, I will finish this race.

You have my word.

In 2021 Logan decided to take one more year of Formula 3, in hopes of achieving more, of having a more assured future. His ice felt like verglas, further away and much thinner. 

While he had ranked lower than the first time in the championship, a majority of the team's points were won by him alone. He’d worn his gloves and slowly packed the snow together.

Still, when he received the news of Williams' support, he could not believe it., it came as a surprise. Things were looking good, he was excited. A good F2 season would give him more chances to fulfill his dream, his goal, his future. 

He exited Prema’s building, while entering William’s and felt like a rime. Excited and cold, from the rapid freezing of the water around him. He wasn’t alone. Other drivers were there, his teammate was there, but most importantly, the snow touched its ice.

Oscar Piastri was an iceberg . Logan had never met someone quieter. But Oscar didn’t have to act loud, he was loud. His presence screamed hard-work and talent. A champion in F3, that people still underestimated. People seemed to warm up to him with a bit of time, but no one could deny the ruthless gleam in his eyes. Oscar didn’t just come for a win or a road to F1. Oscar was here to be champion. 

So the hail picked up the pace. He couldn’t be beaten easily. He’d make it a challenge. 

The snow cascaded down, each day with a new speed, with a greater intent. Pieces of ice were caught in its plunge. 

Oscar became an intricate part of Logan’s life. Whether he liked it or not the videos and the activities brought them together. The ice kept the snow cold. Logan felt safe, calm. 

The boys spent time together playing on their PlayStations, looking at each other’s simulator results and laughing at jokes with the team. Nothing, however, could beat their quiet nights. 

Being with Oscar made Logan feel serene, if he didn’t want to talk, they just wouldn’t talk. If he wanted to rant, Oscar Piastri and those stupid big brown eyes of his would cling onto every sentence, every word. Logan felt listened to. He felt important. Sheltered, guarded. 

When he was with Oscar, the wind fell silent, the snow fell slowly, softly. It never melted. It got cradled.

Oscar was the Champion of the 2021 F2 season, and no matter how annoyed Logan wanted to be, the pride surging through his chest overwhelmed him. Logan was second anyways, he’d bind for his time. The only thing that this season’s results assured him, was that the snow and its ice would meet again. 

This time in F1. This time competing in their dream.

So while Oscar awaited his turn as a reserve driver for Alpine, Logan went through another season. This time with an ultimatum. If he managed to receive the correct amount points necessary for a Super License, his next year would be in a Formula 1 car, alongside Alexander Albon. 

Coming fourth in the championship allowed him to get his license. What more could he want in life?

During this season however, his ice wasn’t there. Now usually, that would be okay, however the few times they called, texted or even met up, Oscar would seem dim, tired, unsure. Not physically, no. He felt defeated, confused. Alpine had promised him a lot of things yet, there he stood, jobless, dreamless. So this time Logan packed the snow, made a fort, an igloo, anything to protect the ice. 

This is maybe, why he was so surprised when Oscar called him at 1 AM one night, something he doesn’t like to do generally, only to tell him the news. 

@OscarPiastri

I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.

8:00 PM · Aug 2, 2022

44.2K Reposts 50.7K Quotes 386K Likes 4,282 Bookmarks

Next year, his ice will be orange.

Next year, his ice will have his snow.

The year started and while Sargeant realistically knew the potential of a Williams car, it still overwhelmed him. Or underwhelmed him. 

It whelmed him.  

Getting used to an F1 car was different. The step from F2 to F1 was supposed to be gradual, seamless. It was neither of those. 

Every race was a disappointment. At first he had hopes, he’d get used to the car or the car would be good enough to at least go near points. The longer time went on, the more he yearned, the more he lost. Disappointment coursed through his veins.

He was tired. 

At himself.

While at the beginning he could reason with the prospect that he was a rookie and looked at Oscar who was going through the same thing, albeit with more drama, that could not be an excuse anymore after the summer break. 

The ice was growing.

The snow was melting.

The avalanche was nosediving. 

I will show you I can do this, please. I promise you I will.

Each weekend felt like the shards of ice were slipping away from his fingers, or digging deep into the blizzard. Logan started growing quiet, reluctant. He’d seen the jokes, laughed with some even, but what got to him was the comments. 

This year, F2 drivers were chosen to drive an F1 car as a test. They got good results. 

This year, Liam Lawson, his past teammate, stepped foot in an F1 car, passed Yuki Tsunoda, got points and beat Max Verstappen to Q3.

This year, after the summer break, Oscar Piastri was breaking records and expectations alike. He was loved more by the second and gradually carved his way into being McLaren’s greatest choice and Alpine’s greatest failure. 

This year, Logan Sargeant was consistent. For a full season, he had managed to accumulate no points and be outqualified by his teammate in every race. 

His seat was being wasted. All the years of hard work and achievements, reduced to water. Melted. 

It all plunged in Qatar.

Any time someone bothered to use his face on social media, it tended to be followed by two things.

What the fuck is a kilometer, a joke which he had to admit, at first was funny.

And the eagle. 

The eagle was supposed to represent the USA. His home, his safe space. He was supposed to represent where he came from. Give it meaning and value in this sport. Yet at every moment that passed, he felt two sharp talons digging onto his shoulders. Blood dripped down. The weight of this apex predator was bringing him to his knees. He was melting. He sank.

He didn’t ask for this. He just wanted people to be proud.

He just wanted Oscar to be his equal.

He missed Oscar.

He didn’t deserve Oscar.

Logan had given up on setting expectations for himself a long time ago, so the Grand Prix started and he went along with the flow.

Entering the car, he remembers making a joke about the weather. After all, Qatar was known for its intense heat. But nothing could prepare him. Nothing could prepare anyone.

Sweat dripped down his face, fogged up his helmet, sticking each strand of hair to his balaclava. Maybe it wasn’t the fog, because with a sudden jolt, Logan realized his vision was getting blurry. The content in his stomach had been swirling around for some time now, a sensation which only aided to his growing discomfort. Every muscle ached. He could feel every tendon tense in his body. There was a weight pushing down on him. Packing him up.

Every turn he could feel the effects of the G-force. It felt intensified, worse. His hands shook around the steering wheel. He was scared for a moment. He blinked.

He opened his eyes again.

He had blacked out. For a moment sure, but he had blacked out in a car going over 250 km/h.

Lap: 23/57 SAR: 1’29.298

Sargeant: I’m feeling pretty sick. I’ll be alright.

Jego: Okay. Zhou 1.5 behind. Focus on your lap times.

Lap: 26/57 SAR: 1’34.588

Sargeant: I’m not feeling well at all.

Jego: Okay, understood. Are you happy to continue, question?

Sergeant: Yeah.

Lap: 27/57 SAR: 1’53.468

Jego: Are you feeling okay? Are you happy to continue, question?

Sargeant: Let’s keep going.

Jego: Okay.

Sergeant: I feel like I might throw up.

Lap: 32/57 SAR: 1’28.230

Sargeant: I’m not doing well, mate. Fucking hell.

Jego: Can you continue?

Lap: 33/57 SAR: 1’28.804

Vowles: Logan, you’ve fought a brave day, but let’s bring it in and call it a day. Let’s look after you.

Sargeant: James, I promise you I can do this.

Vowles: Alright, I’ll leave it to you, buddy.

Sargeant: You have my word

Lap: 39/57 SAR: 1’29.587

Sergeant: I don’t feel well man.

Jego: Are you retiring, mate? Please confirm.

Sergeant: I don’t know.

Jego: If you’re feeling unwell, you retire. Your call, buddy. Doing opposite to Hulkenberg otherwise, opposite to Hulkenberg otherwise.

Lap: 40/57 SAR: 1’51.661

Jego: Racing Bottas on pit exit. You’re the one making the call if you want to retire or not, Logan. There’s no shame in retiring if you’re feeling unwell.

Sergeant: Yeah, I need to stop. I’m stopping. I’m stopping.

Jego: Okay. Okay. Okay. We will stop. Box, box, retiring the car.

He doesn’t remember much after that.

He remembers anger, sadness, frustration and hands keeping him upright. Getting out of the car was a struggle. He could finally breathe.

He turned his head to one of the TVs in the garage and saw a blurry orange passing by.

He let go.

He came to for a moment, only to see bright lights and white walls. Slowly rising, he managed to sit upright. The room swiveled, or maybe he did. 

He felt dehydrated.

James Vowel entered the room, and for the first time that day, Logan broke down.

He didn't need water to cry. He had melted.

Oscar’s sprint win and second podium and Logan’s fifth DNF. Things to be celebrated, obviously. 

Oscar is not a party person, but having a legendary weekend is bound to make any man break character. That is why Logan refrained from texting him. Closed his phone.

He went back on an old promise. He was having a hard time, sure, but he wasn’t going to let it soil Oscar’s success. He deserved it.

At least that’s what he was trying to convince himself with.

The phone's screen lit up the darkened room. He typed.

You have a new message.

LS: Hey

Oscar Piastri picked up his jacket, bid goodbyes and left.

Wrapped under the covers, Logan didn’t even hear the knocking. What brought him back to reality, is his phone suddenly ringing and shaking the bed.

‘Open the door, mate.’ Logan blanked for a bit, got up, wore his slippers and opened the door. Hands shaking. Exhaling

Oscar Piastri in the flesh was standing before him, remarkably less drunk than he had anticipated. 

An eyebrow was raised and he moved out of the way. 

Before he realized, he felt the wood of the bed frame dig into his back. On his left, stood an iceberg. 

In the quiet.

His mind so loud, he didn’t even hear Oscar the second time he spoke, call out to him.

To be honest, he didn’t think he had more in him, yet the tears flowing down his cheeks were adamant to prove him wrong. 

Each breath that escaped him was held in cold hands, protected. 

As if he knew everything, Oscar reassured. Whispered.

No, it wasn’t his fault.

No, he wasn’t bothering him.

No, it’s completely normal and fair to feel what he’s feeling with everything that is happening.

Never, ever assume his opinions. Of course he wanted to be there.

Because Logan was a priority. He held importance.

He was important. 

The snow froze to a comfortable temperature. Its ice was encased around him.

Las Vegas.

The land of the lucky, impulsive and very, very bright and shiny lights.

Finally at home.

He’d done better these past few races. Even got points in Austin. By pure luck, sure, but points were points and Logan was not complaining. And this track was new to everyone.

And according to everyone, loved by no one.

People's expectations were all over the place.

Friday came and went. Their tyres destroyed, even in a low grip track.

Saturday came. Saturday did not leave.

Qualifying.

P6 and P7.

With Sainz’ penalty, P5 and P6.

Logan was P6. 

James was proud.

Alex was proud.

Oscar went up to him immediately, proud.

Logan was proud.

It may be a small step, but the avalanche had stopped and the clouds were liberating the snowflakes. Small and new, still unique, still falling. Landing on top of soft ice. The sun shined but nothing melted.

Logan smiled.

-End-

Please note that no matter how much I am writing here, it is all artistic speculation of what Logan himself has decided to show the world. Do not forget that these drivers are real people.

A short analysis yay:

The obvious things first, Logan is the Snow and Oscar is the Ice.

Verglas, a thin coating of ice or frozen rain on an exposed surface.

Rime, frost formed on cold objects by the rapid freezing of water vapor in cloud or fog.

The eagle is the vague legacy the America has put on Logan's shoulders and he feels like he is failing it.

The Qatar radio is completely accurate as I thought it displayed accurately how hopeless Logan sounded and probably felt

His future may be unsure, but for now things are improving.

This piece is 2,777 words I felt like that is a great omen to Las Vegas

I got emotionally attached to an american and I have no excuse besides that he actually sounds so sweet. He's just so.....american you get put off by it.

Honestly, I think this may be my weakest one. Be it because of the lack of Logan content online or just wanting to hug the dude, I needed to write something but I can't say I am the proudest. However I have decided that if it took time to write then I will post anything.

Thank you so much for reading! It would mean a lot if I managed to get some reposts, comments or liked!

If you like this, I have written more stories that can be found on my Formula 1 masterlist. Including: Lestappen and Landoscar with more to come. If it manages to spark your interest, please go support those as well!

[loganswdc]

so....! yesterday's race was.... something....

firstly LET'S GO OSCAR !!!! HECK YEAH I'M SO PROUD OF HIM I CAN'T BELIEVE I GOT TO SEE HIM WIN HIS FIRST RACE !??!?!?! i do feel awful for lando ,, that entire situation created by mclaren was entirely unnecessary . their bullshit reason saying they needed to cover hamilton hence why lando got pitted first is so stupid -- it's like they realized they messed up and suddenly needed to come up with something to explain it .

it's especially frustrating because that entire mess that mclaren created only made it so that no matter what happened , fans would be mad: if lando won , people would be pissed that oscar didn't get his first win . oscar won , and now people are pissed that lando didn't win . and the entire win for oscar just doesn't feel the way it should: the energy surrounding his first win isn't as positive and exciting as it should be .

and that genuinely makes me so sad for oscar , because i know he's been waiting for this day . he's been waiting for his first win , and it's completely dampened and stomped on because of mclaren's awful strategy calls near the end . i was genuinely yelling at the screen when they pitted lando first , because what was that for ?? why pit him first ?? he did NOT need to cover hamilton , like there was genuinely no need for that . they were leagues away and lando was fast enough that he could have pitted second and still gotten p2 , or lando and oscar could have actually fought for p1 . and it wouldn't have had this bad , awkward energy around it like it does now .

mclaren seriously needs to get their shit together because they're only harming both of their drivers through these things . and them airing out dirty laundry (considering how they were saying "you need the team to win this championship" or how his race engineer mentioned the morning debriefs , etc. etc.) and trying to guilt trip lando over the radio is actually insane !!

it was honestly just a mess .

i also lowkey found it so funny how lewis was trying to break the tension in the cooldown room and lando was just NOT having it . bro was so mad , he threw his p2 cap on the floor and lewis just side-eyed him 😭 multi-21 all over again literally and lewis is in the middle of it , poor guy HAHA

now on to logan's race !! i felt so bad for him , i know he could have done well but unfortunately he had a really bad start and it all just went downhill from there :( the tyre strategy they had him on was... it actually pulled out of no man's land . i genuinely don't get what they were trying to go for there . it seriously sucks man , this weekend was almost his weekend and then it all went to hell 😭 his post-race interview broke me , too . the fact he looked like he was about to sob and said that start will haunt him ... please someone give him a HUG i need him to know we're so proud of him no matter what . shit start or not he did everything he could to fight for positions in that race :(

i was genuinely so confused about what their thought process was ,, and then the fact that logan had to pit for softs at the end because his hard tyres were destroyed... ugh . and we know logan is good at tyre management !! like that man gets a new set of tyres and he is gonna treat em REAL GOOD . so it just goes to show how much of a mess the tyre strategy was .

especially considering how on the radio alex was practically yelling at his engineer for being indecisive with the strategy , saying that the tyres are destroyed already and that they need to be more sure with what they want to do . williams seriously needs to start listening to both their drivers , honestly . it's incredible to me that this tyre fiasco happens SO often on race weekends . they need to get it fixed , and they need to fix it now.

also the fact we found out that alex's teammate is going to be revealed in two weeks... i am actually terrified !! i need either logan to stay with williams and they pull themselves together or he goes to another team that will treat him better .

overall this race was just . it was something . exciting for oscar , but still dampened by mclaren's mess ups and logan's race was doomed from the beginning , both because of his unfortunate start and tyre strat :/

hopefully next week will be better , for everyone , and the teams will get their shit together !!

and that concludes my weekly rant session , thank you very much for reading <3

[dmysterioblog]

Chapter X ✦ Actions Have Consequences

Paring; Rhea Ripley x Dominik Mysterio

Summary: Nia reveals Rhea’s secret to the world.

Warnings; angst

Word Count: 5.4k

Playlist

Masterlist

A/n: Y’all are getting three chapters in one day 😭

Saturday had finally arrived, and all the superstars were starting to gather their things to head straight to the arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They had arrived in Saudi the day before just to get everything ready.

Rhea had previously discussed her and her group’s strategies. Damian had a match against Cody, and should Damian see himself on the verge of losing, Dom and Finn would be the ones to interfere, and if Jey or Sami attempted to make an interference as well, Jimmy and Solo would be added into the mix- despite Jimmy’s reluctance as he was also expected to assist Roman as well. Next, it was her. For Rhea, she didn’t see the need for any help as she had a theory or two on how her match would end. One, her opponents would most likely be focused on getting Nia out first, and knowing how Nia was, she was going to wear the other three women out before they even got the chance to take her out of the ring. However, in order for Rhea to win, she had to pin someone.

Thankfully, her match was going to be the main event for tonight. Despite the original plans being for Roman and LA Knight’s match to be the main event at first, they decided to change it at the last minute, which wasn’t a huge deal. However, it bought more time for Rhea so that way she could have a backup plan, just in case things went south.

On the other hand, she needed to get Damian to stay focused. Not only was he starting to consider cashing in his Money in the Bank contract against either Seth or Drew (whoever won the World Heavyweight Championship), but he was more than likely getting to grow concerned over Iyo, especially when she was set to defend her title against Bianca Belair. Knowing that Belair was with the Street Profits now, an interference could possibly occur if Bayley joined Iyo at ringside. If push came to shove, she would have no choice than to force Damian to look away from the match. For his own well-being.

Tonight’s matches went in this order: JD McDonaugh VS Sami Zayn (despite the fact that JD was not accepted in the Judgement Day, he still kept trying to be part of the group even though he was already denied to be in it after making Finn and Damian lose their championships at Fastlane), Seth VS Drew, Solo VS Cena, Iyo VS Bianca, Damian VS Cody, Logan VS Rey, Roman VS LA Knight, and finally, herself against Raquel, Nia, Shayna, and Zoey.

All they had to do was stick to the plan and make sure they won. All of them, except JD.

Hours had passed until finally, they all arrived at the arena. Quickly, Rhea had gathered her things as Dom also helped her before they got out of the large van. Their group was also followed with Roman, Jimmy, Solo, and Paul, all of them walking inside the building with their things. Only her, Damian, Solo, and Roman were assigned to individual dressing/locker rooms just so they could get prepared for their respective matches, as well as having her own hairdresser to get her hair and makeup ready.

After some talking with her group, Rhea had gone into her locker room as she closed the door behind her and was greeted by her hairdresser. She had a small chat with her before the hairdresser motioned her to sit as she began to get her prepared. Some minutes had passed as she was getting her makeup ready and almost finishing up before a knock was heard at her door.

“Come in.” Rhea called out. She heard the door open as Finn walked in.

“Oh- sorry, am I—“

“No, no, you’re good, Finn. What’s up?”

“Just letting you know that the group and I are gonna be waiting for you when you’re done. We’ll be at the lounge area.”

“Cool, I’ll meet you guys there.” Rhea told him as Finn nodded as he was about to leave until he paused.

“Hey sis?”

“Yeah?”

“… Good luck out there.”

“Hey. I’ll be alright mate.” Rhea reassured him. “I’m always on top, remember?”

“I know. Just lookin’ out for ya.” Finn said before he smiled and then left. At the gesture, Rhea smiled before letting her hairdresser continue.

After a few hours, Rhea was ready. She went ahead with her look and her rifle slung over her shoulder as she walked down the hallway all the way to the lounge area backstage. It was only fifteen minutes until Crown Jewel would begin. The kickoff show started with Sami vs. JD, but frankly, she cared less about the Irishman. Especially after she overheard how he lost.

When she saw her group, along with the Bloodline and Paul, she went up to them and immediately they turned and noticed her presence.

“Aye yo!” Jimmy said as he grinned and clapped his hands together. “Look who finally came here! And she’s READY to retain that title! Oh shit!”

“Told ya man, she’s always ready.” Finn said as he chuckled.

“Okay, now that gear looks sick- as well as the makeup. No wonder you didn’t want to show us before.” Damian said as he chuckled and stood up. Rhea snorted, taking a seat beside Dom as he placed an arm around her shoulders while she did the same for him.

“Thanks. Took some time, but at least I was still ready.” She told them while Dom turned and smiled at her.

“You look great Mami, as always. And you’re gonna be the last woman standing on that ring in the main event for sure.”

“Thanks, Dom.” She said softly as she smiled before she kissed his cheek. She then turned to the rest of the group as she spoke. “Is everyone set on the plan so far?”

“Yeah. If push comes to shove, we’ll go out to help Damian.” Dom said as he gestured at himself, Finn, Solo, and Jimmy. “Same thing with Solo, although I’m not sure if he’s okay with it.”

“Nah. I’ll be alright.” Solo reassured as he sat across from them along with his brother. “I can handle John myself. But I’ll come out to help if Damian and Roman start losing for sure.”

“Do I have to come out twice…?” Jimmy asked, sounding a bit hesitant as he scratched the back of his head. “I mean I don’t know… Jey might appear and—“

“Please. Jey won’t be an issue, he’ll be pushed out of the way before anyone knows it.” Damian said as he snorted. “We’re a bigger group now. We’ll all be winning here for sure. And plus… I might cash in.” He revealed his briefcase as he tapped it lightly as well.

“If I were you, I’d put my bet more on Seth if he retains.” Roman suggested as he adjusted in his seat. “If Drew wins… I suggest you leave that issue later for Monday.”

“Yeah man, Reigns has a point.” Finn agreed as he nodded. “You have a higher chance of easily cashing in on Monday against Drew instead of today. But if Seth retains… you know what to do.”

“True. Good call-out. Both of you.” Damian nodded. “Still, I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Good.”

“Mami? Do you need me at ringside?” Dom asked as he turned to face her. “I know you’re gonna be the main event but…”

“I’ll be fine.” Rhea reassured him, her fingers caressing his hair lightly. “I already know how I’m gonna handle my business and my division. So don’t worry. I got this.”

Dom smiled up at her and nodded as he held her hand while she held his in return. She had confidence that everything was going to turn out fine no matter what.

Well, almost.

The event had begun and so far, they weren’t able to start out well. Seth had retained his championship, only for Damian to attempt to cash in as he was moments away from doing so until Sami appeared, attacking Damian from behind before taking his briefcase away and running off.

Thankfully Solo and Finn were able to stop him as they had snatched the briefcase from his hands and gave it back to Damian, with the Puerto Rican warning Sami that if he ever pulled that off again, he was going to deal with him personally the next time they were in the ring. One on one.

Next up was Solo. As expected and said by the Samoan male, he was in need of no help, with him being able to finally take Cena down on his own and win. To say that watching a defeated Cena walk away from the ring was something that Rhea was expecting to see for a while, especially after Solo took him out and won.

Iyo and Bianca were next. To say that this match was a shocker was also something, not because Iyo was able to retain, but because of the return of Kairi Sane- a best friend of Iyo. According to what Damian told her, Iyo had previously contacted Kairi and convinced her to return to WWE. However, knowing Kairi’s history with Bayley three years ago, Rhea was going to wait and see how this plays out.

Damian was up next against Cody. After soothing his nerves after Iyo’s match, Rhea was able to have Damian stay focused throughout the entire match. However, throughout the match, Cody had proven to be stronger and more focused than him that they had no choice but to have Solo and Finn interfere. It wasn't until Jey and Sami showed up as they attacked the two. Nevertheless, Dominik and Jimmy eventually showed up, with Jimmy having a stare down with his own twin and with Cody suddenly being distracted by it, Damian took the distraction to his advantage and used it against the American Nightmare, pinning him down and taking the win miraculously. At least even if he didn’t walk out with the World Heavyweight Championship, Damian was still able to accomplish putting Cody in his place tonight.

Next up was Logan against Rey. Rhea couldn’t help but smirk throughout the entire match. Even if it was cheating, she always knew that Logan was to be the one to dethrone Rey during this match. Dom was also more than pleased to watch Logan win. Hell, everyone in the group was glad that it happened the way it did. Especially since Santos was the one that left the brass knuckles near Logan instead of taking them with him.

Now, it was Roman’s turn.

They all sat as they began to watch the match after Roman had left along with Paul. Everyone’s eyes focused on the screen, watching after his entrance was over and the match began.

“Come on Uce, you got this.” Jimmy was the first one to mumble.

Rhea stood with her arms crossed, watching the match go on.

“You think he’s gonna retain?” Damian asked, making everyone turn to face him with a questioning look.

“What kind of question is that? Of course he’s gonna retain.” Finn blurted out. “Right guys?”

“Listen, I don’t want to be that guy, but…” Dom trailed off. “Jimmy or Solo might wanna come out to help him before it’s too late.”

“Man, why don’t you go?” Jimmy whined. “We already helped Damian win…”

“Y’all don’t want to help your cousin?” Finn asked with an arch eyebrow.

“Of course I do, but what if Jey comes out?”

“You need to stop worrying about Jey.” Rhea simply commented. “If he tries anything, he’ll go through us first.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know but like- I don’t want him causing more issues to y’all.” Jimmy said as concern laced in his voice. “I mean come on, he’s already trying to test Dom with that whole drama.”

“Wait. What?” Rhea asked as she blinked and turned to look at Jey, then at Dom. “Dom, what’s he talking about?”

“Nothing, everything’s fine, Mami. I got it settled already.” Dom quickly said. At that, Jimmy turned to face him as he gave him a look, which went noticed by Dom as he sighed.

“Jimmy, I said it was fine—“

“Uce, you almost gave him an ass whooping and he almost went at you if it wasn’t for me and the others being there—“

“Hold on, what?” Rhea interrupted Jimmy as she then turned to Dom. “Dom, what happened?”

The room suddenly went silent, the sound of the TV only being the one being heard as the match between Roman and LA Knight went on.

“Look… somehow, Jey knew about the whole thing that… happened.” Dom said, almost not wanting to say about the “thing,” even though he knew the others would understand what he was saying. “He was trying to taunt me with it saying that you’re still at it with Roman during the time you guys were at South Carolina and… I snapped at him.”

The entire room went silent yet again as Rhea felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She looked down at first for a milisecond, right before she gazed up at Dom as she held his hand. “Dom… you didn’t have to.”

“I know, but he was talking too much shit, and I couldn’t stand it, you know?”

“Dom, I…I need to tell you something—“

“Guys, wait.” Damian suddenly interrupted as he gazed at the TV. His expression changing. “This isn’t good.”

“What?” Finn turned to look at him, right before he looked at the TV as his face almost fell as well. “Oh shit.”

Coincidentally, Rhea, Dom, Jimmy and Solo also looked at the TV, with Solo even standing up from the couch on high alert.

LA Knight sat moments away from beating Roman. He was wearing him out.

Shit.

“Guys, one of you needs to go out. Now.” Rhea immediately said. “I don’t care who it is, just go out and help him.”

“Mami, I’ll go—“

“No Dom, except you. You stay.”

“Finn, wanna help?” Solo immediately asked as the Irishman immediately stood up and rushed off with him, all the while Dom, Jimmy, Rhea, and Damian watched the two leave.

“Damn, why the hell is he doing him like that?” Jimmy blurted out as he gestured at the TV. “He’s kicking Roman’s ass like it’s nothing!”

“Finn and Solo better be quick…”

“You know what… I’m helping. Guys, stay here.” Damian mumbled before he stood up. Rhea attempted to stop him from leaving as they both stood at the exit.

“Priest, you’re tired, you should fall back from this.” She whispered to him.

“Were you about to tell him the truth just now, Rips?”

“Look, I…” She trailed off as she looked away and ran a hand through her hair. At that, Damian realized as he looked down at her.

“Rhea, you’re hesitating.”

“I know. I know it’s fucked up of me, but right now it’s not a good time and—“

“No, no, I get that, but…” Damian trailed off before he looked over at Dom’s direction, both him and Jimmy staying focused and watching the match with concern on their faces before he turned back to Rhea. “Look. He deserves to know. But not like this. You need to think what you really want first. And right now, this ain’t a good time for you to tell him everything.”

Rhea didn’t know what to say as she hung her head down and took a deep breath. At that, Damian placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Look, your match is gonna be after Roman’s. You can’t be distracted by anything or anyone, okay? Don’t think about it now. Think about it after you win. That’s how you were able to get this far. Think about winning.”

“Right… you’re right.” She nodded at him as she looked up. He patted her shoulder before he turned and opened the door and left.

She went and sat back down with the other two as they watched the match. As they somehow predicted, Solo walked down to the ramp as a distraction as security attempted to hold him back, while an alarmed Paul tried to tell them to let him get through. Too distracted by the situation, the referee didn’t even noticed when Finn and Damian suddenly emerged from the crowd and pulled LA Knight away before he could even pin Roman the moment he sought his opportunity to do so. Despite him being able to lay a few blows on the two, Roman eventually recovered and speared him through the barricade.

The entirety of the match was chaos, but eventually, Roman was able to seek his win yet again with the help of both Finn and Damian, as well as his cousin. Rhea, Jimmy, and Dom watched in relief after they saw the conclusion of the match. They watched as Roman then came down to the ring and urged Damian and Finn to follow him backstage with his title in hand. The crowd celebrated as well as booed his win before the cameras cut to commercial break.

Once they did, Jimmy was the first to stand up and open the door of their lounge area, allowing the small group to come in.

“Got us scared for a sec back there, man.” Jimmy told Roman, who rubbed the sweat from his forehead with a towel that the Uso gave him before they walked in.

“He gave up a good fight, but… he should’ve known he was gonna lose.” Roman simply stated, a smirk appearing on his face. His comment made a few of them chuckle while he then turned to Solo, Damian, and Finn. “You three were smart about the distraction. Good work.”

“Well, we learned from the best.” Finn said, gesturing and pointing at Rhea who simply snorted and crossed her arms.

“Please, you guys knew how to do that before meeting me.”

“Yeah well, I mean, you suggested this whole plan, so…”

“Which is why, she’s gonna take that win in the next five minutes, am I right, Mami?” Dom asked as he stood and smiled while she chuckled.

“You know I am, Dom Dom.”

“Well, her match starts in… five minutes.” Paul commented as he looked down at his watch. A surprise look fell on his face before he looked up. “We’re already in the main event.”

“Shit, time flew by fast.”

“I know, right?”

“Alright, well… I should get going. I need to take care of my business now.” Rhea told them, grabbing her belt as she composed herself. “Remember guys, don’t come out, I’ll be alright. I got this.”

“Aye, good luck out there though.” Jimmy told her.

“Yeah, show them what you’re made of.”

“You got this, Mami.”

She smiled at the group before she then began to leave the room. Making her way through as the match was now starting in three minutes.

She was going to win.

Nothing bad was going to happen. Everything is fine.

… for now.

She did it. She fucking did it.

It only took for her to manage to have everyone set their eyes on trying to take Nia out first before she went ahead for the Riptide on Zoey, slamming her body against Raquel and Shayna when Raquel was moments away from pinning Shayna. She shoved both Raquel and Zoey’s bodies away as she pinned Shayna, the referee counting to three as she finally took the win yet again.

A huge grin plastered on her face as she outstretched her arm to the referee, almost commanding him to raise her arm up as she was also handed her title back. Raising it up with pride as she laughed. The crowd cheering and celebrated her win.

She didn’t even pay attention to the other four women laying defeated as she sat by the corner of the ring, showing off her belt like a shiny trophy while also cleaning it in front of the camera.

“Who’s dominant?! Mami’s dominant!” She said, laughing victoriously. “I told ya! Haha!”

Her moment of victory was suddenly interrupted when a hand grabbed her hair roughly from behind and abruptly made her stand up, causing the crowd and even Raquel, Shayna, and Zoey to gasp.

“YOU FUCKING WHORE!”

Rhea almost cried out, her hand immediately letting go of her belt as she shot both hands up to the culprit who grabbed her hair and snatched them away before she immediately turned around, seeing a furious Nia standing before her. At that, Rhea scowled as she was about to speak when Nia suddenly delivered a headbutt to her- the same way that she did when she made her return.

“What the hell—?!”

“Nia, it’s over! Stop it!”

Rhea almost fell to the ground, but she was able to balance herself in her feet as she tried to go after Nia who immediately began to also go after her as well and before they knew it, she was fighting her once more.

“Guys, guys, stop it! What the hell?!”

“Somebody get security, anyone!”

Rhea snarled, managing to kick Nia in the stomach as she grunted and doubled over. She was about to grab her hair and start punching her when she was suddenly held back by a pair of arms.

“Rhea, enough!” Raquel yelled, holding her back. “Just go, get out while you still ca—“

“Back off!” She interrupted her as she abruptly shoved her away from her. Rhea growled, once again going after Nia’s hair as she grabbed a fistful of it before landing a few blows on her head. The irresistible force attempted to fight back as she tried to get ahold of Rhea’s fist while also punching her on her side, but Rhea was able to retaliate as she then pushed Nia harshly on the ground. Panting, Rhea glared down at her before she retrieved her belt and went back to Nia, holding up against her face.

“This is MY division, and don’t you forget it!”

Nia could only glare back at her before she immediately stood, standing face to face against Rhea while Raquel grunted as she stood up. Zoey was in the corner of the ring checking on a possibly injured Shayna before the two turned to the spectacle before them.

“Guys, that’s enough.” Raquel said as she tried to break the two apart. “You can both deal with this on Monday—“

“Raquel, stay out of this!” Rhea yelled at her before turning to Nia. “You think that was smart?!”

“I don’t know, was it as smart as the shit that you’re pulling, huh?!” Nia snapped back at her.

At that, Rhea realized what she meant as she gave Nia a death stare. “Shut up.”

“Or what?! Go ahead, hit me! Do it! Send me to rehab like you said you would, Ripley! Go ahead, I fucking dare yo—“ Suddenly, Rhea grabbed her by her head once again as she was about to slam her body against the turnbuckle until officials and security suddenly began to arrive to break up the fight.

“Girls, stop, it’s over! Get backstage right now! This instant!”

Arguments began to ensue among the ring as Rhea protested, stating that Nia was the one that attacked her first while the officials attempted to mediate the situation and even drag all of them backstage. As they did, Rhea and Nia both kept arguing still, even though officials blocked them away from one another as they lead the five women in the back.

Once they did, Rhea suddenly turned and noticed her boys showing up to check on her. They were followed by none other than Jimmy, Solo, Paul, and Roman, all of them witnessing the whole thing from the lounge area as they immediately got out when they saw her coming back.

“Shit, Rhea, are you okay—“

“I’m fine, Priest, I’m fine.” Rhea said as she sighed deeply.

“Mami, what was that back there?” Dom asked as he looked concerned and checked to see if she had any possible bruises or injuries. “She almost took you out again—“

“Nothing Dom Dom, it’s okay. She’s just bitter that she lost.” Rhea quickly said. Nia, who seemed to have overheard that despite her talking to one of the officials, turned to face her direction.

“Oh, so you’re not telling him, huh?!”

“Nia, shut up.” Roman suddenly interfered as he went up to his cousin. “That’s enough. Just get your things and leave, now.”

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding— why are you standing up for her, huh?! You feel sorry all of the sudden, is that it?” Nia blurted out at him.

“Nia, I said shut up—“

“Oh, so you want to be the one to tell everyone what you and Rhea have been up to?!”

Suddenly, everyone went silent, processing what just came out from her mouth. Roman stared down at her incredulously while she only looked up and faced her cousin.

“Go on, tell everyone.”

“Nia, I said enough—“

“No, you know what, screw this.” Rhea snapped as she stepped forward, pushing one of the security guards away. “You want to expose my own damn personal life all because you lost- you’re just as pathetic as any pathetic person on this planet, Nia.”

“Oh please, at least I’m not a cheater that—“

“Shut the fuck up!” Rhea finally yelled at her. “The next time you open your mouth, I’ll make you regret that you even have the ability to talk!”

“Wait. Hold on.” Dom suddenly spoke as he stood. “What does she mean by…?” He looked at Rhea first. “Mami, what is Nia talking about…?”

Everyone’s attention shifted to Rhea who remained silent as she gazed at him. Not able to find the words to say to him, but only a form of apology.

“… Dom, I’m so sorry.”

That was when it clicked on his head. At first, he didn’t want to accept it, but the way that Rhea had said what she said made the truth more clearer as he gazed at her. “… you’re lying.”

“Dom, please, let’s just talk this out—“

“I can’t even look at you in the face right now—“

“Dom, please—“

“No, I need to be alone.” He immediately said as he began to walk away from the crowd. At that, Rhea’s heart dropped and before she knew it, she began to chase him as everyone watched, some of them confused and with no idea of what was going on, while others were shocked and guessing what was going on.

After a while, Rhea managed to reach Dom as she ran up to him.

“Dom, wait, please—“ She held his arm as she managed to stop him. “If you can please just let me explain…”

“Explain what?” Dom choked out as he turned to face her. His eyes glistened with tears as he tried to hold them back. “Rhea, I thought we were fine.”

“We are! We are fine!”

“No, we’re not, Rhea. We’re not.” His voice almost broke as he tried to hold himself back from crying. “You said you wanted to move on, that you wanted us to start all over again on the right foot and make things better- but then you do this. Again!”

“Dom, I promise, I didn’t know what it was thinking, okay?” She insisted, her voice almost breaking as well, but she was composing herself more than how Dom was. “I’m sorry. I never meant any of it, please…”

“… Rhea. Do you even love me?”

“Of course I do, I…” She paused and sighed deeply as she rubbed her forehead. “Look… I… I shouldn’t have rushed things. I… I should’ve told you from the start.”

“Rhea. Stop. Please.” Dom mumbled as he looked down momentarily. This time, she stopped speaking as she looked at him while he took a deep breath and then looked up, trying to hold his tears back again before he looked at her. “…. Look. You clearly need time to think on your own… and I’m not going to be around you just because you want me to. I don’t want to be hurt again, Rhea.”

“Dom… please—“

“Enough, Rhea. We need space. Both of us do.” With that, he began to walk away from her as she couldn’t help but stand there and watched as he walked away. At that moment, something inside her broke, but she didn’t care at the moment.

She just wanted to hate herself more than anything right now.

Without another word, she took a deep breath and walked to the opposite direction, willing herself not to cry as she tried to find someplace where no one could find her. She needed space, she needed to think.

Too bad she wasn’t having that anytime soon, all because Roman had somehow found her.

“Rhea,” She suddenly heard him call out her name. Which made her increase her pace as she cursed internally, but this didn’t stop Roman as he managed to catch up to her and held her arm back. “Rhea hold on-“

“Reigns, I need some fucking space—“

“And I’m just checking up on you—“

“Well, did you ever think about one day to stop caring about me?” She snapped as she turned to face him and shoved his hand away. “Reigns, in case you didn’t know, I had a shitty night, so please, leave me be.”

“Well, I mean… it’s about to get shittier.” An awfully familiar voice suddenly spoke.

Rhea froze. Her and Roman’s heads slowly turn to the source of the voice. At the sight, Rhea’s expression changed as she glared at the person before them- the last person she ever thought would come down here to Saudi.

“Liv.”

“Long time no see.” The blonde said simply as she looked between her and Roman. “I’m assuming I missed quite a lot.”

“If I were you, I would stay out of my business, Liv. This doesn’t concern you.”

“Oh, it doesn’t? Really now?” Liv scoffed. “How about the time you injured my shoulder, hm? How about the time you decided to betray me? You did all of that just so you could keep hurting others. Admit it, that’s what it was all about, Rhea.”

“I said stay out of this. Leave.” Rhea snapped, walking towards her.

“Or what? You’ll take me out again? Go on, I dare you.”

“Why the fuck are you here anyways?”

“Just to keep seeing your downfall starting now- because if anyone really deserves it, it’s you.”

Rhea had enough at that point. She suddenly pushed Liv’s face away, causing the shorter woman to almost stumble while the former yelled at her. “Get out of my face this instant!”

“You little—“ Liv was able to recover as she was moments away from lounging at Rhea. At this, Rhea tried to do the same until a pair of arms stopped her from doing so.

“Ripley, don’t! Let it go, don’t listen to her!”

“Reigns, get off!” Rhea snapped, struggling in his hold before she looked up to see that Raquel had arrived at the scene just in time as she also held Liv back, who was also struggling on her hold.

“Let me at her, let me at her!”

“Liv, enough, just leave!”

“You’re still the same shitty person, even after everything that happened!” Liv screeched at Rhea, despite her flailing and struggling on Raquel’s hold. “And you’re just going to keep on hurting and betraying people over and over again just as long as you’re on top!”

“Fuck you!” Rhea yelled back before she suddenly shoved Roman away from his hold, facing Liv as she pointed her finger at her. “Get the hell out of my business! And you!” she pointed at Roman, “You almost lost today. Don’t let it happen again.”

She then turned around and stormed off, too enraged to even lash out at Liv any further. She didn’t feel nor hear anyone follow her as she kept walking. All she could hear was Raquel saying a few things to Liv before urging Roman to let Rhea go before she barged inside her own locker room, closing the door behind her.

Taglist:

@sassginaswanmills @riptideripley @tonuitekan @eepyslut

[heavenforblog1111]

I feel like a lot of people were looking forward to the fight between Logan Paul and Dillon Danis and also between Tommy Fury and KSI. There had been a lot of altercation between Logan and Dillon with both of them having heated press conferences and interactions prior to the fight. The situation with Logan and Dillon had gained special attention from around the world. Dillon had passed what I would call negative comments about Logan's fiance Nina Agdel who has been known for a lot of things which I would not comment about on here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqf8rAWDaK0 A lot of people have a lot to say about the situation between Logan and Nina but that is a story for another day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5blnxKpUJI Anyway, so the fight took place and Logan Paul ended up winning by disqualification while KSI lost a controversial decision to Tommy Fury. Logan as usual had a lot of things to say after the fight. He even announced his return to the WWE to fight for the US Championship. Tommy had said that he wanted to knock out KSI and that a decision wasn't enough. Its crazy how Tommy let the match get that close. To some people, it almost felt like KSI won the fight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7qVMgAuud8 Anyway guys, let me know what you all think in the comments.

[f1]

Lawson wins sprint race Drugovich extends championship lead with late charge | Formula 2

Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson won the Spa Formula 2 sprint race from fifth on the grid as Felipe Drugovich moved further ahead of Theo Pourchaire in the title race. Lawson made the most of an exceptional start to take the early lead which he held all race, while a late pit stop for soft tyres under Safety Car allowed Drugovich to move up to fourth place by the chequered flag. Ralph Boschung had taken partially-reversed grid pole, with Jehan Daruvala set to line up alongside him. However, Daruvala failed to even get as far as the grid, having to pull off track on the lap from the support paddock. Title contender Theo Pourchaire started third, with Richard Verschoor in fourth, behind Daruvala’s empty grid spot. Liam Lawson, starting fifth, made the best of the start and snatched second place into La Source. Pourchaire fell back as a consequence and found himself overtaken by Verschoor at the top of Raidillon. Lawson stuck with Boschung, overtaking him on the Kemmel Straight to take the lead on lap two. The fairly processional race continued until Logan Sargeant lost control of his Carlin on the exit of Pouhon, spinning and hitting the barriers, prompting a Safety Car on lap 11. Championship leader Drugovich pitted from eighth to switch for soft tyres, coming back out in 12th position behind team mate Clement Novalak. When the race restarted on lap 15, Novalak allowed his team mate by into La Source but Drugovich went off at Les Combes while attempting to pass Juri Vips and having to surrender a gained place back to the Hitech driver. Drugovich rapidly recovered, taking advantage of his soft tyres with just three laps left to go to begin moving up the order. Lawson kept the lead, three seconds ahead of Boschung by the penultimate lap, who was himself a second ahead of third placed Jack Doohan. Behind them, however, Drugovich was unstoppable, moving up to fourth with an overtake on Pourchaire and then hunting down third place on the final lap. Doohan overtook Boschung on the final lap but the Campos driver was able to stay ahead of Drugovich to the line, while Lawson took the flag with a commanding lead, almost four seconds ahead and also taking fastest lap. Lawson’s win moves him from eighth to fifth in the championship, displacing fellow Red Bull junior Jehan Daruvala. Drugovich extends his lead over Pourchaire in the standings, now 25 points ahead, while Sargeant’s retirement leaves him trailing by 68 points in third. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free Formula 2 Spa sprint race results Position Car Driver Team 1 5 Liam Lawson Carlin 2 3 Jack Doohan Virtuosi 3 15 Ralph Boschung Campos 4 11 Felipe Drugovich MP 5 20 Richard Verschoor Trident 6 10 Theo Pourchaire ART 7 7 Marcus Armstrong Hitech 8 24 David Beckmann Van Amersfoort 9 17 Ayumu Iwasa DAMS 10 1 Dennis Hauger Prema 11 16 Roy Nissany DAMS 12 4 Marino Sato Virtuosi 13 22 Enzo Fittipaldi Charouz 14 8 Juri Vips Hitech 15 9 Frederik Vesti ART 16 21 Calan Williams Trident 17 12 Clement Novalak MP 18 25 Amaury Cordeel Van Amersfoort 19 23 Tatiana Calderon Charouz 20 14 Lirim Zendeli Campos DNF 6 Logan Sargeant Carlin DNF 2 Jehan Daruvala Prema Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free Formula 2 Browse all Formula 2 articles via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net

[chattahoochiecoochie]

yeah, it's looking promising for logan! if you want to read a little more, i've done a (long-ish) synopsis below!

logan had a pretty stellar karting career prior to single seaters, winning the cik-fia junior world championship after a few years of competing among a slew of other karting titles. it's essentially one of the biggest stage to prove your talent internationally. other champs include: fernando alonso, alex albon (with max verstappen in p2!) charles leclerc, and many other supreme talents.

he came 3rd in his rookie year in british f4, and returned good top 5 results in renault eurocup and renault nec in his second years too.

his first year in fia f3 was with carlin, who are essentially backmarkers in that championship in recent years, so nothing much can be read from his results that year.

then, he almost won the 2020 f3 championship ahead of oscar piastri and théo pourchaire; he was going to be crowned going into the final round but a crash largely out of his own hands took him out of the fight.

he was in the same team as oscar that year (prema), and while it was his second year he was performing at a very similar level to piastri that year. logan was unfortunate in funding, so he had to stay in f3 with a "cheaper" team, charouz i think, for 2021, as a driver to help them move up the grid a bit.

seeing as oscar took the f2 championship in dominant form this year, logan will definitely at least be competitive with carlin.

if he can get a top 3 finish in the next few years, he may be in with a chance of graduating to f1 and replacing nicholas latifi or alex albon, depending on their performances and the teams reliance on the funding nick brings to williams with sofina, and the unknown sponsorship deal between alex and red bull (we're not entirely sure to the extent red bull has helped alex get a seat, but it won't be nearly as much as nick contributes if at all).

with the new management and funding in dorilton, and a revamped williams junior academy, logan is the best chance in forever for an american to get to f1. and succeed.

good times ahead, hun. good times!

<3

I think I’m in love with you. Crash course anon, you’re the best.

Feel free to hop in my inbox to teach me about shit. Love this.

[bordeleaubeau]

when worlds collide - ryder donovan

chapter four wc: 1985

ryder

the house is almost completely dark besides a light in the living room and the dim illumination from the tv. ryder automatically assumes that it’s bill or katie are waiting for him to get home - it wasn’t necessarily a rare occurrence of hi  coming home later after a game, and katie usually stayed up just to make sure her middle child came home safe.

however, when ryder pushes open the door he’s surprised to see his little sister and youngest sibling sitting on the couch. “clara?” he asks, closing the door behind him quietly to make as little noise as possible. “it’s like, midnight. why are you still awake?”

the brunette turns around, both of her eyebrows raised at her brother, and slowly ryder puts his hands up in defense. “you didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend.” ryder can’t help but let out a laugh when the realization hits, which only worsens the look his little sister is giving him. 

“y/n? she’s just a friend, clar. don’t worry okay? you’re still the most important girl in my life. as long as you don’t tell mom and vanessa that.” ryder smiles at her, his hand reaching out and ruffling the top of her already messy hair. clara knew and sure the rest of the donovan siblings did without ryder ever telling them, but clara was his favorite sibling by a long mile. clara absolutely adored his little sister and vice versa. 

“are you sure, rydes?” clara’s voice is small as she talks, tucking her legs under her small frame, suddenly feeling shy about asking her brother about his love life. “you never give people your hoodies. i never even get those! i’m lucky if i get your old ones that you don’t even fit into anymore.” 

clara had backed ryder into a corner. he hated lying to clara and not once did he ever lie to her. shay was one story, but never c.

“i’m sure.” ryder says after hesitating,  sitting down on top of the coffee table in front of clara. “we’re just partners for a school project, okay c? nothing will come out of it. she may come over one day after school or after practice, but that’ll pretty much be it.”

for a second, ryder swears he sees clara’s face falter just for a moment, but her head tilts to the side. “why not? she was really nice. she bought me an icee too.”

“she bought you an icee?” he can’t help the stupid smile that’s on his face. of course she would do that. ryder was convinced she would do that even if she didn’t know clara was his little sister. “i’m trusting that you thanked her, right?”

clara is nodding right away. “of course i did. but i really like her, rydey. she’s different from the other girls. she isn’t… all over you. she’s not kiera.” clara fakes a shudder and a gagging noise, making a rather unexpected laugh to fall from ryder’s mouth. she certainly was not like the other girls that were willing to drop to their knees for him, and he liked that. it was different. 

ryder finds himself smiling down at his fumbling hands, “i know, i know. she is different, huh? but you don’t think you’d be upset if she spent a little bit of time around here?” ryder carefully glances up, half expecting a bad response from clara.

but she’s shaking her head and ryder can’t help but smile. even thinking about the idea of her and clara forming a relationship even somewhat similar to the one clara and he had was enough to make his stomach do flips. she had that with willy, and he knew that, everyone knew that. there was just something about thinking of clara and her together. 

“i think i’m gonna go to bed, clar. long night. and i think you should too.” clara is nodding, exhaustion visible on her face and the yawn that she lets out doesn’t help her case. “did you stay up just to ask me about y/n?”

clara’s face flushes a deep pink as she stands up from the couch, “i was just curious! i wanted to get the scoop before anyone else, and can you blame me? she’s really pretty, rydey.”

ryder places his hand on the middle of clara’s back, ushering her to keep moving up the stairs because he knew if he didn’t they would end up talking in the living room all night. “i know she is, c. trust me, i know.”

“you say you don’t like her ry, then why are you smiling like you’ve just won a championship?” clara is smiling up at him, and he knows that he’s caught. clara knew her older brother like the back of her hand, being only twelve. they had created such a bond that she just knew when ryder was having a bad day and how to cheer him up. only logan knew how he felt, not even ricky. and he was planning on keeping it that way.

“it’s, it’s complicated, c,” ryder stumbles over his words, not really knowing the right ones to say. it was his senior year. he would be going off to wisconsin in the upcoming fall and starting a brand new life for himself. it wasn’t the time for a relationship. “you’ll understand when you’re older. goodnight, clar. i love you.”

clara lets out a sigh, but nonetheless she’s got a plan calculating in her head. “goodnight ryder, i love you too.” 

-

“the one thing i asked you was to not get close to my teammates and that’s exactly what you did!” you wince at your little brother suddenly raising his voice at you, and you glance over your shoulder just to make sure your parents aren’t coming down the stairs. the last thing you needed was your dad finding out what had happened.

“i know, will, i know,” you sigh, hand running down your face. “i promise, it was only just going out to dinner. we’re not even that close, just partners for a school project. plus how do you think i felt when i heard you went out on a date and you didn’t tell me?”

will’s eyes narrow, and it looks like he’s ready to blow any second. “this is different, y/n! i’m being a regular teenager and going out on dates. but being with my teammate, my captain, one of my best friends? that’s a different story. ryder is just going to use you and you’re going to be exactly what you never wanted to be. but if that’s okay with you, fine. just don’t come crying to me when he breaks your heart.”

“he wouldn’t break my heart, william.” your voice is small and you can barely look at him. of course you don’t know if he would or not. the only proper conversation you had with ryder before high school was in the seventh grade. and senior year ryder was a lot different than seventh grade ryder.

will scoffs immediately, “i’m the one that sits with him in the locker room. i’m the one that sits with him at lunch. he tells me so many things, y/n. i hear things. if there was anyone on that team that would break your heart it would be ryder donovan.”

“well then it’s a good thing that we’re just friends, isn’t it william?”

by his side, william clenches his fists and he lets out a shaky breath. “you don’t get it, do you? just friends don’t get that close to each other. he was going to kiss you! why can’t you just let me live my life completely separate from yours? why do you always have to ruin things?”

“he’s the one that likes me, will!” the words leave your mouth before you an even comprehend what you’re saying, arms flailing in exasperation as you watch the color drain from your little brother’s face.

“goodnight.”

and without another word, the brunette boy turns to go up his stairs, defeat making his shoulders sag. you watch silently as he trudges up the stairs leaving you in the darkness of the corridor. it takes a few seconds, but once you regain your composure you’re following in the ghostly footsteps of your brother.

once you get up to your bedroom you change into sweats and a t-shirt to get ready for bed, cozying yourself in your blankets laying on your side typing out a text.

-

y/n: guess who’s brother just freaked out at her for hanging out with you:)

rydes:) : what? no way, willy wouldnt do that

y/n: yeah well he did.

rydes:) : what the hell? why?

y/n: i already told you, rydes. i broke the one promise i made to him, we got close

-

the bubbles pop up on your screen but just as quickly as they appear they disappear, and the words “rydes dono would like to facetime…” pop up instead. you hesitate, but you swipe the little bar on your screen and ryder’s face pops up right as he’s getting into his bedroom.

“talk to me, baby mama.” he says, tongue darting out to wet his lip as he sets his phone on his dresser.

your mouth opens and closes, not really knowing what to say. ryder’s hands reach for the collar of his shirt, pulling it over his head with ease. “will’s just, moody. he’s pissy that we’re friends because you’re one of his best friends and you’re his captain. there’s something about it that sets him off.” of course you aren’t actually going to tell him what william said - that ryder would break your heart. because part of you didn’t want to believe that. 

“he’ll get over it, okay? i’ll talk to him at practice on monday and-”

“ryder no!” you cut him off, sitting up in your bed. “you cannot talk to him. you can’t play hero, will isn’t gonna like that. he’s just as pissed at you as he is at me. i don’t want him to lash out at you like he just did to me. i can’t let him do that.”

the pleading in your voice is enough to pull on ryder’s heart strings, and there’s a soft smile tugging on the corners of his lips. “you really care about me, huh y/n/n?”

“of course i do,” you mumble, eyes not meeting the screen as your fingers pick at the threads of your blanket. “i don’t want, you don’t deserve it okay? if anyone deserves it, it’s me. i knew what i was doing, and i knew i was going to upset will one way or another. he knew you were going to kiss me.”

“and i would have.”

his words make your eyes go right up to the screen. there’s an annoying smirk on ryder’s face, one that nearly sends shivers down your spine and one that intensifies the blush on your cheeks.

“‘m just playing,” he finally adds on with an eye roll. you’d be lying if you said you weren’t just a little bit disappointed, but like hell you were going to show it.

“yeah, yeah of course.” you  mumble. “i should probably go to bed, rydes. and so should you, i can’t imagine how tired you must be after tonight.”

ryder nods his head, “yeah you’re right. goodnight y/n. i’ll text you in the morning okay? maybe you can come over and we can work on the project.”

“i’d like that a lot.” you smile, a smile of ryder’s own forming on his face. “goodnight, rydes. i’ll talk to you in the morning.”

“goodnight baby mama.”

and with that, the end call noise sounds. you let yourself fall back against your pillows, a blissful smile gracing your lips. god you were falling hard and you were sure everyone around you could tell.

[lumosinlove]

Coast To Coast

(Sweater Weather spin-off)

Read part one here

Read about Wolfstar in Sweater Weather here

(warning: Worrying about coming out. I’m not sure how to tag it, but I know some people wanted warnings about these types of issues and I want everyone to feel comfortable and aware <3)

part ii

Harvard University, 2016

Logan sat on Finn’s bed, the mattress bare. The walls were stripped of all signs that Finn had ever been there—the Speed Limit 55 sign he had found in a parking lot. The pictures tacked on the wall of him and his brother, his family, the team winning Championships, and Logan’s favorite. He stared at the place on the wall where it had been. He could still see a bit of blue tack there, forever hardened into the white paint. It was a picture of Finn and him, taken by someone else, one of their teammates, at the party the team had thrown after they won. They were both grinning like all hell in the picture, and Finn’s arm was thrown over Logan’s shoulders, standing behind him a little, his hand pressed to Logan’s chest. Logan could still feel it, Finn warm all along his back. He remembered hoping Finn couldn’t feel his beating heart.

“Lo, can you stop looking so mopey for two seconds, please?”

Logan blinked, snapping out of it to look back at Finn. He had his ray bands pushed into his red hair and was chewing his gum loudly, as usual. The summer sun had already made his cheeks a little pink at the top. He looked lean and strong in his NASA-logo t-shirt and jean shorts, sweating a little from moving boxes all morning in the new-summer heat.

Finn was leaving, was the thing. Finn wasn’t a senior anymore, he was draftee of the Gryffindor Lions. Finn was going, going, gone.

“I’m not mopey,” Logan said, picking at a mattress thread.

Finn huffed out a laugh, zipping a suitcase closed. “Could’ve fooled me.” He snapped his gum and hauled the suitcase and his hockey bag up by their straps easily. He pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes. “Alright, last two. Hold the doors for me, eh?”

Logan took one last look around the room as he stood. “You’re not even going to say goodbye?”

Finn laughed, “You’re so fucking sentimental. I’ve got the party tonight, and I’ve got one more night here.”

“Yeah, in my room,” Logan said.

“Exactly,” Finn turned to the side, and Logan could just a sliver of the brown eyes some of the boys called him bambi for. It wasn’t enough to read his expression. “Plenty of time to say goodbye,” Finn finished, and then turned all the way towards the door. “Come on, I don’t want to carry this all by myself.”

“That’s because you’re lazy,” Logan said over a catch in his throat. Finn had a way of making him feel perfectly at home and blazingly nervous all at once. It gave him whiplash. He couldn’t get enough of it.

“Facts,” Finn hiked his stick bag up onto his shoulder with a grin and opened his door.

They loaded the car and made sure they would be able to pull out easily the next morning without having to wake up any of the other guys. When they were done, Logan left it as a problem to face the next morning. He didn’t want to think about Finn leaving. He didn’t want to think about spending next year, his senior year, without him. He wanted to get a little drunk tonight, hang out with his friends, and have Finn in his bed—maybe not in the way he wanted, but it was something.

“I am going to miss this shit-hole house,” Finn sighed as they walked back up the stone steps of Omega Kappa Nu, or the hockey-house as the rest of campus called it, together.

Logan scoffed, gesturing up at the ionic columns and the double-decker wrap-around porch. “Hock-house is anything but a shit-hole.”

Finn laughed. “Easy for you to say, you got the best room in the place.”

Logan smiled thinking about his corner room on the top floor, windows covering both walls. “She’s a beaut, eh?”

“Yeah she is, but only because I get her for one night.”

The reminder made Logan’s stomach flip. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, you better not kick in your sleep.”

“Even if I didn’t, I’d kick you.”

Logan shoved him as they reached the house, the heavy wooden double-doors propped open by one of Logan’s socks shoved beneath it as a door stop.

“Gross,” Finn said, pointing.

“You told me to help you with the doors.”

Finn rolled his eyes, but threw an arm around Logan’s shoulders. “Alright. Let’s take your car to get the booze, yeah? You got your fake? Oh, that’s right, no one ever believes yours.”

“Fuck off,” Logan groaned, and Finn laughed, tossing Logan his keys.

~

The party was in full swing, the sun down and hanging lanterns lit, and Logan was pleasantly buzzed. He had a red cup in his hand full of rum and coke, and he could see Finn across the patio, feet dangling in one of the blow up pools that one of the boys had bought and filled. He was laughing, a Harvard hat flipped backwards, keeping his hair out of his face. Logan sighed and drained the last of his cup, ducking back into the house for some more. He got a few slaps on the back along the way and smiled back. The kitchen was actually pretty empty, everyone having gone outside to escape the heat, but the liter coke was empty, too. Logan sighed, picking up the bottle by its cap and bouncing the plastic on the counter a few times, as if that would fill it back up.

“Wingardium-coke-osa,” said a voice in his ear and Logan snorted before spinning and smacking Finn with the bottle hard on his arm.

“Fuck me,” Finn hissed, rubbing his arm. His own drink had sloshed against his shirt, leaving a dark stain on the hem. “Tremzy.”

Logan laughed, pushing himself up to sit on the counter beside the sink. “There’s no more coke, it isn’t funny. Where’d all these fucking,” he gestured around, “people come from, drinking my rum and coke.”

“Here,” Finn said, and suddenly Finn’s cup was pressed against Logan’s lips.

Logan’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then narrowed suspiciously.

“Drink,” Finn said softly. They were closer now, Finn almost between Logan’s thighs. He was taller than Finn like this, level with his soft brown eyes. “Go ahead.”

Logan could smell the sickly sweet soda, and he let Finn tilt the drink into his mouth slowly. There was only an inch or so left, and Logan drank easily, the bite of the rum hot on his tongue. Finn pulled it back at the last second and drained the last centimeter himself, mouth where Logan’s had been.

“So, you’ve been drinking my rum and coke,” Logan said hoarsely.

“Guilty,” Finn replied, and Logan thought he saw his eyes dart to his own mouth. His own did the same instinctively.

“Facts,” Logan parroted, and pretended, to himself, that he could lean in right then and kiss Finn on the mouth.

Finn’s nose scrunched, then he smiled and looked behind him. “Promised Kourt a game of pong, eh? See you later?”

Logan’s heart did a little twist. Kourt. Kourtney Bleaker. Logan would do anything to poof that girl out of existence, her hands all over Finn all the time.

“I’m not sleeping on sheets you fucked Kourtney Bleaker on,” Logan said, looking down into his empty cup.

Finn’s smile dropped, surprised, then he raised his eyebrows. “Jesus, Logan. Who said anything about that? I said I’m going to play beer pong.”

“I’m just telling you. You might be sleeping in my room but don’t do that.”

“What, you got plans?” Finn bit back.

“What if I do?”

Finn’s mouth formed a hard line. “Well, have fun, then.” He turned and went into the living room without looking back.

Logan threw his cup in the direction of the trashcan, maybe too hard, and let the screen door bang behind him as he went back outside.

He didn’t want them to fight on their last day together. It was three in the morning and people were filing out to other parties or going home. Logan could still hear the music from downstairs, but he’d learned how to sleep through it a long time ago.

Finn was still in the house somewhere. Logan pulled off his sweaty shirt, his necklace bouncing, cold, against his chest, and went into the bathroom to splash cold water on his face and brush his teeth. He rinsed his mouth out twice, and pushed wet hands through his hair. He was hot, and upset, and he couldn’t decide if wanted Finn to appear or not.

He didn’t have long to worry over it. He flicked the bathroom light off and there was Finn, closing the door behind him. They stared at each other.

“I thought I should probably sleep,” Finn said. “Got a bit of a drive tomorrow.”

He took his sunglasses from where they were folded into his shirt and set them on Logan’s dresser, along with his hat. He toed off his navy blue vans and then stood there, unsure of what to do.

Logan picked up the t-shirt he had discarded earlier and threw it into his hamper without a word. His shorts he left on the floor to be worn again tomorrow.

“Pardon,” he mumbled, maybe one of four phrases Finn knew in French, and Finn all but jumped out of the way so that Logan could get to his plaid pajama bottoms in his dresser.

He thought he heard Finn sigh as he walked into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door when he used the toilet. Logan ran his hands over his ribs and neck, trying to calm himself down, before crawling into the far side of his bed by the wall and moonlit window, leaving Finn what room was left—which wasn’t much. Logan had had a few girls stay over and it was always a tight fit. He could only imagine what it was going to be like to have two hockey players, all six feet of Finn, in the bed with him.

“I’m using your toothbrush, I packed mine,” Finn said from the bathroom.

“Fine,” Logan replied. They’d done it enough times on roadies. One of them was always forgetting something. Toothbrush, underwear, phone charger.

Finally, Finn flicked the light off and came to the edge of the bed. He looked down at Logan for a minute. Logan could feel his eyes on him, but he kept his towards the ceiling.

Finn sighed, and reached behind his head to pull his t-shirt off. He unbuttoned his jean shorts next, kicking them away. He left his socks on. Logan watched the muscles in his chest from the corner in his eye. Finn pushed the covers back and slid in. Instantly, the bed was warmer, verging on too warm in the June heat, but Logan kept very still.

After what felt like an hour of both of them lying there stiffly on their backs, Finn let out a sigh and pushed himself up onto one elbow, leaning over Logan. Logan kept his eyes towards the ceiling and the stripes of moonlight. He could guess how Finn looked in the moonlight, all pale skin and sharp lines. He didn’t know what would happen if he actually looked.

“I’m not leaving tomorrow with you mad at me,” Finn said softly.

Logan felt his chest tighten at the words. His throat felt very suddenly tight with tears, surprising him. He blinked hard and then turned on his side, back towards Finn. It was another few moments before he thought he could speak. Even when he did, the words came out thick. “Guess I’ll have to stay mad at you, then.”

Finn sucked in a breath. Whether it was at Logan’s meaning, or the sound, Logan didn’t know.

Finn was quiet, but then Logan felt his hand on the bare skin of his back, thumb rubbing over his spine. “Lo…”

Logan squeezed his eyes shut.

“Tremz, come on, look at me. Logan.”

“Non. Tu dors,” Logan rasped.

“Door?” Finn’s hand pressed against his shoulder. “Don’t speak French, I can’t—”

“Go to sleep,” But Logan’s voice broke, giving him away. He cursed, turning his nose into his pillow. “Go to sleep, go to sleep…”

“Logan—”

“Je ne veux pas parler,” Logan began, voice hitching up at the end. His cheeks burned, his head hurt. If he talked about it, it was real.

Finn groaned and then suddenly Logan felt him throw a leg over his hips, his full weight settling over him for a moment as he wedged himself between the wall and Logan’s body. Logan was too surprised to struggle for a moment, but before he could think about it, Finn’s hand was wrapped around his neckless, the small fleur-de-lis, and it was like a tether. Logan couldn’t find it in himself to look away. They were chest to chest, skin against skin, and their heads were on the same pillow.

Finn’s face dropped in surprise.

“Don’t,” Logan said, wedging a hand between them to wipe at his face angrily. “Don’t, Finn.”

But Finn caught Logan’s hand around the wrist. “No, I want—I need to talk about—”

Finn cut off though. Logan knew what they were both thinking. That kiss, almost a year ago now. More than a kiss. Logan still thought about it, too much. How Finn had felt in his hand. The feeling of Finn kissing him back, holding him close.

“No,” Logan said. “You don’t.”

“Yes,” Finn argued.

“Why?” Logan said, voice hushed. “You’re leaving. You’re going to the NHL. Name one player who’s…whatever you are. Whatever—whatever we are.”

Logan wasn’t quite sure. He liked girls. He liked boys. He liked Finn. He’d burn worlds for Finn.

But Finn was leaving, and it wasn’t up to Logan whether he could follow or not.

“You can’t,” Logan said. “Because there aren’t any.”

“Maybe I could be the first,” Finn said.

“You want that?” Logan fired back. “No one will give a shit about how you play. Maybe it’ll be too much for the organization. No one will want you because you’re too much trouble. We’ve both heard the things said on the ice, in the stands…the slurs. Imagine how bad it would be if they knew it was actually true.”

That seemed to make Finn think twice. Logan had let it spew out of him, all of the horrors that kept him up at night. He expected Finn to pull away. He waited for him to pull away.

Instead, Finn made a sad, low sound in his throat, and pushed their foreheads together. Logan let out a shuttering breath and let Finn slide their fingers together. His heart pounded, and he could feel Finn breathing against his chest.

“Well, I’m not there yet,” Finn said. “I’m still here. With you.”

Logan’s hands were shaking and he knew Finn could feel because Finn squeezed his fingers.

“Lo, please. I’m gonna be all alone with no one I know. I’m going to…” Finn gave his head a little shake, pushing harder against Logan, like he did after a goal, on the ice. “I’m gonna miss the hell out of you, okay? I already do.”

Logan’s breathing hitched again, tears hot in the corner of his eyes, and he leaned forward and kissed Finn. He brought his other hand up to clutch desperately around his back, nails digging in.

Finn kissed back hard, licking into Logan’s mouth like he needed it. His hand wandered down to Logan’s lower back, ending in a press to his thigh. Logan took the hint and wrapped his leg around Finn’s, heel against Finn’s calf. Finn pressed a hand to Logan’s cheek, thumb wiping any wet away, and Logan clutched harder to him. He was trying to remember, and trying to forget, at the same time.

The music had finally stopped downstairs, and neither of them noticed.

Logan woke up to quiet. The sun had replaced the moon and it was bright. Too happy. He looked over at Finn, who was on his stomach, sleeping with his face mashed in the pillow and full lips parted. He had one hand curled around Logan’s bicep lightly, holding on. Logan could barely stand it.

Logan looked at Finn again on the side of the road. Finn was wearing the same shirt as yesterday, stain and all. The same shorts, the same hat, the same shoes. He wore a different expression. His eyes were sad, conflicted.

Logan wanted to make it easy for him. He wanted him to go and live his dream.

He put his hands into his pockets and smiled a half smile. “Ne m’oublie pas, d’accord?”

Don’t forget me. Please, please, please.

Finn sighed, like he always did. “I can’t understand you.”

Good. Logan looked down, then back again.

“Call me when you get there. Send me a picture of Gryffindor,” Logan took a deep breath, and smiled. “Meet a nice girl.”

Finn’s expression cracked. His lip even quivered, just for a moment. “Lo…”

“Call me when you get there. I want to hear about everything. This is your dream.” Logan said, and turned away from the curb. If Finn spoke, Logan would get into the car with him.

He made it inside, he made it up the stairs and into his room, before he pressed a hand over his mouth, shaking. He leaned back against the door. Out the window, he watched Finn drive away.

He tried to remember, and tried to forget, at the same time.

[danwhobrowses]

WWE Wrestlemania 37 Day 2 - Review

And we are back! Wrestlemania hit hard with Day 1, good shit and big moments fitting of the show

So let's see if Day 2 can match up to it, lots of big matches on the card, we'll see how it goes.

See the Night 1 Review Here

Spoilers for Night 2 and References to Night 1 included, you have been Warned

Pre-Show Like the last Night, no matches on the Pre-Show, just drivel and promos. So the same criticisms really, Lawler saying 'Wrestlerainia' doesn't make it any better than when Cole said it, his attempts at jokes were awful even when they were his material. When they recapped Night 1 though they should've shown footage of Ford celebrating with Bianca rather than just say it - a Picture says a Thousand Words. Standard Promo Package lies apply too, 'Rhea Ripley has brutalized everyone she's come through' ...except Io Shirai and Raquel Gonzalez, similar went down for the second half of HOF because Great Khali is only there to pander to India - also what did the Mayor of Knox County ever do for WWE? Sonya also popped up again, strangely to talk about the Nigerian Drum Fight - which Booker T talked about the most, if I wanted to watch a bunch of old dudes talk over Sonya Deville I'd be drinking bleach. She also stuck for Sami vs KO, and barely talked in that too.

Also the promo they had about Kofimania was rough to watch, considering how it ended and how Kofi fared on Night 1, all this to promote a cheesy Cricket commercial about him not touching the ground...

The 24/7 title even got a continuation of ads, but it was more a 'to be concluded on Youtube' - honestly the belt has run its course, Truth has ran out of jokes and it's been reduced to an Old Spice ad crossover.

Main Card Starting once more with 'America the Beautiful', replacing the boob window with a bright yellow hat. It was fine, as a Brit 'America the Beautiful' does nothing for me.

They then did the same intro package as night 1 just with some different clips, skippable. And the shoddy camera switching is still there.

Hogan and Titus came out again this time in pirate outfits, there was noticeable boos in Hogan's bits with cheesy pirate puns. In the end the host concept was wasted on them. Reminder that names in Bold are those I predicted to win.

Randy Orton def. The Fiend [w/Alexa Bliss] (Pinfall via RKO) Orton opened night 2 in white tights and a fairy long-winded entrance, the melted Fiend then walked through a corridor of fire LEDs as CGI burned away into his original Fiend look...but Alexa's Firefly Funhouse music hit. Cutesy Bliss approached a giant Jack in a Box commentary act like just 'appeared'. The Fiend arose from the box in a combat vest, posed then dove right at Orton. Red lights cover the match throughout, Uranage and a neck snap started the match as the Fiend continued to do his spooky thing, it looks like he was gonna set up the punt but Randy rolls out of the ring. Randy hits the back body slam on the Announcer's Desk but it's no sold into the Mandible Claw, rope break and apron DDT from Orton only staggers the Fiend but rebounding his neck off the ropes grounds him momentarily. Orton tries to methodically beat down the Fiend but the monster hits back hard, a missed Senton and a senton follows some head kicks and another apron DDT, he sets up for an RKO but the Fiend gets the Mandible Claw (which commentary no sold even though he has won titles with that move), he sets up Sister Abigail but the ring posts pyro like Kane and before Fiend is Bliss with new makeup, dripping in black goo she extends her hand to the Fiend from the jack in the box, RKO and...3!? Post match Fiend and Alexa stare down, the electricity shorts out and both members disappear.

That's it? That's what we got? The Fiend was burned alive and survived but 1 RKO does it? The Fiend no sold so much in his career and one RKO felled him. The fuck man, this was as bad as the last time these two went at mania, you'd think like the brilliant Firefly Funhouse Match last year we'd get some course correction. But nope, Fiend's story is just being taken over by Alexa and this daft-ass black goo stuff, I don't get the motivation either. Fiend helped Alexa straddle Orton for a 3 count at Fastlane, talked all big for months about how the Fiend was going to obliterate Orton and it lasted about 8 minutes, the entrances lasted longer! Last year the Fiend was great with a cinematic match, but WWE have somehow managed to systematically destroy one of their most inventive characters time and time again, not a good start.

Backstage once again Bayley gets buried by the Hosts and this time Eric Bischoff as she tried to push Ding Dong Hello and got jealous of them talking up Bianca vs Sasha from last night.

WWE Women's Tag Championship - Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax (c) def. Natalya & Tamina (Ref Stoppage Submission by Baszler on Natalya via Kirufuda Clutch) Not a promising sign to follow the opener with this match, the challengers entered quickly with Natalya having a slightly altered attire. Jax and Baszler came in with red, black and gold. Natalya and Baszler start the match with some mat wrestling, Natalya almost gets the Sharpshooter so Shayna tags Nia in, Nia shoves Natalya and demands that Tamina - her old tag partner - be tagged in. Both trade headbutts, Tamina almost lifts Nia but fails, she tags in Natalya for the double back body drop and drops the blind tagged Shayna onto her partner. Natalya tries a Sharpshooter but is schoolboy'd for 2, Natalya retaliates with a German Suplex, whipping Shayna into a Clothesline, then launch pad into a superkick. As Shayna strikes back an advantage she stiffs Natalya in the mouth with a knee (legitimately, there was a picture of a welt before) Nia brawls with Tamina outside, hitting a powerslam outside of the ring. Another knee strike floors Natalya for 2 as Shayna works on the leg, kneebar and then an ankle stomp, Nia follows up with a Legdrop over the injured leg, another kneebar and then combos of swing/knee strike and irish whip/powerslam. Nia runs into the turnbuckle as Natalya floors Nia with multiple lariat attempts, Nia though hits back with a Chokeslam/Powerbomb thing they called a Spinebuster but the pin is broken by Tamina. Tamina gets the hot tag against Shayna, Baszler tries to weaken the leg, then the Kirufuda clutch but Tamina powers into a Samoan Drop. She goes up for a Superfly Splash but Shayna kicks her, Nia looks to do an Avalanche Samoan Drop but Natalya pulls Tamina away, she lariats Baszler but Nia hits the crossbody on both opponents for 2, favouring the knee after. Talking trash to Tamina she gets hit with a slam, Nia's repositioning couldn't be missed by the wide shot as Tamina goes for the Superfly Splash, but nobody home. Natalya's tagged and she goes for Baszler in the corner, Baszler counters and blind tags as Nia lifts Natalya up, but she wriggles out, floors Baszler again and sets the Sharpshooter on the now not legal Nia. Baszler cinches in the Kirufuda clutch and the match is over.

The fact that this was more eventful than the opener speaks volumes. It was a match, I don't think there's many people who feel like Nia and Shayna deserve this spot. Shayna was great in NXT but she's not doing herself any favours stiffing her opponents, Nia's rubbing off in a bad way. I had the challengers to win because I'm bored of them still being champions - only briefly giving it to Asuka and Charlotte so Charlotte can add that to her list - they should've either dropped to NXT or let the Riott Squad win, there was nothing in this match to invest in.

Rey Mysterio is used to promote 2K22. A surprise since we thought WWE and 2K's partnership was done, I am a huge fan of Rey so it was nice to see, much nicer if he was actually on Wrestlemania and getting a push...

Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn [w/Logan Paul] (Pinfall via Stunner) JBL is the guest commentator for this...for some reason. Sami struts to the ring in dark green trying to pull off a Che Guevara look, a mini tantrum at the ramp before heading to the ring and grabbing the mic to introduce Logan Paul, who walks to the ring as Sami dances super embarrassingly in the ring. Owens then charges into the ring with vigor to get the crowd amped up. The bell rings, Sami tries the Helluva Kick and gets hit with a Pop-Up Powerbomb. KO punishes Sami in the start, dropping Sami gut-first on the ropes, corner clothesline and Cannonball as the camera awkwardly keeps cutting to Logan Paul. Sami gets a suplex on the apron to get back some momentum as he demands for Owens to be counted out, Owens rolls in at 8 but Sami continues to club at KO's head. Cole calls a Michinoku Driver a Blue Thunder Bomb but this time gets called out on it, pinfall is 2 and Sami gets into the ref's face. Attempted Superplex leads to a fistfight in the corner, Owens headbutts him off and Frog Splashes for 2, tries the Pop-Up powerbomb, Sami leapfrogs, Sami tries the Michinoku Driver but Owens reverses it into a meaty Pumphandle Neckbreaker for 2. He goes for the Package Piledriver but Sami hits the corner exploder, tries for the Helluva Kick but misses, KO tries the Stunner but it's reversed into a Blue Thunder Bomb for 2 as well. Two Exploders and a Brainbuster for 2 frustrates Sami further, brawling in the corner, he tries for a Superplex but gets hit with an Avalanche twisting Fisherman's Suplex. KO hits Sami with some corner clotheslines but as he runs to bounce off the other corner he runs into a Helluva Kick, Sami catching his collapsed friend as he sets it up again, 2 Superkicks from Owens and a Stunner finishes Sami off as Logan Paul applauds. Post-Match Logan checks on Sami and congratulates Owens, which Sami takes umbrage with. Logan shoves Sami as he storms off, Logan holds KO's arm in the air to boos, cheers start to rumble as Paul is hit with a stunner to a pop.

KO and Sami rarely disappoints, I don't think they really got to get out of second gear but it was still a good match. The Logan Paul stuff though was stupid and unnecessary, sure we got him to eat a Stunner but the ends don't justify the means. Also why was JBL there?

Backstage Riddle scooters across to Great Khali, stoner comedy doesn't land as Khali no sells it, RVD shows up to wish Riddle luck. Segment was meh.

US Championship - Sheamus def. Riddle (c) (Pinfall via Brogue Kick TITLE CHANGE!) Sheamus arrives blinding white but no special gear, Riddle scooters down in an Evil Knievel jacket, hologram doves with pirate hats and eyepatches adding to the cheese. Sheamus uses his power to start, but Riddle comes back with some chops, Sheamus hits back in each of his attempts; knee to the gut, then driving Riddle's sleeper in the corner, then a reversal swinging slam. Irish Curse gets 2, Riddle tries a Tarantula Armbreaker but Sheamus hits his Beats of Bodhran, he goes up high but Riddle reverses with a Spanish Fly Belly to Belly on the top turnbuckle. Riddle rallies with strikes, hits a Pele Kick and a Senton, to slight Goldberg Riddle hits the Jackhammer on the second time of trying but only gets 2. He tries the Bro Derek but Sheamus rolls back, Riddle kicks Sheamus away but in his slingshot lands into a Brogue Kick, 1, 2, No. Alabama Slam, 1, 2, No. He tries a White Noise on the Apron but gets pushed into the Ring Post and then German's on the Apron. An Apron PK and Moonsault keeps Sheamus down enough for Riddle to hit the Twisting Moonsault, he locks in the Reverse armbar but it's reversed into a deadlift powerbomb, Riddle then latches the sleeper for the rope break. Sheamus tries again for a Top Rope White Noise, Riddle tries to Sunset Bomb but fails, Riddle tries the Spanish Fly Belly to belly again but Sheamus grabs him. A stumble means that the two hop off the Turnbuckle for a normal White Noise, Sheamus goes up with a Knee Drop but it only hits 2. Sheamus calls for the Brogue, gets rolled up but catches the Knee strike, Riddle dodges the lariat, goes for a Springboard Moonsault but lands into the Brogue, 1, 2, 3. Post match Riddle is bleeding from the mouth, he angrily stares at the gleeful Sheamus who leaves with the title.

A good title match and much deserved from Sheamus, who has delivered in many matches on the later stages of of the Wrestlemania year, shame he was on the wrong brand to complete the set, he only needs the IC title to win everything. Riddle doesn't do it for me in this gimmick (which as I gather is mostly himself stoned) but credit where it's due, he put a good performance and that was a strong finish.

An odd package followed where Triple H handed Bad Bunny a golden briefcase with a skull microphone, which he opened atop his truck. The briefcase says Tour 2022 to promote his future tour.

Nigerian Drum Fight for the IC Title - Apollo Crews def. Big E (c) (Pinfall via Dabba Kato Chokeslam TITLE CHANGE!) The promo really hurt my ears to hear Apollo's accent devolve into this foreign heel gimmick. Wale though performs to enter Big E, more questionable camera cuts to E and the Fireworks. E's jacket represented Feeding Tampa Bay as a nice nod to the food bank, Apollo came out in Nigerian colors with his scarf and Spear. Commentary's line saying 'this isn't about percussion' falls kinda flat when there's drums around the ring.

Both men roll out to grab Kendo sticks, trading blows which E gets the power advantage over. E grabs the giant cymbal but Apollo knees it away, hits E with some more Kendo Shots back into the ring. You can hear the WAFT of Apollo's missed shot as E knocks him away and then does the out-of-ring spear. E sets up the lower steps near the apron but gets hit with a DVD on the apron, pinfall gets 2. Crews grabs the top half of the steps, lays E on the one he sets up and throws the other steps at it, but E rolls away just in time. On the apron Apollo hits a big boot, but on the second attempt falls into an Uranage onto the flat steps (which Cole called an Uranage Suplex for some reason...), after some trash talking E gets a table set up in the ring near a corner. Apollo kicks back and flurries E with a Kendo Stick, he rolls E onto the table to go for the frog splash, but E rolls away sending Apollo crashing through the table. E hits the Big Ending, but Dabba Kato/Babatunde in a military jacket breaks the pin, a sorta Samoan Spike and a Chokeslam leads to him dragging Apollo onto E for the win. Apollo gets a lot of unnecessary pyro and shakes his new comrade's hand.

Bit short that, the gimmick didn't really come into play. I mean, I'm glad Apollo gets a chance to hold another title and E can look towards the top of the card but I don't think this was really the way to do it. It didn't need to be a 'Nigerian Drum Fight', could've just been a No DQ, Dabba Kato gets his third repackaging since Greatest Royal Rumble probably as Apollo's 'General' which is kinda no different to what AJ and Omos are doing just with more foreign heel-isms. But yeah, bit disappointing on the means of it but the outcome was right, just...kinda stop faking a thick accent it's getting you nowhere acting like you're on the set of Black Panther.

Again we look back at Night 1, this time with minor clips of Ford congratulating his wife, but should've been a segment on its own rather than a flash-through recap. Stone Cold Mania 38 Texas promo and the HOF promo they did on this Pre-Show happens again which is unnecessary but the hologram of a ghost ship was cool, the HOFers come out and Kane gets the entrance, he does his pyro and that's it - that's how you do it, Hogan.

Raw Women's Championship - Rhea Ripley def. Asuka (c) (Pinfall via Riptide TITLE CHANGE!) THIS IS MY BRUTALITY! performed live as Rhea wastes no time coming out, leather biker outfit this time, no Vegeta costume. Silly camera cuts to Rhea and the Singer AGAIN though, stop it WWE it's distracting. Asuka dances down the ring in a bit of a Jason mask, but the camera keeps cutting to Rhea which is off-putting. Also commentary on 'she has never seen Rhea Ripley up close and personal', they were in a tag match together a week and a half ago and in Survivor Series 2019 she faced her in Team NXT as part of Team RAW, seriously WWE...

Asuka starts hot with her athleticism, dropkicks, rebounds and rollups met with more shoddy camera cuts, Rhea leaves the ring to take a moment as Asuka taunts her, she baits Asuka out of the ring as she rolls in but her leg is caught, pop-up knee strike returns Rhea to the ring but she misses the hip attack, gifting Rhea the slamming facebuster for 2. Rhea wears the champion down and taunts her with leg scissors and hits a couple of clotheslines, Asuka reverses the third into an ankle lock but Rhea rolls into a Release German Suplex. Rhea grinds away at Asuka's back and sets up for a super German but Asuka elbows her away and lands the Missile Dropkick, Release German, Hip Attack, a strike combo, another Hip Attack but it only gets 2. Asuka goes up top but is dropkicked to the outside, Asuka tries a PK on the apron but is caught into an Electric Chair position and dropped chin-first onto the apron. Trying to roll Asuka back into the ring, the champion returns to hit a DDT from the apron to the outside, after breaking the count Asuka only gets 2, stomps at Rhea but her running knee gets caught, Rhea stomps at Asuka and sets up the Texas Cloverleaf, Asuka rolls out and into the Armbar but Rhea swings Asuka into the bottom turnbuckle. Deadlift suplex back into the ring for 2, Asuka reverses a waistlock into two armbar variations and then an Asuka Lock, Rhea rolls back for 2 and the hold to break but gets gutted with kicks to the chest, Rhea demands more so Asuka runs to the ropes, Rhea catches her, Riptide, 3!

That finish came out of nowhere, which was not a good thing. We were having quite an enjoyable match which ended around the 15 minute mark, it wasn't short but the narrative wasn't quite there yet. I'm happy for Rhea, who I predicted to win but like Sasha/Bianca it came with the heavy heart. Like Sasha, Asuka has often been slighted especially at Wrestlemania, she deserves her moment too, especially Asuka who carried the Women for most of the Empty Arena era.

WWE recapped the opener which was a bad idea, Hogan and Titus thanked all the viewers at home and the fans but were interrupted by Bayley who demanded and got her pyro, then out came the Bella Twins. Bayley got a good zing by calling them Elmo but then Nikki slapped the mic away from her when she says 'John Cena isn't here tonight', Bellas said 'Ding Dong, Goodbye' and beat down Bayley. This was shite really, Bayley had been buried across 2 nights and her 'comeuppance' is the Bella Twins, not the woman beginning with B I was hoping for, and the John Cena comment was heavily forced, fans know they broke up ages ago Nikki has a kid with her husband who is not John Cena, fans aren't stupid WWE.

WWE then promoted 'Wrestlemania Backlash' for May 16th, a whole month away. They say it'll be a whole new season for WWE so I'm wondering if it's just a storyline reset...y'know how Wrestlemania is supposed to be, slapping Wrestlemania on other show names doesn't make it Wrestlemania-tier guys.

Universal Championship - Roman Reigns (c) [w/Paul Heyman & Jey Uso] def. Daniel Bryan and Edge (Pinfall on Edge and Bryan via Con-Chair-To) To the Main Event, one of the few storylines in Mania's card that was consistently good in build. Bryan comes out first, camera angles flashing during the YES! chants. Huge pops and smoke rage for Metalingus and Edge enters in white and Red (bookending with Orton), fireworks camera shots though. For once, Roman Reigns enters the Main Event without a chorus of deafening boos, but he takes his time to come out, in his red wreath flanked by Jey Uso and Heyman, cameras cutting to each opponent's faces a bit too much, especially to Bryan. Bad call not to bring in Justin Roberts to announce Edge either. Roman makes sure to hoist the belt while facing both his opponents before the bell.

Reigns starts by suckering Bryan and then going after Edge. He throws Bryan out of the ring where Jey superkicks him and sends him into the steps thanks to Triple Threat rules. Edge eats a superkick from Uso too when he's thrown out as Roman cleans up the announcer's table, as Edge is grabbed by Uso, Reigns is hit by Bryan's suicide dive but eats an Uso superkick, this gives Edge time to throw Uso into the steps, pinballing Reigns against the barricade and apron until bouncing off of the ring post. Edge then sets his sights on Uso, hitting a DDT on the steps to take him out of the equation, medical team swarm Uso as Heyman halfheartedly looks concerned. Edge chases Heyman away and enters the ring with Bryan - a moment which would've been sold better if the camera didn't cut to a close up of Roman alive and well on the outside. Bryan gets the Yes Kicks in the corner but his Super Rana is reversed into a sunset flip, Edge-o-matic but it's only 2. Roman comes back on the apron both men attempting to suplex the other, Bryan slides under Roman and cuts Roman's legs from under him - jawbreaking Edge on the ropes - he hits the Missile Dropkick on Edge, kips up and hits the uppercut, after dodging the lariat he tries to suicide dive Roman but he's caught by the champion and hit with a belly to belly suplex. Edge brings Roman to the ring but gets hit with a clothesline, Roman sets up the Superman Punch but Edge turns it into an Edgecution. He sets up the Spear but Roman knocks him down, Roman sets the Spear but it is reversed in a Sunset Flip, both men collide with spears to take each other out. During a wide shot Bryan goes up top, he lands a diving headbutt on Edge, then on Roman, he pins Roman but only gets 2. Yes Kicks to both men, Roman dodges one and pushes him towards Edge, but Bryan ducks the Lariat and hits the Buisaku Knee, Roman tries the Superman Punch but is kicked in the gut, Buzzsaw Kick! 1, 2, No! Bryan stomps on Roman's head and sets up the Yes Lock, but Edge breaks the hold, so Bryan puts Edge in the Yes Lock and Roman breaks the hold, clubbing at Bryan and powerbombing him onto Edge. After dumping Bryan, Roman pauses before setting up half the steps near the Announcer's Table, he's incited by the 'Roman Sucks' chant and powerbombs Bryan through the Announcer's table, but is then blindsided with a Spear! Edge goes to bring in a chair but Roman keeps his foot on it, he pulls the chair away and tries the Guillotine but Edge locks in the Crossface, as Roman powers out Edge grabs a part of the chair leg that fell off and uses that in his Crossface - a humorous face from Reigns as I pause the vid as well XD - he's about to tap but Bryan grabs the hand, and locks in the Yes Lock! Annoyed that his win is stolen, Edge demands he break the hold, but Bryan refuses, leading to a headbutt fight and Bryan pounding at Edge. Bryan then stomps at Edge's head and looks for the Buisaku Knee, but gets hit by a Spear! Roman tries a Spear but Edge hits one of his own! 1, 2, Bryan pulls the ref out of the ring. Furious, Edge introduces more chairs, hitting Bryan and Edge one after the other. He sets up Con-Chair-To to both men, hits it on Bryan but Jey Uso returns to attack, eats a Spear and a load of Chair Shots, Reigns hits the spear on Edge, hits the Con-Chair-To, drags Edge over Bryan and pins both for the win.

The show closes with pyro and Fireworks as Roman talks trash on his opponents and holds the title aloft, ending Wrestlemania 37.

It was a very good back and forth match, Roman of course relying heavily on Jey's interferences and the animosity between Edge and Bryan to come out on top. Keeping the Spear and the Con-Chair-To for last was the right move and the latter was definitely impactful enough to ensure that Bryan could sleep for a few minutes, especially with his and Edge's history of neck injuries. I bet on Roman because of his past record, how after finally turning heel he gets the right heat and because in Triple Threats involving a Heel Champion and 2 Faces, you either bet on the third man or the heel champion, since the story was that Roman could lose without being pinned I chose the latter, the heel often finds the escape. All three men had great chemistry together and I hope for more, SD's world title scene having an absolute slew of competitors waiting to challenge the head of the table.

Conclusion Overall another good night of wrestling...just not better. There were some super baffling and poor moments in the first half of the show and 3 title changes in a row (as well as 2 live performances in a row) was probably not the best card layout Night 2 could've done. Overall it was still a good show though and as a whole Wrestlemania 37 was a success, if not without its glaring flaws. But it goes to show that a 2-Day Wrestlemania continues to flourish as a new season of WWE kicks off.

[thecollegefootballguy]

The Real Beehive Boot

I can’t believe I can’t find a better image of this thing. Somebody please yell at Utah’s SID about this.

Hello friends, we continue our journey through college football’s three-way rivalry trophies. So far we’ve taken a look at the Florida Cup and the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy and what would have happened if they had been on the line for the entire history of those rivalries.

Check out those posts here: Florida Cup / Commander-in-Chief

Now we’re heading out West to the great state of Utah to examine one of the most unique trophies in the sport: the Beehive Boot. The Boot is given to the best team in the state, and has been contested every year from 1971 to 2016.

I’m hoping to raise a bit of awareness about the trophy as well. It hasn’t been awarded for the past few seasons with no real good reason. Utah’s cancellation of the Utah State rivalry and general fan disinterest seem to be the most likely culprits.

The rules are pretty simple. The team with the highest record among in-state opponents wins the Boot. If the three teams tie in the standings with 1-1 records against each other, it goes to a vote by Utah’s sports media. For some reason, each time it goes to a media vote, Utah State gets awarded the trophy. I’m not sure if that’s a feature or a bug in the system, but I do think it’s kind of a funny quirk that helps out the Aggies who otherwise would be well behind their in-state rivals.

Initially, Weber State was allowed to compete for and win the Boot, but the Wildcats never won and games against WSU stopped counting in the standings following the ‘82 season. To simplify things, I won’t be counting Weber State at all because, well, they really are nonfactors when you get down to it.

So, what if the Beehive Boot was on the line going right back to the beginning of the rivalries? Let’s find out.

-

The Battle of the Brothers Round 1 (Armstrong vs Romney): 1922-1949

Our story begins in 1922, the year BYU re-started their football program. Utah and Utah State (then Utah Agricultural College) were already well established rivals and had played for just over 20 years when the Cougars joined the stage. The Utes and Aggies were each other’s end of season rivals and the Battle of the Brothers was easily the most important game in the state.

BYU joined the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, joining Utah and Utah Agricultural in the league. For the next several decades, the Cougars would play the Utes in mid-October, almost always in Salt Lake City. The UAC game was usually played in late-October or early-November on a more equal home and home basis.

Leading up to 1922, Utah Agricultural had gotten the best of Utah the previous several years. The Aggies were led by legendary coach Dick Romney, who was hired in 1919 and would lead the team for the next 30 seasons. UAC was an above average team in the 20′s, winning the conference in 1921, and traded wins with the Utes for most of the decade. The Aggies wouldn’t lose to BYU until their 8th contest in 1929.

In 1922, Utah won their only RMAC conference title under Thomas Fitzpatrick, who lasted another two middling seasons before being replaced by Ike Armstrong. Armstrong was a transformative head coach for the Utes, who would go on to be the most dominant program in the Mountain States for the next two decades.

In 1926, just one year after his hiring, Armstrong led the Utes to the conference championship. It was the first of eight titles in nine years as Utah won the RMAC every season from 1928 to 1933. The Utes went undefeated three straight years from 1928-30, and wouldn’t lose a conference game for five seasons from ‘28-’32.

Utah absolutely dominated their rivals in this span. After falling to UAC in 1925, the Utes wouldn’t lose again until 1936. Following BYU’s reestablishment of their program in 1922, Utah obliterated the Cougars for two decades before finally losing to them for the first time in 1942.

BYU was a bottom feeder in their early years. The Cougars wouldn’t find a competent coach until Ott Romney came to Provo in 1928, and Romney only managed moderate success compared to Utah or UAC. The best BYU could manage in this era was a 2nd place finish in the RMAC in 1932.

The newly rebranded Utah State experienced a brief resurgence in 1935-36. The Aggies won the RMAC in back to back seasons and beat the Utes for the first time in a decade. Dick Romney’s squad remained strong for most of the 30′s, but began to fall off by the turn of the decade.

All three schools jumped ship from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference into the new Skyline Conference in 1938. It was at this time Utah bounced back to being the top dogs. The Utes had a bit of a slide in the mid-30′s, but from 1938 to 1942 they won another four league championships.

BYU remained a thoroughly unimpressive team in the 30′s and 40′s, only daring to finish 2nd place in their new home in the Skyline twice under head coach Eddie Kimball. 

The Second World War threw a monkey wrench into things for a few years. The Cougars disbanded their football team following the 1942 season. It probably set their program back a few years, which wasn’t great considering they just beat Utah for the first time ever. Utah State missed 1943, but was back to the gridiron the next year only to get stomped by their rivals.

The longstanding 30 year battle between Armstrong’s Utes and Romney’s Aggies went out on a high note in the late 1940′s. Utah State beat their archrivals on the way to a Skyline championship in 1946. Utah then beat USU in 1947 and 1948 to claim two back to back league titles. Romney retired following the 1948 season and Armstrong hung up his clipboard the following year. Both of them remain the winningest coaches in their respective program’s histories.

Beehive Boot Record Utah: 17 Utah State: 9 BYU: 1

So, about the Boot. Had if been given away going all of the way back to 1922, here’s how the first few decades would have shaken out.

Not surprisingly, Utah totally dominated the first 30 years of the Beehive Boot. The Utes (renamed the Redskins in 1940) completely owned BYU and got the better of Utah State way more often than not.

There were several ties, which I dutifully gave to the Aggies because I’m imagining whatever strange mechanism gave USU the Boot (media bias) from the 70′s on would still exist back in the 20′s. And also because there’s no better way to solve ties. To be clear, this does go a long way to keeping Utah State respectable in this era. The Aggies had a few outright wins but those tiebreakers helped a lot.

BYU and Utah were tied with 1-0-1 records for the 1941 and I have to imagine that the Cougars get the media nod in this situation. I mean, come on, you gotta take pity on them at some point. 20 years into the Boot and not winning it a single time. Just let ‘em have it.

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The Battle of the Brothers Round 2 (1950-1974)

It must have been daunting to fill the shoes of the illustrious Ike Armstrong, but Jack Curtice did a fine job. Following a tough transition year in 1950, the Redskins reeled off three straight conference titles and added another in 1957. Cactus Jack was undefeated against BYU (with one tie) and only lost once to Utah State in eight years.

It was also daunting replacing Dick Romney in Logan, but that transition wasn’t as smooth. Utah State breezed through 4 head coaches during the 1950′s, not hanging on to any longer than 4 years.

BYU was also replacing their coach in 1949, but nobody really cared. The Cougars plodded along, continuing their legacy as the worst program in the state. BYU was led for seven years in the 50′s by Chick Atkinson, but he only managed an 18-49-3 record before being replaced. Hal Kopp managed a winning record in Provo in 1957 and 1958 but was forced to resign after recruiting violations began to surface and the Cougars fell right back into the gutter.

Jack Curtice left Utah following the ‘57 season and was replaced by Ray Nagel. Nagel kept up the winning ways but the Redskins were finally displaced atop the Skyline standings by their in-state rivals up North.

In 1959, Utah State hired John Ralston to turn the program around. The Aggies had spent a decade in the wilderness following Romney’s retirement, but Ralston quickly got things going once again. After a calibration season in 1959, USU went 26-5-1 from 1960-62, winning two Skyline Conference titles. In ‘61, Utah State went 9-0-1 in the regular season, and after beating Utah in the Battle of the Brothers, leapt all the way up to 10th in the polls before losing to Baylor in the Gotham Bowl.

Utah State may have remained the second best team in the state forever after, but two enormous events changed everything in 1962. One, a short term problem, and another would have long term consequences lasting until this very day. The former was the departure of John Ralston, who had led the revival of the Aggies fortunes, the second was the formation of the WAC.

Following the dissolution of the Pacific Coast Conference in 1958, there were talks for several years about cobbling together a newer, better football conference across the Mountain States and the Pacific Northwest. Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington State all bailed when the reconstituted AAWU (soon to be PAC-8) threw them a lifeline, but the idea held fast.

BYU AD (and former head coach) Eddie Kimball spearheaded the effort to take the top halves of the Border Conference (Arizona, ASU, New Mexico) and Skyline Conference (Utah, Wyoming, and BYU) and merge them into one entity. The Cougars, of course, weren’t actually in the top half of the Skyline Conference and never had been, but they greased the wheels and were well rewarded despite never delivering the goods in football.

Utah State applied for membership alongside New Mexico State, but both were rejected. It started a long, slow, and painful decline for both programs that neither has ever recovered from.

A few years prior, in 1968, saw another blow to the Aggies’ program. Despite finally playing Utah on a relatively equal basis in Salt Lake City and Logan, the Utes decided to downgrade the Battle of the Brothers in favor of the Holy War. From now on the Holy War was going to be the end of season game, with Utah State relegated to early/mid November.

With the Skyline Conference abolished, the Aggies were forced into football independence. USU didn’t fall off at first. In fact they did quite well for themselves initially. Tony Knap guided the Aggies through their early years going 25-14-1 and a combined 5-3 against Utah and BYU in four years, but left for the CFL following the 1966 season. USU remained a solid program under Chuck Mills in the late 60′s and early 70′s, but back to back 8-3 seasons in 1971-72 drew Mills away to Wake Forest. Phil Krueger led the team as head coach for three more successful seasons before heading to the NFL as Tampa Bay’s OC.

Utah initially had a bit of trouble adjusting to the slightly more competitive WAC, but by their third year in the new league the Redskins won the conference and the Liberty Bowl. Ray Nagel left for Iowa the following season and was replaced less successfully by Mike Giddings and then by Bill Meek. By this point, Arizona and especially Arizona State began to dominate the conference, and the Redskins were left to scramble for third place, which they still attained with regularity.

The increase in competition did nothing to help BYU’s lot. The Cougars struggled to achieve mediocrity in the weaker Skyline Conference and rarely achieved that in their first few years in the WAC. Tommy Hudspeth replaced Hal Mitchell as head coach in 1964, and achieved a surprising conference title in the following season, but BYU once again slipped down the standings.

The Cougars had been worse, but they’d also never really been any good. 50 years after restarting their program in 1922 and BYU had little to show for it. You’d forgive somebody in 1972 if they imagined the next 50 years would go the same way, but that’s not quite what happened.

Beehive Boot Record Utah: 29 Utah State: 19 BYU: 4

It might not be quite as bad as you had imagined. Utah still led the pack in this era, but not by too wide of a margin. The Redskins won 12 Beehive Boots from 1950 to 1974 to Utah State’s 10, with just one tie giving the Aggies a boost in this time frame.

BYU won the Boot in 1958, giving them their first outright championship. The Cougars earned another pity tie in 1950, although Utah probably should have won the Boot that year all things considered. The whole media vote thing makes this all a guess on my part so if you want you can give it to Utah.

The Battle of the Brothers still defined the Beehive Boot in this era, despite the best efforts of both the Redskins and Cougars to sideline the Aggies. Utah definitely got the better of USU from 1950-1964, winning the Boot 10 times in 15 years. The Aggies did much better from the mid-60′s to the mid-70′s, winning 9 Boots to Utah’s 4.

The “real” Beehive Boot was first awarded following the 1971 season, going to USU, who would end up winning the first four straight. But everything would change in the 1975 season and forever altered the balance of power in the state of Utah.

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The Age of Edwards (1975-2000)

LaVell Edwards was hired in 1972 to replace the departed Tommy Hudspeth as the head coach in Provo. Edwards had been an assistant at BYU under Hudspeth for several years before his promotion. I’m not sure if his talent was manifest from the beginning, but he got the ball rolling early.

In his first year, the Cougars went 7-4, which was their best record in 8 seasons. Following a down year in 1973, BYU won the WAC title for the first time in a decade. The Cougars experienced another downturn in 1975, but things were about to change.

Brigham Young was already pointing in the right direction, but in 1978 Arizona and Arizona State left the WAC for the newly rechristened PAC-10. With the Wildcats and most especially the Sun Devils out of the league, the path was now wide open for a new team to take over and BYU filled that slot perfectly.

BYU took off starting in 1976. The Cougars tied Wyoming and ASU for the conference title in ‘76 and ‘77 respectively, but then won the WAC outright for eight straight seasons. BYU attended 7 consecutive Holiday Bowls from 1978-1984 and finished in the final polls seven times in the nine years from 1977 to 1985.

The rise was easy to chart. The Cougars won nine games in three consecutive seasons from 1976 to 1978, this was already a new high water mark for the program but it was then quickly replaced. BYU went 11-0 in 1979 before losing to Indiana in the Holiday Bowl. The next year they ascended to 12-1 with a win over #14 SMU in the postseason. An 8-4 “reset” year in 1982 preceded the Cougars’ absolute apex. In 1983, BYU lost to Baylor in week 1 then went undefeated through the rest of the season to end up 11-1 and 7th in the final polls, their highest ranking ever.

In 1984, the Cougars began the year by beating #3 Pittsburgh at Pitt Stadium and absolutely shredding the rest of the teams they faced. Brigham Young climbed up to #3 in the polls leading into the Holy War. An easy win over Utah and losses by Nebraska and South Carolina pushed the Cougars to the #1 spot. A win over Utah State to end the season and then a victory over Michigan in the Holiday Bowl sealed BYU’s improbable national championship.

In 1985, the Cougars went 11-3 with a 7-10 loss to Ohio State the Citrus Bowl to round out their incredible decade of achievement. The script had completely flipped. Lowly Brigham Young now stood atop its two rivals and had won a national championship to boot.

Utah had seen a bitter reversal in the rivalry and lost 19 of 21 games in the Holy War from 1972 to 1992. The team, thankfully renamed the Utes once more, hired Tom Lovat in 1974 to replace the competent Bill Meek, but things spiraled out of control. Lovat was fired after going 5-28 in three seasons. His replacement, Wayne Howard, only took two years to right the ship, but by then the damage was done and Utah was in a clear secondary role in the rivalry. Howard’s Utes managed to upset Brigham Young in 1978, but the Cougars creamed Utah the next two years and Howard resigned despite an 8-2-1 record in 1981.

The Utes plodded through the 80′s under Chuck Stobart and Jim Fassel mired in mediocrity, which was more or less the same story as Utah State.

The Aggies joined the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (precursor to the Big West) in 1977, and head coach Bruce Snyder won them two conference championships in 1978-79. Snyder left for the NFL following the ‘82 season and was replaced by Chris Pella, who finally dropped the ball in Logan. USU had been able to compete with their now much bigger and more important rivals thanks to several coaches who could punch above their weight. But once that momentum stalled, it never came back.

From the 1980′s onwards, Utah State would clearly be the little brother to BOTH Utah and BYU. The Aggies were slowly being relegated by both rivals, and their games against both universities was creeping earlier and earlier in the season to less desirable calendar dates.

USU treaded water through most of the 80′s and 90′s, struggling to stay above .500 for the most part under Chuck Shelton. Charlie Weatherbie won a Big West title in 1993 before heading to Navy despite an overall 15-19 record over three seasons in Logan. John L. Smith won two Big West titles in 1996-97, but by then the league was dying and going 6-5 was all it took to win a championship.

The 90′s saw an even greater focus on the Holy War as Utah began to reassert themselves under Ron McBride. McBride was hired in 1990 and after a year one mulligan he got the Utes back to their winning ways. A breakthrough 10-2 campaign in 1994 was followed up by a shared WAC title in 1995, a win in the Holy War forcing a four-way tie between BYU, Air Force, and Colorado State.

After a brief lull in the late-80′s, the Cougars went right back to their utter dominance of the WAC in the 90′s. Brigham Young won five consecutive titles from 1989-1993 and seven championships in eight years culminating in the ‘96 season. In 1996, BYU finished the season an incredible 14-1 with a win over Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl and a #5 ranking.

In its 35 year history, the WAC had grown from a six team league of the best regional Mountain States programs (and BYU) into a 16 team behemoth of a superconference (now led by BYU) stretching from Honolulu to Houston. Many of its oldest members though that the venerable league had to now be trimmed down to cut out some of the fat.

Once again spearheaded by BYU and Utah, a new conference was born, pulling 8 of the best WAC programs to create the Mountain West. The new Mountain West conference first played ball in 1999, and wouldn’t you know it, the Utes beat their archrivals in the Holy War to force a three-way tie in the standings with BYU and Colorado State.

LaVell Edwards retired following the 2000 season. His 257-101-3 record stands as a testament to his program-building powers. His legacy supersedes Dick Romney, Ike Armstrong, or any of the other coaches in Utah state history.

Beehive Boot Record Utah: 35 BYU: 23 Utah State: 21

National Championships BYU: 1

BYU completely dominated the Beehive Boot between 1975-2000. The Cougars won the trophy 18 times in 26 years, easily the most dominant stretch by any team in a near 30 year span. The Cougars are still well behind Utah in the all-time standings due to the Utes’ huge lead, but BYU vaulted over Utah State by 2000, erasing their huge deficit in the standings and never looking back.

The Utes managed to stick their finger in the Cougars’ eye in from 1993-95, but could almost never beat BYU otherwise. Utah State was only able to manage two charity trophy victories by getting the media vote with the standings tied in 1982 and 1997.

The Holy War was now well established as the #1 rivalry in the state, and it sucked up all the oxygen in the 90′s as the Utes began to challenge the Cougars for dominance. The Battle of the Brothers was rather noncompetitive with Utah clearly dominating outside of a few upsets here and there. One worrying sign in the BYU-USU rivalry came in 1995 and 1998, when the Cougars neglected to schedule the Aggies. It was a bad omen for the future of all three rivalry games and the Beehive Boot itself.

One thing that I want to mention before I move on is about BYU’s utter domination of the Western Athletic Conference. The Cougars were a more dominant force in the WAC than Alabama was in the SEC or Michigan or Ohio State was to the Big Ten. The only major conference analog is probably USC to the PAC-12 back in the day. Brigham Young won 19 WAC titles from 1964 to 1998. The conference continued sponsoring football for another 15 years following BYU’s departure and the Cougars still doubled all other teams in the number of league championships. BYU was the WAC and LaVell Edwards was BYU, you gotta give them credit where it’s due.

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The Modern Era: 2001-2019

The retirement of LaVell Edwards meant that BYU was looking for their first coach in a quarter century. They tasked Chicago Bears OC Gary Crowton with the job. The initial reports were better than anyone could imagine. The Cougars blew their way through the Mountain West in 2001, climbing all the way to #9 in the AP and a 12-0 record before falling to Hawaii in their final game of the season. A loss to Louisville in the Liberty Bowl knocked them all the way down to a final #25 ranking and a 12-2 record, but that’s still one hell of a first year.

It didn’t last. In a dramatic fall from grace, Brigham Young suffered three straight losing seasons from 2002 to 2004, two more than they had suffered in LaVell Edwards’ entire career. Crowton was summarily fired for this extreme dropping of the ball and replaced by Bronco Mendenhall, who had served as Crowton’s DC.

Mendenhall righted the ship, and BYU returned to their winning ways. The Cougars went 11-2 in three of four seasons from 2006 to 2009 and won two Mountain West championships in that span.

Utah’s fate mirrored BYU’s in the 2000′s. The Utes were starting to falter in the early 2000′s and Ron McBride, who’d brought the program back from mediocrity, was fired following the 2002 season after his second losing record in three years.

McBride was replaced by a bright up and comer named Urban Meyer. It took Meyer absolutely no time to get things back in order, as Utah went 10-2 in his first year with a Mountain West title to boot. 2004 was even more special, as the Utes obliterated every team they faced en route to a 12-0 campaign. Utah was the first ever BCS Buster, and easily brushed aside #19 Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl to complete their undefeated season. The Utes weren’t lucky enough to claim a national championship for their efforts, but they were now reestablished as a top mid-major program.

Meyer went on to bigger and better things at Florida and was replaced by his DC Kyle Whittingham. After a so-so first few seasons, Whittingham managed to keep the ball rolling again. For the second half of the 2000′s, the Utes were in a constant dogfight with TCU and BYU for Mountain West supremacy and a shot at another BCS Bowl.

Whittingham had his own undefeated season in 2008. Utah bruised their way to a 12-0 record before meeting #4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The Utes shocked the football world by claiming a 31-17 victory over the Crimson Tide and ended the year 2nd in the AP poll behind Urban Meyer’s national champion Florida Gators. Some computers, not to mention some people, think that Utah should at least be crowned co-national champions for the ‘08 season. After all, Florida only beat Alabama 31-20 in the SEC Championship Game.

Utah and BYU were some of the best teams in college football in the 2000′s, their old rival, the third piece of their in-state championship, wasn’t so lucky. Utah State spent the decade in utter anonymity. You’d have thought that Dave Arslanian would have turned things around when he was hired in 1998. Arslanian had guided Weber State successfully for the previous nine seasons, making the I-AA Playoff once back when that was much harder to do. Instead, he was fired after two seasons and a 7-15 record.

Mick Dennehy was brought in to guide USU into the new century, but his 5-6 record in his first season turned out to be his best. Utah State left the crumbling Big West the following year and spent two seasons as an independent once more before landing in the Sun Belt Conference in 2003. The Aggies only managed 3 wins in consecutive seasons in the Sun Belt (ouch) before firing Dennehy.

In 2005 USU joined the WAC, the conference they’d been trying to access for over 40 years. They didn’t exactly prove themselves to be world-beaters. Under head coach Brent Guy, Utah State’s best record from 2005 to 2008 was a 3-8 campaign in ‘05.

A lot of things seemed to all happen at once in 2009 and 2010.

First off, Gary Andersen was hired at Utah State in ‘09. Andersen was Kyle Whittingham’s associate head coach at Utah and the hope was that he could share some of that magic with the Aggies.

Then, Utah accepted a bid to the expanded PAC-12 alongside Colorado. BYU, who had been partnered in the same conference with the Utes since reforming their program in 1922, was completely blindsided. The Cougars had expected to also receive the call up to the big leagues, after all, they’d been nearly as good in the last few seasons and were the ones with the real national championship pedigree. It didn’t happen. Not wanting to be left behind in a mid-major conference, Brigham Young decided to declare themselves football independents and go it alone.

BYU was able to fight upstream as an independent for the first five years. Bronco Mendenhall kept the Cougars averaging 9-4 every season from 2011-2015 but he grew increasingly dissatisfied with BYU’s football independence and left to coach Virginia. Mendenhall’s replacement, Kalani Sitake, has had mixed success. A losing season 2017 has been somewhat forgiven and the Cougars are now averaging about 7-6, but that’s still untenable an untenable record in the long term.

Utah had a rough transition into PAC-12 life. The Utes actually managed an 8-5 record in 2011, nearly winning the South division in their first year in the league, but back to back 5-7 seasons halted any momentum. However, since 2014, Utah has proven to be the most capable winner in the PAC-12 South. The Utes have won or tied for three division titles in the past five years though ultimate conference glory has remained elusive. At least they’ve owned BYU for the last decade. Utah has won the Holy War every year since moving up to the PAC-12.

Most surprisingly, Utah State has reentered the conversation as a force to be reckoned with in the Beehive State. It took Gary Andersen two whole years to clean the decades of rot in Logan, but in 2011 he took the Aggies bowling for the first time since 1997 and beat BYU for the first time since 1993. He did one better in 2012, winning the WAC and beating Utah for the first time since that same ‘97 season. With an 11-2 record and a final #16 ranking, it was the best season Utah State had in at least 40 years.

Matt Wells took over after Andersen bolted for Wisconsin and kept winning. In 2013, Wells’ first season, USU joined the Mountain West, replacing their in-state rivals. Utah State won their division in their very first year. Wells kept the train rolling in Logan, winning 10 games in both 2014 and 2018, which would have been shocking accomplishments just a decade prior. Wells left for Texas Tech following the ‘18 season and was replaced by none other than Gary Andersen, who had lived what seemed an entire football life before coming back to USU.

Beehive Boot Record Utah: 45 BYU: 27 Utah State: 26

National Championships BYU: 1

Things have gotten interesting in the last 20 years. Utah and BYU spent the 2000′s in a dogfight for the Beehive Boot. The Utes just barely got the better of the Cougars in the span, outpacing BYU 6-4.

The 2010′s have been even more interesting now that Utah State has returned as a major G5 program. The Aggies have managed to claim five Beehive Boots to Utah’s five in the past 10 years. Yes, four of them go down to ties, but if Utah wanted to win the Boot outright they’d schedule USU again. Utah State has done their bit. USU beat the Utes one of the three times they’ve played since 2011 and are now consistently beating BYU.

I think it’s fair to say that Division I football has never been better in the state of Utah. All three of its top programs are competing at a high level which has never been the case before.

Unfortunately the three rivalries binding Utah, BYU, and Utah State together appear to be fraying. The Cougars began to skip playing the Aggies much more frequently in the 2000′s, the Wagon Wheel wasn’t fought over four times in five years from 2003 to 2007. Things likely would have kept going that way if conference realignment hadn’t changed the situation.

Utah joining the PAC-12 has proven to be a huge threat for the Battle of the Brothers. Back in the Mountain West, the Utes could afford to spend one of their four nonconference games on the Aggies, but now that they only play three non-con games in the PAC-12, AND they have to spend one on BYU, they appear to have all but given up on the USU rivalry. Utah especially seems uninterested in playing USU on a home and home basis, which is definitely what the Aggies would prefer. Utah has played Utah State three times in the last ten years but there are no future games scheduled.

The Holy War has seen its own prestige take a huge hit since Utah moved to the big leagues. The Utes are now playing Colorado at the end of the year in a rather manufactured Thanksgiving rivalry game, relegating the Holy War to September. The hatred hasn’t dissipated, even though the score has become somewhat lopsided lately as Utah has won nine straight over their rivals. The Utes even seem to be threatening the long term viability of the Holy War as a yearly series. They took two years off in 2014-15 while Utah played Michigan, though they were matched up in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2015. The two rivals are scheduled to take another break in 2022-23 while the Utes square off against Florida.

Funny enough, the same conference realignment that killed the Battle of the Brothers and is threatening the Holy War has probably saved the BYU-USU rivalry. Now that the Cougars are an independent, they need to schedule as many games as possible, so Utah State is back on the schedule. What’s more, it’s being played at the end of the season now that the Holy War is getting sidelined by the PAC-12 schedule.

The poor old Beehive Boot, the real life one, seemingly hasn’t survived this transition. With the three rivals playing less and less frequently, the Boot hasn’t even been awarded since 2016 and currently resides somewhere in Salt Lake City.

My intuition tells me that BYU and especially Utah aren’t that interested in giving it away anymore. If the trophy had been awarded up to the present day, the Cougars wouldn’t have won it in a decade. The Utes don’t play Utah State anymore and probably don’t want to give their trophy away to a team that didn’t earn it by beating them. And if the Beehive Boot did go to USU via outright record or media tiebreaker, it’d give the Aggies that much more claim to playing Utah more often. That’s just my conspiracy theory, but I think there’s some truth to it. By my count USU would have won it five times this decade.

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Prehistory and Extras: 1982-1921

Oh yeah here are the extras, including the early games in the Battle of the Brothers as well as the first contests between Utah and Brigham Young Academy.

For the record, the Cougars don’t claim the six games they played against Utah from 1896 to 1898, but I’m making the list so I count them.

Beehive Boot Record (from 1892) Utah: 61 Utah State: 31 BYU: 28

So in the hypothetical battle for the best team in the state of Utah going back to the beginning, Utah leads by a wide margin, but the Aggies are back to second place. I mean, it helps that BYU didn’t field a team from 1898 to 1922, but hey, you snooze you loose.

Beehive Boot Record (no ties) Utah: 45 BYU: 25 Utah State: 14

Because I think it’s well worth mentioning, here is the record if none of the ties went to Utah State or BYU. Both teams, and especially the Aggies, got a boost from the “media tiebreaker” rule which caused me problems while making this. It’s very arbitrary and its pattern of only awarding the Boot to USU, while hilarious, isn’t actually fair.

Unsurprisingly, Utah State’s numbers get absolutely kneecapped. The Aggies lose 12 whole Boots with their tied title removed. In fact, without the tied titles going to them, USU went from 1974 to 2014 without winning the Boot outright, and even then they only won the Boot in 2014 with a single win over BYU when Utah didn’t play either team.

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I don’t know what the future holds for the Beehive Boot. My hope is that Utah and Utah State start playing more regularly and that the PAC-12 gets over itself and starts letting the Holy War get played at the end of the year. That’d go a long way towards restoring all three of the in-state rivalries that compose the Boot. But I don’t think it’s in the cards. The modern game of college football has ruthlessly smoothed over a lot of the rough and strange edges that have made this sport unique. I don’t see the trend reversing any time soon.

Any way, thanks for reading. I appreciate it. I have one more of these planned so keep your eyes peeled.

-cfbguy

[thinkingaboutyoungroyals]

The Perfect Moment (Chapter 5

Summary: When Cyrus is assigned to create a modern re-telling of “Romeo and Juliet” for English class, he decides to produce a movie. His stars, however, may pose some trouble. Will he finish his movie on time?

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Thank you!

Cyrus stared at his script, unblinking. The words all seemed to swirl together, like a giant dry alphabet soup. His eye twitched as he took note of the lines and scratches of his own handwriting - various attempts to write and re-write the ending. 

But, no matter what he tried, it all just sounded…off.

He was supposed to have a sad and tragic ending (no death required) and his original was pretty sad, but Mr. Spencer told him that if he could pull it off, he could keep it. But, now that Cyrus was re-reading and picturing it all in his head, it did seem complicated. Too complicated for a bunch of 8th graders with limited budget. So, he resolved to change it.

But, he couldn’t think of a single thing! His mind was blank! Why did writer’s block have to hit him right now?!

He had spent a good part of his Saturday cutting clips and editing and the sun was about to set while he was attempting to re-write this last scene!

Groaning, he fell back against the couch, closing his eyes. His head was pulsing so he lifted a hand to massage his temples with his fingers.

His phone ping-ed with a text and Cyrus blindly reached for it, hiding somewhere under his many papers. Finally, he found it and slowly opened his eyes, squinting.

Hey. What’s up?

Cyrus felt his lips twitch into a smile at T.J.’s text. It was so simple yet it made his stomach flip.

Trying to re-write this scene for the millionth time. Ugh I hate writer’s block.

T.J.’s reply didn’t take long. 

Bummer. Need help?

He was really sweet.

Thank you but it’s getting late. I’m done with it for the day.

He hesitated before sending a follow-up text. 

Do you want to come by tomorrow though? Maybe we can toss some ideas around together. Two heads are better than one after all!

His heart pumping, Cyrus pressed ‘send’ before he could change his mind. Placing the phone against his chest, he took a deep breath. He hoped T.J. would say “yes” because he really liked spending time with him. This project had given them the opportunity to get closer and maybe, the little bit of hope in Cyrus was already taking over.

His phone ping-ed, distracting him from his thoughts.

Sure! I’ll come by around 11?

Grinning, Cyrus responded, Sounds perfect!

Pressing the phone back against his chest, Cyrus let out a loud sigh. He was looking forward to tomorrow.

……….

At exactly 11am on the dot, T.J. rang the Goodman home’s doorbell. Cyrus practically tripped on his own feet to answer it. The athlete came bearing snacks so just like Friday afternoon, they settled themselves on the living room couch.

Even though it was almost lunchtime and his step-mom had left them money for pizza or Chinese, Cyrus attacked the box of Oreo cookies T.J. brought. 

For the next hour or so, they exchanged ideas and Cyrus dutifully wrote them all down… even the ridiculous ones.

“Oh! How about an alien invasion happens and they kidnap Quinn but Logan offers himself as an exchange?” T.J. suggested through a mouthful of chips.

Cyrus raised an eyebrow and wrote “alien kidnapping” on his notes.

“Where are we gonna get a spaceship and alien costumes at the last minute?” he pointed out.

T.J. hummed and shrugged. “Maybe Andi’s mom can do alien makeup?”

Cyrus chuckled and added that to his notes. T.J. leaned in, pressing his shoulders against his, to look at the piece of paper.

“Does anything else look good?” he asked, unaware of how much Cyrus’ heart was speeding up right then.

Why did a simple touch make him feel so overwhelmed?

“U-Um… I like the one where they end up injured and unable to play their respective games and thus, ruining the championships for both teams and resentment arises in their relationship so they break up,” he answered.

T.J. hummed. “It’s simple but straightforward. I like it.”

Cyrus beamed. “I originally had Logan about to get hit by a car and Quinn shoves him out of the way but she ends up losing all of her memories of him.”

“That’s a good one. Why do you have to re-write it?”

“It requires filming a car accident which I don’t have the time for nor do I want Buffy to get unintentionally injured… or you.”

“Awww, thanks, Underdog.” The jock ruffled his hair, fondly, before falling back against the couch. “So… are you gonna start writing now?”

Cyrus sighed as he grabbed his notebook and opened to a fresh page. “I suppose so.”

While T.J. played around on his phone next to him, Cyrus began to write. Now that he had an idea in his head, he had to put it all down before he lost it.

Logan and Quinn agree to meet one last time. But, Logan’s Captain finds out and tries to stop him. Meanwhile, Quinn continues to wait for Logan but she hears a loud noise. Thinking it’s Logan, she goes to investigate, falls down some stairs, and breaks her arm. And after that….

Cyrus blinked. He re-read everything he just wrote but he still came to the same conclusion: he didn’t know what else to write now.

Quinn falls down the stairs and breaks her arm. Then… what?

“Wow, you wrote a lot.”

He turned his head to give T.J. an appreciative smile. “Thanks, but it’s not done yet. I… can’t think of what happens next.” Suddenly feeling tired, he leaned his head against the couch. “My head hurts,” he whined. Then, his stomach moved and made a noise. “And hungry.” He checked the clock on the wall. “It’s past noon. We should eat.”

He turned back to T.J. to see the athlete staring at him with a deep, contemplative look.

“What?” he asked.

“Have you taken a break from this project at all this week?” T.J. asked.

Cyrus pursed his lips. “Well, obviously I took breaks and did my homework for other classes.”

Suddenly, T.J. got to his feet and stretched. Cyrus was momentarily distracted by his shirt lifting up.

“Get your things, we’re going out.”

Pulling his gaze away from the hem of T.J.’s shirt, Cyrus looked up.

“Huh?”

T.J. grinned. “We’re going out. You’re taking a break.”

Cyrus frowned. “But…”

T.J. grabbed his hand and pulled him up. “Let’s go.”

…….......

Instead of taking him to The Spoon like he expected, T.J. led Cyrus to a pizza place on Main Street. There wasn’t a lot of people so they managed to buy their pizza and grab a table, immediately. 

Cyrus didn’t realize how hungry he really was until he smelt the cheese and tomato sauce so he dug in with much enthusiasm.

“Did you starve?” T.J. joked before biting into his own pizza.

Cyrus flashed him a harmless glare. “We were working for a long time. Oreos are good but they don’t fill up a growing boy.”

“Well, then, eat up cause we’re going somewhere after this.”

Cyrus raised an eyebrow. “I thought we were just taking a lunch break.”

“You need a real break. Just for a couple of hours. Once your head is clear, you can get back to writing the rest of your assignment with a fresh mind.”

Cyrus pointedly stared at his pizza, unsure. He still had quite a bit to do. Would taking a couple of hours break really be okay? What if he fell behind?

As if he could read his thoughts, T.J. spoke up. “You won’t fall behind, don’t worry. I’ll help you.”

“T.J., you don’t have to, you know. This is my work and I’m sure you have your own assignments too.”

The athlete shook his head, looking almost amused. “I’m touched that you care about my education, Underdog, but it’s fine. Really. I’m getting my work done and I can spare some time to help you. This is a big project! I can’t let you do it all on your own!”

Cyrus bit his lip. “But…”

“But, nothing. I’m offering my help. So, take it, okay? You don’t have to do everything by yourself. It’s okay to ask for help.”

At that, Cyrus couldn’t help but smile. “You sound so wise.”

T.J. flashed a smile of his own. “You taught me that.”

And now, Cyrus was blushing. Of course. Could he not go a day without blushing around T.J.? You’d think this was his first crush!

………

After lunch with Cyrus, T.J. led him a couple of blocks away to the place where he wanted to take him. He had thought many times about taking the other boy there (preferably on a date) but he never got the opportunity until that day. He hoped that Cyrus would like and would have fun.

“Ta-da!” T.J. gestured to the building with a flourish.

Cyrus stared at the building. “The arcade?” he stated.

T.J. grinned. “Yeah. Today, we’ll have fun, just you and me.” Excitedly, he took Cyrus’ arm and began to tow him towards the doors. “We’ll play all the games and win prizes and they have snacks, too, if you get hungry.” He spun on his heels to look at the shorter boy in front of him. “So? You game?”

Cyrus looked startled at that. For a moment, he only stared at T.J. then at the games and machines ahead of them. Then, he smiled and its radiance made T.J.’s heart flutter.

“Well, what are you waiting for, basketball guy? Let’s go!”

He grabbed T.J.’s arm and towed him towards the nearest game.

They started simple with a racing game. Side-by-side, they raced through a desert landscape, avoided other cars, and finally reaching the finish line. Cyrus won this one.

He let T.J. pick the next one and since he felt like shooting zombies… 

Cyrus (cutely) wrinkled his nose at the sight of the gross-looking undead characters but when it came to shooting them, he wasn’t half bad… until the king zombie popped out and scared him half to death that he started shooting randomly all over the screen. Suffice to say, they won because he managed to hit the zombie king on the head.

Then, they played air hockey. This was when T.J.’s competitive nature flared. He spared no mercy, not even to his crush. Cyrus pouted at him when he missed the puck for the very last time, making T.J. the winner.

“Awww, it’s okay, Underdog,” he said, flinging an arm around the pouting boy’s shoulder. “We can play something else and I’ll let you win.”

“Don’t you dare, T.J. Kippen! I want to win fair and square!”

T.J. chuckled, pulling him closer and squeezing him against his side before letting him go.

“How about basketball then?” he said, pointing at the game. “We can do it together and get tickets for a prize. You in?”

This seemed to cheer up Cyrus. “With you? This will be a piece of cake! Let’s go!”

Cyrus was pretty enthusiastic when trying to shoot basketballs. Unfortunately...

“Ugh!” Cyrus glared at the 5 tickets the machine spit out. “I hate this game now! I keep missing!”

T.J. tore the tickets out and stuffed them in his pockets. “It’s okay, we can try again.”

He put another quarter in and the game started again. He began to shoot at a steady speed, taking peeks of Cyrus from the corner of his eye.

The shorter boy looked so cute, eyes peeled wide as he bit his lip in concentration.

“How are you doing that?!” Cyrus whined.

T.J. furrowed his brows. “Doing what?”

“Shooting without looking?!”

“Oh.” He felt a little smug after that. And maybe showed off a little.

They got 10 tickets for this round. But, Cyrus still didn’t look happy so T.J. put in another quarter. This time, he grabbed a basketball and got behind Cyrus.

“Here, I’ll fix your stance for you.” He placed the ball in Cyrus’ hands before positioning his arms correctly. “Bend your knees a little and jump if you have to.” Then, he moved his hands to cover his. “Don’t throw the ball, just toss it and give it momentum with your hand.”

Cyrus’ ears were a cute red and T.J. couldn’t help but chuckle at how adorable it was.

He helped him shoot and the ball went in, earning them a point.

“Yes! Let’s keep going! We have 30 seconds left!”

T.J. moved back to his side and began grabbing ball after ball to shoot. This time, Cyrus managed to get a few in and by the last 10 seconds, both boys were yelling at the increasing score.

The timer turned 0 just as T.J. managed to get the last ball in.

“Yes!” He turned to Cyrus and met his hand in a high-five before pulling him in for a hug. “You did it!”

“We did it!” the other boy exclaimed, happily.

They stared at each other for a moment, basking in the glory of their victory. T.J. always thought that Cyrus looked the most handsome like this: when his pretty brown eyes are sparkling, his lips are smiling, and his overall aura was just… bright.

Cyrus looked away first. “Look, T.J., we got more tickets!”

They got 30 tickets in total from the basketball game.

Next, they played skeeball, which Cyrus was also pretty good at. It added 20 tickets to their pile.

By then, they had already been at the arcade for three hours and as much as T.J. wished they could stay longer and play more games together, he knew that they had to start heading home soon. Cyrus still needed to finish his script and T.J. also had some homework.

They went to the counter to claim their prize and the guy gave them 3 options for prizes: a small teddy bear, a pack of Hot Wheels cars, and a plastic T-rex.

T.J. could see Cyrus staring pointedly at the plastic T-rex.

“We’ll take the T-rex,” he stated.

With a grin, he turned to Cyrus and hand it over.

The boy’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?” he asked, taking the toy.

T.J. shrugged. “I know it’s not a Brontosaurus but a T-rex is cool too, right?”

“You know my favorite dinosaur,” Cyrus said, sounding surprised.

T.J. shrugged again.

Of course, he knew. Cyrus talked about it once and how much he liked “The Land Before Time” (though the first and second one always made him cry… ALWAYS).

“So… did it help?” he couldn’t help but ask as they walked home.

“Well, my head is a little less fuzzy now and I’m not as anxious as I was this morning so, yes, it did.” Cyrus beamed at him as he hugged his T-rex against his stomach. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” T.J. lightly brushed his hand against his. “Hey, I know you’re stressed out by this and I don’t blame you. It’s a lot of work. But, try not to worry too much, okay? You always do a hundred and ten percent and this one won’t be any different. I’m sure Mr. Spencer knows that, too.”

Cyrus sighed. “You’re right. I just… can’t help it, sometimes. I always feel like… I have something to prove.”

T.J. could relate. “Yeah? Well, I think you’ve already proved quite a lot. You’re amazing, Underdog.”

Cyrus blushed and sheepishly looked down at his feet. He was quiet for a moment before his steps slowed down until he stopped and turned to look at T.J.

“You don’t have to walk me home the rest of the way, I can manage. I think I need the solitude to think a little.” He flashed T.J. a look of apology. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Yeah, of course. I’m glad I got to spend time with you today. And helped relieve your stress a little.”

Cyrus smiled. “Thanks for Rexie. I’ll introduce him to the rest of the Dino Squad when I get home.”

Oh, goodness, he already had a name and a Dino squad. T.J. wanted to wrap him in his arms and squeeze him but he restrained himself.

Instead, he just nodded. “No problem. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, see you.”

With one last smile, Cyrus turned on his heels and walked away. T.J. watched him until he disappeared in the next corner. Only then did he continue on his way home, humming to himself.

It was an amazing day.

………

When Cyrus arrived home, he immediately collapsed on the couch, tired and exhausted from the day… but happy. He hugged Rexie to his chest, remembering the sweet way T.J. gave it to him.

He wondered if his heart could survive this crush. It just seemed like the more he spent time with T.J., the stronger his feelings grew. And it didn’t help when T.J. was always so nice and sweet… always going the extra mile for him… and at the end of every interaction, just left a giant impression. It had always been that way since the day they first met when he helped him get that muffin. He really liked T.J.

And the way he felt for his athletic friend frightened him sometimes.

As Cyrus rolled over to make himself more comfortable, something crunched underneath him. He reached under himself and pulled out a piece of crumpled paper. It was his list of ideas from that morning, the plot he chose encircled.

Sighing, he turned his head to look at his notebook on top of the coffee table. It stared back at him.

All of a sudden, pictures played in his head.

Quickly, he sat up, placed Rexie on the coffee table (he would introduce him to the rest of the Dino squad later), and grabbed his notebook and a pen. Opening to the page where he was earlier, he pictured the scene in his head again.

Pen poised on top of the paper, Cyrus began to write.

Tag list:

@lemon-boy-tj @homosexualearthworm

@disastrxlogy

@new-to-the-phandom

@tyrusgoingfast

@tj-cyrus

@multifandom-bxitch

@completelysterling

@spike-heels

@thedampjofangirl

@i-am-confussion 

@buffyshirley

@azuresoulsblog

@cxrus-kippen

@tyrus-endgayme-confirmed

@barely-even-simming

[deepdisireslonging]

Family Found Part 44: Last Ambrose Standing

AKA ‘Fastlane and Burn’, Dean and the Reader’s conflict comes to a head. But when the final moments are in their hands, can they do what is necessary to win their Last Ambrose Standing match? The following Monday an old rival of the roster makes an appearance and a demand.

Warnings/Promises: wrestling violence, angst

Word Count: 4665

Note: I swear, my matches are only two paragraphs. But then you gotta have dialogue and some plot advancement, and suddenly there’s so much! It reads quick, or it did for me. And it was fun/angsty to write. If you like how things are going, or if this chapter made you cry, comments (anon or not) and reblogs are always super appreciated. Enjoy! [P.S.: For the record, I’ve had my WM planned since January. Any similarities to what’s actually happening on Raw is just chance.]

Part 1: Welcome to the Team

Part 43: It’s Official

Fastlane – March 10, 2019 – Green Bay, WI

Renee gave the online audience a bright smile. “And welcome to the road to WrestleMania! Fastlane is well underway, and it is almost time for the show to begin. But first, the Raw tag titles contenderships are on the line. Whoever wins this might be going to WrestleMania. It’s a bit of an odd mix going into this match.”

“Yes, it is,” Cole said. “The Revival and the B Team we’ve seen before in big events like this. But how do you think the new team of Dana Brook and Tyler Breeze are going to hold up?”

Corey whined back and forth. “I don’t know. They have both had established places in the WWE, but have been lost in the shuffle for the last several months. I’m curious to see how their plan will work to bring them back into the spotlight.”

“It’s time to see that plan in action,” Renee said as the aforementioned team entered. They received a loud pop from the crowd, though that was drowned out as the B Team, and then the Revival entered the arena.

They each took a corner, bouncing while waiting for the bell. But the stage lit up again. With the entrance of Kevin Owens.

“What!” Corey shouted. “Welcome back, but who is he going to tag with?”

Renee was almost bouncing in her seat. “I think I know who…”

The stage lit up in reds and black as Sami Zayn made his return to the WWE as well. He and Kevin shared a hug, soaking in their welcome from the crowd before going down to the ring. Inside, their opponents were complaining to the referee. But the match was being announced as a fatal four-way for the number one contender spot for the tag titles. Sami and Kevin took the last corner, with Kevin starting the match. He was instantly the target of everyone else in the ring. Sami helped him retreat through the ropes and they backed off, turning on each other.

Tagging in their other halves began. At Breeze’s tag, Dana went after Dawson before he could call in Wilder, and then engaged with Bo Dallas. Sami jumped in, working his way around the ring, knocking partners off the apron so they wouldn’t be available later. Curtis Axel fell the most dramatically. Kevin bided his time, crouching on the floor until Sami needed him. Then they traded while everyone else was exhausted and out. This continued to help them, all the way up to the pin. Sami jumped in, double pinning Bo under the referee’s count.

They celebrated their win, and their continued welcome back as the final preparations for Fastlane wrapped up.

***

Beginning Fastlane with a bang was the Raw Women’s Championship match between defending Ember Moon against Ruby Riott. Depending on who you asked, both women had lost before the bell had rung. Ember had reached her goal of title reign days, but she was still fighting to see how far she could go beyond that. Ruby had suffered losses for the last three weeks, but those losses had ignited enough of a fire that Ember was on the defense. Half-way through the match, both women sprawled out in the ring after a long combination of moves.

“I can’t leave this ring without that title,” Ruby muttered. Ember lifted her head up just enough to catch her eye. “If I can’t… if I can’t win titles, then why am I here?” Ruby wobbled to her hands and knees. “If I can’t… then how can I lead my friends?” She finally made it to her feet, though it looked like a puff of breath could knock her over.

Ember struggled to stand as well and held up her fists. “But what if you can? I’m not just going to give it to you, but you know what you’re fighting for. So fight. Because that’s what I’m here to do. Not for titles or for gold, but for my pride and to hear my name chanted by everyone in this arena. If I’m honest, I don’t think you will leave this ring with the title. I don’t think you have it in you.”

“But what if you’re wrong?” Ruby launched forward with another attack, reinvigorating the match. She pushed and she fought until her lungs burned and Ember’s eyes were half-lidded with exhaustion. With a scream, she threw everything else she had and fell on top of her opponent. One. Two. Three.

“And you’re new Raw Women’s Champion: Ruby Riott!”

Ruby fell to her knees with the title in her hands. She stayed there until Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan appeared by her sides and helped her to her feet where she could hold it high above her head.

***

Ruby stayed ringside for her teammates’ match against Mickie James and Alicia Fox for their tag titles. They moved like a team reborn. Liv’s bright hair caught Alicia in the face, inspiring her to laugh. Sarah mostly engaged with the veteran Mickie, fighting to endure the reserves of years of wrestling and maneuvers that hadn’t seen a ring in ages. Alicia fought back with her repertoire that soon had the Squad on the defense.

Then the mistakes came. Alicia, proud in how flat Sarah was laid in the ring, stepped to the ropes to haggle Ruby instead of going for the pin. Mickie frantically called for a pin or for a tag. But Liv sneaked up behind the teammate and swept her feet out from under her. Alicia heard the cry as she fell and twisted around in time for Sarah to catch her. The bell rang as the Squad retained their titles. As the champion trio, they stood in the ring as three of the most powerful women on the Raw roster.

***

For the number one Intercontinental contendership, Finn Balor and Dolph met in the ring. The palms of Finn’s hands were red, like the demon was desperate to get out but the man wouldn’t let him have full control. That made Dolph warry. One: why would he hold back with so much on the line? And two: how powerful was the man if he could hold back a demon king? He didn’t have much to think about it as Finn attacked. They were caught in a headlock until Dolph was forced back into the ropes. He glared at the ref from between them. Who cares who or what the man was? He was just a man.

The match danced from ring post to ring post along the ropes and round from the floor. Both men were showing how much they wanted even a chance at the title by how much damage they could take and dish out. Finn took it the best. Dolph struggled more and more to get to his feet after each assault. He remained flat on his back after barely kicking out of a pin. Climbing the turnbuckles, Finn went for a Coup de Grace. At the last possible second, Dolph moved, catching Finn in a roll-up. Out of sight of the ref, he used the ropes for a bit of extra leverage. It was enough. He made a hasty exit before Finn could figure out why he’d lost.

Backstage, Charly caught up with Dolph. “Having won your match, how soon do you want to face your former partner for a title match? Will we see it tomorrow, or on the grandest stage of them all at WrestleMania?”

Dolph continued to catch his breath while he thought. “I’m ready when Drew is. Tomorrow. Next week. WrestleMania. Whenever he thinks is his best chance to beat me, let’s go. I will be at my best because I am the best out of anyone on Raw.” He broke off as the champion himself walked up. He was dressed in a suit and had the title resting on his shoulder. Dolph did his best to get into his space and maybe get sweat onto the nice fabric.

“When will I be ready for you? I’d fight you right now, but I want ya after you’ve rested. After you’ve had a good night’s sleep. And then, when ya have ya strength and your full hubris back, I’m going to bury you in that ring. So, I’ll see you tomorrow Dolph. An’ the best man will win again, like I do every time.” He reached up and gave Dolph a heavy double pat on his cheek. “Sleep tight.” He smirked and walked away as Dolph growled after him.

***

Roman watched Dean finish taping up his hands. “You don’t have to go through with this, you know. She’s probably not doing this for the reasons you think.”

“And what would you know about it?” Dean spat. He grit his teeth and twisted his neck. “What you’ve seen from home is just the tip of the iceberg. And besides, she brought it up. I’m just finishing what she’s started.” Dean rolled his shoulders back. “If I had gotten in your way of taking the Universal, would you let Seth or the Usos talk me out of it?”

A long pause was his answer. Nodding, Dean walked away to enter the arena.

You followed shortly after, wearing the gear you’d made for Summer Slam. Really it was the only gear you had. At the same time, you hoped that Dean would see it and realize his cousin was still in it, and not some villain for him to slay.

There wasn’t much room for that hope. Before you’d even made it to the ring, you could see that Dean had his trusty kendo stick quiver wrapped over his shoulder. You entered the ring with only yourself. You had made the choices you did without weapons or premeditated woes. But once that bell rang, you would fight to defend your reasons.

The match happened in three stages. At first, it felt like any other sparring practice when learning with any of your friends-turned-trainers. You even forgot yourself and found a smile spreading across your face and a laugh escaping. Dean’s dimples made an appearance. Then the roar of the crowd brought you back to reality. The match turned real. You tried to win a pin as fast as possible. If you could do that before the very real devices under the ring came out, then maybe you wouldn’t regret this so much.

But the devices did come out. You grabbed a chair to use as a shield when Dean finally began to use his kendo stick. There was also a chain that you used like a whip to rip it out of his hands. Then he followed you into the ring. The chain became your means of keeping Dean away. Or keeping him close in a submission hold.

“Please, Dean,” you tried, “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

He struggled to detangle himself from the chain, effectively taking it from your hands in the process. “Is that an apology?”

“No.”

“Then we’re not done.”

It went on. Your hearts were no longer in it but you fought hard anyway. Dean’s practiced ingenuity was getting the best of you. Bringing in more things from under the ring wasn’t going to work. He’d been a hardcore wrestler; had the scars as proof. So you ended it like how they’d taught you to: find one weakness and target it. Somewhere in the scuffle Dean had developed a limp. You knew Seth would have some pointers, so you aimed for that injury. He couldn’t fight you if he couldn’t stand.

Dean was able to wobble onto his legs one last time. You climbed the turnbuckles, about to spin with your modified punch that Roman helped you with. Dean fell before you could finish setting up. The referee started the count.

“No!” You rushed down and tried to stop him. “I’m the general manager and I said stop!” He paused, looking past you to Dean. You didn’t look back. “Call off the match. It’s done. I lost.” While the shocked referee went to tell the bell box, you left the ring. It announced overhead, making you flinch.

With all of your might, you wanted to walk away without looking. But a tiny shard made you turn. He was staring at you. Not angry. Definitely not broken. Just… staring at you. Through you. It felt like no matter what you did from this moment on, you were damned. “I’m sorry, Dean,” you said, hopefully loud enough for him to believe you. “I’m so, so sorry.”

***

With the Universal Championship on the line, Seth Rollins and Mojo Rawley pulled out all the stops. Even since Monday, Mojo had found a new hold and a quick tackle that kept blindsiding Seth. The King Slayer would manage to kick out, then stand while shaking away the ringing in his ears. They re-met with a quick handshake. Seth dug deep too and borrowed one of Dean’s old submission holds that pinned Mojo’s arms far out of use with his knees. He rocked back and forth. This backfired as Mojo was able to use the moment to roll around and switch the tension. Seth had to release.

The submission holds gave way to the game of endurance. The universe had already seen Seth fight for over an hour multiple times. But Mojo held his own too. If the dream requires you to run from one side of the earth to the other, then you have to train to run around it twice to account for all the unforeseeable hurdles in between. Rawley kept Seth on his toes, knocking him out of the air and knocking out his ability to stand. He took a second to stare at the title resting in the lap of a techie in the bell box. Seth took it to use his remaining functioning limbs to cut Mojo down until he could end the match with a Curb Stomp. The Universal had been retained.

***

***

Monday Night Raw – March 11, 2019

You couldn’t start Raw without a little housekeeping first. Elias nodded as you continued speaking. “You see, you have to pick your WrestleMania opponent… tonight. I really should have had you pick before Fastlane but-“

“You were busy.”

The heat behind your cheeks simmered as you focused on breathing. “Yeah. Busy. But have you made a decision? That is… you have been thinking about it, right?”

Elias scoffed. “Of course. I’m going to challenge-“

He didn’t get to finish as a large hand grabbed the scruff of his scarf and shirt and tugged him away. Brock Lesnar stepped into his place. Paul Heyman hovered like a grinning shadow. “Good to see you, Ms. Ambrose. I hope you are having a lovely stress-free evening.” Paul somehow grinned wider.

“I was,” you mumbled. “Can I help you guys? Or are you just here to rough up my wrestlers?”

Brock chuckled and looked down to Paul. He took his cue to speak. “We won’t be here long as we’re not staying for the show. But my client, Brock Les-“

“We all know who your client is. Get to the point.”

“My client, Brock Lensar, is just here to ask for his title. And he’s going to ask nicely. This time.” Paul leaned closer to you. “You won’t be able to play him like you’ve been playing everyone here. He won’t be so nice then.” He leaned back with a smirk, posing with a hand crossed over his other wrist.

You switched your attention from Heyman to the Beast Incarnate. “I don’t know why you’re trying to be all dramatic and scary. You haven’t been here since… oh, Summer Slam? As far as I’m concerned, you don’t deserve a return.” The sass slipped from your voice. Your words scorched your throat. “But Vince McMahon called last week. Your match is already set. For WrestleMania. I was just about to inform your opponent.”

Brock smiled and nodded. He turned and walked out of your office with another word. For Elias’s sake, you hoped the drifter wouldn’t want into the Universal title picture.

***

In the ring, Drew McIntyre came to stand dead-center with his Intercontinental title over his shoulder. “We all know what’s planned for tanight. I am the champion. And I am goin’ to walk out of this ring… as champion. It wasn’t goin’ to matter who won at Fastlane, but ya know what? I’m glad it’s Dolph. He’s been impatiently waiting for his chance to get back at me for somethin’ that happened months ago.” Drew chuckled. “Honestly, I was willing to put it all behind me a while ago. But then he kept pushing. And kept gettin’ in the way. Fine. Now is the time of your destruction, Dolph. Now-“

Dolph entered early, saving the crowd from more of the monologue. For a second it looked like he was going to use the mic in his hands, but he dropped it instead. He marched down to the ring, fighting back a grimace as his pace tweaked a new sore spot. It did not go unnoticed.

They met at the bell. Eager to make it a quick match, Drew targeted the areas he knew that Finn had damaged. It didn’t go as quick as he hoped. And Dolph nearly caught him in a Zig Zag several times. But the targeting had done its job. Drew caught him with a Glasgow Kiss and barely had to work to pin him. Laughing he made his way up to the stage, picking up the mic Dolph dropped earlier.

“This is the best of Dolph Ziggler? This is the best of the Raw roster? Who could even think to step to me?” His smirk disappeared as Elias strummed onto the stage. Drew growled as the drifter stopped playing just long enough to poke at the title. Drew snatched it away and reared back for a punch. But Elias was quicker. And he had a longer reach with his guitar in hand. Wood fractured and splintered across the stage. Over Drew’s momentarily damaged body, Elias took up the title. He looked between it and his smashed guitar. Gingerly, he draped it over Drew, then walked away.

***

When the call came in that Dean had interrupted Seth’s entrance, you rushed to the ring. Dean was waiting for you sitting in a lone chair in the ring. “Well, that didn’t take long.”

“Please, can you not do this right now?”

You waved him away and tried to leave for backstage but he stood and leaned forward onto the ropes. “Why not? What’s so important that we can’t discuss what I got out of winning our match yesterday?”

With a huff, you rolled back your shoulders. “I just had to tell Seth before he came out here that his WrestleMania opponent is Brock Lesnar. And I… I really need a break.”

He waved you down to the ring, which you begrudgingly obliged. “One more headache and then you can find a hole to hide in. It seems to be an Ambrose thing. Since you’re handing out championship opportunities, why don’t you add one more person to that match? I think beating the general manager of Raw is pretty-“

“No.” With a grin, Dean stepped back from the ropes as you entered. “You didn’t pin me, and you didn’t make me tap. I surrendered. I surrendered so that I hopefully could put this all to rest. Please, Dean… I didn’t have a choice-“

“Yes, you did. All of us work our asses off to build this business, but the second that… the second that Lesnar wants something, he gets it. No questions asked.” Dean punched the side of his face as his blood began to boil. “But I’m asking questions. No, I’m done with questions. Now it’s time for demands. Put me in the match, Y/N!”

“No! You don’t know what you’re doing, Dean. There are levels of this that you can’t see.”

“What levels?” he spat. “Levels of you hurting my career to protect you from ‘favoritism’? Or of how much of your soul you’ve given to the remnants of the Authority.”

“Stop.” You walked away, but Dean’s voice followed you.

“No, I won’t. And if you don’t do what’s right, and put me in the spot that I deserve, then I am going to fight you. Not in the ring. We’ve already done that and seen what you’re willing to burn. No. I won’t stop usurping your precious plans and using my last breath to destroy the position you built over family.”

“Fine!” You spun around. Eyes flashing, your jaw ached from the tension. You focused on that tension, feeling it colliding with the pain that had settled into your bones over the past months. With a sigh, you accepted that it would probably never go away. It was all a split second, but the oceans of emotions drowned you eons ago. You laced your words with cold, unfeeling ice. “Dean Ambrose, as won by your match at Fastlane, you also have a spot in the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania. And may God forgive me… since you probably never will.”

Seth came rolling into the ring just as you finished. Dean bumped into him as you both turned towards your separate ways. “Why are you so hard on her, man?”

He barked a laugh. “Didn’t you hear her? We had all that destruction last night, and she didn’t change a bit. All of this is still for business. Nothing more. We’re just pawns. We could have been building momentum between us for weeks for another show stopper, but Brock comes in here and just walks into an opportunity.”

Struggling to get in a word, Seth said, “I don’t know. All of this feels weird. Something tells me there are outside forces here. I really think you should just listen to her and-“

“Don’t you have a match to get for?” Dean shot him down.

Seth bit back anything else he had to say. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.” Hissing out strained air, Seth let him leave and ran a hand through his hair.

***

As Dean stormed towards backstage, Apollo Crews came out for his match with Seth. He stayed on stage just long enough for your cousin to disappear, then smiled as Titus O’Neil joined him. They walked side-by-side to the ring with Apollo hoping onto the apron and Titus walking around to the back to do the same. Before they could enter the ring, Roman’s entrance took over the system. Battle lines drawn, the match was remade as a tag match.

Seth nodded towards the stage, asking about Dean. Roman shook his head. Backstage with a resolute deaf-to-reason Dean was not the best place to be. Not when he could help elsewhere.

It was like old times. Apollo and Titus seemed to forget their thundercloud-plan to take advantage of Seth. Or at least postponed it to another time when maybe he wouldn’t have backup on hand. Frazzled, the former team of Titus Worldwide struggled to stay afloat. Roman and Seth kept isolating each man, wearing him down so much that even after having a break, he couldn’t do much to relieve his partner. Seth ended up pinning Apollo, with Roman standing over Titus outside the ring where he’d been speared through a barricade.

***

“Now would you look at all this gold?” Ruby slapped the championship around her waist. To either side, Sarah and Liv snickered, adjusting their own titles on their shoulders. “We’ve said it several times, so you all should know by now, but the Riott Squad is the best there is on Monday Night Raw. And Fastlane just proved that once again.” She spun the mic around in her hands, watching the lights flicker over her title. “And this isn’t just for tonight. Or next week. Or just this month. Hell, the plan isn’t even to just ‘survive’ until WrestleMania. No. We are going to run this show, command that woman’s locker, and own these titles until somebody back there decides that they are good enough to even think about contending with us. Anyone back there is welcome to try. But we will run them into the ground, and we will do that every time someone steps to us! Whether it is for the Raw tag titles, or for the Raw women’s championship.” Ruby opened her arms for Liv and Sarah to perch under.

They were still laughing together when they were interrupted. Alexa Bliss walked out with Alicia Fox and Mickie James at her shoulders. Miss Bliss slow clapped until she was standing at the top of the ramp. “Congratulations, Ruby. No, really. That’s great. But your ladies have unfinished business with mine.”

Liv stepped up, accepting Ruby’s mic. “Um, that’s not the way we see it. Because… we beat them last night. Quickly, I might add.”

“No, no. Ruby, honey, you were a distraction to my team last night. And when Alicia was too busy making sure you wouldn’t interfere, your bubblegum haired pixie attacked Mickie James who wasn’t even tagged in at the time.” The ladies in question nodded along. “So I say, we’re not done.”

Ruby’s smile spread to a dangerous level, the kind that was inspired by a master plan. “Okay. Fine. But to ensure that none of us are a distraction to the other, why don’t we just put all the titles on the line. The Riott Squad versus… whatever you call your ragtag group.”

Despite the name-calling, Alexa matched her wicked smirk. “Deal.” She tossed the mic over her shoulder and joined Mickie and Alicia in the run down to the ring.

For the first good while, the sudden appearance of the trio had the Riott Squad scrambling to have a plan. It came back eventually like muscle memory. Having championship gold on the line, especially all of it, was a great motivator. Ruby’s mind worked quickly to move her team around so they could have more than just twenty-four hours as a triumphant team. Alexa misread one of her barked commands and tagged herself in. Sarah instead of Liv jumped into the ring, and Alexa was too deep into the ring to turn back. So she ran forward, half-reforming an attack that fell flat. Like she did onto her back a few seconds later. Ruby and Liv barreled forward to keep Mickie and Alicia from breaking the pin, which ensured the win.

Sarah shoved Alexa out of the ring so that they could all pose again with their retained championships.

***

Kevin and Sami had asked for the last few minutes of Raw to reintroduce themselves to the WWE Universe. You gave it to them easily. So they smiled and laughed, basking in the second welcome of the week. They were just lifting the mics to speak when AOP appeared from the audience and began to circle the ring. On the Titantron, Dr. M appeared from his deserted hospital.

“Did you really think that your shock return would guarantee a new life as a tag team? Kevin… Sami… your betrayal of each other runs deep. It will always be there, like a scar. And no tricks devised by you, or cleared by Y/N can cover them up. Tricks are superficial remedies to deep tissue secrets and doubts.”

Rezar and Akam finished circling the ring and came to stand at the base of the ramp.

“Secrets are the disease of the WWE. And Y/N has stepped into the role of Typhoid Mary. Not to worry… that will soon be cured. As well as the sudden arrival of the pestilence of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. The Authors of pain need no tricks, no snake oil to save the tag division.” The men turned their backs and walked back up the ramp as Dr. M finished. “So welcome back. But you will not enjoy your short stay.”

Part 45: Oncoming Storm 

Series Masterlist 

Masterlist 

Forever Tags: @blondekel77 @hallemichelles @laochbaineann @ramblingsofabourbondrinker @savmontreal @southsidebucky @tinyelfperson @zuni21798 

WWE/Series Tags: @a-home-for-stray-stories   @top-1-percent @mother-forker @neversatisfiedgirl @racheo91 @roman-reigns-princess @secretagentfangirl @thetherianthropydaily @scuzmunkie @cait-kae @ramsaypants @sony-undead18 @brianaraydean @st4yingstrong @dopeybubbles @crystallizeme @jessica91073 @denise8691 @stalelight @kenyadakblalock @1dluver13xx @lauren-novak @lunatic-desert-child @littledeadrottinghood @livelifewondering 

[jalenmara]

HUGE thanks to @notpmahalem for the moodboard-- I feel like I’ve made it into the big leagues or something <3 So beautiful. The newest chapter of Snowstorm - On Ice! after the cut. <3

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next few weeks flew by in a blur. Although no one said it out loud, when she and Jon showed up to the arena the day following their catastrophic rehearsal with hearts light and open, the sense of relief from their coaching and management team was palpable. Dei had even tried to pry the details from her (for she was discerning in the extreme, and knew that something had to have happened), but for once Dany was close-lipped about what had transpired between Jon and her. She was still raw from the unfolding of her heart to him, and had no desire to invite more people into her state of vulnerability.

Thankfully, Tyrion was more than happy to distract them from their burgeoning questions and feelings for each other. After all, they had a World Championship to win. With their Skyfall program needing to be re-worked completely into a short program, and Dei’s new Free Skate looming on the horizon, they had their work cut out for them. The days were long and hard, and more often than not, the entire group retreated to Bronn’s to unwind after the long and grueling days.

Also, more often than not, Dany would find that she and Jon were the first to the arena in the mornings, and the last to leave the comfort of their home away from home in the evenings, almost as if the hesitance to be away from each other for longer than a few hours had seeped into their very beings. It was the little things-- Jon showing up daily with tea from their favorite coffee shop, Dany purchasing a particular favorite rawhide bone for Ghost that showed just how familiar and ingrained they had become in each other’s lives. Their relationship now easily transcended that of partners and friends, and lay somewhere in the murky netherworld of “other.”

Neither felt the need to point it out, as if the other would be spooked if they addressed the phenomenon directly, but as the days and weeks went on, they found that the other’s presence in their own homes had become a constant as well. Their early mornings in the arena together led to carpooling, and the carpooling led to “Well, do you want to come in to warm up for a moment?”, and the warming up led to long talks over tea and wine and dinner and everything in between.

Jon proved to be a constant font of surprise as well. From the first moment he had invited her into his home, Dany was surprised at the changes since her first (and only) visit. Previously, the feminine touches had been overwhelming, the ghost of Ygritte’s presence lurking in every corner, but now…

The rainboots were nowhere to be found, the porch cleared for winter, and the garden was bare and waiting for the new growth of spring. Indoors held a warmer, more welcoming quality. Gone were the formal white lace curtains and doilies, a modern touch of abstract blown-glass art (similar to the rose he had given her, she had noticed) taking the place of the knick-knacks that used to cover every surface. When Dany asked about the redecorating, Jon simply shrugged. “It’s time.”

And he continued to surprise. No more than two weeks after their late night heart to heart, Jon appeared one morning with a pristine new contract, the same as before, but with one key difference-- all clauses about them being alone together were mysteriously missing. Dany could feel her cheeks heating as he held the door of his jeep open for her, waiting until she had climbed into the shelter of warmth before he handed it to her.

“Have your lawyers look it over if you want, but it’s much more…” He paused, his eyes on the road instead of her, his knuckles turning white as his grip on the steering wheel tightened. “...standard.”

Dany could feel her heart thrumming in her chest. She hadn’t asked for this, although by now they had broken the particular clauses to which he referenced several times. She simply tucked it into her bag, trying desperately to ignore the butterflies fluttering nervously in her stomach. “I’ll get it back to you by the end of the week.”

“No rush.” he replied easily, his smile breaking through the clouds of his expression like beams of sunlight in a storm.

Dany also found herself grinning at him stupidly, knowing that at last, they were positioning themselves for something great, something that could last forever, something that would be better than any legacy she could build on her own.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Dei’s Free Skate was a work of art. While their Skyfall program was all rough edges balanced delicately on the blade of sensuality, the Free Skate was everything their short program could not be. Open, light, romantic. Two sides of the same coin, but deeply illustrating the longing, the want, and the ease which encompassed every bit of themselves as they skated and cared for each other.

And yet, nothing physical had progressed beyond the occasional hug and kiss on the cheek, both of them straddling the edges of professionality. Dany felt herself slowly burning up from the inside out. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she could not make the first move, even though it was her habit. She had studied Jon for long enough to know that while she could lead a horse to water, she couldn’t make him drink.

And so she waited. Her heart in his hands, and in her throat. It went against all of her modern feminist sensibilities, for she longed for nothing more than to greet him in the comfort of her own apartment with a glass of wine and a command that he take off all his clothes and ravish her in ways she had only dreamt of up until now.

But no. She knew instinctively that that if she were to do that, all would be lost. She was no longer the person who barged in and took what she wanted for her own with little regard for the feelings of others. She had been down that path before and both times had ended in madness. Perhaps this time, she could learn the art of patience, the sensation of savoring the smallest touch, the slightest spark of joy in a whispered word, the deep guttural feelings of want as the waiting, the longing, grew and lengthened.

So instead, she took a page out of Tyrion’s book, putting all of her feelings into her skating. She did her best to show Jon in all but words the true surface of her heart-- the nooks, crannies, wounds, and scars of it, now entrusted solely to his capable hands.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Dany didn’t often think of Boston as a large city (she had lived in New York for a time after all), and so often found herself surprised at the modern conveniences it offered. She had been convinced that there would be no direct flights available from Logan International to Shanghai Pudong, but Jon had simply laughed at her for her ignorance. Her breath still caught in her chest at the sight and sound of it, his luscious bottom lip caught between his teeth as he tried (in vain) to temper his response to her.

Tyrion more than happily set her straight, relieved that numerous flights were not needed to travel to China and back, and that he would only have to endure one monster, marathon flight of 15 hours rather than a number of puddle jumpers to larger airports and planes to get them safely to their final destination. As they boarded their flight, Dany easily fell into her role of caretaker for Tyrion and got him settled with his face mask, water, and instructions to the flight crew to wake him for any and all beverage services. Finally, leaving him to Davos’ tender mercies and care, Dany consulted her ticket once more to check her seat assignment, instinctively searching for Dei.

...only to find that Dei was lodged between Jorah and Grey, which meant that… Jon quirked an eyebrow at her playfully as he stood to help her with her carry-on, taking it from her shoulder and lifting it easily into the overhead compartment. “Window or aisle?” He asked, sweeping his arm out over their row, offering her first choice.

Dany bit back a grin as she threw a pointed look at Dei who steadfastly ignored her and continued to pour over the safety booklet with Grey, pointing out the various nearby exits. “Window.” she breathed, settling into the seat and pulling her seatbelt over her lap, snapping the buckle into place and situating it low across her hips. “You can’t see the magic of the skies from the aisle.”

Jon snorted. “The ‘Magic of the Skies’, eh? You might have to walk me through that one.”

“Oh, it won’t be hard.” Dany smiled at him before turning back to the window, making sure that the shade was fully open. “Do you not like flying?” she asked, wondering if in her desire to not make her interest so obvious, she had missed a key component of her... partner. She knew that Tyrion hated flying, and that he often self-medicated his way across oceans in an attempt to sleep through the longer flights, but Jon-- She never got the impression that Jon feared much of anything.

“It’s not my favorite thing in the world.” He admitted, his hand rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort. “But, once we get up in the air, I’ll be fine. Take-off is the worst.”

“Oh Jon, no.” She breathed. “Take-off is the best… That’s the epic battle that ignites the magic. Only those who have fought gravity and won can ever truly enjoy the beauty of flight.”

He leaned his head back against the headrest, the warmth in his eyes telling her that he was thoroughly charmed by what she had to say, albeit skeptical. “Epic battles and magic, huh? I think I’ve been missing out by sitting with Davos for all of our flights up ‘til now.”

Dany shivered under his gaze, reaching up to adjust the vent blowing cool air directly on her. “Well, stick with me Snow. I’ll show you wonders you have never seen.”

“I don’t doubt that at all.” His response was whispered, almost missed, and Dany could feel her cheeks heat. Before she could respond, the flight attendants walked through the cabin for the safety demonstration, and then the captain’s voice was on the intercom, asking the flight attendants to prepare for take off.  

Jon gripped the armrests, the tension in his hands and face obvious. Dany laughed lightly and pried the hand closest to her off the upholstery and threaded her fingers through his own. “Stick with me, kitten.” She said teasingly. “I’ve got you.”

Jon cracked an eyelid and peered at her suspiciously, his fingers tightening around her own by reflex. “It’ll go better for both of us if you let me concentrate right now--”

“It’ll go better for both of us if you close your eyes and just listen to the sound of my voice.” She whispered, leaning closer to him and resting her head gently on his shoulder, his hand firmly caught in her own, and her head resolutely turned toward the window as she went on. “Did I ever tell you that I actually wanted to be a pilot when I grew up?”

His head bumped hers as he shook his head. “You might have skipped that before now.”

“Before my parents died, before it was just Viserys and me, we were always traveling. Mum and Dad always had a million engagements to go to, the Targaryen ‘legacy’ needing do be upheld, don’t you know. Viserys hated flying, it eventually got so bad he had to be sedated for every flight, even the short ones. But me…” She paused to take a breath, her fingers gently stroking Jon’s, hoping that he would relax under her ministrations soon. “I love flying. The speed, the rush… the freedom.”

The plane rumbled around them, coasting out to the runway, a hush falling over the passengers as each settled in for the long night ahead. “We flew so often when I was growing up that my dad actually knew most of the pilots on our usual routes. Sometimes, they would bring me up into the cockpit for a while and let me watch them. Pilots are the bravest of humans. And only the bravest reap the best rewards.”

A jolt, and Jon’s grip on her hand tightened. Dany smiled and brought her other hand up to gently rub his forearm, soothing as best she could. The plane was picking up speed, and Jon’s breath hitched in his chest. “This is the best part, Jon.” She said softly. “Gravity doesn’t want anyone to fly-- she despises birds for defying her, and now humans too. But flight is a gift…” The rumble around them increased. “Gravity fights to keep us grounded, she’s a jealous mistress who doesn’t want to share the wonders of the sky with those of us who would know its secrets. She wants to keep us small, and timid, but we--”

The noise was growing ever louder, and Dany leaned closer, her lips now brushing against Jon’s earlobe, struggling to be heard above the rattling of the plane. “Now, we fight. We come together, building speed and purpose, knowing that the beauty we are about to behold is greater than the tethers of our fear keeping us grounded.” The plane tilted as the front wheel left the tarmac, leaving only the rear wheels clattering on the pavement behind them.

“The last vestiges are always the hardest to shed, the last of our fears to leave behind, for there is no room for fear in flight. Only hope. The ground wants to hold us prisoner, but the sky--” The plane lifted off completely, surging upwards in triumph as Jon gasped quietly beside her. “Oh, Jon. They sky calls for us. And we must answer.”

His eyes flew open, the grip on her hand firm as he brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the tips of her fingers. “And so we will.” He said quietly, sending Dany’s heart soaring even further into the heavens.

“So we will.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Ladies and Gentlemen- Welcome to our live coverage of the 2015 World Figure Skating Championship! We’re thrilled to welcome you to the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China. I’m your host for the evening, Scott Hamilton, and I am joined once more for our Pairs Skating Free Skate coverage by none other than former World Pairs Champions, Oberyn Martell and Ellaria Sand!”

Ellaria’s laugh rang out over the sound waves. “Ah, Scott, You are a dear. Thank you for having us back! It is a delight to be here, and to be surrounded by such new and burgeoning talent.”

“That’s not all that ‘burgeoning’, my love.” Oberyn smiled, and leaned closer to his paramour, her hand firmly captured in his own as he lifted it to his lips for a gentle kiss. “We have had quite a thrilling few days here in the arena.”

Scott nodded. “So true. So far China has put up a strong showing, proving once more than home ice advantage is no myth. Both teams of Han/Sui and Tong/Pang performed admirably in the Short Program, and now sit in second and third respectively.”

“Don’t count out the Canadians either.” Oberyn intoned. “Radford and Duhamel sit in first place after the Short, and are poised for victory once again, fresh off their National Championship just a few short months ago.”

Ellaria tittered a gentle laugh. “Oh, my love. When will you learn?”

“Learn?” Oberyn shot her a dark glare full of promise.

“Yes, learn.” Ellaria’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Snow/Storm is not to be counted out by any stretch of the imagination. Their Skyfall program was certainly a crowd favorite.”

“Ah, yes, the crowd’s favorite, but not the judges.” Scott was quick to point out.

Ellaria nodded sedately. “To be expected-- their programs have been in flux since the US National Championship. Those who follow our sport will recognize that the Skyfall program used to be their Free Skate, although I hear that choreographer Dei Naath has cooked up something equally as showstopping and spectacular for tonight’s showcase.”

“I should hope so.” Oberyn snorted. “This isn’t child’s play.”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out.” Scott said brightly. “Stay tuned folks, Snow/Storm kicks off our final group for the Free Skate, next!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

They huddled in the Green Room as a team. Neither Dany nor Jon had said a word all morning, each retreating into themselves a bit as they repeatedly walked through the program, their only communication that of their hands as they reached for the other, going over every skill and move under Dei’s watchful eye.

“Remember-- grace, elegance, height, skill.” Dei droned on. “I want your lines long, your steps light. Jon, I want to think she’s going into space, you’ve thrown her so high. Dany, your landings have to be soft, everything you do needs to be buoyant, lifting the both of you as high as you can go.”

Dany nodded rotely, her mind a whirl. After years of training, they were finally here. National Champions in their own right, poised on the brink of something life changing for them both (if they were to gain the international spotlight). A win here today would mean an invitation to the ISU Grand Prix event in the fall, and more notoriety that she or Jon had enjoyed ever before. Making an international name for themselves could only help in her long-term goals, which definitely included PyeongChang in 2018. But first, she needed to concentrate on the skate in front of her, and on her partner.

He was like a man reborn. Gone were the nerves that seemed to haunt him during Nationals. Instead, it was she who seemed uncharacteristically nervous and trapped within her own head. She folded her trembling hands in front of her, clasping them together so tightly she knew there was a chance of bruising tomorrow. She just wanted to do well. Dei had choreographed a beautiful program, the haunting music of La Terre vue du ciel by Armand Amar, staying with her for days, creeping into her dreams. Dreams which always concluded with Jon folding her into his warm embrace--

No. She couldn’t think about that right now. She owed it to them all to concentrate, to bring the best of her, the best of them both to the forefront of her mind, and to pursue this victory with all of her dogged strength and tenacity she had nurtured over the years. She glanced at Jon, who reached for her hands, bringing them between his own and rubbing briskly, before unclenching them and weaving his fingers through her own.

Tyrion stood before them, watching warily. He had seemed excited to see their growing bond at first, but lately, Dany didn’t know what had gotten into him. Scowling, sighing, and generally displeased with them for reasons she couldn’t begin to comprehend. “You’ve got an uphill climb ahead of you.” He said sternly. “Digging yourself out of fourth with two Chinese teams in your group will be difficult--”

“But not impossible.” Jon broke their unified silence with a promise, an edge of warning to his tone that Tyrion picked up on immediately.

“No.” He murmured. “Not impossible, but this is no longer child’s play. You must be perfect. There is no more room for error.”

Jon’s grip on her hand tightened as he glanced down at her, the warmth and determination she saw in his gaze firmly mirrored in her own. “Then we won’t leave any.”

“Final group to the ice, please. Final Group to the ice, please.” The announcement rang out over the intercom, and the sudden swirl of cacophony deafened her, her mind blank except for the steadfastness of her partner, grounding her beside him.

There was a whirl of last minute well wishes, hugs, and kisses as they removed their skate guards, Davos and Dei full of warm pride, even Jorah and Grey cracking through their stoicism with slight grins of encouragement. Tyrion reached for her hand briefly, giving it a gentle squeeze, and a small, sad smile before nodding and bowing over her hand. “Your Grace.”

She shot Tyrion an exasperated smile and a narrow look of warning before she and Jon stepped out onto the ice, leaving everyone and everything behind. They didn’t look at each other as they swept around the ice, taking a full lap to acclimate and settle into themselves, shaking loose the nerves.

“The first skaters in this final group represent the United States of America. Dany Storm, and Jon Snow.” At Jon’s brief squeeze of her hand, she spun out, turning in his arms to look up at him just once, her eyes blazing and her breath catching at this sight of his determined gaze before turning her back into his chest, both arms gracefully extended on either side of her, their fingertips touching ever so slightly.

Today, they didn’t need words. The music said everything that they were unable to say. The gentle chords of the piano and strings elevating them into each other, folding them together as they moved and flowed across the ice. She reached for Jon, putting all of her longing and need into her grasp, as he moved just out of reach, the gentle chase across the stars lifting them together-- the call of the air, of freedom begging her to join them.

His hands, sure and strong, went to her waist in preparation for their first throw, and suddenly she was airborne-- flying, spinning, a delighted laugh falling from her lips as she threw herself with abandon into the program. His hands again on her waist as he caught her, bringing her down to the ice as gently as if she weighed no more than a leaf on the wind. The crowd erupted into applause, and she knew at his grin that this was the beginning of something truly inspired.

The next throw was even larger, all of Jon’s power on display as he threw her as hard and as far as he could, trusting her to harness his strength, control all of the speed and strength he had gifted to her as she floated through the air, her landing soft as a cat’s, the ice calling her to the home she had found in his arms. She chased him across the ice, his expression begging to be caught, for her to find all of the cherishment she lacked within him.

His hands guided her softly through a series of lifts, his quiet strength on full display. Not showy, not flashy, but just so solely Jon she felt her heart tug in her chest, bursting with pride that they could be this for each other, the softness of their gazes falling upon the other with exquisite gentleness and care. Together, they opened the windows to their souls, carrying the audience along with them on the gentle breezes, their power building with the music, the driving beats and rhythm guiding them through the spins, jumps, and step sequences.

Finally, the gentleness returned, and Dany once more found herself in Jon’s arms, completely wrapped up in him, gathering her strength and courage for the more intimate lifts, nuzzling herself into the crook of his arms as together they fought gravity to a draw. Finally, they reached the end, Jon on his knees under her, lifting her to the heavens, wonder and awe alight in his eyes as the last strains of the music faded away, the crowd’s cheers a vague sensation as he lowered her to the ice.

Dany’s hands went to her burning face, overwhelmed by the fire in Jon’s eyes. Her skates went out from under her and she slid to the ice on her back, when suddenly she felt Jon’s weight over her. She looked up at him, and didn’t know if it was victory or desire burning in his eyes, but she knew that he was a hair’s breadth from pressing his lips against her own, World Championship and crowds around them be damned. Her own lips parted is surprise as he gathered her to his chest, and for one glorious moment, Dany thought she actually could give in to all of the delightful longings that had been crawling over her for so long. As he lay on top of her on the ice, Dany couldn’t help but think about how his hands had already mapped every portion of her body (professionally, of course) and now, oh how she longed to find out what he could do without it, to find out the delicate strength in the snap of his hips.

Jon pulled back, his hands in her hair supporting her head, his eyes searching hers for forgiveness, or permission, which she didn’t know, but then suddenly, she had buried her head in his shoulder, the weight of the ground binding her to her trepidation once more-- the freedom of the skies just out of her grasp.

Sound returned, the applause of the crowds washing over her like waves as Jon pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her, lifting her from the ice in a delighted hug, a laugh falling from his lips and covering her like grace. “We did it!” He whispered, leaning close to her as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

“We did.” She whispered back, sweeping out to take their bows and coming back to him as he led her to the Kiss and Cry to await their scores.

Their entire team was beside themselves with joy, Dei’s arms wrapped around Grey as she jumped up and down in excitement, Tyrion and Davos both beaming with pride as they settled in for the scores. The wait was interminable, the only constant Jon’s hand in her own, the unheard whispers of hope and promises as the seconds ticked by, until finally-- a season best for Snow/Storm and a score of 159.31. Enough to catapult them far enough into first place that no one would be able to catch them.

In the Green Room once the rest of the scores had been announced and the dust settled, a bottle of champagne appeared and the newest World Champions toasted their success, their team, and most of all, each other.

“To Dei!” Jon crowed, the lightness in his eyes almost as intoxicating to her as the champagne swirling through her system as he thrust a glass skyward in salute. “May every program she choreograph be as successful on the first try as this one!”

Dei smiled. “To Jon and Dany-- without whom my programs would never see the light of day!” Their group cheered raucously, and Tyrion finally tapped on his glass for attention.

“To always pursuing your dreams. The trifecta is within your reach, my dears! First Worlds, and then the Grand Prix. Next stop, Madrid!”

Dany laughed and tapped her glass against Jon’s. “To us.” She breathed.

Jon wrapped his arm around her waist and clinked his glass to hers in return. “To us.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

[heavenforblog1111]

Logan Paul beats Dillon Danis while Tommy Fury gets a decision win against KSI

I feel like a lot of people were looking forward to the fight between Logan Paul and Dillon Danis and also between Tommy Fury and KSI. There had been a lot of altercation between Logan and Dillon with both of them having heated press conferences and interactions prior to the fight. The situation with Logan and Dillon had gained special attention from around the world. Dillon had passed what I would call negative comments about Logan's fiance Nina Agdel who has been known for a lot of things which I would not comment about on here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqf8rAWDaK0 A lot of people have a lot to say about the situation between Logan and Nina but that is a story for another day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5blnxKpUJI Anyway, so the fight took place and Logan Paul ended up winning by disqualification while KSI lost a controversial decision to Tommy Fury. Logan as usual had a lot of things to say after the fight. He even announced his return to the WWE to fight for the US Championship. Tommy had said that he wanted to knock out KSI and that a decision wasn't enough. Its crazy how Tommy let the match get that close. To some people, it almost felt like KSI won the fight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7qVMgAuud8 Anyway guys, let me know what you all think in the comments. Read the full article