#c: cal finlay

[diskaywrites]

Not Too Shy To Show I Love You

𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐈𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐆𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐳 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐂𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐚𝐲 (𝐨𝐜) 𝐱 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 (𝐨𝐜) 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐟: 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐝𝐝, 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐚𝐲, 𝐆𝐞𝐝𝐨, 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐨𝐱 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥 (𝐨𝐜) 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟏,𝟎𝟗𝟑

The thumping sound of club music was giving Cal Finlay a headache, but it was important to keep up appearances by being seen with the rest of the War Dogs. It was too loud, too much, but as long as his older brother David was supplying him with drinks, Cal could handle the sounds of the bass in the music that seemed loud enough to rattle tables.

"C'mon Cal," his tag team partner Clark Connors gave a nudge of his shoulder, jerking his head in the direction of the dance floor, "you wanna go out there with us? There's plenty of fine women out there."

Cal sipped from his beer, giving an adamant shake of his head, fingers drumming against the booth the War Dogs occupied every time they came to this place. Gedo seemingly knew the owner and always wanted the best for his boys, "No, no, I don't dance. That's not for me."

"Oh, get off yer fuckin' high horse!" Gabe Kidd scoffed as he stood from the table, "Get yourself someone hot and take them home! Stop being so fuckin' prude!"

Cal ducked his head at the laughter of his friends at the word prude. 𝑷𝒓𝒖𝒅𝒆. The rest of the group never seemed to have any issues picking up women or men from the club, or from anywhere really. Gabe especially seemed to thrive as a romantic partner, almost treating it as if it were a conquest. For Cal it wasn't as easy. The last relationship he had with a woman hadn't worked out very well at all, ending in a breakup that had been very public. Since then, no one had interested him. At least, women didn't interest him. In fact, where was only one person who interested him.

"Oi! Fuck off, ya fuck!" Delaney Cullen flipped Gabe off, arm spread out on the booth behind him, draped almost over Cal's shoulder. "He wants to drink. He ain't got tae get his dick wet to feel something."

Gabe rolled his eyes, flipping Delaney off before muttering, "Fuckin' buzzkill," under his breath as he headed out to the dance floor.

"You two gonna be okay here?" Clark tipped his tan cowboy hat on his head up enough to see Delaney, a look that Cal couldn't quite make out in the club's low lighting.

"I've got Cal, Clark," Delaney chuckled, leaning against Cal's side as he waved Clark off dismissively, "go have a good time."

Cal felt his shoulders tense as soon as Delaney was close enough, inhaling deeply. Even over the sickly sweet scent of fruity drinks, Cal could smell what mad Delaney uniquely himself. It was the scent of the cigars he enjoyed on nights like this. It was the slightest traces of earthy undertones, like the woods after a rainstorm. It was calming, endearing, and yet made Cal panic. "You ain't got to babysit me, Delaney. I'm fine."

"I don't like this place either," the Irishman twisted the end of his mustache with his free hand, almost as if he were nervously fidgeting, "It's too loud. Too many people. I much prefer a quiet little pub like the one from a few months ago."

Cal let his lower lip as he recalled that night at the pub with such fondness. He remembered the way Delaney's arm had wrapped around his shoulders at they left the pub, just like it was now. He remembered how handsome Delaney had looked that night, dressed as he was now in a leather jacket and his black tweed flat cap, "You still think about…"

"Almost every time we're out," Delaney murmured, turning Cal's face to look at him, fingers lingering on the dark stubble that covered the other man's face, "I think about it when we're rooming together and you have your nightmares, so I hold ya as ya sleep. I think about 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 when I hold you…"

Cal could smell Delaney's breath, an odd mix of the beer he was drinking and the spearmint gum he chewed. A small part of his brain that sounded suspiciously like his father reminded him that the thoughts rocking through Cal's mind were immoral, but he swallowed them down with a heavy gulp. This wasn't wrong. It wasn't wrong when David took Jay home on nights like this. It wasn't wrong when his best friend Maddox Lovell kissed his male partners. Love was never wrong. Before he could stop himself, Cal leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Delaney's lips. He expected his friend to push him away, expected this all to be some sort of sick pranks initiated by Gabe or Clark or David.

What he hadn't expected was Delaney to press one of his strong hands against the back of his head, playing with the little hairs at the nape of Cal's neck. Delaney's mustache tickled Cal's upper lip, but he didn't care. He had waited so long for this moment, to finally show the man who had meant so much to him over the past year just how much he cared for him. Rugged panting breaths left Cal's lips, his forehead resting against Delaney's.

"Cally boy," Delaney licked his lips, and now Cal was very curious as to what he tasted like, "I have wanted tha' for so long."

"I…I did too.." Cal murmured, though his eyes were still trained on Delaney's lips. Everything else had seemed to fade away, from the thumping of the music to the flashing of the lights. He hadn't even noticed Clark had slid back into the booth, having returned for his drink at the end of the song.

"It's about God damned time the two of ya stop bein' so blind," Clark laughed, raising his bottle as if to salute his two close friends.

Cal ducked his head shyly, "I…"

"So fuckin' what, Clark?" Delaney rolled his eyes, puffing out his chest as if to challenge the cowboy, "You got somethin' t' say about my partner and I?"

"Nah," Clark shook his head, finishing off his drink, "I'm just glad I won the bet!"

"Bet?" Cal felt even more confused, reaching over a drink from his own glass.

"David, me, 'n Gabe knew it was only a matter of time. Gabe thought a few months ago it'd be a year. David thought never. I thought a few months at most," Clark chuckled, leaning back in his seat, "That's two hundred. For 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 of us."

"Look at tha, my Cally boy," Delaney raised his glass for a toast, "we're goin' on a real nice first date."

[diskaywrites]

12 Days of Christmas Day 8: Telling secrets around a fire

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐖𝐞'𝐝 𝐁𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟖: 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠--------𝐍𝐉𝐏𝐖 𝐀𝐔------𝐂𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐚𝐲 (𝐨𝐜) 𝐱 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 (𝐨𝐜) 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥, 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟓𝟓𝟓

🎕┈┈┈┈🎕❂⋯❋⋯❂🎕┈┈┈┈🎕🎕┈┈┈┈🎕❂⋯❋⋯❂🎕┈┈┈┈🎕🎕┈┈┈┈🎕❂⋯❋⋯❂🎕┈┈┈┈🎕

He was thinking of Akira again.

Since the mess that had started going on between Will Ospreay and the rest of the boys in the United Empire had started, Cal Finlay's thoughts had drifted to the betrayal he himself had put Francesco Akira through. At the time, it had seemed so natural. David had 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 given him the invitation to join his Bullet Club and Cal had jumped at the opportunity. After all, it was David! His entire life he had wanted nothing more than to work in a team with David. His friendship with Akira had come second to the joy of inally knowing his brother was proud of him.

Cal wondered now, as he sat bundled up at the side of the man he loved, that it hadn't been out of pride that David had asked for Cal to turn on the friends he had made. It was jealousy.

"Somethin' on yer mind, Cally boy?" the thick brogue of the man who Cal wanted to spend the rest of his life with broke the silence of the otherwise quiet night the two were sharing. One of the few good things to come out of his time with the War Dogs, Delaney had cared for him in a way that Cal was unsure of. What had started with Delaney making sure he would take his medication or that the nightmares that often woke him in the middle of the night in hotel rooms had turned into so much more.

Cal's eyes trained from the bonfire in front of them to the flawless sky of the Irish wilds, dotted by pines. He could see his breath on the cold night air, trying to calm himself. "I wasn't good to Akira. I think about that a lot. i think about how much better off everything would have been if I just never joined up with David. I think everyone would be happier."

Delaney tugged at the sleeve of his jacket, eyes following Cal's actions. He knew better than to get upset, than to be hurt by the things that Cal said in these moments. He meant nothing cruel, nothing rude. Cal just wanted to get his thoughts from the brain that he fought with so frequently. "Ya know…now everyone would be happier. I wouldn't be happier."

Cal brought his attention back to Delaney, his knee bumping against Delaney's, "No?"

Delaney shook his head, a meaty arm wrapping around Cal's shoulders, "Think 'bout it, Cal. We only met when ya joined the Club. I wouldn't be happier. Cal Finlay, I dunno where I'd be without having you in my life."

Cal gave a soft smile, ducking his head out of shyness, "You don't mean that."

"I do, I absolutely do," Delaney smiled, resting his head on Cal's shoulder and closing his eyes, "if you never joined the Club, we wouldn't have each other."

"But…Akira…"

"Wouldn't be where he is without that betrayal either," Delaney spoke softly, opening one eye to look up at Cal, "life is funny like this, ya know. You could try to fix it, but we'll never know how it could have been."

"You think he'd forgive me?" Cal whispered, barely audible from the crackle of the fire before them.

"I think he would at least listen," Delaney whispered gently, "I think he'd listen."

[diskaywrites]

Fluffvember 2024

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 #𝟔: 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐂𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐚𝐲 (𝐨𝐜) 𝐱 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 (𝐨𝐜) 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐎𝐟: 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐑𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬, 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐬 (𝐨𝐜), 𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐝𝐝

.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽

It wasn't lost on Cal Finlay just how windy it seemed today. As an avid reader, a hobby he had picked up in his childhood as a way to battle the torment of loneliness, Cal knew how to spot a theme when he noticed it. Wind had two themes: destruction to be wrought and change to be had. That destruction had come earlier in the night to Cody Rhodes for the pain that he had caused only Cal himself, but the pain Cody had caused to his own partner, Angel Michaels. And the change?

It had started the moment Cal had come backstage to see Delaney Cullen waiting for him.

"Rhodes! Ya jus' beat Cody Rhodes of all men!" Delaney gave a wide grin as he tossed his beefy arms around Cal's waist, lifting his partner up off of his feet nonchalantly. The bristles of his mustache tickled Cal's sweat-soaked shoulder for a moment before Delany sat him down again, "Do ya knkow how many doors tha' could open for ya!?"

Cal laughed, his own fingers splayed against the black cotton shirt Delaney wore as if to ground him to reality, "Doors?"

"Cal Finlay, ya jus' beat one of the best perceived wrestlers in our industry! Ya beat yer boss," Delaney laughed, though he still held his partner close. He pecked Cal on the cheek, "Ya could go after any title in this company ya wanted."

Cal paused, considering it for a moment. He 𝘩𝑎𝑑 just beaten a well-regarded wrestler, someone that his brother had never beaten. There was a joy that filled his eyes. He could challenge any champion in any promotion that he wanted. He could make up the way he had treated Gabe since Forbidden Door by capturing the tag team championships with his friend. And yet, there was only one thing in the world that Cal wanted.

He moved his hands from Delaney's back to either side of his mustached face, pressing a deep kiss to his partner. "You, Delaney Cullen. More than fame, more than championship gold, what I want is you."

Delaney looked surprised as Cal pull him close. Cal loved Delaney, there had never been any doubt of that, but Cal wasn't a man who showed his affection with public displays. A kiss like this that was so deep and so warm, that was a change of pace. "Cal...I..."

"I mean it, Delaney," Cal whispered back breathlessly, pressing his forehead against Delaney's, "I want you, beside me. With me. No matter what changes, I want you forever."

[diskaywrites]

Whumptober 2024

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 #𝟗: 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐂𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐚𝐲 (𝐨𝐜) 𝐱 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐬 (𝐨𝐜) 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐎𝐟: 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐑𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬, 𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐝𝐝, 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 (𝐨𝐜) 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 (𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬)

.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽

Anyone who knew Cal Finlay knew how much the music of Angel Michaels meant to him, even if they knew little else about him. Cal had always been open about how it spoke to him, about how he swore she wrote some of the songs in her repertoire about him. Most simply patted his hand and indulged the man in his belief. He wasn't hurting anyone but himself, so what did the belief matter?

That was until Angel Michaels herself had reached out to Cal for his assistance.

As well as being an established artist, Angel was one half of AEW's ultimate power couple, terrorizing the roster alongside her husband, AEW EVP Cody Rhodes. She had wanted Cal to help the duo as her personal bodyguard. Cal had been ecstatic with the opportunity, even if it meant abandoning the rest of the War Dogs. Instead of tag teaming with Gabe Kidd at Forbidden Door, Cal had simply been a silent observer to Cody's own win. Still, he hadn't minded. Cal would do anything Angel and Cody asked him to.

That was a statement to be tested.

Over the following months, Cal had been nothing but the muscle for Cody and Angel. He didn't mind if his own career suffered, no. 𝑆𝘩𝑒 was giving him attention. The woman who knew his mind even better than his own partner Delaney Cullen, at least in his own mind, wanted him around. Cody, however, seemed to ignore Cal unless he needed something. There seemed to be something boiling just under the surface of both men. Cal couldn't see why Angel tolerated having Cody around, they would have both been better off without the American Nighmare.

So when Cody lashed out after a loss, Cal showed Rhodes just ℎ𝑜𝑤 to lash out.

It had been a week since the two men had thrown hands in the ring and Cal hadn't seen Angel since. He 𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑤 it was only because Cody was so controlling. Angel wouldn't have stopped talking to him if not because of Cody trying to control her. It was why he had let himself into the office she used in the back, thankful for being able to pick a lock. He knew, from experience, that Angel would be at the arena a half hour before the show, carrying a pumpkin spice latte she picked up before hand. Cal was observant, he knew her routine.

It was what made him such a good friend.

As if on cue, Angel entered the room with the aforementioned drink. Her baby blue eyes rested on Cal, an unreadable tone in her gaze. No, no Cal knew that tone. 𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙧. Angel was afraid of what Cody would do to her if she met with him. "Shh, shh. He doesn't have to know, Angie. I won't tell him."

"C...Cal what are you doing here?" she questioned, back pressed against the closed door.

"I missed you," he came closer to her, large hands taking her trembling ones. Oh, she was trembling. "I won't let him hurt you anymore."

Angie gave a little whimper, "You can't be here. You have to go."

Cal squeezed her hands, trying to comfort the woman who loved him. She needed an assurance of his dedication to her, to the cause that he soon faced. "I'll destroy him for you. For you. For us. I'll protect you Angie. I'll do anything for you."

"I know..." Angie whispered, tears of joy now streaming down her cheeks, "I know you will Cal..."

[diskaywrites]

𝑾𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑬𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝒔 𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒕 #𝟏𝟕: 𝑰𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝑰𝒏 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒃𝒚 𝑫𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒕 𝑲𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒚 𝑹𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈: 𝑪𝒂𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒍𝒂𝒚 (𝒐𝒄) 𝒙 𝑫𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝑪𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏 (𝒐𝒄) 𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇: 𝑩𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝑪𝒍𝒖𝒃 𝑾𝒂𝒓 𝑫𝒐𝒈𝒔, 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑬𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏

.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽

Something was wrong.

Cal Finlay had snapped out of his othered state at the end of the steel cage match because of it. While his older brother David, the man who had led the War Dogs into this battle against the United Empire, celebrated there was something Cal had noticed in one of the other members of the team. It wasn't his tag team partner Clak who laid against the ropes, no that too cool for school attitude was just how he acted from time to time. It wasn't Gabe, whose wicked and triumphant grin couldn't match the madness radiating from his eyes.

No, it was Delaney Cullen and the way he held his hand to the back of his neck that worried Cal.

Delaney was the member of the team that Cal found himself thinking of the most on most days. Maybe it was because of how handsome Cal found him. Delaney was a strapping young man whose pectorals were almost as perfect as his hair and mustache. Maybe it was the fact that Delany seemed to care about him just as much as Cal cared about Delaney. Questions like 𝘩𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑛 or 𝘩𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑠 were more common from Delaney than even his own tag team partner.

"You okay?" Cal's thick Irish brogue was always stronger when he was under stress, and the current situation was certainly stressful. When Delaney didn't answer him immediately, Cal reached out a bloodied hand to clasp to Delaney's shoulder, "Delly boy?"

Delaney's wince let Cal know that something was wrong, severely wrong.

"Don't worry, lad," Delaney brushed him off quickly, wrapping his free arm around Cal's waist. There was a pain in his eyes that let Cal know that he needed to worry, but before he could say anything, Delaney pulled him in close and pressed a kiss to Cal's lips, "Told myself if we won, I'd do that."

Clark whooped from the corner, using the ring ropes to pull himself to his feet, "It's about damn time you two!"

"Oh shut up," Delaney rolled his eyes with a soft chuckle.

Clark moved to wrap an arm around both Cal and Delaney's shoulders, also noticing as Delaney winced at the touch to his neck. He side-eyed Cal, "He wince when you..."

"Yeah," Cal confirmed with a solid nod, "We gotta get him to the medic."

"Just let me celebrate with the team," Delaney pleaded as he looked between the two. He pulled away from Clark, though he still held Cal's hand firmly, "Please."

Though Cal didn't like to see Delaney in pain, he gave a nod. After all, wasn't this what they wanted? It had been a bloody night, but it had been a 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒇𝒖𝒍 night. The United Empire had fallen to their power. The War Dogs were a true united front as they moved up the entrance ramp as one.

He and Delaney were a united front.