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antics-pedantic · 3 years

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DYNAURA!!: Pilot Part 4 [FINALE]

Later that weekend, we met a Capybara and a Tortoise.

But not just any capybara and tortoise. These two were standing upright, walking on two feet. Capybara Joe had on a sweatshirt, baggy pants and boots. Botticelli the Tortoise wore a terry cloth headband and wristbands. We caught the two walking down the street as they began their day, in advance of the Herculean Class Wresting Federation show later that night.

“Yea, that’s a wicked move that is, Botti.” said Capybara Joe, with a New Zealander’s accent. His features were lively and animated. He practically exuded friendliness to the point it was like a slight superpower. Botticelli was playing a quick bit of hop skotch, some children having drawn the squares for it on the sidewalk. Joe and Botti played a round before getting to a couple of errands.

“Oop. Ah—close one! Yipes!”

Then it was Joe’s turn. He wasn’t quite as balanced as Botticelli, whose features seemed more subdued, like a simple smiley face. But nonetheless, Botticelli did a little cheer routine for Joe, even as Joe tripped and fell midway into his turn. Tapes actually suffered a similar fate (laughing all the while) and I couldn’t help but be sucked into the thrill of it myself, before we made it to the hardware store.

“Botti an’ I have been here in the city for a real lengthy length amount o’ time we have. Yup!” said Joe, pushing a cart while Botti double-checked a list of tools they’d need to fix some things at the HCF show. “I’ve been somethin’ like a town crier, handin’ out flyers and whatnot. But concerts and shows? I hype ‘em up like nobody’s business. Get people coming in and pow! Box office is popping, and then everybody snags the mad dollars! Party time.”

Botticelli just nodded at Joe’s words in agreement.

“Yea, Botti’s actually one of the talent. Fights all sorts! Like Incredulous Cephalopod and Cuttlefish Cutie, Taria of Atlantis, Cap’n Payback, Prizefighter Shine, even this wolfman feller what started up recently who ALSO works at a lovely eatery we call the ‘Palt ‘n’ Sepper!’ New favorite place to go.”

Botti rubbed his tummy and Joe laughed, following suit.

“Oh, Prizefighter—That’s our good pal Rex! We hang out most with him. I mean, we hang out with everybody around downtown, but Rex is our bro. We practically gave him the welcome tour when he got his apartment ‘ere in Multy-plecks. Multiplex? Yea, we’re in the neighborhood together. ‘S all good.”

The usual venue for the HCF was a large assembly hall or gym of some sort that was used for other functions. The HCF rented it, so everyone involved with local shows had to pitch in.

“It’s not what most people would call a ‘real’ job,” said Joe, getting to work on the audience rows. “Seating arrangements being as they are and all. You’ll get no respect settin’ up foldin’ chairs, even as darn near fillin’ up the room is the objective. Then there’s the merch table, concession stands… I hear we’re gettin’ a slushie machine wheeled in this time. Budget’s allowed it this night.”

We found Botticelli nearby, opening up cardboard boxes and arranging them neatly for whoever would handle sales here. There were lots of t-shirts to go around, and Botti was ecstatic to see a plush toy resembling a minotaur. Tapes had immediately put down some money for a shirt, and a foam finger that said: “ATLANTIS OR BUST!” in support of Taria.

People were starting to pour in, and that meant the warm-ups would have to give way to the openers. Tapes and I had caught some interviews here, but I’ll get back to those at a later point. Which brings us to the acts: The first of which, was an improvised match between Botticelli and Curious Kunoichi. Kunoichi wasn’t quite as strong as Taria or Rex. Neither was Botticelli, but he still worked out enough that he had the advantage on our ninja friend. Thusly, it was up to the Curious Kunoichi to handle direct combat in an indirect manner.

The first few hits that connected were primarily in Botticelli’s favor. Kunoichi was parrying strikes where possible, managing to score a couple of kicks that sent the tortoise’s shell flying into the ropes. His rebound was a slingshot move, as Botti retreated into his shell and became a veritable cannonball. For anyone else, the match would have been over. But not for the Curious Kunoichi: Botticelli had stumbled on the ropes by chance. Kunoichi would use them by design.

The first dash found our shadowy hero landing her feet on the top and middle ropes, moving in an arc that would launch her not directly into Botticelli, but just over him. A downwards palm strike from above kept him from jumping up to properly intercept. And before he could get his bearings, Kunoichi had repeated the maneuver from the opposite direction. Before Botticelli knew it, the Curious Kunoichi was on the other two sides of the square wrestling ring. Her agility eventually gave way to a perfect storm: The audience could no longer tell what direction she was bouncing off of. Botticelli followed, his own honed senses unable to keep up now that they had been effectively scrambled. And when Kunoichi had let up and Botti was ready to resume the battle, she had vanished. We caught her leaping from a corner post, dropkicking the fighting tortoise and then pinning him down for the referee to step in and make the three-count. Kunoichi had won the opener! And then Botti got up and hugged her. She returned it, and they climbed out of the ring.

Then, Taria climbed in, and took a microphone.

“This one’s for YOU, Curio!”

When the Curious Kunoichi had turned around to see the next match being set up, we’d caught her blushing.

“And tonight, I—the champion of Atlantis, shall end the reign of THIS BOO BOO BEAR!”

In the corner opposite from Taria stood Towering Tina, who was using her powers to jump up to a height of fifteen feet tall. No more, no less: enough to look impressive, but without getting too big to still move around in the ring. Taria was the strongest one here right now. The only thing that seemed to save Towering Tina was that her height and range gave her more options for maneuvering and leverage. It meant that any time that Taria grappled with her, each had a way of counteracting against the other. No impenetrable gates to stand in each other’s way: Now it was a war of attrition, of stamina and craftiness. In that sort of contest, both could find a way to attack and retaliate in equal measure.

Taria went in wish a rush of chops and elbows, before putting Towering Tina into an armbar hold. But Taria couldn’t get a good grip: Towering Tina’s stance was intentionally awkward, which in turn threw off Taria’s own posture. The Atlantean blinked at the thought that her victory wasn’t assured. And then a boot reached right up to her face and knocked her into a corner post.

“Ooh! Uh… sorry!”

Taria was seeing stars as Towering Tina apologized. Tapes pointed off to the side at a water cooler whose lid had popped off. The water within had a light blue glow to it as it levitated out by mystical means. And then Taria proceeded to shoulder-check Towering Tina, the levitating water hydrokinetically reshaping itself into the shape of a narwhal: The horn looked imposing, but in reality it was made of a purely cosmetic stream of water for fear of lethal injury. The rest of the body on the other hand, was absolutely bearing a grand weight, like a battering ram.

And it still wasn’t enough.

Towering Tina had been beaten to June, maybe even into December. For all intents and purposes Taria’s raw strength and hydromagic had the advantage over Tina’s one ability—even over her developing fighting skill. Tina had only figured out how to do a piledriver correctly last week. And still, she’d had the advantage: She’d come to the match appropriately rested and hydrated. A little anxious, but she’d gotten one over Taria, who had been ready to gloat from the beginning.

Just when Taria thought she was going to pin Tina, the giantess slipped out of the attack, Taria’s own water construct colliding into her in its final moments of active use. And to top it all off, Tina had used a german suplex to pin Taria for the count.

“That was AWESOME!” exclaimed Taria. “You have got to let me teach you a thing or two later, Tina! You’re gonna be one of the greats!”

“INDEED!” chimed in Tapes. “MANY UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF REDIRECTION. YOU SHOULD TRY JUJITSU, OR AIKIDO.”

“Really?!” said Towering Tina. “I didn’t think I’d get this far!”

And Kunoichi welcomed them both. As did Rex.

“Rex!”

There he was, clapping for his friends. He’d arrived quietly, about mid-way into the Curious Kunoichi’s match when he’d caught up with all of us. Taria had almost broken his back with her sweeping hug. Botticelli and Capybara Joe were bouncing with joy.

Rex pulled out his phone. He scrolled through it for a while. But he held it up, and pointed at the video of the Enforcers messing up at flirting terribly.

“Your handiwork?” he asked the Curious Kunoichi. She just nodded.

“It’s… It wasn’t the biggest hit, but it hurt them for a change.” said Kunoichi. “They get in the way of my work, y’know? Just dealing with active threats. Pragmatically.”

“Was it pragmatic to feature this bit?”

Rex gestured for all of us to lean in. It was of NecroMaster flirting with one girl. Then with another nearby under the nose of the first. Before getting caught and ditched by both. Kunoichi actually laughed out loud at that one.

“My reaction is testament—heh ha!—to its EFFECTIVENESS, Rockwell.”

“And to our friendship. Thanks for that.”

Taria had jumped in and wrapped her arms around both Rex and the Kunoichi, giving them noogies.

“Radical! We’re all feeling stuff!” sang Taria. “You gonna wrestle too, Rex? We’ve been waiting for you to jump in on this!”

“Aw, I dunno… I’m not feelin’ it tonight.” mumbled Rex. But the others wouldn’t hear it. They’d started chanting his name, even as the rest of the crowd focused their roar on the next match. The strikes, the grappling, the slams and wins. There were a few places where Rex still found some joy. And this was one of them.

There was a slight shockwave as one of the contenders was sent flying into a corner post. But before their opponent could pull them in for a pin, Rex had climbed up and forced them out of the ring. The crowd booed at the move, calling Rex a kill-stealing glory hog. But here, Rex could roll with it. There was an act structure to follow. It made sense, and he could go home after his co-workers complimented his moves and vice versa.

“That’s far enough! I owe Kangaroo Boxer here one for taking down the Mighty Minotaur.” spat Rex. The contender he forced out of the ring was one of the oldest acts the HCF had—the Kangaroo Boxer’s mask had worn out, floppy ears. His gloves were still made of old brown leather, made well before the 1960s when they introduced the classic red gloves (easier for the eyes to follow when watching).

“Haha! A regular heel I see!” spoke Rex’s opponent, cheerfully. “I’ll make you eat those words, my boy!”

Rex raised a brow.

“Wait a minute. I’ve never seen you around here before. Who are you supposed to be?”

The newcomer had a painfully wide grin, with the pearliest, whitest teeth. Shining bright hair and chiseled muscles. The crowd seemed to love him though.

“I am the one who will restore peace to honest and hardworking citizens, like we had in the good old days! The ultimate hero: The Better Man!”

That earned an immediate punch from Rex. The Better Man had stood in place with his hands at his waist, confidently. From there, Rex started punching with all he had. Both hammering fists swinging independently, before combining to try for an axe-handle blow. To the audience clamoring over each other, the Better Man appeared unflinching.

“You’re misguided! I like to offer second chances to everyone, but some made the choice to be irredeemable! We must protect from them that which is inherently good in this world to—”

“Aw, can it ya crumb bum!” thundered Rex, with a left hook clean across the Better Man’s cheek. “I’ve heard your talk before. And it’s all a load of bunk!”

“What’s so wrong about believing people are naturally inclined to progression?!” barked back the Better Man, grabbing Rex by his fists, and crushing them in his grip. Rex was doing all he could not to let the pain tear through his body. He had to stay on his feet.

“Idiot! Doing the right thing is an active choice!” said Rex, leaning forward to meet the Better Man eye-to-eye. “It’s a willingness to change!!”

“How unforgiving! So much for tolerance. I thought you were a hero too.”

“It’s plenty forgiving! The only criteria is that you can’t keep willfully hurting yourself or others! And if someone doesn’t stop, you GOTTA fight. For liberation, against oppression! Even if they’re polite and they make everyone think you’re rude--”

Rex pushed himself back up to his full standing height. And then he put all of his hyper-strength into a spinning motion, smashing the Better Man into the turnbuckles of a corner post.

“—You gotta STAND UP!!”

The relief we could see on Rex’s features from having his hands freed from the Better Man’s grip was contrasted against the tremendous willpower it took to fight through the great pressure and pain just a moment ago. He slumped over, his hands on his knees as he huffed. Trying to catch his breath.

“CAPITOL CRUSHER!”

But the battle wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. The Better Man’s forearms were up as he performed a flying crossbody attack. Rex raised up his own forearms in a flash, sparks flying like celebration fireworks as their superpowered limbs met like clashing greatswords for the modern era.

“DECLARATION OF DESTRUCTION!!”

When Rex heard the Better Man’s terrible cry, he rocketed upwards. Rex’s aura providing the propulsion as the Better Man jumped up to pursue. They zipped around the space above the ring like rival fighter jets in an aerial duel—the Better Man bouncing off the ring ropes whenever he fell back down, always careful to avoid falling to the mat outside the ring and being disqualified.

Rex was doing loop de loops and changing altitude at the drop of a hat. Trying to avoid chokeholds and elbow drops that would send him down. Eventually, the Better Man simply anticipated Rex’s flight path two steps ahead of him—bouncing up to goad Rex into flying one way, before falling back to the ropes to jump again into the new path. And then the Better Man brought his hands together for a thunderclap that shook up the crowd. Left them hooting and hollering, eager to see a finale.

Later, I’d spoken to Rex about this moment. He said the fall reminded him of when he botched his biggest jumps as a kid. Making it up to the Earth’s Mesosphere, maybe the Exosphere on nicer days and catching a fleeting glimpse of the stars before going crashing back down. The shock of landing on the ring mat would have been called luck by others, but with the damage dealt it was just about over. Rex seemed to feel that way as his eyes shut. His body still ached, keeping him awake just long enough to hear the words:

“DON’T GIVE IN!”

It’s now that I want to cut to the people Tapes and I had met. Because it wasn’t just Taria and the Curious Kunoichi. It was Capybara Joe, Botticelli, and some of Rex’s neighbors.

“Why are you asking?” said Irina Kiselyov, an elderly woman giving us a glare. She had raised up her cane threateningly. “Is GOOD boy, that Rex! Helps Irina always. Carries Irina’s entire piano up to apartment with no complaints, unlike good-for-nothing son-in-law of mine, Timofey. You slander Rex and your ass is being the grass!”

“NEVER. HE IS A FRIEND.” Interjected Tapes. Irina just let off a happy huff.

“That is adequate answer.” said Irina’s sister, Anichka. “Until then, enjoy the thrashing and the bashing. Irina and I never miss a show! Is like letting the stress out constructively.”

The two older women laughed together, causing Irina’s granddaughter Lyonechka to sigh.

“They always get an extra ticket just for me, so I can’t speak up too much right now or they’ll scold me… But yes, Rex is a lovely—err, wonderful neighbor to have. I’m just glad there’s one more person my own age to talk to when my family gets to be a bit… you know!”

“Oh I am knowing!” faux-gasped Anichka. “Sneakier than ninja girl. Shame on you!”

Next, we caught up with a small boy who had come out to the show. He was recovering from a black eye, would only answer to the name of “Fiery Bryan,” which he said was his hero name. We later ran into his parents, who identified him as Bryan Dhakal. Bullied at school, and recently suspended for getting into a fight.

“I always go to see his fights!” said Fiery Bryan. “Rex fights the hardest and he never lets anybody push him around. And then I’m gonna be a fighter just like that, but even stronger!”

“Really? You want to be like Rex and Taria and all of them?”

“Yeah I would! You’re looking at the future king of the ring right here.”

We also ran into the clerk from the convenience store at the beginning of this whole thing.

“I always turn out for my boy!” said the clerk, who went by Lenny. Several others behind him were cheering too.

“Friends of yours?”

“Friends and other clerks.” said Lenny. “It’s people like Rex and Taria and the Kunoichi running around that make us feel safer walking home at night. Plus they’re loyal customers to boot! That’s why I always keep an extra taquito on the roller, or something like that. It ain’t much but we wanna show we care.”

“Actually, I was a robber once myself.” said Janey, one of the crowd that Lenny came in with. “Not proud of it or anything. I was desperate to pay the bills, and I actually ran by Lenny’s store when Battle Bear was chasing me. Sure enough, I ran right into Curious Kunoichi and Rex, and they covered for me while I hid. Kunoichi gave me some cash, I bought some candy and then I talked to Lenny and now we’re friends.”

“I used to work in the same warehouse as him!” laughed a fellow named Kwame Owusu. “Actually, we were the ones who helped him out. He used to get mixed up putting some of his orders together at first. The older guys there laughed at us a lot—I mean, we joked too, but they liked making jokes about us most. Still, when somebody broke something—in their body, it was Rex there yelling at the supervisor for not calling an ambulance. Poor kid got fired taking a co-worker to the emergency room himself. So I come support the wrestling show, yeah?”

“There was like… This one REALLY cool time once.” started Capybara Joe, sitting criss-cross on a folding chair next to Botticelli, who was hanging upside down off of the commentator’s table. “What’s that Botti?”

Botticelli gestured a bit, going as far as sign language to explain certain bits.

“Oh, right! Yea, it was when Rex first moved into his flat—into the apartment. And we were there when he was right and quiet-like. We tagged along and showed ‘im the proverbial ropes we did! Around the neighborhood, here to the HCF shows and other odd jobs… I can’t lie to ya though: real challenge. Poor fella was all tightly wound-up, thinking he couldn’t afford to open up and all that. But he warmed up and melted all the ice away… includin’ an ice cream sundae I was sharin’ with Botti once, ha!”

Botti just shook his head.

“Aw, of course. None too fun, but y’know what was fun? When you lads bent steel rebar into pretzel shapes and such. Or the time the arcade got flooded so’s Rex carried the cabinet machines outside while you fixed up the big leak.”

Botti smiled at the thought, before glancing warily at Joe.

“Where was I during the arcade flood? Well, I’d decided to play a round of Streets Fightin’ 3 seein’ as the machine was outside! And maybe a round of Triassic Park, the one with the wild pixelated graphics. That’s a classic, Botti.”

These were some of the more vocal locals we could get in touch with. But they spoke volumes to who Rex, Taria, and the Curious Kunoichi fought for. But it was enough to get Rex back onto his feet, catching the Better Man. Rather than let all that momentum go to waste, Rex threw him down to the mat, knocked off his feet by the impact, before splashing down onto his opponent for the three-count.

“Look!”

The larger audience’s booing and our cheering traded places. The Better Man had touched the ropes! He was still in the match, and the count no longer mattered. That allowed the Better Man to get back up just when Rex thought it was over.

“DON’T GIVE IN!”

There were those three words again. Every time it was spoken, Rex moved. The audience called for the Better Man to be the stronger, and to justify his ideals in the process. But those three words for Rex told him to keep fighting, and his body did. Haymaker punches, roundhouse kicks and body blows. Tackles and tiger powerbomb slams, lasers shooting from his hands and his eyes. Trading attacks, blocking and parrying. The Better Man was hard-pressed to keep up.

“Y-You’ve fought perfectly fine, for all your bragging!” laughed the Better Man, before his grin became a toothy frown. “I know it’s noble and all to keep fighting no matter what, but… you’re dragging this out much longer than it needs to go on.”

The Better Man inched closer. Rex kept his hands up, steadfast in his defense.

“Just drop it, boy. I’m as good as they get! Why waste your potential defying the proper order of things?”

Rex didn’t respond like he would have before. He was shaking with pain, made weary and punch-drunk by this dire enemy. All he could find it in himself to do was stand for as long as he could, but he was slipping. Uncertain of himself. Until Tapes passed a microphone to a hooded woman we’d never seen before. Or at least I hadn’t seen before: Tapes later told me he’d seen this person around the city on occasion, always from a distance.

“Because his name is Rex!” cried our mystery speaker. “When you chose that name, you also chose to care—with all your heart! Even for an old supervillain like me… So get up, and knock this bozo’s lights out already!!”

“Look at that! You’ve confused broken people into thinking they’re righteous!” said the Better Man, reaching out with both hands to grab Rex. “This is the end!”

But the end never came. Rex’s hands firmly clasped onto the Better Man’s forearms with crushing strength. And then Rex let loose with a powerful right hook!

“EUGH!” cried the Better Man. “Well. No matter! One good punch before you go down is—”

But then from the left came another hook. Rex had broken into a Dempsey Roll! Each strike faster and more precise than the last. And then it began to incorporate all different kind of hand strikes. Then elbows, kicks and knees! A hundred explosive strikes all simultaneously, locking the Better Man in place until the final strike. Which in this instance, was a clothesline! Rex’s bicep connected with the Better Man’s neck, finally bringing him to the ground.

And then Rex fell over. The Better Man didn’t get up. Neither did Rex. The referee declared it a tie, much to the disdain of the audience around us. But some of us who stood by Rex tonight all got into the ring to carry him out of there, away from the trash being thrown at him. We followed, and when he recovered they raised him up high for all to see.

Taria gushed about the night’s matches to a worn-out Rex, who was set ever so gently onto the sofa. It was quiet for a time. Eventually there was a tap at one of the windows from tossed pebbles. Tapes and I opened the window, and we saw everyone outside: Seated on stoops or standing on the sidewalk, looking up at us—at Rex’s window.

“Hey, what is giving?” demanded Anichka. “Where is our winner?”

“HE RESTS.”

“Then tell him to get up as soon as he can!” said Irina. “Lyonechka has sent Lenny and Janey’s lot with list of ingredients. This is a time for celebration!”

“Babushka, be patient!” pleaded Lyonechka. “It’s only been a couple of hours.”

“Then be a dear and bring him up the first bowl, yes?” said Irina. “Then once everyone is returned perhaps there can be some dancing!”

Rex stirred from his haze. I got him a glass of water, and he was up on his feet slowly. Taria and Kunoichi’s matches were also intense. And watching Rex’s match left them a bit drained too. They looked like they could use the meal. And especially some praise for a change.

The landlord had run into us. As well as Lyonechka, who had come bearing a couple of pots if the others were unable to come outside. And that landlord of Rex’s certainly pitched a fit, having spotted us bringing in the battered heroes. Of course, Tapes stepped in first:

“VILE ONE! NO TRUE VIOLATIONS HAVE OCCURRED ON THE HOUSING AGREEMENT—LEAVE IT!”

“No, YOU leave it!” spat the landlord. Before I—”

“You’ll what, Pomelo?”

“—I-I’ll…”

The landlord froze in his tracks. Normally Pomelo would have continued his tirade, even against Rex. But the stern look offered by not one, but three rough looking super heroes had scared off the little man. And there we were: Lenny had convinced me to join the dancing alongside him and Timofey. Lyonechka, Botticelli, and Capybara Joe directed Rex to sit on the stoop and take his big helping of dinner. And everyone else followed along as street performers from nearby joined in on the impromptu festivities, providing music for everyone to move to. Spirited discussions, even if they were about mundane daily things or exceptional developments.

“This is it.” said Rex suddenly, when I sat near him for a moment.

“What?” I asked. Rex just chuckled as Tugboat happened over nearby, Lyonechka giving him a bowl of his own and a pat on his fuzzy little head. Tapes did similarly. Botticelli found himself in a heated round of checkers with Capybara Joe. And the Kunoichi was trying to remember how to play a violin one of the street performers had shared with her.

“This is what I’m thankful for. What I fight for.” said Rex. “I wanted to just say it outright at the beginning but… I had trouble finding the words, y’know? And this sorta thing doesn’t happen often enough that I can point at it. Not just partying but like Miss Kiselyov put it. A celebration for something really nice.”

This entire biographical account started off detached and “professional.” Like many, the phenomenon of the superheroes seemed like another mere staple of modern life. Worsened by more recent feats of celebrity. But here now, was a reminder of what it meant not just to be a superhero, but to be a person and treat others with that same dignity. Even if the universe could be so vast and cruel, there were so many things, so much life within it that against nature, were incredibly weird. And also tremendously affectionate. With my approval, Rex gave me a pat on the back.

“Do you and Tapes have enough for your project?” Rex asked me at last.

“I guess enough. Don’t know who would accept it at this point given its unflattering perspectives… not that I won’t still get it out there somewhere. It’s the truth, and that’s what Tapes and I stand by. But there are still some questions I have, some stones left unturned… like who was that mystery person that spurred you to finish the fight? Nypardian culture? Maybe we could get more exposés going on about the Enforcers, the works!”

Rex just nodded.

“Tell you what: Once I catch up with those things myself, you and Tapes will be the first to know about it. Until then, this is plenty to work with.”

“Alright, fair enough.” I accepted for now. “… Well. As we come to a close, do you suppose you could tell me about your old alias? Introduce me as if you still called yourself by that title.”

Rex set his bowl aside, and hopped up to his feet, seeming a bit fresher than hours just prior. With his left fist, he started with a skyward uppercut, bringing that fist down.

“Emissary of everyone under your heel…!!”

An underhanded right-hand swipe to the left side.

“Prizefighter… Shine!”

And then he pointed both hands to the right side. There was a brilliant flourish of his welcoming blue aura.

“And that’s the point I’d warp the costume onto myself in a spectacular transformation, like they do on TV.” said Rex. “Now I just raise my aura a little more prominently.”

“SENSATIONAL SIGHTS!” proclaimed Tapes. “THE RETURN OF PRIZEFIGHTER SHINE?!”

“It’s not…” Rex paused. He thought about the old alias. At that exclamation Tapes offered. And he just let off a devious little grin. “…time yet. I wanna make it look cooler! I’m fightin’ for creatures big and small alike, y’know.”

UNTIL NEXT TIME…

#Web Fiction #Antics-Pedantic

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blurry-fics · 5 years

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Chapter Seven

Prove Me Wrong | Series Masterlist

Warnings: Angst, profanity, self-deprecation/self-doubt

Word Count: 2344

Author’s Note: You knew the angst was coming eventually :) Regardless, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

“Carter!” you yelled from the kitchen.

“What?”

“Where the hell did you put the Doritos?”

“I ate them!”

“Carter!”

You went stomping up the stairs to Carter’s bedroom and flung the door open. He was sitting on his bed and messing around on his guitar. Right next to him was the now empty bag of Doritos.

“I’m going to kill you!” you fumed. Unfortunately, house rules kept you from going past the doorway until he gave you permission.

His head pulled back in surprise, “Why?”

“I told you that Tyler was coming over today and that the Doritos were for us! Then you ate them!”

“Chill, Y/N, I’ll run down to the 7-11 and grab some for you.”

He set his guitar down against the wall and dusted some crumbs off of his shirt as he stood up. You were surprised that he was actually willing to correct his mistake.

“Oh, um, thanks, Car.”

“No problem,” he said, giving your shoulder a pat as he brushed past you.

You turned and walked back to your room where Tyler was waiting. He had stretched out a bit more on your bed, so you shoved his legs over a bit as you took a seat next to him.

“What was that all about?” he asked.

“Carter ate the chips that I specifically asked him not to last night, but he offered to get us more. He should be back in like five minutes.”

“Oh, cool,” Tyler nodded.

You smiled. Today was the first day that you and Tyler had been able to hang out without either of you worrying about music or school, aside from when he had come over to play Mario Kart a few nights ago. Finals were only a week away, so you wanted to be able to have some stress-free time with him before you started studying.

“Want to play some video games?” you asked.

“Sure, why not?”

The two of you walked into the den. Tyler got comfortable on the couch while you turned on the Wii and loaded up Mario Kart. It was the only game that the two of you never seemed to get tired of, no matter how often you played.

“You’re not going to cheat this time, are you?” Tyler laughed.

“I’ve never cheated,” you answered as you sat down next to him.

You gave Tyler space for the sake of not making him feel awkward about sitting super close together. To your surprise, he adjusted his legs a little bit so that your knees were rested against one another. It took a lot of self-control to not start smiling, but you managed to play it cool.

“Are you going to use a bike?” he asked.

“Obviously,” you scoffed. “They’re the superior means of transportation.”

“Agreed.”

You tapped the Wii remote idly against your hand as you waited for Tyler to finish figuring out his bike setup.

“Hey, put your wrist strap on,” he said before you started the race.

You simply laughed at his request, “What are we, twelve?”

“This game gets dangerous! And I don’t think your brother would be very happy if you busted the TV.”

“I’m not going to bust the TV. If anything, one of us is going to end up concussed because I get too worked up about winning.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to worry about that much since you’re playing with me.”

“Oh, are we starting the trash talk already, Joseph?”

“Yes, now start the game.”

“Whatever you say.”

You and Tyler caught up about recent life events as you played the game, although there was the occasional bit of trash talk or taunts thrown in. Tyler talked about stuff he and Josh had been doing recently and you talked about school, mostly. It was nice that Tyler allowed you to ramble about the same stuff over and over, even if he didn’t really understand what it meant.

Carter arrived home in the middle of one of your matches with a bag of Doritos in hand. Without a word, he tossed them towards you. You expertly deflected the bag of chips away from your face with one hand without losing your place in the race.

“Car!” you yelled. “I’m in the middle of something.”

“Yeah, your welcome,” he laughed.

“Thank you!”

He disappeared out of the doorway, presumably back to his room to practice more guitar. As soon as your Mario Kart match ended, you cracked open the Doritos and ate a handful.

“I have to stay fueled so that I can keep winning these races,” you laughed as you grabbed another chip.

“In that case, give me some of those.”

You took a quick Dorito break before returning to the set of races that you were in the middle of. It was a toss up between the two of you still, with you only having a few more wins than Tyler did.

“Ready?” you asked before unpausing the game.

“Ready.”

Tension was high and your focus was on nothing else except the track in front of you as you hit the halfway point in the race. Tyler was close behind you, but he didn’t have the necessary tools to overtake you… yet. If things went his way, you could be easily knocked out of first place.

You expertly rounded a corner and started on the straightaway that led to the finish line. Your heart was pounding in your chest as you shot a green shell out into the abyss in front of you, hoping that it wouldn’t accidentally ricochet and hit you instead of one of your opponents. The finish line was right there…

And then your remote was snatched from your hands. It took you a second to register what had happened, but once everything clicked you turned to Tyler in a fit of frustration.

“Tyler!” you screeched, already reaching for the remote. “Give it back!”

He immediately held his arm out to the side as he attempted to drive with his free hand. You could tell the game was still running just based on the sounds. Your first place position was surely already gone, but you weren’t so sure that Tyler had been able to secure it either.

“Fork it over, Joseph!” you said, leaning over a little further to try and get it.

All at once, you lost your balance and came crashing down on top of Tyler. You were laying on top of him with only your forearms as a barrier between you and him. He was looking at you with raised eyebrows, as if he hadn’t entirely processed what was going on.

“Sorry,” you muttered sheepishly, although you didn’t move from your position.

Tyler simply flashed a devilish grin at you, “That’s why you always wear the wristband.”

You took a moment to admire his face from such a close angle. His brown eyes were shining in the bit of sunlight that was pouring in from the window. They were framed so nicely by his eyelashes. How had you never noticed that before? For a moment, you swore his gaze wandered down to your lips, but you couldn’t be sure.

After all, Tyler didn’t share your feelings.

You wondered if Tyler could feel how hard your heart was beating in your chest as you looked down at him. Why hadn’t either of you moved? You should move. And yet, something in the back of your mind was telling you not to. Tyler was still looking straight into your eyes; his gaze was shifting around ever so slightly.

His eyes squeezed shut for a brief moment and his head rolled slightly to the side. When they opened again, he was no longer looking at you. He simply handed you your remote and all but pushed you off of him. You were taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor.

“Here,” he said as he pushed the remote into your hand.

You sat back on the couch - now a considerable distance farther from Tyler - and turned back to the screen. The two of you were now in eleventh and twelfth place as a result of your antics. Without another word to one another, you crossed the finish line. You were last.

“I guess that didn’t work out so well, did it?” he said, followed by a petty excuse for a laugh.

“Nope, not really.”

The next race started, but you simply shut the console off and walked to your room. You were no longer in the mood for video games, or being around Tyler for that matter. One minute you thought you understood him, and then the next he went and did something like that. All you wanted was to believe him about his feelings, but the way he had looked at you… there was nothing platonic about it.

You collapsed down onto your bed with your back to the door. Tyler would come looking for you instantly, which meant that you only had a short amount of time to get the tears out of your eyes. If only you could talk to Carter right now. That would help things.

“Y/N?” Tyler said. His voice was gentle.

You turned to look at him. Your lip was already between your teeth, throbbing slightly from you nervously chewing on it. Tyler was leaned in the doorway with his arms crossed. He was looking at you now.

“What?”

“Can I come in?”

“Sure,” you shrugged before turning back to the window.

The bed dipped with his weight as he sat next to you, so you scooted farther away to avoid sinking into the dip that had been formed. You wiped a tear away with your thumb before meeting his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered.

“For?”

“Everything.”

You rolled your eyes, “Do you even know why I’m upset?”

He paused, bit his lip for a moment, then answered. “No.”

You rubbed your hands along your face before brushing them through your hair.

“I need an answer, Ty. A real, honest answer. Not the same bullshit excuse that you always give me.”

“You want to know about my feelings.”

“Yes.”

“I-,” he stopped almost as quick as he started. His eyes squeezed shut again. “I don’t feel that way about you, Y/N.”

“Then why do you keep doing this?”

“Keep doing what?”

You stood up and began to pace the room. There was too much adrenaline in your body for you to sit still.

“The flirting! It’s like… you tell me all these things about caring about me and thinking I’m pretty and spending time with me but for what? Do you think this is some kind of game? I’ve been in love with you for years and every time you do something like this, you just pull me in further. Do you know what that’s like? How hard I’ve tried to get over you?”

“I didn’t realize that it was having such an effect on you.”

“Sure you didn’t, Ty. Because why would my feelings matter if you just got to play around and have fun flirting with no consequences?”

“Y/N, I promise you that’s not what I was trying to do. At all.”

“Then what was it, Ty? Because you’ve offered no other explanation.”

“I guess, um…”

You stared at him with crossed arms, waiting for whatever answer he decided to give you this time. It would probably sting just as much as his default answer, but at least it would feel genuine.

“Just spit it out, Tyler. There’s no point in stalling.”

“I guess I flirted with you because I felt bad that you liked me so much. I don’t know.”

“So you pity-flirted with me?” you said. The lump in your throat was so big that it hurt to talk.

“Yeah.”

“I can’t believe you. I already had to admit that I had this huge crush on you in front of all our friends and you decided to spend the next four years flirting with me because you felt bad that you didn’t feel the same? Really? All you did was make things harder for me. God, Tyler, I never needed your stupid pity.”

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I thought I was helping-”

“Shut up,” you said. Your head was shaking so fast your vision was starting to blur. “Just shut up. I don’t want to hear whatever you have to say.”

You couldn’t even look at him. All the time that you thought he might have even an inkling of feelings for you was just because he wanted to indulge you a little. It had never meant anything, and now you had wasted all this time chasing after something that never existed.

“I should go,” he said.

“You should.”

You stared at the ground while Tyler got up and left the room. He shut your bedroom door behind him, and you didn’t dare to move from where you were standing until you heard his car pull away outside. Once you were sure he was gone, you went running to Carter’s room and pounded on the door.

“What the hell do you want now?” he called from the other side.

“Please, Car,” you said. Your voice cracked on the last syllable.

He opened the door right away once he realized something was wrong. You practically crashed into him and wrapped your arms around his torso.

“Y/N,” he said quietly. “Come here.”

Carter led you to the bed and sat you down, still allowing you to cry into his shoulder.

“What happened?” he asked while he gently rubbed your back. It was one of the things he always did when you were upset to help you calm down.

“I’m so stupid,” you sobbed. “So so so stupid.”

“Shh, you’re not stupid.”

You were and you knew it. No matter what Carter would try to tell you or what Tyler would eventually say when you decided to clear all this up, it would always be the same in your head.

You were stupid for ever believing a boy like Tyler Joseph could love you.

* * * * *

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