IWS #1

 
"Vinny?" she knelt beside the couch where he slept, watching him for a few seconds, feeling an ache of longing in her chest. She knew she could stay here forever, she knew he'd love that more than anything, but she'd already made another bed to lie in. "Hey, sleepyhead." She reached out and ran her hand through his sleep-tossed hair, feeling a smile tug at her lips.
 
The sun was breaking over the horizon, flooding the small apartment with light – she could see how small it really was now and it didn't feel shabby to her at all. It felt cozy.
 
Vinny let out a sleepy grunt, turning his face away from the unforgiving sun.
 
They'd stayed up into stupid o'clock the night before, countless hours at the gym working on technique turning into them munching snacks and talking about everything and nothing.
 
"You need better curtains." Kasey said, vowing to order the same ones she'd gotten off Amazon for him. At least then he could keep weird hours and still get sleep. She sat down with her back against the couch, letting out a sigh. "I don't even know why I signed up for this thing in Indiana. It just… I feel like I'm running into the same wall in Millennium as I did in Empire. Like there's a glass ceiling only for me and no matter how hard I bust my tail, I'm never gonna break through, you know?"
 
He was feigning sleep now, watching her talk from between half-slitted eyes as they adjusted to the morning light. Her red hair lay across his arm, tickling and he couldn't stop thinking how she was an angel, fallen from heaven, and his heart broke in two just listening to her talk about going away again. Having her here for the weekend had been the icing on the cake; the mother of all dreams come true.
 
"I thought about going back to Louisiana," she hesitated, picking at the cat hairs on her black hoodie. "I mean, in theory, of course. I didn't send in an application or anything because I didn't…"
 
"I know," he murmured softly.
 
"I don't wanna work for the same company Nick does."
 
He tried not to tense at the mention of her boyfriend. The last couple days, he'd done his best to pretend Nick Sanders didn't exist. Kasey surprised him by turning around, giving him an awkward hug. He pressed his lips to her temple, smoothing her hair back in a gesture that was both possessive and tender at the same time. Regret colored the words he spoke in a hoarse whisper, "I wouldn't be mad if you did." 
 
"I know. But I still… I wouldn't, okay?"
 
"Okay."
 
She kept hugging him, burying her face against his chest as she felt tears dangerously close to the surface. This was the side of Kasey Summers that nobody saw – the very human and very broken little girl she hid underneath the mask of sarcasm. She opened her eyes, looking up at him through the tangle of her hair. Her eyes were impossibly blue, catching the vague light that filtered in around the curtains. Without any makeup other than the smudge of old mascara she'd missed when she'd washed her face, she was still gorgeous. Even now, in the first light of morning with her mussed up hair and the over-sized shirt she'd stolen from his laundry, she looked better than any supermodel.
 
There was a sad smile on his face that made her wonder what he was thinking. She ran a hand over his chest, tracing the contours of muscle beneath the thin wrapping of cotton. He shivered slightly when her light touch skimmed his neck, trailing up to cradle his cheek. "Vinny..." she bit her lip, weighing the pros and cons of telling him what was truly on her mind. She wanted to tell him what she knew he'd been dying to hear. It was never that simple, though. If she admitted she loved him, it would all come crashing down. It always did. She had two engagement rings in the bottom of her jewelry box to prove that truth, not to mention the abandonment issues Hunter and then Akragth had left her with. 

Instead of vomiting her heart out on her sleeve, she simply repeated, "I've gotta go," before she could give in to the desire to stay here with him and pretend the outside world didn't exist. He'd let her. She knew that. As long as he wasn't off competing in his tournaments and training his students, he was here – a constant in her life that she took for granted all too often. She hated herself for using him like that. 
 
"Kasey, I-"
 
She pressed a finger to his lips, feeling their softness. The touch was enough to make her smile, as though the thought of kissing them rose in her mind. "Don't say something and ruin the moment."
 
She meant it for them both and then she was pushing a hand against his chest, holding him at bay as though she could read his thoughts in his eyes. When he said nothing, she let out a groan that was almost a hungry growl and pressed her lips to his. After all these years, all this time fighting through the tension, it felt so good to find that release. She kissed him hard – they kissed each other breathless and then Kasey pulled back, laughing softly. "Maybe I should stay a little longer, hmm?"
 
He didn't trust himself with words, nodding instead.
 

 
HOLY SHIZNIT, BATMAN… THE WARRIOR PRINCESS BLOGS AGAIN~!
 
Oh yeah. I know. For srs, I know it's been a hot minute since I did one of these things. God, I used to be all up in my feels, pounding the keys at all hours – that was 2011 and I was a lot more angsty then. Yeah, true story. I mean maybe it doesn't seem like it because I'm always raging about something but that's just because over the years, my filters have all been eroded. See, I don't care what you think of me. I don't care how many people will see me travelling to Indianapolis as a big middle finger to Millennium. The truth is, I think Chuck Matthews is a giant bag of peppered dicks and he's terribad at booking – I digress. I'm not writing this to bitch about the poor treatment I've received.
 
I'm here to talk about a NEW opportunity, one that I have the best shot at dominating. I mean, this place hired Latoya Hixx and then put that r-tard in a women's rumble. There's no way she'll even find the arena, let alone make any sort of impact in the match. All I have to do is outlast a bunch of other b-class losers and I'm a shoo-in. No lie. And I mean if that gets your panties in a bunch? Good.
 
Deal with it.
 
Embrace the hate. Feed the anger and come on over to the dark side where we burn that damn candle on both ends!
 
I BURN, LADIES, SO HOT I WILL SET THE DAMN RING AND THE ARENA ON FIRE.
 
I hate introductions. I really do. You can Google me, if you're so inclined to. I shouldn't have to regale you with accomplishments because this isn't a damned job interview. The powers that be were all but jizzing over the prospect of having a multi-time record-breaking champion like me in this match. Forget Ivy and Ivelisse and whoever else they scrounged up from the Tuesday afternoon shift at the titty bar… it's my time now.
 
Who am I?
 
Oh, ladies. That's cute. I'm not a wannabe playing the role of keyboard warrior. I'm not some failed model posting daily thirst traps on Twitter. I am here to wrestle, and the rest of that drama can go to hell.
 
They say I have commitment issues. They don't know shit.
 
I live and breathe this industry, wholly, heart and soul.
 
This is who I am. Not today, Satan. Not today.