Friendly Fire

[Pax Stormcrow]

Touchian

Tanimannari, Okayama, Japan

14 June 2024

Charlie had a fight with herself. Being back in Japan was making her slip back into her old ways of trying to prove how Japanese she was. At first, it had just been towels and food that was harder to come by. Now, however…

“Hey Char, don’t you have a date?”

Nat’s question, while clearly rhetorical, made Charlie look up from her pacing as she waited for Pax. Charlie merely raised an eyebrow at her, conveying a silent ‘well, duh!’ rather effectively.

“Then why you look like yer goin’ to a festival?”

Charlie looked down at her outfit, and realized she’d put on a yukata. With a noise of frustration, she stomped back into her room in the vacation house and tossed the robe-like garment almost carelessly back onto its hanger. What had she been thinking? She was ‘officially’ meeting Jack and Nate tonight! Not going to a festival like Nat suggested, or anything where she was supposed to blend in. She railed at herself for any number of reasons, not the least of which was that she’d already met Nate. Sure the circumstances hadn’t been the best for formal introductions, what with Jack needing to go to the hospital, but still.

“I think ya might be a little underdressed for the occasion, Una… Not that I mind…”

Charlie whirled to see Pax. She groaned in frustration and pulled out a pair of leggings.

“Any reason you’re not ready, hon?” he asked as she shimmied her way into them.

“I hate this place!” she snapped, and turned to rummage through her shirts to find something not Japanese. It was a paltry selection and mostly workout gear since she wanted to keep her big suitcase packed until they got to Tokyo, but it would have to suffice.

“I thought you liked the house?”

“Not the house… This country!” she corrected irritably. Plain plain plain… all the shirts were plain. She didn’t want plain tonight. She almost threw the pile away from her, disgusted. “I keep slipping up and trying to be all Japanese again.” She felt her eyes burning and ruthlessly squashed the feeling. She hadn’t cried when Shea betrayed her, nor when she’d lost to Jennie… She was not going to cry over this.

His arms came around her waist, sending a thrilling tremor through her. He rested his chin on her shoulder, his breath warm against her bare neck. “Relax, Una.” He hadn’t needed to say that. Just holding her against him, feeling the warmth of him against her back even through his shirt was enough for Charlie to instinctively melt into his embrace. “You’re thinkin’ too much again,” he added quietly in her ear.

She shivered again, and had to remind herself firmly that now was not the time to act on the impulse of the moment. She’d needed to get good at doing so very quickly ever since their first practice together, or they never would’ve gotten past the first few moves. She knew he felt the same way, which didn’t help matters, but they were better about restraining themselves… at least until their practice time was over.

He turned his head to the side and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “It’s just dinner with friends, Una. It’s not anything worth stressin’ over.” He nuzzled his face against her neck. “Want help pickin’ something out?”

She smiled and leaned into him, laying her arms over his and giving him something of a hug that way. She liked being in his arms. If not for their dinner, she would’ve been perfectly happy to forget getting dressed at all. “I think I’ll be okay now, Pax…” she said softly, even though she still hadn’t extricated herself from his arms.

He smiled and kissed her cheek before he reluctantly slipped his arms from around her. “Good. Go ahead and get ready then. I got something for ya when you are done.”

Charlie sighed wistfully as he left her, casting a baleful eye on the large suitcase still against the wall next to her open carry-on luggage. There really was nothing else for it. She regretfully pulled it open, wincing as the top popped open from how much she’d stuffed into it.

She tried to be careful in her perusal, rolling the various articles back up as she put them aside. She grimaced the deeper she dug, since it meant more effort to repack and close the case later. Still, she found what she was looking for. She made quick work of pulling on the simple white blouse and the ribbon skirt she’d worn to the Art Show. It wasn’t exactly the same outfit as she’d worn that day, but it was close enough, and she didn’t want to try to find her jewelry as she was already running late as it was.

Since her outdoor shoes were by the door, she grabbed up her house slippers and darted quickly back out to the main living area. Even after so brief an absence, Charlie felt her lips curve up in a smile as she saw Pax again.

He had taken up a spot in the genkan, bouncing slightly on his heels as he waited for her. He turned his head when he heard her approach and broke out into a beaming smile. “Hey Una! Ya ready to go?” He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a simple gray jewelry box and held it out to her. “I put in an order before the European tour. Kate was nice enough to bring it over with her. I hope ya like ‘em.”

Charlie set her slippers down before taking the box with a curious expression at him. “Before Europe?” she asked with a teasing grin. She tried to not let the thought make her blush, since they’d barely established anything firm before they’d left for London. How oblivious had she been while she’d been trying to ignore the attraction she felt for him? To distract herself, she flipped the lid open.

Catching sight of what was within, she knew she wouldn’t be able to hide her blush. A pair of copper turtles with agate shells depending from small hooks. She may not have been patient enough to learn her mother’s trade, but she knew enough to know that these were no small gift; certainly more valuable than a girlfriend of two months could expect.

She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “Thank you, Pax.”

He shifted in place before he smiled at her. “You’re welcome, Una. Ya deserve it.” He lifted a hand to run it through his hair as his cheeks colored slightly. “I got a cab on the way. Should be here in just a little bit.”

He turned towards the door before he paused and looked back at her with a smile. “You look really pretty by the way. The outfit was a good choice.”



Pax stepped into the waiting car after Charlotte and then grabbed his seatbelt to snap into place while the door was closed behind them. Just then his phone chimed. He gave Charlotte an apologetic look, but at her encouraging smile he slipped his phone out of his pocket and saw the message was from Kate. He tapped the notification to check the message.

The request for the car came in past our scheduled time. I told you how important it is that we stick to this.

He sighed heavily and started to type out a response.

There were some wardrobe issues. We are on our way now. No sweat.

No. Big sweat. I have an intricate set up of rumored appearances for the two of you staggered out to try and get you the time you need for this little get together. That means sticking to a schedule.

Alright, alright. I’m sorry. We’ll do better about that.

You better. Course if your little girlfriend would go ahead and get on top of this already it wouldn’t be an issue.

Hey, you told me to let you network press responses. I’m not about to get involved with that. She’ll handle it when she handles it. But thanks for doing this.

Don’t thank me. I’m doing my job in keeping you on track and protecting your brand. Just try and make my job easy. It helps both of us. Enjoy your relaxing evening while I juggle phone calls and social media.

He grimaced slightly at the phone before he locked the screen and slipped it into his pocket. He turned back to Charlotte who was watching him curiously.

“Everything alright?”

“Ya, just Kate fussing about the things managers fuss about. You know how they are.”

“You wanna tell me about it?”


-------------------------------


The vlog opens with a landscape cellphone view, revealing Charlotte and Pax inside of a practice ring. The two of them are dressed in workout clothes, with Charlie seated on top of a turnbuckle and Pax leaning on the ropes next to her.

“Hey Allen, what’s up. Good to see you again bro. I been looking forward to this match ever since I saw that we got placed in the same bracket. Leading up to Joker in the Pack I said I admire you and that’s still fucking true. We went out there together against four other shitass bastards and beat the fuck outta them. Four other guys and whatever goons they could manage to swing together to put us down and when it came down to it, it was a roll of the dice who came out with that briefcase and the die came up for you. Good for you neechi. You deserve it.”

Pax grins at the camera and drapes his arms over the ropes.

“But that don’t mean I’m gonna want to get mine back. Liking you and applauding your victory don’t mean I am not eager to step into that ring and have us kick the shit outta each other. You stamped your ticket for a title shot. Sure, Verona won’t put his name on it, but I’m sure you can find someone else in an authority position to sign on the dotted line. Somewhere, someone’ll probably be willing to help ya out. If only we could think of who…”

He chuckles and shakes his head before he turns to look up at Charlotte with a wide smile. Charlotte grins back at him before turning her attention back to the camera, one long leg swinging below her perch.

“Nat Nat Nat… I love ya girl… Ya know that, right? Good…” Charlotte nods decisively, pulling her leg up to get it under her as she balances precariously atop the turnbuckle. “You and me are wind and fire, hon. We’re always feedin’ into each other; I give you heat, you give me fuel. We push each other like good friends should; the push to be better, burn brighter. That ‘go big or go home’ style that gives my sister panic attacks.

“I’m pretty sure we lost track around the Netherlands how close we’d gotten to beating the other.” Casually, as if merely strolling down a Tokyo sidewalk, Charlotte starts walking along the top rope. Pax blinks up at her for a moment before carefully stepping back from the ropes and out of the way. “I don’t even remember what the score was, but we ain’t keepin’ track of that anymore are we?. You and me know each other’s style like its our blood, like it’s the air we breathe, because it is. The moves that come as naturally as sitting up in bed in the morning… And so because of that? All I know is this match gonna be lit.”

Charlotte almost idly pivots on one foot in the middle of the rope and balances there, a cocky grin on her face. Pax jerks his attention away from Charlotte and shakes his head before looking back to the camera with a grin.

“I been looking forward to tying it up with you from when I first saw your work man. You are a hell of a lot of fun to watch compete and I am damn sure that you are even more fun to fight. I know you are going to come with everything you have to put me down and that’s the kind of shit I live for. You can say a lot of things about me. But I am not scared of a fight. Never have been and never will be. You have the sort of explosive power that you don’t often see around very much and I am fucking ready to test myself against you and see who comes out on top.”

“Course I think it’s gonna be me. But that’s the story all the time isn’t it? We all come out here and say that we are the better person and talk about how we are gonna kick each other's ass, right? Only difference is I got receipts. Now ya might be asking why I’m so confident? You’re bigger than me after all and I’m not one of these idiots out here that are gonna shame ya for being fat. Anyone with eyes and the brain cells to rub together can see you are an athletic mother fucker. You can fucking go in that ring. As long as me? Probably not. That’s no shade to you though. No one can go as long as I can. No, the truth of the matter is that I know how to take you down, Allen. You have explosive power and an agile moveset that staggers the mind. But the thing is? You need your legs for that. You need to move to be able to tap into that strength and your skills. All I need to do to shut down your whole offense is bring you down to the mat and there ain’t nobody better on the mat then I am. I am gonna twist you in so many knots that you aren’t gonna be able to fly like you want too.”

Charlotte almost skips along the top rope back to the turnbuckle to her perch, sitting so she faces the camera. Casually, she leans forward, her hands on the ringpost. “Nat, ma girl… you knew when you got on this ride I wasn’t gonna stop for anything or anyone… And that includes you, honey.” She smiles ruefully. “I don’t like it myself, since I’d rather be workin’ with ya than against, but wha’cha gonna do with bookers, amirite? You may want this, need this, but I ain’t done yet.

“Ya know I got other reasons for wantin’ the win. We spent too much time together already for you to ignore it. I’m gonna rock Japan’s world to its core and show them exactly who they missed out on. Though, being fair, I suppose I should thank them. After all, if they hadn’t forced me out, I never woulda jumped to Imperial, or even gotten to know you, Nat,” she pauses, smiling fondly at Pax. “Among other people of course.”

“You and me got a race goin’ that only ends with one of us burned from flyin’ too close to the sun. Someday, you and me are gonna tango like no one else… Maybe we’ll even invite that crazy fucker Dean Harper to join in and set the record for the longest match, the most injuries, and the highest ratings… but it’s not during this tournament, my friend. You may jive well with Al. Hell… You might even eventually call him a friend if he pulls his entitled head out of his ass… but you know it ain’t what you got with me or Rini, never mind tryin’ to compare it to the blend Pax and I got. There may be mutual benefits there, but do you really think it’ll be enough?”

Pax dropped down to a cross legged position on the mat, leaning on the second rope so as to not interfere with Charlotte’s acrobatics on the top rope. He leaned his head out of the rope and beckons the camera closer which the person holding it obliges.

“Look, I’m gonna be real. This random draw idea for a tag team portion worked really well for some people and not so great for others. Ya, Una and I have never tagged before last week. But we know each other. We got a connection. That gives us an advantage that a lot of people don’t have. We know we can trust each other and that we will go to bat for each other. But man, you ain’t gotta worry about that either. I don’t really know Nat that well but she’s on the level. She’s not gonna be someone to stab you in the back and I know for damn sure she’s just as hungry as you are to get the win here. Course, ya have to be don’t ya? That draw you all had last week means that the only way that you can get in first place is if Una and I lose. All the better if you are the ones to do it. But I don’t think you are the ones to do it. But best believe I’m rootin for ya Allen. I want that singles match against you. So you sure as hell better bust your ass so that I can see you in the finals. I’ll be waiting.”

“See ya back at the house, Nat,” Charlie adds with a cheshire-like grin, her head poking from the side into frame as she hangs from the top rope.

Pax starts to do his usual outro, pounding his fist against his chest as the camera zooms out. However he is interrupted as Charlotte swings down from the top rope to wrap her legs around the top of his head to hurricanrana him to the outside.

“What the f…”

A distinctly Hannah sounding squeal of distress is heard as the phone is dropped, cutting the feed.