A/N: Slash. Strong Language. Adult scenes. Disturbing scenes Features words and the characters from the short film "Teens Like Phil"
MMA is a tool that picks grown men apart. It's always progressing and growing day by day. It represents discipline and Vitality. When it comes to challenging for a belt, Timing is of the essence. But in MMA, you can only have regrets if you threaten them and learn from them.
Mistakes are only regrettable if your team let you make the same mistakes. It's through MMA that Men and Women have An attachment to their animalistic sides which they can smother, but cannot get rid of. MMA is a healthy hobby. A positive virus that once committed to, can lead to gold, wealth, and a UFC legacy.
He could never tell his parents where he went after school. It was just to the park to hang-out, as always he always, went to see his Uncle Mike. His Uncle Mike would be laying on the ground, waiting for him. Cigarettes were in his Uncle's pocket. Phil didn't know what do next. Uncle Mike was in his usual spot. As far as Phil knew, Mike had no-where to go. No job, no house, no friends, but Mike did have family…..that kept away from him…most of the time. But Phil and Uncle Mike had a bond.
A Bond that he couldn't tell his parents about.
That's it Brendan, why are you backing up? Take him down, yeah like that!" Frank yelled at ringside. Brendan was finding it hard. He was training for a guy called Sergio Pettis. Sergio's Big Brother Anthony Pettis was in the UFC. Everyone knew that Sergio wanted to join his brother, but Brendan was the guy standing in the way of Sergio's UFC dream. To help him get prepared Frank was bringing in strikers every day to get Brendan in shape.
Brendan was excited until he saw who he was facing each day.
Phil decided to do it. He wanted to show another kid that he was cool to be part of a group. It didn't work, but when he told Adam Charkin that he was going to the woods Adam said he'd go with him. Phil couldn't believe it. Adam was an asshole sometimes, but he was also one of the hottest boys in his class. Phil knew it was weird, but some nights he dreamt about being alone with Adam. Now it was actually going to happen and Phil told himself that he could handle it…..
But was it too much?
"Too much is never enough Brendan, come on, let's go!" Frank shouted. It was so fucking easy for Frank all he had to do was sit on his ass and scream. Frank had put, Chuck Liddell, Duane Ludwig, Todd Duffee and Alistair Overeem together and Brendan couldn't take many of them down and everytime Duane hit him, he felt like he was getting hit with a baseball bat. "Brendan Circle…..sprawl….why no subs? Come on Brendan!...son, you gotta work!" Frank shouted.
"Frank….Break!" Brendan shouted making the time out sign.
"Fuck no Conlon, you're not conning yourself out of this one…..let's go" Frank pushed.
"So…you go the woods everyday?" Adam asked. "Pretty much" Phil said. They walked over to where Phil's Uncle was sleeping. "Who is that guy?" Adam whispered. "You don't need to whisper, he's always out of it" Phil said. He walked over to his Uncle. Sensing his Nephew's presence, Mike opened his eyes. He saw Phil had company and shut his eyes again. Phil dug in his Uncle's pockets and took out a little plastic bag. He opened his Uncle's bag and took out some cigarettes and a lighter.
Adam nodded and smiled.
"Wow…little Phil's smoking? What would Mommy and Daddy say?" Adam said taking a cigarette and snatching the lighter.
"My parents don't want me in this park" Phil said.
"Yeah…..but that's because they think a creepy fag is gonna touch you up" Adam said.
"Brendan why are you being such a fag today? Just bending over and taking it? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Frank asked as Chuck began hitting Brendan with jabs. One clumsy mistake later and Brendan was able to take him down. "Yeah Brendan go for that leg" Frank said with a click of his finger. Brendan couldn't get a heel-hook but taking down someone as big Chuck Liddell gave him more confidence.
It gave Frank more confidence too. He made a few calls and got in touch with Bellator's Michael Chandler, who then put Frank through to UFC's "Robbed" man of the Moment, Johny "Big Rigg" Hendricks.
Frank would never have admitted this to any guy at the gym, but he was pissing his pants when he heard Johny Hendrick's Southern accent on the other end of the line.
"So Mr Hendricks….if we set this up can you teach an ass-kicking class to my friend Conlon?" Frank asked.
"If my Manager can dot the T's and cross the I's…I can come to you" Johny Hendricks said.
"If you send out the wrong signals…you know, the fags will come to you" Adam said. "Well that's what your parent's think…I think but I would like pull a GSP move on any guy" Adam said taking another puff on his cigarette before throwing it to the ground. Adam was really into MMA. He joined the wrestling team because he wanted to be the next Georges ST Pierre. Seeing as Georges might be retiring, if Adam really tried, he could beat Georges ST Pierre at this rate.
"What do you think about Fags anyway?" Phil asked Adam.
"Well….I mean like…when your brain says one thing….and your dick says another….you know…guys always follow their dicks. It's like human nature or whatever" Adam said looking at Phil's Uncle. It was sad seeing this huge guy on the floor covered in dirt. They were surrounded, by bird wildlife that chirped every now and again. Green-Brown leaves were under their feet and Adam thought that the wood would look awesome if someone bothered to clean it up.
"What do you think about Love?….Can you know…..people like that….you know…..find….the one?" Phil asked. He grew hotter as Adam sat so close to him, their legs were touching.
"Love?" Adam laughed. "I don't know….I would say that….it depends on the guy. You can't really choose who you fall in love with, you know? It kind of just happens. I mean I've never been in love….but I'm guessing…Love's like…..this gooey feeling…that makes you feel sick. You know, like you've had too much milk-shake or something. You read a book or go for a run or whatever…but it's still there you know, trapped in your gut" Adam ran his hand along Phil's stomach before leaning over to kiss him.
Phil moved away.
"What?...I thought….I thought that's what you wanted" Adam said.
"I've gotta go" Phil said getting up and walking away.
"Phil are you gonna say anything? Phil…wait!" Adam shouted getting up and following him.
"Wait a second Frank, you're letting me go home early?" Brendan said in shock. "Yeah…..you've got someone big to prepare for. Some MMA UFC fighter is gonna be all guns blazing" Frank said. "Okay…. I'll call you" Brendan said getting his kit together and he left. He was only a few feet away from the gym when he saw this kid slumped over on some stairs.
"Hello…..kiddo?" Brendan said going closer to the kid.
"Mmmmm?" The kid looked up and had a bloodied nose and stains on his shirt.
"I'm gonna take you the hospital, it's just down the street on the right" Brendan said. The kid stood up. They started walking down the street until the kid said. "Wait…I can't go to the hospital" The kid said.
"When you get there you can call your folks" Brendan said.
"That's the thing…they can't know…..about this" The kid said pointing at his face. Half an hour later, Brendan was wondering why he'd let the kid clean up at his house. But the kid made it clear he couldn't go back home. "What's your name? I can't call you just "Kiddo" Brendan said.
"My name's…Phil" Phil said. They walked through the hallway and Brendan shouted out. "Hun?" He was relived when he got no answer. His kids were still at school and he was sure this kid would be gone before his wife came home.
"Make yourself at home…..for a minute" Brendan said. He went to the kitchen and made Phil a Milkshake. He put it down on the table and the kid just stared at it.
"Look….Phil…..I'm gonna take a shower and then I'm gonna drive you home okay?" Brendan said. Phil nodded. He waited until Brendan was upstairs, then he got up and looked around. He walked into what looked like a nursery. He stepped in and messed around with the cuddly toys before going down the corridor. He walked into a room that looked like a home-gym.
There were weights and skipping ropes and a treadmill. He flicked a switch and the fan came on. He looked at the walls and there were UFC posters of MMA stars, like Junior Dos Santos, Jose Aldo, Matt Hughes, The Diaz Brothers Johny Hendricks and the UFC Welterweight champion Georges ST Pierre.
Phil looked at the picture. Sure, Georges ST Pierre was hot, but wasn't that the same guy Adam liked?
Phil turned off the fan switch and looked himself inside Brendan's gym.
Showered and changed, Brendan went to the living room to take the kid home. "Okay Phil…let's go" Brendan said. But Phil wasn't there. He looked around before checking the rooms. When he got to his gym room he stood there in shock before going in.
"Phil?...Shit….shit shit shit shit shit….." Brendan Whispered.
Brendan ended up taking Phil to the hospital after all. His parents were called. His Dad was at work, but his mother came in. "Phil…sweetheart are you okay?" His mother said brushing his forehead. "What the hell happened?" She asked Brendan.
Phil looked at him worriedly.
"This kid…..got in the gym, straining weights and numb-chucks and he almost knocked himself out" Brendan lied.
"Phil what were you doing at the gym, you were supposed to be in school" His Mom said.
"After school mom" Phil said weakly.
"You know your cousins and my sister are visiting and you pull a stunt like this?" His mother said. "What are you playing at?" His mother asked. "Phil here are your clothes….let's go"
"Mom….." Phil said.
"No buts Phil, you're grounded when you get back" His mother said.
"Mom….I was wondering…if I could stay with Brendan" Phil said. Brendan looked up and shook his head.
"Look Phil, listen to your Mom…..home is the best place for you" Brendan said. His Mother shrugged.
"Well I do have so many relatives at home and you're used to taking kids in right?" She asked.
"Excuse me Miss…" Brendan said.
"Patterson" Phil's mother said. "It's a tight fit at my place and isn't that why the school recruited you? As a problem solver in these kind of things?" Miss Patterson asked.
"Miss Patterson I don't know what you're…" Brendan started saying.
"Brendan, Mom's talking about the school "Big Brother program" you signed up to get to be a kid's…..friend" Phil said.
"Oh….ummm….yes…..yes Miss Patterson…that's true...Miss Patterson I can't tell you how sorry I am that Phil got injured. I take full responsibility" Brendan said.
"Then could you take Phil this weekend?" Miss Patterson asked. "Just until his bruises have cleared. As I said….many of my family members are here and they don't need to see Phil like this. Phil's Father and I Will pay for all of Phil's expenses" Miss Patterson said.
"You did what?" Brendan's wife Tess said when Brendan got home and put Phil to sleep in the spare room.
"Tess…..this kid's been through a lot. He had an accident today and his Mom couldn't get rid of him quick enough. It's only for the weekend" Brendan said.
"Great, that's all we need Brendan, another mouth to feed. You don't know this kid from Adam. What if he's on some weird list that you don't know about?" Tess asked. "What about the girls? Remember them? Our kids" Tess asked.
"Tess it's just for a couple of days, and his Mom is paying for his keep" Brendan said.
"For Once Brendan it's not the money I'm worried about. I'm worried about some strange kid that we don't even know waking up in the middle of the night and going into our girl's room…"
"Tess just stop. Stop right there okay. This kid is too tired to even speak. He's a good kid. I don't know him that well…but I can't judge him either. I'm not a child Psychologist" Brendan said.
"Then stop trying to act like one Brendan" Tess said. "If this kid stays, I'm taking the kids to my Mom's until the weirdo's gone" Tess said. "It's your choice"
Try as he might, Brendan couldn't kick Phil out. He watched his wife and his kids leave and waved as his youngest daughter waved at him from the car. It wasn't long before his Brother Tommy and his Dad Paddy had heard all sorts of stories the next morning.
"Son…is it true? Did Tess?..." His Dad asked on the doorstep.
"Pop….it's just for the weekend" Brendan said letting his family in.
"Yeah fucking right" Tommy said barging through his brother when he could smell bacon. He went to the kitchen to see some kid in one of Brendan's T-shirts and plain white shorts.
"Hi" Phil said. "Umm…..do you want anything to eat?" Phil asked. Tommy shook his head. Phil went to the spare room, while Tommy confronted his brother.
"So that's why you sent the chick and your kids away?" Tommy asked.
"What?" Brendan asked.
"Why settle for a dumb old broad, when you can get a young jock that sucks cock" Tommy said.
"Tommy you really are a perverted piece of shit, you know that?" Brendan said.
"Boys pipe down, the kid could hear" Paddy said.
"Dad don't tell me what to do…you had that chance and you wasted it" Tommy said.
"But I can Tommy, cause you're in my fucking house" Brendan said quietly. They settled down into chairs in the living room and Tommy went to the kitchen and came out with a carton of cheap juice.
"Don't worry Bren, a couple more days and your boyfriend will be licking the expensive juice off your balls" Tommy said.
"Tommy don't…Son, why can't this kid go home?" Paddy asked.
"It's a long story, but he's a good kid and….he got beaten up" Brendan said.
"So was Mom, I didn't see you rushing to take care of her" Tommy said.
"So...Anyway…this kid seems to be a fan of MMA, so I was just gonna take him to the gym" Brendan said. Tommy excused himself and went to the bathroom. He'd been in a fight outside of the cage and almost got his ass kicked. He went to his Brother's bathroom and lifted up his shirt. While looking at his wounds in the mirror, he got a shock, when he saw the kid looking at his body from the door. Tommy pulled his T-shirt down and chased the kid out of the bathroom. He'd almost got to him, when his Big Brother Brendan pulled him back.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Brendan asked. Tommy pushed him away.
"That freak was staring at me…..looking at me….Bren…..I was making jokes and all…..but…he wants to fuck you…or me…..or both of us" Tommy said.
"Get downstairs…..now" Brendan said hurriedly. They went downstairs and Paddy looked at them confused.
"Bren…..Tommy….is everything okay?" Paddy asked.
"No Pop it's not alright" Brendan said. He checked Phil wasn't outside and shut the door.
"Pop I met this kid….Phil, coming from the gym. Someone had beaten the shit out of him"
"I Can fucking see why" Tommy said.
"Shut it Tommy. He didn't wanna go the hospital. He didn't want his parents to know….which is bull, because he had to go to the hospital anyway" Brendan said.
"Why? To get a dick removed from his ass?" Tommy teased.
"No asshole. The kid tried to kill himself" Brendan told his family.
"What?" Paddy asked, leaning forward to get nearer to his older son.
"Pop he was beaten up. So I took him here to get him cleaned up….and….I left him in the living room….I swear I did Pop. In my gym room….. my coach Frank was going on about fans on the ceiling keeping the room tidy, keeping me sweat free. Frank was going on about UFC guys like Hendricks and Dustin Hazelett having fans in their rooms and I thought….I'd get one…you know" Brendan said.
"What the fuck has a Johny Hendricks fan gotta do with this?" Tommy asked.
"Cause after I'd had the shower. I went to see Phil, and he weren't there. I checked every room…and then I went to the gym room and…..he'd…..Phil…. had hung himself"
"Fuck" Tommy said.
"Son….I'm so so sorry you had to see that" Paddy said squeezing Brendan's shoulder.
"Phil used my skipping rope and hung it to the ceiling fan and….when I saw him Pop, I swear I….thought he was gone. He was as limp as one Pop's omelets. I took him down and called the ambulance and…I had to lie to his Mom" Brendan said.
"Wait, her son tries and tops himself, and you say nothing?" Paddy asked.
"Would you wanna know?" Brendan asked.
"Any parent has to know….you know you're gonna have to tell her" Paddy said.
"So that's why he's here. You can't say anything okay. He just wants to be normal and umm….watch MMA" Brendan said.
"The only MMA the kid's into is submitting my ass" Tommy said.
"Tommy, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Brendan asked. "Look I've just told you about one of the worse things that I've ever fucking seen. One of the worst things that have happened in this house. I can't tell Frank. I can't tell Tess, my own wife. You're right Tommy. I couldn't look after Mom, but I can make sure that Phil's okay" Brendan said.
"You think that looking after a fag is gonna make up for bailing out on Mom?" Tommy asked.
"Tommy I don't wanna hear your bullshit. If you say one bad word about Phil or look at him wrong, I want you out….I'm serious"
"So you're giving up MMA to be fag's ass-licker" Tommy said.
"So what if Phil's a fag Tommy? So fucking what? At least he's brave enough to be honest. You had no guts at his age, you don't even have any fucking guts now" Brendan said.
"Fuck you" Tommy said. Both Brothers stood up and stared at each other.
"Brendan" Paddy said tapping Brendan's arm and looking at the door. Phil was standing there awkwardly.
"Phil…you've met my brother Tommy…this is my Pop…..Paddy" Brendan said.
"Hey Kiddo" Paddy said.
"Hi" Phil said.
"We're all gonna take you to the gym Phil" Brendan said. "Aren't we Tommy?" He asked his Brother.
Feeling his family's and Phil's eyes on him Tommy nodded and sat down as Phil smiled at the Conlon family.