A/N: This went over pretty well on Deviantart (DA) so I thought I'd post it here. Originally made for The Brotherhood Club on DA for their Title to Go Fan Fiction Contest. You can get to The Brotherhood Club from my profile as it appears FFN can't stand linking to DA.
The Fight
I pass Wagner in the halls and we share a moment. A mutual, barely noticeable nod. I keep my excitement under wraps. Tonight is The Fight.
The books in my bag mean nothing to me. The jeers and nose turns and ramblings of the other kids don't matter in the least. I've only got one thing on my mind. Tonight is The Fight.
We can thank Rogue that it exists at all. She was our Typhoid Mary. The Brotherhood cooked it up on Movie Night. Freddy, Lance, Pietro and I got inspired seeing Brad Pitt and Edward Norton kick the living snot out of each other. Duking it out of their own free, honestly free, wills. We didn't think Rogue was listening at all. She sat, stewing away in the armchair in the corner, completely silent. And then the day came when she left us and, with her, she brought our little idea.
It infected the other side like a plague; then it festered and raged for weeks until it couldn't be contained.
Tonight is the Fight.
I try not to run home to get ready. The Fight only comes every two months or so. Every 31st of the month with the exception of a long break in December for the holidays. Summers set it up that way. Pfft, Summers. Gotta have rules, ya know?
The Fight lasts from 10pm until dawn if there's no winner before then. Four vs four. The last member standing wins the fight for his team. Oh, and, of course, no powers. That part sucks the worst. Its second nature to most of us and the minute someone slips up, The Fight is over. If we kept going, it's just too easy to let it slip into an all out war. And that's Xavier and Magneto's territory. The Fight is ours.
I throw open the door to the boarding house and leap up the stairs as fast as I can. I have to prepare. There are things one has to do before The Fight. There are rituals to perform. Lance is in his room, plucking away at his guitar. Everyone prepares in different ways. I think he wants to play in case someone breaks his hands during the fight. He plays before and he plays after. Please and thank you.
The others do their thing too. I don't have to see them to know. Freddy eats. Wanda sleeps. I take a shower.
I take a breath and step into the tub, blasting the water. I've hated baths since I was a kid but if I have to take my one shower a month I want it to be for something worth while. I only smell this nice so I can sweat it all off right after.
The shower is as quick and painless as I can make it. I put on my Fight clothes. Not that stupid soldier suit I wear for Mystique. My Fight clothes. Jeans, nice shoes, dark t-shirt. It's the X-Freak's playing field this time. They've chosen the skate park. Maybe Evan's coming back from under the city or something. Well, we picked the battle field in August so it's their turn and we don't question it so long as it's spectator free. Though tonight, I want everyone watching because tonight the Brotherhood's going to win. And I am going to be the victor.
I've been planning and training. I can feel the difference in my muscles. I can feel it. I'm gonna be the last one standing and no one will ever be able to call me a loser again. I know it down to my very core. I will NOT be "X"ed this time.
Ten o' clock finally rolls around and Freddy and I are rarin' to go. I've barely been able to sit for the past two hours and Freddy's been off the wall, nearly bringing the house down with wild preparation. Sometimes he just goes overboard. We all know the feeling. We head out to the jeep, trying to play it cool. Wanda looks like she couldn't care less. Lance is just as calm, slipping in behind the wheel. He's mellowed out a lot since Pietro left. We miss him for Fight Nights. He was always ready to go and he could really stir up the mood. He's gone over to his father's side though and we haven't seen him in a long while.
The trip to the skate park is smooth. We drive most of the way there in silence. Preparing. We're long past the "I'm gonna kick his ass" phase. Now it's just focusing on the win. I close my eyes and feel the wind through my hair. The jeep top is down even though it's pretty chilly. It's a ritual. Tradition. I concentrate on what victory will taste like and everyone's face when it's all over.
Neither side has ever won before. In the year this has been going on, someone always uses their powers. Every. Time. Somebody avalanches or phases or kicks too hard and breaks Wagner's ribs. Not that I regret that mind you. But still, it just means The Fight continues on.
We ditch the jeep a half a mile from the site. It's a little less suspicious than just driving straight up to the site of a brawl. Now this is when things get tense. My stomach might as well be a flapjack in a frying pan. I can feel my muscles bunching together into impossibly tight knots. The skate park lies ahead of us like a concrete desert. A lot of painful places to fall. A lot of hurt. That's good though. Because I plan to use that.
The X-Freaks are there too. Summers, Wagner, Rogue, and Jean. Jean. That's a surprise. I glance to the others for their reactions. They don't seem surprised. Maybe I missed the memo.
"You guys ready?" Summers asks as if we're going on a hiking trip.
We don't dignify him with an answer and head into the park. I've got Summers this time around. I don't care who everyone else has. I think Wanda's against Jean though. I hope Sweetums gives her a black eye.
We square off. Freddy is off somewhere to my right and Wanda a little further than that. I can't see where Lance is but I don't worry about Lance. I've got more important matters. The Fight always starts abruptly. Someone's overheated and ready to blow off some steam. I'm not sure who starts it this time but I blink and Summers is down and sprinting forward like a damn cat! I begin to crouch down and I'm all but screaming at my body to keep from leaping out of the way. I end up just standing there like an idiot as Summers tackles me to the ground. I hit the cement as hard as I thought it would feel.
"Come on, Tolensky! Don't make me wait!" I squeeze my knees up in between us and shove him off, careful to stop from using my full force. Summers has never used his powers during The Fight but he doesn't have to think about it every step of the way. I flip over to my front and feel someone's heels catch my ribs. Wagner falls back over me, knocking me to my side.
"Damnit, Wagner! Watch where you're goin'!" I push him off me just as Freddy practically charges through me to get him. Freddy's never been very good at that whole "multi focus" thing. Summers is on me again before I know it. Moves quick for a tall guy. I always seem to forget that. He lands a good solid punch to my cheek and I know that's gonna swell up. I flip over, up, onto my feet and tackle him into a grind rail. Ouch. We roll off it, back on the ground. We're wrestling for a better position, rolling around like lovers. It's ridiculous.
Again, Freddy nearly clips us and I have to reel backwards to prevent his reckless arm from dragging me along with him. Summers uses the advantage and kicks me in the face. My head hits the pavement hard and I'm seein' stars. I can't focus and Summers is relentless. He's got one cross after another in my face and I might as well be unconscious already.
I can't open my eyes. I'm in too much pain. How could this end so quickly? I could feel it. This was my win! My win! I hear the uncapping of a marker. Summers thinks I'm unconscious. I can use this to my advantage. He's leaning in to tag me. An "X" I have to wear for the next week. I've worn them before. But he's overzealous and I'm as still as a frog in a dissection tray. He never sees it coming. I snap my leg up and kick him straight in the chin. He crashes backwards his visor flying from his face. Fuck. Game Over. Game fucking Over.
I wait for the red beam and the angry shouts and the long, empty ride home. But nothing happens and Summers isn't getting up. I creep up on him from the side, trying to stay out of arm's reach. He's out cold and I can tell. I grab his visor away from Wanda and Jean before they roll over it and nab Summers' sharpie while I'm at it. I could use mine but I like the idea of tagging him with his own marker. I pause before I do it. Face tags are forbidden because they raise too many questions. But I'm pretty good at finding loopholes.
I make a long, blue "X" across Summer's eyes and bridge of the nose before shoving the visor back on his face. He'll probably be wearing that for a month before he realizes it's even there. I snicker at the thought. Now I just have to wait for my next opponent. That's all the better for me though since I need a moment to see straight.
Wanda and Jean are still fighting. Freddy is in the corner and Wagner's no where to be seen. Hopefully he's lying prone under all that fat. Rogue is tagging the back of Lance's hand. We meet eyes. She's in better shape than I am. Lance was never good at hitting girls. Round 2 starts.
She's protecting her left hand so, naturally, that's the first thing I target. She howls in pain when I grab her by it, making sure not to touch the thin area of skin between her glove and her shirt. I use my shoulder as a fulcrum and throw her over me. She lands like a gymnast and sends an elbow straight into my nose. If it wasn't broken before it is now. I shriek and grab my face with one hand, stepping back. I stumble on Summer's prone body and have to struggle to stay upright, stomping all over him. Rogue looks horrified, completely off guard. I get lucky again. Knew this was my night. I take advantage of the moment and stab my heel into her gut. She takes it hard and falls to her knees like she's gonna vomit. I use both hands to knock her in the back of the head. There's enough hair to keep me from getting zapped. She's down too now. I take Summers' sharpie and "X" the back of her neck. I smile again. She'll be looking for that one for a while.
I shove Summers' marker into my pocket and look up. The couples have evened out. Rogue and Summers are down, thanks to me of course. But Lance and Freddy are tagged too. Jean and Wanda are still roughing it out. I'm not surprised. They're both pretty tough broads. How Wagner took out Freddy, though, I'll never know. He was pumped before we got here! That and Wagner's got a glass EVERYTHING. I see the freak not too far away, hanging on to the fence.
The two of us meet eyes.
We're not supposed to fight. Too violent. Too reckless. Too many trips to the sick bay. We share a moment…before we start pounding the crap out of each other.
I forgot how it felt to fight Wagner. I forgot about the hate and how raw and angry and alive I feel. I shove my fist in his face and he throws me into a ramp. I hiss inwardly to relieve the pain.
"You punch like a little girl, Tolensky!" He hollers, soaking it up.
Wagner, unlike the rest of us, is never above taunting. Ever. Which just makes me all the angrier. I leap back up onto the ramp and push off it, flying through the air. I'm border lining on my powers. Wagner sees me coming and I see the look in his eyes. He's gonna teleport. He's gonna ruin everything. I whip out my tongue and catch his arm. That stops him and I slam my feet straight into his chest. I feel ribs break under my feet. Second time is almost as good as the first. I push us both to the ground ending with me crouching on his chest, my weight collapsing his already crushed ribs.
"AH! You idiot!" He snaps his face twisted in pain as he tries to push me off and I grab his arm to keep him from toppling me. "GAME OVER!" He calls out, the signal that someone's fucked up somewhere. And this time it's me. I've fucked up. I used my powers. I went too far. On my night! Not on my night. "Get off me!" He insists but he doesn't have the strength to move me himself and I don't really feel like it. I look at the rest of the field and see that we're the only ones left. It looks like Wanda and Jean took each other out. I kinda wish I'd been paying attention to that. "TOAD! GET OFF!" He shouts. I look down at him and smile slowly. It is my night after all.
"Why? This isn't over,"
"You used your powers!" He snaps still not following.
"I didn't see anything," His eyes widen and I tighten my grip. That doesn't stop him from teleporting though. Before I know what's going on I'm completely upside down staring at the ground about a 100 feet below. He's above me and wrenching my wrist off him as we fall. I hold tighter and wrestle with him in the air, feeling the wind pick up the more we descend. I know if he gets away from me, even for a moment I'll be left falling alone. As we spin, I end up above him but keeping his wrist has gotten very uncomfortable and I know I can't hold on much longer. I have only one chance because I know he's ready to 'port again and this time with more thought for sure. With as much force as I can muster I thrust my other arm into his ribs. He lets out a loud gasp and I let go of his wrist. I manage to grab onto his shoulders as we both hit the ground.
Of course, Wagner absorbs most of the shock. I hear a horrible cracking noise I think I've heard in the Pringles' commercials. My head is spinning. I feel like all of my insides just splattered against my ribcage. I roll off of him and get onto my feet. He's out like a light. Everyone is. I'm the only one left standing.
And just like that, I've done the impossible. I've won the unbeatable fight. I smile and throw my arms up in ecstasy. No one before me has ever won it! No one after ever will! I see my marker, my beautiful red marker on the ground about thirty feet away. It must have gotten kicked around while we were struggling. I grab it and hobble back. I'm in worse shape than I thought but victory is the sweetest cure. I kneel down next to Wagner and try to find the best place to make my mark. I already did eyes and neck but I want this one to be more obvious. More of a statement. The chest. I go to make my mark but it's just so easy. So stationary. I realize his chest isn't moving. I sit back a moment and look at his face. He's so still. I put a hand over his mouth and there's nothing. I jerk back and scuttle away, my marker dropping to my side.
"Guys!" I croak out looking for the others. They're motionless as well. "GUYS!" but no one responds. No one does anything but lay and breathe. Not all of them. My heart is in my throat. I won. Oh how I won. "Stop it! Knock it off!" I kick Kurt. He has to be faking! He rolls to his side slowly like a bundle of heavy bed sheets. It makes me want to vomit. I give in to the urge and paint the pavement green. I'm burning with shame though I don't know why since no one can see me. None of them are watching. Not my vomit, not my victory. I look back to the marker.
My hands trembling, I jam the sharpie into my pocket and exchange it for Summers'. I was taken out by an X-man, after all and red is the Brotherhood's color. I lift up my t-shirt. I draw one long blue line from my collarbone to my ribs and cross it with another one the opposite way.
A funny thing about slime, not only can it take the paint off the walls, but the sharpie off somebody else's skin too. Freddy gets so overzealous during these fights. He was so crazy back at the house. He almost ran me over twice. Sometimes he goes too far. Sometimes he can't control himself. And Kurt was just too slow tonight. I lie down beside my vomit and close my eyes, listening carefully for the others to wake up. There's a whole new game to play.