A/N:WOO, LET'S CELEBRATE! THIS IS THE FARTHEST I'VE EVER GOTTEN WITH THIS STORY(REMINDER:THERE'S BEEN LIKE FIVE DIFFERENT REWRITES) WE ACTUALLY HIT DOUBLE DIGITS WITH THIS FIC! Okay, so now to address my long as hell hiatu-not that actually turned into a hiatus this time:( I should just legitimately change my name to Fuck UP. 8 months. I know it doesn't make up for anything, but I made sure this chapter was all long and juicy for you guys ;P So lemme remind y'all of what's going on; The PACK has just been accepted into the Talent Search and today, they get their first taste of superstardom, the photoshoot. Last thing, I'm going to Un-Mikey this chapter a little bit for you guys; Danny and Jojo re both girls(duh) but in this chapter, only Sunny and Serge know that. Everyone else believes that they're 17 year old guys. Cool? Cool.
Disclaimer: It's too bad I'm not Machine Gun Kelly, because if I was, I'd have fifty hoes on my d!ck. If you don't get it, look up the song 50 by MGK. And while you listen to it, you can think about how I don't own WWE, any of the wrestlers I write about, Machine Gun Kelly, his song "50", nor do I own 50 hoes.
It was day two of Summerslam Axxess and although the sun had barely began to touch the skyline, Sunny was up and alert as she quietly bustled around the room. In the partial darkness, she tried to collect all the supplies she would need without waking Dave. The big man was across the room, sleeping soundly in his own bed. The door adjoining Sunny and Dave's room to Rey and Serge's was opened by a miniscule crack. Despite it, Sunny could still hear her uncle talking lightly in his sleep. It was a large contrast to the loud arguments he'd have in his slumber at night; the reason why Sunny refused to room with him.
Today was the day of the Talent Search photoshoot. Although it seemed to not have gone as smoothly as they expected, Serge's plan was, for the most part, working out well. The P.A.C.K was officially a part of the competition, and the two siblings couldn't have been more relieved after the sudden turn of events regarding Ziggler and the Miz.
The participants weren't due at the shoot until nine thirty, but Sunny had to meet up with Danny and Jojo to prepare them for it. If this plan was going to work, then the tag team had to keep up their charade and act like a couple of the guys. Glancing at the clock, she noted that it had turned 6:30. She had to set out now if everything was to be ready in time for the shoot.
Sunny crept through the adjoining door into the room where her brother and uncle were sleeping. Throwing a quick glance at Rey to assure that he was indeed asleep, she tiptoed over to Serge's bed. She shook him lightly, whispering his name before his eyes fluttered open in the dark.
"I'm going over to Jojo and Danny's room to get them ready. You need to meet me there in a few so we can go shopping, okay?"
Serge groaned lightly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Though they had already discussed the matter of shopping for more masculine clothes that would actually fit Danny and Jojo the night before, Serge still dreaded the idea of an early morning shopping trip with three girls.
"I'll come now." Serge said groggily as he got out of bed. Sunny nodded and left him to dress as she went back to her room to grab her items.
Before they left, Serge made sure to leave a message to Rey, saying that he and Sunny were going on a drive to pick up some things she would need for her photoshoot. Serge figured it wasn't a total lie and pushed back whatever guilt or shame he felt.
The siblings made their way up the two floors to the hall all of the Talent Search competitors' rooms were stationed on. They got to the Pack's door and entered quietly, using the extra key Danny had given Sunny. The room was mostly dark, so Sunny nearly jumped as two voices softly called out good mornings to her and her brother.
Flicking on the light, Serge fought a grin as he took in the sight before them. Jojo and Danny sat on the floor seemingly in a daze as the tv flickered in front of them. Several empty plastic cups that looked as though they once contained hot coffee lay at their feet along with energy bar wrappers. The two were already fully dressed but looked as though they couldn't decide whether or not to get up and face the day or crawl back into bed. He'd been there several times over the last few months.
"Couldn't sleep?" He asked amusedly. They both nodded tiredly.
"Hate to break it to you, but power bars and that kind of coffee will do absolutely nothing for you in this case."
The group went over the plan for the day and left the hotel in the rental. Their first stop was at a nearby McDonald's, where they ate a quick breakfast and the girls downed the extra sugary caramel frappes Serge had prescribed them for a bit of a wake up kick. Conversation was light as their minds slowly woke up. The four had quickly bonded as they had a lot in common; Danny and Sunny's mutual obsession over clothes, boys, and chick flicks. Serge and Jojo found they both had a natural love for sports and stood a common ground when it came to music.
After a while, they headed down the road to the mall. As Serge expected, taking the three girls to the mall together was something to dread. Even though they were looking for guy's clothes, the girls still stopped in at every shoe store, tried on countless numbers of outfits that Sunny matched together, and spent what felt like hours in Sephora. Serge's arms were quickly being piled up with bags that were not items the tag team could wear to any of the talent search events. Getting tired, Serge cleared his throat loudly.
"You guys, it's getting late. We still don't have anything for Jojo and Danny to wear for the talent search." He reminded the three girls.
Sunny sighed. "He's right, we better get moving."
The three girls began to make their way out of the store, forgetting that Serge had to gather up their bags of new clothes. Serge grumbled to himself as he finally hooked the last bag with his thumb. He looked up when a light little squeak escaped Danny's mouth ahead of him. She had stopped near a rack that held up some jewelry. Serge walked over to her, taking a look at the necklace she was admiring. Danny glanced up at him, smiling.
"Isn't that adorable?" She asked, "It's a little toy soldier!"
Taking a closer look, Serge smiled. The thin silver chain of the necklace was indeed weighted down by the silvery charm of an old army man toy staring down the barrell of his gun. He looked back up at Danny.
"It's funny that you'd point that out to me. My ring persona is mostly a military tribute," He stated.
"That's cool. Did you ever plan on joining the military?" Danny asked. Serge was quick to shake his head no.
"I don't think so. My place is here, with the WWE. At least I hope it is...But my dad is a member of the army. I don't think I could ever be as brave as him." Serge thought aloud. He glanced shyly back up at Danny and she flashed him a smile.
"Don't count yourself out just yet. You may surprise yourself one of these days." With another smile, she turned on her heel and followed after Sunny and Jojo.
Serge stayed back for a minute, thinking to himself. Before he left the store, he picked up the necklace and bought it.
XoxoxoxoxoxoxoX
Mark and Glenn walked into the arena around ten o'clock; a half hour after they were due to arrive. They hadn't done it on purpose(or at least Mark hadn't), but the photoshoot had all but slipped from their minds.
Immediatley after coming in through the back entrance, they ran into the Hardys. The two brothers were looking over the assignment board hung up on the wall, scanning the pages for the photoshoot information.
Upon noticing the older team, Jeff looked up and grinned.
"I see you two old farts are running pretty late,"
"Don't start, Hardy," Kane growled.
"We could say the same for the both of you," Mark responded.
"Just imagine how late Shawn and Hunter will be..." Matt muttered as they found the room number for the shoot.
The four of them horsed around and laughed like the old chums they were as they strode along the halls. If you didn't know any better, you would've never guessed they were running late. The more they spoke, the conversation began to take a turn towards the talent search.
"I don't know why the hell it takes so many judges for a week long, basically amateur contest..."Glenn griped.
"Didn't you hear Vince at the meeting?" Matt asked in response.
"He probably did. More likely than not went in through one ear and out the other, though," Mark cut in. Glenn sent his partner a scowl from the corner of his eye.
"The first event those kids have is an over the top rope elimination match. First four eliminated are out of the competition. A superstar, a diva, and a tag team will be assigned as judges while the rest of us pick a set of competitors to work with," Matt explained.
The four of them finally came up on the room. It was buzzing with people as the competitors took in the feel of preparing for a shoot. The divas were all in their corner, dressed and getting their faces on while gossip was exchanged animatedly among themselves and the makeup artists. Not too far away, the superstars' egoes already seemed to be clashing not just with the other judges, but with the talent as well. As he looked over, the kid Mark recognized as Luke Robinson was steadily going off at the mouth, and the three notoriously loud mouthed judges of his division were having none of it. Also, in the center of the room, was a sight to behold; DX was already there, dressed in their gear and talking to two of the talent search tag teams; all ready to begin.
"Hey guys; looks like the tag team divison decided to show up!"
Several loud, playful jeers were thrown towards the door. Glenn shot a dark scowl at the nosy blonde.
"Yeah, we did, Copeland." He bit out, "And if you called up your accident prone boyfriend, Stone Cold, and those two fat kids, we'd have the whole gang back together."
Edge sneered at him, hushing as the other superstar judges continued to poke mockingly at him.
"Glenn, Mark!" Hunter called the two of them to attention before continuing.
"Sunny is finishing up the last entrant team. You guys can head on back, she should be ready for you soon."
XoxoxoxoxoX
Danny stared at the strange person in front of her. She refused to believe that the person she currently saw in the mirror was indeed her. Her pink streaked dark locks had transformed into a dark fade. Her skinny jeans and tank top had been traded in for baggy, dark ring jeans and a wifebeater. The rise of her chest and every single curve of her body had been straightened out and padded. Danny was wrapped so tight, she could barely breathe. Turning away from the mirror, she looked at Sunny, the young artist who had performed the transformation. She was finishing the job of immasculating Jojo.
"Impressive. I make a pretty hot guy if I do say so myself..." Danny remarked, glancing over herself again.
"Hotter than Serge?" Jojo asked, throwing a grin over her shoulder. Sunny let out a snort while trying to hold back a laugh and Danny shot them both glares.
Just as Sunny released Jojo from the makeup chair, the three girls heard the door to the front part of the dressing room open and close as feet clicked against the cold floors.
"Anybody here?" A deep voice called out. The girls instantly recognized it as Mark's.
Before going out, Sunny whispered to Danny and Jojo, reminding them to keep their voices low.
"Hello?" Mark called out again.
"Morning guys!" Sunny called out as she appeared from the back, taking her place at her station.
The two giants mumbled their greetings, they'd yet to take notice of the the two others in the room. Sunny began to lay out the gist of the shoot while she handed them each their gear. Mark was sent first to get dressed as Sunny shuffled around, handing Glenn his contacts. Soon, Mark was back and Glenn was out. Mark sat in Sunny's chair as she buzzed around him, lightly doing his makeup.
"So in a few minutes, the four of you will head to set one for the group photo session. Then you'll break off and do the tag division shots. Afterwards, The P.A.C.K will do a short promo, and Mark and Glenn will cast their thoughts on who they think will win-"
"This has got to be a joke."
Sunny and Mark both turned to look at Glenn. He had returned from putting on his contacts and was peering down at the two members of the P.A.C.K. Mark stared at his friend questioningly before taking a good look at the entrants himself. Recognition flashed across his face and he shook his head with a long sigh.
"Well I'll be damned..."
Sunny stood between the two teams, looking back and forth. There was no possible way she could be more confused.
"Do you guys know each other?" She guessed from the heated looks being passed from each pair to the other that there might've been a bit of bad history between them.
"We've met," Jojo snarled out.
The tension in the room was 100% tangible. It clouded up every corner, turning the room stuffy. It felt as though any second, the two teams would be at each other's throats. Now this usually wouldn't be a problem. But a certain makeup artist had just delicately applied makeup to the most feared man in the WWE and had perfectly transformed two teenage girls into a respectable looking male tag team. There was no way in hell that Marisol Guitierrez was about to sit back and allow the raging fighters to put all of her work to waste.
"I'm getting this odd feeling that you four don't get along too well..."Sunny let her words drag out sarcastically.
"We don't," Glenn spat.
"Well you better learn too. You're stuck with each other for the next week, at least. And so help me, Diana Vreeland, if any of you screw up this shot over whatever stupid beef you've got going on, I'll kill you all. Now carry yourselves to the damn set."
The young latina didn't have to repeat herself. All four wrestlers were out of the dressing room, and marching, quickly, one might add; to the set. Sunny was right behind them, making sure to grab her emergency sewing and makeup kits as she left. She did not, however, make sure the door was locked behind her.
XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX
The photoshoot so far had been running smoothly. In the first half of the event, photos of all the superstars were taken, followed shortly by all the competitors, then finally everyone together. By now, they had broken up into their three different groups according to their divisions. The divas were set up in the gym and the superstars lurked around gorilla. Every now and then, a green eyed competitor from the superstar division would throw a rueful look towards the ring, cursing the tag team division who had the privilege of controlling it for the shoot.
The tag teams' shoot director breezed through the group pictures they took. Severe manhandling was required at times as he positioned and repositioned the wrestlers around the ring, but overall the task flew by quickly. The real problems arose as the competitive teams were singled out for action shots. Heath and Justin were the first team up.
The rest of the group filed out the ring. Sunny sat alongside in the stands with the other stylists. The other two competitive teams were a noticeable distance apart from each other. The pros were off in their own corner ringside, watching critically as Slater and Gabriel fumbled around in the ring.
"Gabriel's 450 Splash is a hell of a move," Matt observed.
"Slater's not too bad either." Mark agreed.
"They're both talented...As singles competitors," Triple H emphazised.
Before long, the two boys were being ushered out of the ring; firm pats on the back and reassurements of how well they'd done doing nothing to cushion the fact that they'd shown no in-ring chemistry. Weak smiles adorned both of their faces as they returned ringside.
"Next!" The director called.
For the first time since the shoot began, the two members of the P.A.C.K made eye contact with the men of the Celtic Connection. The larger of the two, Sheamus grinned; his teeth blindingly white as he addressed the two younger competitors.
"Yer call. But if I were you, I'd go first."
At first, it was as if neither Danny nor Jojo had heard a word the irishman had spoken. Jojo seemed to stare critically at the two men for the longest before her eyes refocussed; again finding Sheamus' sarcastic green orbs. Her face twitched for a second into an expression of irritation before quickly returning to its previous icy demeanor. She turned back to face the ring, two words escaping her lips, "Ladies first."
Jojo hadn't spoken loudly, but both Drew and Sheamus had clearly heard the words. Sheamus' brow rose a bit, an amused smirk growing on his lips. Drew stifled a chuckle beside him.
"You don't know what you're doin', lads," Drew called out, eyes landing on the taller of the two. Danny could feel his eyes burning into her. She gave into his whim and turned to face him.
"We insist," She simply said.
Danny and Jojo stared straight ahead as the two men breezed past them, climbing into the ring. Though they wouldn't show it; they watched intently as the large men began their set. It was clear that these two were nothing less than power houses. Any move they made showed off the strength contained under their unsettlingly calm exteriors.
Their observations were interrupted as a small, dusty head of hair appeared between them.
"I hope I'm not breaking your focus or anything, but do you see these guys?!" Sunny asked, looking between her two friends.
"It's a little hard not too, Sunny," Jojo said, her eyes still locked on the ring.
"Look, Serge obviously has some confidence in you two, but are you sure you can compete with these guys?"
Before either girl could come up with an answer, the words being exchanged between the two wrestlers in the ring and the director reached their ears.
"Have you guys got a team finisher?" The director.
"Of course. We'll need some guys on defense though," Sheamus' mocking voice.
The two girls didn't have to look up to know they were being spoken to as the director called them into the ring.
"Let's find out," Jojo said. Danny turned, giving Sunny a worried look.
"You're sure these disguises will hold up?" Danny asked.
They both turned back, looking to Sunny for reassurance. Sunny let out a breath of air, and for a second, doubts slipped into her mind. She quickly shook them away, looking between the girls.
"Get in the ring. Let's find out."
Sunny watched, biting her nails-figuratively speaking, of course, the little diva would try her luck in an iron man match before marring her ten beauties- as Danny and Jojo entered the ring.
The P.A.C.K stood across the ring from the Celtic Connection. Between them, the director stood, camera in hand. From this viewpoint, it was nearly impossible not to fantasize. It was just too easy to get caught up in the moment. The director in his plain black polo and jeans could've easily been a ref in a striped shirt. The small group of stylists in the stands could've easily been thousands more, filling in every seat. The summerslam logo was practically visible on the powered down titantron. And as easy as it was to see all this happening, the girls could look across the ring and know that getting to the point where it would come down to the four of them together in a ring fighting for a WWE contract was a ways away. Safe to say this would be a long week.
"So what are we doing?" Danny asked cautiously. She was already struggling to keep her extremely feminine voice masculine sounding.
"You're playing victim for their finishing action shot. Just go along with what they ask of you, if you don't mind," The director instructed, fiddling with his camera.
"What if I said I minded?" Jojo asked, looking up at the director.
As they were speaking, the superstar and divas division had filed down from their sets; done with their shots. They were climbing over the crowd barriers and taking seats alongside their divisions' rightful judges in the stands. One of the superstar entrants; a loud, dark haired young man named Luke Robinson, heard Jojo's question and barked out a laugh.
"We're only doing action shots and you tag team entrants are bitching out already?"
Over the rookie's taunts, the photographer looked to Jojo, with a look of...well not one confusion, more so surprise that she would bother to propose such a thing.
"That wasn't a question. In this business, you'll learn quickly that if you are anything under main event status on the roster the request for your permission is but a formality,"
Jojo's brow furrowed, but she said no more as the photographer stepped back. Her eyes shifted back to the man's across the ring. Sheamus wore a bright smirk, that suddenly dropped as Luke opened his mouth again.
"Us real superstars should've gotten the ring for the shoot. We're the only ones who know how to use it right. Everyone knows the tag team division is nothing but a time filler anyway,"
The four wrestlers in ring all bristled up. For just a moment, the two teams seemed to connect with one another through their anger of having their division disrespected.
On the floor, Luke had been shut up by a backhand from Edge, who was currently reprimanding him.
"You are NOT a superstar and you can't seriously believe that the first three TLC matches ever to occur in the history of pro wrestling were nothing but TIME FILLERS..."
As hard as he was trying to stay hushed, the rated R superstar's voice boiled, even as he threw the guys in ring an apology. The words were lost on them though. The Celtic Connection and the P.A.C.K met each other halfway in the center of the ring.
"Neither of you better screw up," Drew whispered into their little huddle.
"What the hell are we even supposed to do?" Danny asked irritably.
"Just stand there and go along with whatever we do. That shouldn't be too hard, should it?" Drew bit out.
"Not unless you plan on doing some over the top, complicated move like the finger poke of doom..." Jojo muttered sarcastically.
The two European men sent the smallest a menacing glare that she returned immediately.
"Aren't you a pleasant brat," Sheamus grumbled, "Just do what we've asked of you, alright? You've managed to embarass the tag team division enough in the past few minutes, you needn't do anymore."
"Whatever!" Danny exclaimed, "Just remember-"
"What now?" Sheamus barked as he and Drew backed into their corner.
"This is just a photoshoot. Pull your punches, okay?" Danny reminded him, following Jojo into theirs across the ring.
"Time is wasting! Position yourselves, wrestlers!"
It was as though an actual ring bell had gone off simultaneously in all of their minds. The tarp surface had been completely still, and in seconds, the ropes vibrated furiously as the competitors charged. They locked up, center ring. The collision was huge, if the power and size difference between the two teams wasn't clear before, it was definitely made so as both members of the P.A.C.K were forced halfway across the ring before they caught their footing. Beside them in the ring, flashes went off as the photographer started off his roll.
"We're going to hit a Gaelic Cross."
"A what?!" Jojo's voice strained as Drew continued to push harder and harder up against her.
"Just move wherever we take you, McShorts," Drew growled. As he spoke, he gave a sharp thrust against Jojo's frame, powering her back up against the ring ropes as her strength faltered.
Jojo glared at him, "Fine. Just pull your punches, Braveheart."
She mustered up a burst of strength, trying to match Drew's strength as she shoved him back until they were even with their team members.
Drew didn't respond, he simply smirked as his partner blurted out a 'now'. Jojo stumbled back as a punch landed squarely on her jaw. It didn't hurt too much, but the suddenness of the action caught her off guard. At roughly the same time, Sheamus released Danny, giving her a light shove that sent her backwards as he himself backed away. Sheamus was but a white blur as he raced forward once more, going in for a brogue kick.
Danny was taken aback as Sheamus pulled away from their lock up. The enormous weight lifted from her shoulders, but the breath of relief she'd began to take quickly turned into a bracing inhalation. On instinct, her arms came up in front of her face as the black rubber bottoms of her opponents ring boots drove through her. Despite the initial pain of impact, she went down relatively easy. Sheamus made it a point to stop as soon as the smaller wrestler hit the mat.
As soon as Danny was down, Drew jumped into action. He grabbed Jojo by her collar, pulling her in and tucking her head under his arm. He drug her across the ring, stopping when the back of his heel hit Danny's limp body. Stepping over Danny, he made sure the two girls were ligned up perfectly before he hit the future shock ddt.
The ddt was everything but pulled. Jojo's head slammed roughly against the mat. She could practically taste the plywood beneath the ring tarp. Danny jerked violently as Jojo's body slammed into her abdomen; the air being knocked swiftly out of her. She gasped, cringing as she fought to find air for her lungs. Jojo lay splayed horizontally across her chest; their ribs fitting against each others like a mixed up puzzle. Together, their bodies resembled a perfect cross.
The camera flashes only served to put Danny in even more of a daze. The photographer finally reached the end of his roll, nodding appreciatively at the two larger men.
Ringside, it was clear that all six tag division pros were impressed. Though after the performance Slater and Gabriel put up, they would probably be impressed by paint drying. Nonetheless, a small round of applause rose up from them; growing as the other divisons joined in.
"Well I'd say things just got a little more interesting," Mark said, looking over to Glenn. The younger man was still staring at the men who had suddenly become the dream team of the competition, nodding his head slightly in agreement and approval.
"I want them," He declared, finally looking at Mark.
"Well I hate to burst your bubble, big guy, but you can't have them." Triple H countered.
All chatter among the six judges stopped. Glenn furrowed his brow and stepped out of his spot leaning against the ring barrier. He looked down the line of superstars, staring pointedly at Hunter.
"We're not taking Gabriel and Slater," Glenn countered.
"No way in hell," Mark proclaimed.
A strange look came over Hunter's face as he tried to choose his next words carefully.
"Well...You're not wrong. Slater and Gabriel have been assigned to Matt and Jeff."
The two Hardy brothers sent each other a look, shuffling a bit where they stood and nonchalantly ducking their heads a bit lower to assure that the brothers of destruction kept their focus on Hunter and Hunter only.
Glenn looked to Mark, his eyes narrowed. He wasn't sure what Hunter was trying to tell them. He had a slight idea, but there was no way that what the cerebral assassin was implying could be correct. Mark studied Hunter's face carefully, hoping he was only kidding. He found no trace of foolery and shook his head slowly.
"You can't be serious,"
"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Danny yelled.
All eyes returned to the ring.
The taller of the P.A.C.K was cradling her aching abdomen. Jojo was behind her, kneeling on the mat with her forehead pressed against its surface as she fought to catch her wits. She'd taken the hit pretty hard, but the sensation was nothing new to her and she pushed herself up to her feet.
"What happened to pulling your punches, Mcintyre?" Jojo forced the words through gritted teeth, a hand coming up to grudgingly shove at Drew's shoulder.
"I only threw one punch," Drew snapped and returned her shove.
"And I promise you, that one punch was pulled."
Jojo's face twisted up in a snarl.
"Don't toy with me, you son of a bitch-"
"Hey!" Glenn's booming voice reverberated throughout the room and caused a silence to fall over the near empty arena.
"You two-" Glenn motioned to the two european superstars, "Out of the ring. Rocky and Bullwinkle need to finish their shots so we can move on to promos."
Grudgingly, the large men began climbing from the ring.
"Actually, we need a courageous volunteer to help us out for our finisher shot. You up for it, Braveheart?" Jojo stared pointedly at Drew and the FCW champ simply scoffed. Jojo smirked before adding teasingly;
"Please? I promise I'll pull my punches,"
Jeers and shouts rose from the small gathering of competitors and wrestlers as the challenge was placed. Drew could hear the singles competitor, the Robinson boy; yell something to him-asking if he'd take such remarks from a punk, but Drew's mind was elsewhere. The scotsman couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable as the younger man addressed him. Something just seemed off about the other competitor, however, he couldn't place what. Despite his intuition, Drew refused to be intimidated by someone so much smaller than him. Going so far as to shoo Sheamus out of the ring, Drew stepped up to the two shorter wrestlers, staring the smaller of them directly in the eye and raising his hands at his sides; leaving himself to whatever they wished to expose him to.
Drew leaned in close, his lips inches from the other competitor's ear as he growled, "Hit me with your best shot, cupcake."
The words hadn't well left his mouth before a muscular arm wrapped around his neck in a vice like hold. Drew's feet fell out from under him as he was taken forecully to the corner of the ring and hefted up to the third rope. Danny and Jojo stood adjacent each other atop the ropes. Drew was the midpoint between them, his head stuck snugly under Jojo's arm as he hunched over the turnbuckle.
Both girls stood motionless for what seemed like forever as loud and essentially unheard jeers were thrown at the ring from nearly all the contestants. Even barely disguised muttered discouragements of the judges managed to penetrate the rookies' loud howls, yet they still stood unfazed. Finally, Jojo shuffled her feet around on the ring ropes and adjusted her grip on Drew's neck, leaving most of her viewers to assume she had finally quit and was preparing to climb down from the ropes and release the scot.
You know how that old saying about assumptions goes, don't you?
The incessant chattering that echoed throughout the open space of the arena came to an abrupt halt as Jojo dove forward, Drew flying outwards along with her. Jojo could feel the wrapping around her chest starting to tear and her wig loosening on her head as she managed a flip before planting Drew square on the mat; a perfect shooting star DDT.
The sound of the air rushing from under a person's back as their body slammed against the mat; that sound of an opponent falling to Jojo's signature, Chaos Theory, was Danny's second favorite sound(topped only by the sound of a ring bell). It was the music to her ears that signalled the moment in a match she anticipated most:
Danny's light brown eyes zeroed in on the downed man only feet away from her. A minute smirk made its way onto her face and suddenly, Danny's feet were no longer on the ropes. In fact, she could see them tucked in close under her as she rotated mid air. Just seconds before she hit the mat, her legs shot out straight in front of her. They slammed catastrophically into Drew's abdomen, eliciting an acute grunt from him before she rolled away, finishing her favorite move; a shooting star leg drop which she liked to call Cupid's Arrow.
Silence.
Complete, dry silence; like the kind that engulfs an area when the dust clears after a gunshot. All nine of the other entrants gaped openly at the ring. The thirteen superstars looked on wide eyed; the tag divison judges pointedly exchanged looks. Drew lay in the center of the ring, curled in on himself as he grimaced in pain. Danny and Jojo stood a few steps away, their breathing heavy, not from physical exertion, but from the excitement that neither would allow to show on their faces in front of the people surrounding them.
A pin could have fallen and it would have sounded like the detonation of a nuclear bomb.
The photographer was the first to break the silence, applause rising slowly from him. The flamboyant photographer nodded approvingly at the two young wrestlers, murmuring a generic compliment. Slowly, the others began to unfold into sound and movement too. The other competitors found themselves clapping also, all except for the one, Luke Robinson, who rolled his eyes and huffed. Sheamus finally slid under the bottom rope to come to the aid of his downed mate.
As the notion that this sketchy and at one point ridiculous plan, was actually coming to fruition sunk into Jojo's mind, a toothy grin snuck itself onto her features. She glanced up at her older cousin, absentmindedly slipping her hand into Danny's. In return, Danny squoze it lightly and smiled back down at her, placing a soft kiss on top of her head.
From behind the barricades, Sunny's eyes widened. She began to slowly make her way towards the ring. The latina would be able to make up an excuse for the two "guys" holding hands, but a chord of panic was struck within her as Danny kissed the top of her partner's head. To make matters worse, the stylist could see Jojo's wig beginning to fall away and Danny's shorts had inched up a bit to much for a guy and she was doing nothing to correct it.
Mark could recall his thoughts from just the morning before. Before they'd even been officially accepted into the competition, the Celtic Connection had been Mark's top choice in the Talent Search, and although they still held that position, it seemed as if two rocks(although a the word pebble may be more accurate) had been thrown into their path.
"There's a possibility I may have overreacted when Hunter told us we'd been assigned these boys. They're not horrible..." Mark said as he felt Glenn settle beside him.
Glenn nodded in agreement as he and Mark observed the kids they'd been assigned to mentor for the next week.
"I have to admit, I'm impressed. Sure my expectations were low from the start, but they might just have a chance," Glenn looked over to his brother who nodded in agreement and they watched in thoughtful silence as the Mysterio girl climbed in ring, grabbed her team and quickly escorted them back to the locker rooms.
If you're wondering who the hell that Diana Vreeland chick Sunny was talking about in the beginning of this chapter, she's one of the head editors of Vogue magazine. And let me shout some people out right quick:
LoopyLou1990: Before I had my little brain to typing falling out earlier this year, I was in the middle of working on the next chapter of your birthday present. Obviously, eight months later, still not posted and I am a terrible, unreliable friend, and deserve like thirty smacks with a wet noodle. Your fic will be the next to be updated and I'm going to add in a few more chapters as an apology ficlet and I'll research walking dead and right you a little Louise/Daryl something something.
ChicagoCahingang/EK: I owe you so many fics, like I'm not lying. I have a folder in my jump drive titled fics I owe EK. They are coming, I swear. I'm making it a point to have them out this month. I'm also trying to follow in your footsteps and put together a trailer for them for you, however, keep in mind, I'm shitty at that shit and the most fruitful it may get is a coconut. That's like barely a fruit. I'm off topic, you do that to me; but I luvs and miss you!
Krazy13:I had gotten really used to talking to you almost every day and if anything felt weird about just taking a step back from FFDN for a while, it was the lack of a conversation with you. I pretty much left you hanging and you can expect something coming too.
Okay, so PSA done, hope you guys liked it, one love, cane's chicken fingers, all that jazz :P