Marco thought he'd never see his house again. The car ride back home felt like Marco had been driving for ages across the country. Relief washed over him when his driveway, illuminated by headlights, was in sight. He slowly pulled in, parking his car right in front of his garage like usual.

Marco's gym bag felt like it weighed a ton. As soon as he stepped foot into his house, all the pain and fatigue from the past few days came rushing back to him like a tidal wave. His head and his left eye throbbed with a sharp, burning pain and his joints ached with every slight movement. He fell back, his own front door barely keeping him from falling butt-first to the ground. The temptation of falling asleep right at his door nearly dragged him to the floor.

To say the least, he'd been taking brutal beatings for the past week during a martial arts tournament in San Francisco. He felt like utter shit, but at least the trophy and the prize money were worth it. And he still had all his teeth.

Marco's senses went on high alert when he heard noises coming from deep within his house. His body sprung to full attention like a soldier waking up at the crack of dawn. Marco may have been sore and tired, but he'd be more than willing to fight off a home invader if need be.

He slipped off of his shoes and left his duffel bag at the front door. As he crept through the house, he stuck to the walls, taking feather light steps so as to not give his presence away to whoever might be in his house.

He rounded a corner into another hallway. As he went further, the noise, while muffled, grew louder and louder. He realized the source of the noise came from his room, the door of which opened just wide enough for a bit of light to pour out.

Marco couldn't be too careful. He maintained his slow, stealthy approach, until he got close enough for the noises to become much clearer. Marco chuckled. He loosened his body, stood up straight and continued walking to his room more casually. When he reached the door, he pushed it open slowly enough that the hinges didn't creak. He was glad to find there wasn't a burglar in his house trying to rob him, but rather, two girls with easy access to his house.

The very first thing Marco saw was the exposed, shaking ass of Janna facing his direction. A pair of her fingers thrust in and out of her soaking snatch while her head was buried between the thick thighs of Jackie Lynn Thomas, who laid on her arching back, eyes screwed shut while writhing and moaning in pleasure.

"D-don't stop!" Jackie begged. One of her hands grabbed a handful of Janna's black locks while the other laid behind the pillow she rested her head on.

A certain itch started to rear its ugly head and try to break through his black jeans. He was very tempted to join in immediately, but he didn't want to ruin a good show they were inadvertently putting on for him.

Ah fuck it, he thought, he should at least get a good view up close. Removing his clothes, Marco approached his bed. As soon as he put one knee on the mattress, both girls turned their wide eyes towards him.

"Yo, look who just popped outta nowhere." Jackie commented, smiling warmly.

"Don't mind me, ladies." He said as he crawled towards them. His massive half-mast swayed to and fro as he drew closer. "I'm just here to watch the show," He gave a loud grunt as he fell onto his back, his head landing on a pillow. "Don't stop on my account."

"Damn, what happened to you?" Janna pointed out Marco's face dotted with a few bandaids, faded swelling on his right eyelid, and a faintly dark bruise on his chin. Those same bruises, accompanied by several red spots, and other bandaids dotted his muscular, usually smooth body.

"Ya fall down a few flights of stairs or somethin'?"

"Ha, ha." Marco mock-laughed. "Y'know I was just in San Fran for a tourney, right?"

"No need to lie to us to make yourself look tough, Diaz. We'll still fuck you either way."

"Ugghh."

"Guys gave ya some trouble, huh?" Jackie asked, while she propped herself up on her elbow.

"Oh yeah, those guys can definitely throw some punches." Marco rubbed a bruise on his chest. "But still, I got the gold and the cash by the skin of my teeth. Quite literally, too."

"Dope. I think this calls for a celebration, wouldn't ya say, Jackie?"

Jackie shrugged. "Hey, I'm game. What're we thinkin'? Pizza? Dinner at a fancy restaurant? Hangout at the Pier?"

"Well actually I was thinking of something more… "Janna narrowed her eyes lustily at Marco. "...immediate."

"Like I said. I'm just here to enjoy the show."

"Aww what? And here I thought you'd be jumping for joy at the idea of plowing us after the show we were putting on."

"Oh yeah, of course, but I'm insanely sore and I'm not sure if I could pull an all-nighter tonight or go even a little hard on you girls."

"Oh I gotcha." Jackie sat right up. "Well dontcha worry, Babe. Ya girls here gonna take good care of you tonight. Won't we, Jan?"

"Allll night." Janna added. "But don't worry. It won't be the 'High Impact Sexual Violence' we had the first time we all fucked. You want chill? We can be chill."

Marco let out a relieved breath. "Thanks, that's all I really need."

"Besides, I didn't bring my special aphrodisiac with me today."

"Thank God. I swear that thing gave me insomnia and a boner that lasted for 3 days after that. Didn't feel good having to wear a cup while I'm giving Karate lessons. And I almost fell asleep behind the wheel at least twice on my way back home!"

"Oh yeah." Janna chuckled. "Forgot to mention I got the same complaints from a few clients of mine. Sorry."

"Damn, Janna. Tryna get our man killed?" Jackie crawled over to Marco, consoling him with a tender stroke of his hair. "The dude's already had a lot to deal with, what with a buncha other dudes beatin' the crap outta him."

Jackie gently ran a hand across Marco's aching pecs and abs. He stiffened at first, before the girl's touch proved soothing to his body and soul and his muscles loosened. She lowered her head towards him and proceeded to peck and lick every little bruise and mark she could find with great passion and desire.

"Here, bud. Lemme make it up to ya." Janna crawled towards Marco, ending up on the side opposite from Jackie. She did similarly to what Jackie did, fondling Marco's body with her hands and mouth, only much less gentle. Janna sucked and bit whatever discolored spot she could find, drawing subtle flinches and quiet grunts out of Marco. He remained still regardless, lounging in bed enjoying the "hot and cold" effect the girls were having on him.

"You poor thing. You musta been pent up all week, huh?" Jackie's voice was low and calming as she spoke. Her kisses and caresses traveled lower down Marco's body, until she ended up beside Marco's thigh alongside Janna.

As soon as both of them reached the base of his stiff cock, they didn't hesitate to work their mouths in their own way on each side of him, slowly rising to the peak at a steady pace.

"Ahh. Girls…" Marco whispered, biting his lip to endure the barrage of stimulation on his twitching cock. His hips rose slightly, following the girls' ascent.

As soon as their noses touched the head of Marco's dick, their nostrils flared and their eyes simultaneously opened wide. They looked to Marco briefly before sniffing all over his dick like a pair of bloodhounds seeking a certain scent. They stopped and stood straight up.

"Marco?" Jackie spoke first, her hands folded. "Why do I smell another girl on your dick?"

"Wh-what? Whaddya mean?" Marco looked up, meeting their accusing glares.

"Oh don't play dumb with us, Casanova." Janna followed up. "We've been with enough guys to know if or when they fucked another girl."

"But. How did- You guys um, know?" Marco's voice shrunk with each word. "I even took a shower, too."

"Me and Janna get an overlap in clients sometimes." Jackie explained. "I know her smell on their dicks and she knows mine. Doesn't matter how much soap you wash your dick with."

"Tsk tsk tsk." Janna shook her head. "Just couldn't keep it in your pants, couldn't ya?"

Marco shrunk and locked his body, prepared for the telling off of his life. Marco had never cheated on any of his past partners before, but there were other mistakes he made that have led to some of the most heated exchanges of his life, with not all of them ending well.

But then a smile subtly rose from Janna and Jackie's faces. Their eyes darted to one another then back to Marco.

"Soooo, who's the lucky girl?" Janna asked as she laid back down by Marco's thigh, propping an elbow on him.

"Yeah, who got ya to cave?" Jackie followed up, sitting with crossed legs. "Guess those pics and vids we sent weren't enough, huh?"

"You kidding? They made things even harder!" Marco strongly rebutted.

"You call your dick, 'things'?" Janna smiled with pride at that. Jackie and Marco groaned in annoyance.

"Anyways," Jackie carried on. "lay the full rundown on us, bro. The whole truth and nothin' but."

"And don't leave anything out." Janna added with emphasis. "I wanna hear every detail right down to how many drops of cum ya let out in her."

A sigh escaped Marco's lips as he laid back down onto the pillow. He stared directly into the ceiling as the events of the past week played out in his head.

…

The venue wasn't massive by any stretch, but the few hundreds of people in attendance cast this palpable pressure over his head. And those same hundreds of people were nothing but a blurring sea of colors in Marco's eyes.

The devastating barrage of punches Marco's face and body just ate sent him reeling back hard, his legs barely holding up his 230 pound body. His opponent forced him to one knee. His skull throbbed as hard and as fast as his heart and his ears were ringing so loudly, the rest of the world fell silent.

There was another flash of white in his vision, followed by several more, as quick as successive strikes of lightning, accompanying several more strikes to his upper chest and head. It knocked Marco right off his knee and sent him rolling on the ground.

Marco's back felt like an anchor keeping the rest of his body down. He couldn't rise up in the slightest. Through murky eyes, he struggled to catch a glimpse of the bare feet of his opponent taking slow, long steps towards him.

Then he saw the black slacks and shoes of the ref get right between him and Marco cursed under his breath.

It was a technical knockout. It was clear as day Marco wasn't in any position to defend himself if his opponent decided to strike while he was down. There went that 2nd round.

"Mar-...dude...you…-ood?" The worried words of his trainer, manager, promoter, and best friend Brantley registered in fragments. Next thing he knew, he was hoisted onto his feet and fell onto a chair.

Marco jumped and spat out his rubber mouthguard when a wide splash of ice cold water struck his face. His nerves were back to being on high alert and the world became clear again.

"You still with me, bro?" Brantley barked at Marco, who was recovering from his prior groggy state. "Dude gave ya a good poundin'. And not the good kind."

"Wha-" Marco shook his head vigorously, droplets flying out of him like he was a dog shaking off water. "Wha happened?"

"You both got one round on each other. Ya got 'im good with that submission in the first round, but it looks like it only made him go Hulk in the second and well… y'know how that went."

Marco peered over Brantley's shoulder to get a good look at his opponent. Marco's last obstacle before winning the tournament was Brick Wallace, a Kentucky-born, jarhead brute. Sporting the physique of a bear, he had hard, sturdy pecs and his stomach was large and rounded. He was plenty bulkier than Marco and much more aggressive, but how their own strength held up was still up for debate.

Marco knew he was lighter than everyone else in his weight class who was in the tourney, but against all protests by Brantley, he went for it anyways. He was always the guy who "always played on the hardest difficulty" as his best friend would put it, choosing the path of most resistance every chance he got. Marco didn't know why. Surely it had nothing to do with the fact that he was called the "Safe Kid" all throughout High School and his first two years of college.

"Not sure if ya got another chance to win by submission." Brantley said, stroking his beard and looking at Marco's opponent across the ring. "Big Guy'll probably be expecting that."

"I noticed his right hooks and jabs were limp compared to anything he gave with his left." Marco pointed out.

"Really?"

Marco nodded. "Also, every time he put me in any sorta hold, I noticed he put more power into his left arm than his right. Definitely a lefty."

"Or maybe he's got a bum right hand." Brantley added. "Keep outta his left side, then."

Marco nodded. "Right."

"No, I said his left, bro."

"Yeah I know, I mean- ugh, whatever." Marco sighed, giving up on rebutting any further. He took a quick, hefty swig of water from a nearby bottle, put his mouthguard back on and stood right back up.

'C'mon dude! Let's go, let's go!" Brantley cried out. "Last round, last match! Eyes on the money. Give 'em Hell, Marco!"

The bell had rung, signaling the start of the third and final round. Both combatants once again meet at the center of the Octagon.

"Wha's-a matter, jalapeno?" The ogre took out his mouthguard and spat in that faint southern drawl, a reptilian smile slashed across his rough, sweaty face. "Finally seein' ya don't belong in Ghost Pepper country? Figures. Yer all heat and no pain."

The Karate Master stayed silent, opting to give his opponent the "if looks could kill" treatment. He got into his stance, skipping out on wasting his breath on meaningless trash talk and letting his skills do the talking.

"Yew in that much of a rush to get yer ass kicked, boy? Sure thing. We'll make this quick." Brick chuckled. He put his mouthguard back on and rolled his neck before hopping in place and getting into his own stance.

The bell echoed throughout the building, momentarily drowning out the hyped crowd. The two men tapped their gloves together in the usual show of sportsmanship, but in their hearts, they were out for blood. They raised their fists and stoked the flames in their souls. Their five minutes have commenced.

Both fighters circled around each other like snakes, trying to anticipate one another. The results of the prior two rounds they just had with each other were drawn all over their faces and bodies. Though it was clear as day Brick did severe damage to Marco, the Karate Master left his adversary with his own share of marks.

As Marco and Brantley planned earlier, Marco made sure to keep strafing Brick's right to avoid his lefts. The two men spent several seconds throwing punches and hitting air, just to provoke each other to retaliate so they could retaliate their opponent's retaliation.

Brick shot forward on one foot, and immediately threw a right jab at Marco's chest, but it was immediately blocked.

Yet Marco still felt a hit right on his left pec when Brick just happened to throw a left jab within a few seconds of the block. During the brief moment the latino fighter recoiled, Brick unleashed a flurry of rights and lefts that pummeled Marco's torso like machine gun fire.

As much as he staggered, Marco still maintained his balance, his body refusing to fall and his spirit refusing to break.

After Brick's last left punch, Marco used the ensuing blowback as momentum to reel back his own left arm for a retaliating strike.

Boom, shot that followup right outta the air. It was Brick's turn to stagger when Marco struck his right arm mid-blow. The Echo Creek combatant wasted no time following up with his own rights and lefts, of both fists and feet. Marco's strikes flew faster than Brick could block, and like a chopped Redwood Tree, Brick went tumbling down to the ground, giving Marco ample time to strike while he's vulnerable.

With all the fury of a man beaten down too many times, Marco did not show a single speck of quarter or mercy. Brick futilely raised both of his arms, seemingly struggling to endure or even fight back against the barrage Marco was unleashing. Thankfully, Brick held up well enough that it needed no interference from the Referee and Marco could swing away with reckless abandon.

Marco was shaken when he was suddenly thrown off from his opponent and that same opponent was back to his feet in no time at all. Marco, caught way off guard, stumbled on his way back to his feet. But it was no use. Marco had already been shoved off his heel and straddled by 260 pounds of Kentucky Fried Anger. The Latino came just short of raising his arms before each of his temples took a hit. Brick was unrelenting in his barrage, aiming to hit whatever part of Marco's head he could find. Luckily, Marco didn't let any more hits pass after the initial two.

In his blind rage, Brick made a slip when he threw a right jab that went way off and stumbled him forward. Marco saw the open window to grab his right arm and used his opponent's shock to turn the tables and take the control back.

Brantley said Marco didn't have a chance to go for another submission, but there he was. Brick was on his stomach howling in fury as Marco locked the Kentucky Rep's right arm and head in a knot held together by Marco's tightly clamped hands. At the same time, Marco also wrapped Brick's left leg with both of his, restricting his foe to using only his left arm and right leg to fight back.

Brick had enough strength to roll himself and his opponent onto their backs, but not enough to get out of Marco's Boa-like grasp. If anything, it gave Marco additional leverage to add even more pressure. The musclehead's face burned red with frustration, his mouthguard bared and he growled like a mad dog. He threw several punches over his shoulder, every single one hitting Marco square in his nose, jaw, or forehead. His vision blurred, his nose bled, his head lightened, but Marco was like a Pit Bull and his teeth only sunk deeper.

The bell tore through the air like a bullet from a gun and Marco, too cautious about being disqualified, immediately released his hold, his opponent rolling off of him limply. Both Brick and Marco were flat on their backs, desperately catching their breaths. The bell was like a switch that sucked all the fight out of them in an instant.

The combatants arose and dragged their feet out of the arena and to their respective trainers.

"Damn. Roughest match I've seen ya fight in this whole tourney." Brantley said, helping Marco to his chair and handing him a water bottle. Then he handed him a towel to wipe the blood off his face.

After downing the whole bottle in one go, Marco threw it in a nearby bin. "Well yeah, it's the match that decides who gets to win the whole tourney. Whaddya think, B?"

"Hmm." Brantley narrowed his eyes, rubbed his beard ponderously. "Honestly, that looked like a 10-9 to me. Almost a 10-10."

"That close, huh?"

Brantley nodded. "The scary part is, I dunno who got the 10."

"Welp, guess we'll see in a minute."

Both combatants were called back to the center of the ring. Each of them stood on either side of the Referee. This was the moment. Where the winner of the match, as well as the entire tournament would be announced. Every mouth shut and every breath stopped as every eye focused on the three men standing before them.

Marco's breath hitched when he felt the referee grab his wrist as well as Brick's. Marco's eyes darted to the left and he could see Brick's searing eyes and smug smile. It made him nervous to see his opponent looking so confident while Marco was having an inner panic attack. The Ref being a statue and the deafening silence that went on for far too was driving the Karate Master insane.

Then Marco felt like a weight equaling to a thousand Bricks lifted off his shoulders along with his arm when it blasted off into the air. The deafening silence was instantly replaced with the deafening roar of the crowd. Marco was dragged into the arms of Brantley, who lifted him into the air like a proud father would to a child. Then he felt the smooth gold of the huge trophy in his fingers. The rest of the day blurred from there.

Next thing Marco knew, he was in some bar and grill downtown, celebrating his victory with Brantley and several other fighters from the tournament who were gracious about their losses. Mainly because the food and drinks were all on the winners. They had a dinner fit for kings, huge, grilled steaks, a platter of chicken wings and fries that filled half the table and big mugs of beer. Their large, half-circle booth was cleaned out within a couple hours.

After some time, all the guys had already left, leaving Brantley and Marco to themselves. The patrons in the bar had dwindled to a few men drinking at the counter and a couple of girls further away at another table.

"Yo Marco," Brantley pointed towards the young women who sat across the bar. "Y'see those two cuties over there?"

Marco followed Brantley's finger to where said "cuties" were. One of them was a thin, blue-eyed, fair skinned blonde with a blue streak reminiscent of Jackie's that cut through her long flowing hair and a sky blue headband joining it all together. She had on a glittery cyan blouse a white knee-length skirt with blue striped leggings (or thigh highs) and blue boots designed with a sky and cloud motif. The strangest part about her were the clouds that were on her cheeks. Marco wasn't sure if they were stickers or tattoos.

Her friend dressed much less modestly in comparison. A curvier bodied girl with a dark tan and neck-length, bright pink hair. She had on a cyan tube top with multi-colored pastel stars sprinkled on the sizable bosom, severely cut off jean shorts and ripped fishnet stockings atop a pair of lime green sneakers.

"Yeah, what about 'em?" Marco asked, pointing his eyes but not his face towards them.

"Dude, they're totally checkin' us out." Brantley said in hushed tones. "Been seein' em talkin' and laughing and pointin' at us."

"Okay?" Marco shrugged. "So?"

"Choice opportunity to get some tonight, wouldn't ya say?"

"Y'know I'm not here to score, Bran. And they're probably not here for that either."

"I dunno, bro. Thiccy Tan over there looks like she's down to ride the B-Train. You can take Blondie right next to her. She seems more your speed, I think. And I noticed she's been givin' ya dreamy eyes the whole time."

"Dude, I'm not takin' anybody tonight. I'm just here for the tourney and a vacation. Nothing more."

Brantley shrugged. "Suit yourself, dude. But if Ms. Thiccness over there wants to take things to our place, then you got no other choice. Wish me luck, brah."

"Bran, yo- ughhh!" Marco slumped in his seat, defeated as he once again failed to stop him from picking up some girls.

He watched as his friend approached them in that cool, yet casual demeanor he puts on when he's in flirt mode. Their attention was gripped as Brantley proceeded to chat them up. Some laughs were had, then Brantley pointed Marco's way, while seemingly addressing the Blonde only.

"Goddammit, you better not-" Marco had no idea what Brantley was saying, but he had hoped his fellow Instructor wasn't dragging him into anything he wanted no part of.

Out of nowhere, the curvy tan girl jumped to her feet, getting up in Brantley's face. Oh, Marco knew that look. She was rubbing his chest, smiling, and seemingly giving back to Brantley what he was giving her. Whatever he was selling, she was definitely buying and he had her hook, line and sinker.

Next thing Marco knew, their arms hooked one another and they were headed to the door. Brantley looked back at Marco with a smile and a thumbs up. The tan girl did the same to her friend.

And just like that, they were gone, leaving their respective friends alone in a near-empty bar. The blonde gave a warm smile and a wave to Marco. Marco reciprocated, though more forced in comparison. He sighed as he got up from his seat, wishing Brantley wasn't such a horndog.

"Sorry about my friend there." Marco apologized up front while he took a seat across the blonde girl. "Wish he didn't go and take your friend away and leave you all alone."

"Oh, don't be sorry." She responded, giggling. "If anyone was being taken away, it's your friend. There's just no keeping that girl away from any guy she wants. I stopped trying ages ago."

"Same." Marco nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Guess we're both best friends with horndogs, huh?"

"Heehee. Yeah…"

There was a pause. They looked at one another wordlessly, letting the silence thicken until someone got uncomfortable enough to say something.

"Uh right. Names. Of course." Marco extended a hand. "Name's Marco. Marco Diaz. Nice to meet you."

"Right. M'name's, uhhh... SSsssky! Yeah, that's right! Nice to meetcha too."

"Sky." Marco repeated, the name settling on his tongue and sticking to his mind. "That's a cute name."

Sky nervously giggled, rolling her blonde locks in her finger. "Heh, thanks. But I… kinda know who you are already."

"Oh?" Marco raised an eyebrow. "Have we gone to the same college or somethin'?"

"Nah, I've been watchin' ya compete in that Fighting Tournament."

"You're into MMA?"

Sky propped an elbow on the table, resting her cheek on her hand. "Wellll, more like I'm into watching two people beat the snot outta each other."

Marco chuckled. "Heh, fair enough. So whaddya think about the fights?"

"I mean, I dunno how judging works, but I'm always on the edge of my seat when dudes are wailin' on each other. I think your fight with that big dude earlier was the best. Left me on the edge of my seat more often than the others."

"Oh? That was like the toughest fight I've had the entire tourney. The dude was like a bear and he was the biggest out of everyone I've fought."

Sky propped another elbow on the table before her other cheek rested on her palm. "Mmm, what's the hardest fight you've ever been in, Marco?"

"Ooh, that's a good question." Marco leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms as he looked up in contemplation. After a couple minutes, he had an answer.

"I really wanna say it was between a friendly sparring match I had with a guy in China or the time I went to Japan and had a run in with this eyepatch wearing weirdo from the Yakuza. The funny part was, both of them had the nickname 'Mad Dog'. Forgot the Yakuza guy's name, but the first guy's name was, if I remember right, Xu Xiaodong. Really cool guy. Passionate. Has a hobby of calling out fake Kung Fu masters."

"Mmm." Sky nodded. "So which one was the toughest?"

"Neither, actually."

"Huh?" Sky had a confused look on her face.

"The actual toughest fight I've ever had in my entire Martial Arts career was my first tournament fight ever. I think I was...what, a brown belt at the time? That was like, ages ago when I was still in High School."

"Why was that the toughest fight you've ever had?"

"Cuz I was in way over my head at the time. I was in a pretty high rank in Karate and I thought I was good enough to fight kids from other schools. Man, I was wrong."

"What, you got yer butt kicked or something?"

"Hell yeah, I did." Marco chuckled, speaking without the smallest bit of shame. "It was an uphill battle I was destined to lose. He read me like a children's book and sent my sorry butt to the mat a million times. I think I spent more time on my face than on my feet that match. I couldn't even land a single punch on him."

Sky giggled. "Ouch."

"Yeah. That was a humbling experience, to say the least. Got me to stop being arrogant and train better."

"Ever had to fight a buncha guys at once?"

"Yeah a couple times. Didn't win every time, though. Mostly because they get the jump on me and overwhelm me with their numbers. Cowards."

"Too bad you didn't deal with the guys I hafta deal with on a regular basis."

Marco blinked, momentarily taken aback by the comment.

"You wha?"

"Oh, uh." Sky's eyes bounce side to side as if she had regretted her words.

"I mean l, like… uh. Y'know, I get stalked by this same group of guys every other day. Gotta kick their asses every time."

"Okay? And, if I may ask, why do they stalk you so frequently?"

Sky sighed as if she was about to drop a story of a lifetime. "Well… I don't wanna get tooooo much into detail, but I got something important they want. Or at least, one of 'em wants. The other guys are just goons he hired 'cause he can't fight me himself."

"Huh. If it's too personal, ya don't gotta tell me but, what exactly do they want?"

"Just a really, really valuable family heirloom that was passed down to me not too long ago."

"Geez, what is it, a magic Wand passed down a family of wizards or something?"

Marco had himself a laugh, with Sky nervously joining him while her eyes got shifty once again.

"And lemme guess, you're a Princess from a faraway fantasy land or something?"

Marco laughed a little harder with Sky joining in just as well and sounding almost genuine.

"Yeah and what I've got the power to destroy this planet and maybe the entire universe!"

Their laughs echoed throughout the once quiet bar, drawing weird looks from what few patrons remained in the bar as well as the Bartender.

Eventually, the two stopped laughing and continued on talking about whatever. They ordered a few more drinks, which loosened their inhibitions, cultivating a livelier more comfortable atmosphere. What started out with both of them sitting facing each other eventually led them to sitting right next to each other, just short of bumping shoulders. At some point, they exchanged phone numbers, promising to keep in touch even after they go back to their own homes.

Their mirth was suddenly cut off by the respective buzzing of their phones. Sky and Marco simultaneously took them out.

"Oh Goddammit, Brantley." Marco spoke with disgust. Brantley sent Marco a message with an attached picture of him balls deep in Sky's friend, whose face was shoved into a pillow while her spread ass reached for the sky.

"Geez, Pony..." Sky commented similarly.

"Welp, guess I'm gonna hafta find another place to crash for tonight."

"Pic of our friends banging?" Sky asked.

"Yyyeah. How'd ya know?"

"Because my friend, Ponyhead, sent the same thing."

"Gross."

"Wanna see?"

"Yeah, why not? Here, look at what he sent me."

They passed their phones to each other. When Marco looked at Sky's screen, he was greeted by the sight of Brantley's bare stomach between a pair of plump, milk chocolate thighs. Judging by all the sweat glistening off their naked bodies, Marco could tell they were going hard.

"I'm really, really sorry about that." Sky apologized. "If ya want, you could come to my place and sleep for the night. Don't worry, there's another bed."

"No no, I can't make you do that. It's my fault my friend decided to take yours to our hotel room."

"It's fine, Marco." Sky insisted. "Trust me, my place is pretty huge."

"I can't. Really." Marco held up a deterring hand. "Maybe I can find some cheap motel or something for tonight. Saves you the trouble from having to keep me around for a night."

Sky opened her mouth as if she was about to say something before instantly killing whatever words she had.

"Okay." She said with a single nod. Marco thought he might've caught a glimpse of disappointment in her eyes but thought nothing of it.

When the bar door swung open, the two stepped out into the sidewalk, taking a moment before heading out.

"It was uh. Nice meeting you, Sky." Marco scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah. You too, Marco." Sky anxiously rubbed her arm, her eyes drifting to the sidewalk. "So… text later?"

"Oh yeah, definitely."

Sky shined a smile that could light up the night. "Okay. Well, seeya 'round, Marco."

"Yup. Seeya." Marco waved as he walked away from Sky. After several steps, he stopped to look over his shoulder and saw she was no longer there. He shrugged and continued walking.

Marco would be lying if he said he didn't regret taking Sky up on her offer. She was one of the cuter, funnier, more interesting girls he'd met in his life. He would've liked to get to know her better and have a friend to talk to while the one at his hotel room was "busy". Maybe even have her elaborate on the whole family heirloom situation. At least he got her number.

After several minutes of trudging along nearly dead streets, Marco sat on a nearby bench beneath the light of a street lamp. He took his phone out and began searching for any hotels and motels with vacant rooms. Many of the average quality hotels and motels were fully booked. That just left the ones with less than stellar ratings and reviews which, of course, had a few rooms available.

Marco sighed, as he found a motel just a few blocks away from where he was. Judging by some guest reviews few issues here and there, mainly with lighting and missing pillows. As long as it wasn't infested with rodents and the rooms stayed mostly clean, it was better than nothing.

"Hey!" The furious shout stopped Marco dead in his tracks. He would've paid it no mind and kept walking had he not recognized whose voice it was.

Marco turned around. From beyond the reach of the streetlight and lurking in the darkness of the silent city stood the hulking form of Marco's last opponent.

"Youuu… Jalapeno." He spat bitterly.

"Oh, it's you, Brick." Marco regarded him not so fondly. He had a feeling Brick approached him for less than friendly reasons. "Can I help you?"

"You know that was a bullshit call, Diaz." Brick's heavy feet padded towards Marco, until he was right in his face. Marco looked up at him, the top of his head meeting Brick's chin.

"Shoulda been me." Brick grit and bared his teeth. "I shoulda won. Not you."

"I dunno what to tell ya, Brick. They made the call. I'm not gonna argue." Even in the face of a potential conflict, Marco remained stone-faced and composed.

"Of course y'ain't gonna argue with it, cuz y'ain't th'one tha's lost!"

"Even if I did lose, I wouldn't argue against that, either. And I would've treated you better than how you're treating me now.

Like an angry bull, Brick flared his nostrils and blew hot air in Marco's face. They locked eyes for a long, tense several seconds. Brick finally cut the silence.

"You and me. Right here, right now."

"Uh, what?"

"We throw down. Right on this here sidewalk. No holds barred. First to get knocked out loses."

"What the Hell, Brick, I'm not gonna fight you!" Marco took a step back.

"Th'Hell you will." Brick took a step forward, back in Marco's face.

"And what good is this gonna do?"

"It's gon prove who's truly the better fighter. Without any dumbass rules gettin' in the way."

"Brick, just drop it." Marco grew increasingly frustrated. "I'm telling you one last time. I'm. Not. Fighting you."

Marco immediately turned his back on Brick to walk away. When he felt the man's hand on his shoulder, his body instantly stiffened and he tightened both hands into fists.

Marco blocked the punch that aimed for his face. He jumped back, maintaining a defensive position and a safe distance out of Brick's range.

"Heh. Well, well. Looks like yer ready to throw down after all." Brick smiled.

"Goddammit, stop this!" Marco shouted. "It's too late for this shit!"

"I know. But I ain't gonna give ya a choice."

Brick closed the distance Marco made in an instant and threw another punch towards Marco's gut. When that was blocked, Brick quickly followed up with an uppercut to Marco's chin using his other hand. Marco narrowly avoided it but stumbled backwards.

Brick saw the slight fumble and took advantage of it by charging Marco and tackling him to the ground, his back slamming against the asphalt.

Marco, with blurry vision and a throbbing skull, quickly raised his arms to block Brick's oncoming onslaught of swings. Though none of the strikes hit Marco's head, his arms burned with pain from all the strikes. Brick was certainly not holding back.

"Huh? Wha-"

Suddenly all 260 pounds lifted off of him in an instant. Confused, Marco opened his eyes and parted his arms to find Brick no longer in sight.

Marco wasn't prepared for what he saw when he sat up. His jaw was on his lap and he had to wipe his wide eyes to make sure what he saw was real.

Brick had his head driven into the sidewalk, his body flipped upside down, his legs over his head. Sky was right behind him, her feet planted firmly in the ground, her body bent backwards as she held him in that position with her skinny arms wrapped around his bulky waist like he weighed nothing at all.

Then she stood straight up, letting the rest of Brick Wallace's body drop to the floor. There was a visible crack in the asphalt where his head made an impact.

Brick wasn't moving at all.

Marco had to make sure there wasn't a felony on their hands."Is. Is he…"

"Nahhh, he's fine." Sky said as she clapped the dust out of her palms. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but…."

Marco looked to Brick's seemingly unconscious body, then back to Sky. Then back to Brick then to Sky. Then Brick again then Sky. Brick. Sky. Brick. Sky.

Marco struggled to make sense of what just happened despite how it occured before his very eyes. Did a girl that he has to look down to talk to seriously just suplex a guy he has to look up to face?

Marco was snapped out of his confusion when Brick groaned in pain. He felt relief wash over him, knowing that he was still alive.

It's been a very long time since Marco met a girl who could kick ass as good as that. A girl who could suplex a guy several times bigger than her with such ease and expertise had to have been trained to do so. Seeing the way Sky handled Brick and basically saved him even though he likely didn't need it left him with a great feeling of gratitude and an even greater interest in her and the training she most likely went through to be able to do that. But mainly, he found that pretty hot.

"Eh, he'll probably forget what just happened." Sky looked back at Marco. "Anyways, didja find a place to crash yet?"

"Yeah I did." Marco took a step forward, drawing closer to Sky. There was a deep sincerity and boldness in his eyes as he spoke.

"Yours."