Author: pandora1017
Rating: PG
Content: I'm not tellin'. :-P
Notes: This takes place the night that Chuck accidentally nailed Matt in the eye with a discus punch at a house show. The injury from Christian mentioned happened back in '99, according to the WWE.com article, something about a broken orbital bone from a bad dropkick where the toe of Christian's boot ended up in Matt's eye. The title is from the Millencolin song Black Eye, "I show my tragedy with my black eye..."
Characters:
Matt Hardy
Adam Copeland = Edge
Jason Reso = Christian
Chuck Palumbo
Matt Bloom = Albert
.
"Goddammit!" I yelled in frustration, slamming my fist on the trainer's table I was sitting on.
"Take it easy, Matt," the trainer warned me. I'd tell you which one, but with my fucking eye swollen shut it was kind of hard to tell.
"Look, Matt -... I mean..." Chuck stumbled over his words, hesitating after the word 'look' made me turn red. Or maybe he just caught his own mistake - I imagine it would be hard to tell what color my face was under all the blood pouring from my nose. "I'm really sorry..."
"It's not y'fault, Chuck," I sighed. "I jus' didn't duck. I'm not mad at ya, I'm jus' frustrated."
There was a moment of silence, then I felt a sudden rush of cold on my face and heard the trainer's voice. "Just keep that ice pack on there until I say so - ok, Matt?"
"Yeah, sure," I muttered, lifting my hand to hold up the ice. "Y'guys mind gettin' outta here for a minute? I'd like t'be alone."
"Yeah, sure, Matt," Chuck answered quickly. "I'm really sorry..."
I smiled shortly, "Don't worry 'bout it, I've had worse. Jus'..."
I motioned for them to leave. There were shuffling sounds, then the door closed with click. I looked around weakly with my good eye and double checked that the blur that was the trainer had left, too, before dropping the ice pack onto my knee with a sigh. I knew the exact chain of events that lead to my getting accidentally busted in the eye tonight. It all started when Vince gave my first decent storyline since feuding with Edge and Christian to that no-talent "A-Train." Matt Hardy, Version 1, was finally going to get a legitimate feud with - of all people - Edge. Sure, Adam and I had been in the ring together 873 times before, but those were 873 entertaining matches, and the WWE seems to be having a shortage of those recently. It was going to be a great feud. I was going to bash up Rey's knee, then try and sabotage Edge's number one contender match. Perfect. Until - at the last minute - Vince decided it would be better to give Matt my place on Smackdown and I was forced to take his place with the jobbers on Velocity. I could have wrestled Adam tonight - he wouldn't jack anyone in the face. I heard the door open and looked up quickly, trying to discern who it was, but to no avail. Just some blur - until he started laughing.
"Jus' cause I can't see ya doesn't mean I can't recognize y'laugh, Adam," I growled.
"I'm sorry," he laughed, "I just can't believe your eye is swollen shut."
"Can't believe it's swollen shut again, y'mean? F'get 'bout how y'little friend Jay kicked me in th'face when I first started?"
"Ah, that's a Reso trademark. He's gotten nicer in his old age - he only took out Maven's leg."
"Is that s'posed t'be some kind'a consolation?"
"Chuck was only trying to help - he thought your face was unbalanced from when Jay kicked you."
"Well, when y'put it like that, it was awfully nice'a him," I responded dryly, and Adam started laughing at me again. "I'm glad y'think this is so funny, Adam. C'mere, lemme show ya how funny getting busted in th'face really is."
"You wouldn't be able to hit me if I was standing a foot in front of you."
"I realize this. If I could see, y'woulda been dead as soon as ya walked in th'room," I informed him. I heard him chuckle again, then the blur that was Adam came closer to me and I swung at the air. I heard laughter again, and took another swing, still surprised that the first hadn't connected. "What th'hell?"
"You're going to have to get off that table if you want to hit me, Matt," Adam laughed.
"Where th'fuck are ya?" I demanded, getting off the table and holding my hand out where his face should have been. After a couple steps, my palm finally met his face. "Jesus, I have no depth perception."
"What?" Adam asked, finally startled.
"Fuckin' shit," I swore, then groped my way back to the training table, sitting back down with a sigh. "I could'a swore y'were a couple feet in front'a me."
"Jesus, Matt," Adam-blur got bigger, and I assumed he was coming towards me this time.
"I... I'll be fine," I declared hesitantly. "I've had worse."
Adam-blur raised something blue and I felt it touch my upper lip, cold and wet. "What are ya doin'?"
"I'm cleaning off the blood," he answered softly as he delicately touched my face with the cloth. "I know you're upset, Matt."
"'Upset' does not begin t'describe it."
"I was lobbying with Vince to get you that angle. You deserve it."
"Thanks," I scowled. "But it doesn't make me feel any better t'know that they ignore main-event talent jus' like us Velocity jobbers."
Adam removed the cloth he was using and raised his face level to mine. "I'm not main-event talent and you're not a Velocity jobber."
"Yeah, y'already tried t'convince Vince of that. He wasn't listenin'."
"Don't make me give you another black eye."
"It's jus'... I'm too big t'be a cruiserweight an' too small t'main-event. An' what th'hell happened t'our mid-card titles? I jus' feel so useless."
"I'm not doing anything, either."
"If y'call fightin' Angle an' Benoit nothin'... then, ok, y'got me there."
Adam sighed and finished cleaning the blood my face again. "Quit whining, Matt."
I just scowled. "Easy f'you t'say, y'-"
"I said stop," Adam repeated, setting his hand over my mouth. "There's nothing we can do about it now. Just move on, ok? You'll get what you deserve sooner or later."
"I don't like what you're implyin'," I informed him. Since his face was so close to mine, I could actually see the smile forming on his lips before he turned away and took my ice pack from me. "Hey, what're ya - gah!"
I flinched again when he set the ice against my eye. "Too cold?"
"Adam..." I warned as he removed the ice and tore into the bag, taking out a chunk. After a second, he brushed the ice from just above my eye and down my cheek. The only reaction I could manage was a sharp intake of breath.
"Does this hurt?"
"No," I managed to choke out, gripping the trainer's table I was sitting on. Adam teasingly repeated the motion until the ice melted in his hand, my good eye wide open and glued to him the entire time.
"How does it feel now?" he asked, leaning in to whisper in my ear and bracing himself with his arms on either side of me.
"How does what feel?" I whispered back, a shiver running up my spine. Adam's low chuckle rumbled next to my ear shortly before his beard brushed my jaw as he kissed the corner of my jawbone. The painful sensations that had been overtaking my mind all night lessened with each kiss as Adam trailed down my neck to my collarbone. I moaned softly, which made Adam chuckle again, a rather pleasant sensation with the short bursts of breath on my neck.
"Feel better now, babe?" he whispered into my ear as he pulled away from me. My blurred gaze snapped to him as soon as I realized what was happening.
"Y'can't stop there!"
"I still have my match coming up. I just wanted to make sure you were ok."
"But -"
Adam cut me off with a short kiss. "You'll be fine, Matt. I'll be back after my match."
"But... but..." I sputtered until Adam smiled and kissed me shortly one last time before getting up and heading for the door. I drew an indignant breath, then called, "Tease!"
Adam-blur stopped at the door for a second before shaking his head with a chuckle and leaving. As he left, I heard him calling, "Love you, too, Matt."
I brought the ice pack back on my eye, grumbling, but I couldn't help but smile as the door fell shut again.