I don't know if it feels like it for anyone else, but this one feels like a longtime coming for me. I started writing this story such a long time ago, I can't believe it's the first time that I've actually written a chapter where River gets to have a fight/match. I will say, I'm definitely no boxer and I'm not used to writing action sequences if that's even what you'd call some of this. I've done my best and I've had fun with it, so hopefully it's fine. I'm sure it will be, I just wanted to preface it all by saying that I've not really done this before, but again, it'll be fine.
I know my chapters take a while in between uploads, so just a massive thank you to anyone at all who's still reading this, whether you're new or otherwise, I just really appreciate your time and whatnot. I love writing this and absolutely will finish it, but I also know it's got to be annoying that it takes me so long to write, so just thank you again. Now, please, enjoy!
"How're you feelin', kid?" Jet asked, lowering the pads as River stepped away from him to take a quick drink of her water.
In spite of his weathered, grizzled appearance that had him looking more like a string bean than a coach, River couldn't have expressed to anyone how damn happy she was to have him there in that moment.
Today was the day, the day, the one that she'd been waiting on for what felt like her entire life.
For all of the worries that she'd had, all of the fears of not being good enough, the concerns about the lasting damage of her injuries, they'd all melted away the second that her dad's squad car had pulled up at the gym. It was a small, dingy place with sticky floors and flickering neon signs. The people looked rough, a couple of them rather comically scurrying out of sight at the sight of a cop car, but she wasn't focused on that. No, from the moment they pulled up, all she cared about was the right. Her dad hadn't wanted for her to drive herself, saying that the adrenaline would make it unsafe to drive home. Secretly, she knew what his worry was. In the instance that she was beaten, something that was a distinct possibility, she may not have been in any fit state to drive herself home.
Sipping her water in spite of how badly she wanted to chug it, the young fighter shrugged. "I feel..." She trailed off, sighing softly. How the hell did she feel? "Anxious, I think. Excited. Kinda calm, too, maybe."
The older man laughed at that. "Completely normal." He assured her, patting her shoulder fondly with the pad that was still strapped to his hand. "My first fight, I was almost pissing down my down leg, hands shaking like nothing you've ever seen."
She wasn't too sure if that was a measure of excitement of nerves, but it didn't matter right now. The only thing in the world that mattered right now was making sure she was properly prepared for this.
Now, she wasn't sure what exactly she'd expected, but this place? Well, this place hadn't been it. Not to say that she didn't see the backwater kind of charm that it had, because she did, but she also couldn't help but find it amusing that this was the kind of place that Jet scored fights in.
When they'd arrived, she and Jet had left everyone who had come to watch outside, heading in together and to the bar. River had watched as Jet had signed in on her behalf, then they'd waved her off to a changing room with an area for her and for Jet, somewhere that they could prepare. In the spirit of exactly that, Jet had sent her off alone to get changed, telling her that he'd bring everyone else in, get them seated and come in to her when she was ready. It really all was just that simple. Not that she'd expected any grandeur of course, but still, something about it felt so normal.
Together, she and Jet continued her warmup. He made sure she'd stretched, that she'd hydrated and that all of her gear was on properly.
One thing that sure had amused her throughout the week? Well, that was when her mom texted her, saying that she'd seen Paul at the grocery store. Apparently he had a small stack of flyers advertising her fight, something he was proudly asking every customer if they wanted. She'd noticed him doing it at school too, passing flyers to teachers and some of the other kids. It was adorable, of course it was, but it was also hilarious. Just like he'd promised her dad, he really did make an awesome cheerleader.
As the time for the start of the fight neared, she and Jet carried on. They kept on stretching and whatnot as if it was any other day, as if she was about to spar one of the nephews. The nerves were still there, they'd made a home in the pit of her stomach, but keeping moving was helping. She trusted Jet, trusted that he knew what to do and what not to do, so it was kind of nice to be able to just follow his lead and to let everything else melt away.
Speaking of Jet, he was freaking amazing. He was taking the role of manager and coach incredibly seriously, far more so than she expected if she was being honest with herself.
In the past couple of weeks, he'd been keeping her entirely up to date on the woman that she'd be fighting. Since she was eighteen, she'd be fighting another adult, someone who had far more experience than her. They were roughly the same weight, but this woman was tall. Like, she was breeching six foot and she was slim and lean, seemingly a polar opposite to River's own shorter and bulkier build.
She tried to think who she'd have put her money on, removing herself from the situation and looking at it as two faceless fighters, but she couldn't. She also couldn't ignore the videos of this woman's mean jabs that Jet had sat and studied with her.
The woman in question, Alicia Hernandez, was double her age at thirty-six. One of her taglines for social media posts was that she was "tall, lean and mean", something that seemed accurate with each video of her that River saw. She had one hell of a left hook and took shots to the body like nobody's business.
One of the things that Jet pointed out to her was that, in a way, her inexperience was on their side. While they had almost a decade of Alicia's fights to study, the only presence that River had online was a few pictures that Skylar had posted when they'd been dating, family photos that her folks had posted and an outdated profile picture that was a couple of years old. She planned to change that to a cute one of her and Paul later on. Personally, River didn't see that as her inexperience being on her side, she just saw that as her lack of social media was on her side for her first fight.
Still, before too long, the time had come. Everyone outside the changing room was seated, drinks were flowing and the old announcer with a terrible case of smoker's cough was telling everyone to settle down.
The butterflies in her stomach were gone, leaving room for wasps now, maybe hornets. They buzzed angrily in her, stinging her painfully as Jet clapped her shoulder and told her to get ready.
She'd watched a million and one fights before. She knew the drill. This place though, it wasn't anything grand or exactly professional. Hell, it was a bar that held prize fights for a few hundred dollars. So, where there otherwise would have been a walk out to some music, this place didn't have that. There was no excited yell of her name, no need for a robe or anything like that. Instead, after two knocks were sounded on the door, out she and Jet went.
Her heart thundered like a war drum, threatening to break out of her ribs. Only, there he was. Right there, sitting beside Brooke. Paul.
Everything inside her settled. All her nerves, her anxieties, her concerns about fighting someone who'd been doing this for as long as she'd been alive... they all just vanished. He was here, as were a few of the guys, sitting the row behind him. He'd made it. He'd made the choice to see her do this, to have faith in himself and his ability to control himself so that he didn't miss this moment for her.
Another face that shocked her was Skylar. The beautiful blonde, her ex girlfriend, was sitting the other side of Paul.
There were other faces of course, some that she knew and some that she didn't, but those two had stood out to her the most.
She and Jet walked to the ring together, past a couple rows of fold-out seats that were full of people booing her. Alicia's family, she figured, or maybe she had some hardcore supporters. It didn't matter a damn to her though.
Once they reached the ring, noting that Alicia was already eyeing her from inside it, Jet handed her gloves over to be checked. One of the old timers who worked there came and felt how her hands were wrapped, confirming that she wasn't hiding crazy shit in there like rocks. As soon as her gloves were handed back, she strapped them back on. Briefly and silently, she had to wonder what kind of freaking place this was that they had to check for that stuff.
"In you go, kid." Jet reached up and held one of the ropes down for her.
Without a thought, she hopped up and slipped into the ring. The lights were blinding and the music was deafening. The other woman's glare was set on her, so firm that she could almost feel it. It was hot and heavy, attempting to pin her in place.
Luckily, if there was one thing that River wasn't, it was easily intimidated. Maybe that was stupid given where she was, but she actually found the glaring and the posturing kind of funny. Look, her boyfriend and his friends turned into huge wolves, vampires were real, someone whose wedding she'd gone to had birthed some kind of human/vampire hybrid baby... she just didn't know why the hell she would have found this regular, human woman scary when all of that was her everyday now.
Following the instructions of the ref, another old man, she and Alicia stepped into the middle of the ring together. A single photo was taken of them both side by side, printed quickly out on the camera. From there, they agreed to the rules hastily, neither taking their eyes from one another.
As they were told to back off and head to their corners, Alicia snarled down at her. She actually snarled.
River couldn't help but smile. She wasn't scared, not of someone who thought that was intimidating. So, in turn, she blew the other woman an animated kiss with her glove before stepping back with a chuckle, watching it dawn on the other woman's face that she wasn't at all phased. Whether she won or lost, she refused to cower beforehand. Sure, maybe it would be a little embarrassing to have done that if she ended up getting beaten pretty badly, but it was her first freaking official match, no one could hold a loss against her, least of all against someone who had been doing this for so long.
In all honesty, when Jet had first shown her who exactly she'd be fighting, she'd been shocked. Not specifically that this woman was some kind of known goddess among amateur fighters or anything like that, but the more they looked into her together, the more they found that she wasn't one to beat on new fighters just to keep a string of wins under her belt. She was vocal online about that too, even having turned some new young women away on occasion, stating that she wasn't looking to chew up cannon fodder and call herself a victor for it.
So, River's question in her mind: had Jet promised that she could hold her own, or did someone higher up the food chain really just owe him a favour?
It didn't matter to her all that much, not now that she was standing in the ring. She'd been dreaming of this for so long, training for so many years. The diets and the exercise, the lack of socializing, the countless hours, even the rehabbing after her accident, they had all lead to this moment and she couldn't find it in herself to regret a single thing.
The wraps on her hands felt good. Jet had been the first person to ever properly wrap her hands for her, so it had only felt apt that he'd wrapped them for her today. Atop them, the gloves felt strange. Not bad at all, just new and still relatively unworn. She'd used them for training, but they were a long way from being all but molded to her hands. She'd get there though, she knew she would. She also silently hoped that having a piece of her family's history on her would show her thanks to the spirits for all of the blessings that they'd granted her. The dye that her grandmother had used on the previously white leather was one that their people had been using for centuries, millennia even.
The announcer was yet another old man, something that was becoming increasingly amusing to River even while she knew that she had bigger thing to think about like the huge woman with murder in her eyes. He held a megaphone that was hooked up to some speakers around the room. For a moment, she felt terrible for Paul and the other wolves that had shown up, even more so once Alicia's name was announced and a small section of the spotty crowd went wild with their screaming and whatnot. This place must have been a sensory hell for them.
When her name was called though, the announcer managing to butcher her last name just a little, she saw Paul in the corner of her eye. Right there, between Brooke and Skylar, he was one of the first to jump up and yell excitedly, egging her on. She hadn't really taken the time to look at who else had shown up, her mind had been absolutely elsewhere. Also, in all honesty, Skylar had been more than a brilliant surprise. As far as she could tell, she had the closest people to her in the place already, anyone else was just a nice, supportive addition.
With Paul's seemingly excited shout, she balled her fists. She was ready.
Her opponent was a hothead if she'd ever seen one. She was raring to go, practically vibrating in her corner, hopping up and down.
The countdown was simple and quick, just a call of three, two one... fight!
So, they did.
As expected, hotheaded Alicia Hernandez charged her immediately. It was a scare tactic more than anything; rushing someone on your own terf, taking up space before they've even moved their first foot. River was expecting it though. If there's one thing she'd always been good at, it was studying. She and Jet had studied this woman together for weeks around work. This charge had been expected, so instead of panic and flail, River met her head on.
They clashed barely shy of the middle of the ring and it fucking hurt. This woman's fists, even covered in wraps and gloves, were like bullets. She moved hard and fast, landing those mean jabs that River had thought she was ready for.
The teen moved just as quickly though. Neither woman relented, not for a good few seconds of them utterly beating the lights out of one another. While Alicia went mostly for the ribs, River focused her energy on the other woman's head.
Shot after shot, she managed to dodge and avoid the majority of fists thrown her way. She may have been bulky, but she sure as shit was fast. She stayed on the balls of her feet, moving exactly as she'd practiced.
Adrenaline coursing through her, she could barely feel the hits that landed on her ribs. Sure, she felt one that managed to catch her jaw, even more so when an especially hard hit to the ribs came next, almost sending her into the ropes.
Quickly, she put distance between them. Alicia allowed none. Still, she kept skipping and weaving, bobbing and dodging until she'd caught her bearings once more. Then, she was right back into it.
Together, they set a punishing pace. It was already more physically demanding than anything that she'd done before, though she knew part of that was down to the adrenaline and the nerves inside of her.
Another thing she knew about this woman? She almost always won her fights in the first round, pretty exclusively via knockout. She started with the ribs, made her opponents run for space, then hounded their heads until they were knocked down. That was her pattern, one that River realised she'd fallen prey to when she'd tried to put distance between them.
Admittedly, they were well matched. Though River seemed immediately to be more powerful, the skill and experience displayed in the other woman's footwork was undeniable, as were her keen instincts.
Luckily for River, more of her punches began to land as the time went on. Clearly Alicia hadn't expected to fight someone who would be so willing to stand and take hits in order to avoid her trap of running away and panicking. Sure, standing and getting punched wasn't ideal, but that was why she'd spent so long learning to dodge. So, dodge she did. They both did, but the effects of the teen's hits were becoming clear. Eventually, in what felt like a victory in and of itself, she saw it for the first time.
Blood.
Thick, hot, red blood, gushing from the other woman's nose.
The shock must have been evident on her face, she knew that, but it was just as clear on the face across from her.
Neither of them slowed, not for so much as a beat, but there was a shift. A change in how they were moving. For the first time, River watched as Alicia took an almost fearful step backward when more fists came flying her way.
It wasn't fear, she knew it wasn't. It was skill. Alicia had been doing this for a long time, she was figuring out that maybe she needed to be the one to create space, especially since her usual tactic wasn't working.
The only issue in that? Well, River didn't allow space.
For each step the other fighter took back, River followed. She only allowed room for breathing and for punching. Sure, it earned her a few mean hooks to the ribs, but they were worth it.
Slowly but surely, she backed Alicia into the ropes, waiting for the older woman to stumble. While she didn't lean against the ropes, there was a moment where she brought her arms up in defense and simply made to hold River off for the remainder of the round like that, back firmly against a corner post.
The teen was actually a little amused by that. She wouldn't fall for it.
While using the ropes for leverage wasn't allowed, leaning against them a little was. It was also a strategy for tiring out one's opponent, letting them hit you some more while the ropes actually took some of the dissipated blow. So yeah, she wasn't falling for that.
Quickly, making her stance on where they'd found themselves abundantly clear, she skipped away, hopping foot to foot to the opposite corner.
With momentary space, she continued hopping, taking a second to roll her shoulders.
Across the ring, she actually saw some amusement shine back at her. Alicia was, what, proud almost that she'd clocked the attempted trick?
They were flying back at one another in record time. River's fists came up, swinging hard with her left while her right blocked the expected hit.
Only, they were stopped.
DING!
The bell was loud.
Using every ounce of her strength, she managed to catch herself just before her fist made contact with the other woman's face. She even saw the whites of the eyes across from her, worry evident that she wouldn't stop in time.
She wasn't so lucky. Alicia's fist hadn't stopped in time and her own hand had already started to drop its defense at the sound of the bell. So, a hit crashed directly into River's ill prepared stomach.
For just a second, she was doubled over. Her mouth guard flew out of her mouth in time with some sound akin to a retch.
"Ref!" She heard Jet yell, his voice outraged.
As quickly as she could, she gained her composure though. She waved Jet off with a wave of her glove, retrieving the guard from the floor. "It's good." She spoke loudly to the other woman, already seeing something like concern in her eyes.
Hey, it had been an accident. She hadn't stopped in time and it certainly hadn't seemed any kind of malicious.
A nod came from the older woman as they both slinked back to their corners and slumped down onto stools. A bucket was placed in front of each of them by their coaches. Alicia's coach washed and wiped her face, then River's view of her was gone. Jet was climbing in through the ropes, taking her mouth guard from her and using her bottle of water to rinse it.
"You survive the first round, kid!" His yell over the general sounds of the bar was meant for her alone, she knew that. She honestly kind of forgot that she and Alicia hadn't been alone in the room. Everyone else had just melted away.
Holy shit though, he was right.
As she had a drink, she couldn't help but find herself amazed right there with Jet that she had survived the first round.
While the break between rounds was only a minute long, she and Jet made use of every second. She didn't once look around or glance to her family and friends, all there was to do was to listen to Jet. He was her lifeline here and she knew it.
As much as that last hit on her ribs may not have been intentionally thrown to hit when she'd let her guard down after the bell, it still had happened. While that could work in her favour if it came down to a points decision, she also knew that her opponent would target the pain that she knew she'd caused. It was the smart thing to do, so as much as it sucked, now was the time for defense. She needed to continue to tire the other woman out as much as she could, riding on the fact that she wasn't used to fighting multiple rounds. Now was the time to drag this on for as long as she could, landing heavy hits where possible.
Well, either that or end things as quickly as possible. It had to come down to how the other woman came out of this though. This break between rounds, she knew, would set the tone.
The minute was up quickly, punctuated perfectly with another sound of the bell and both coaches scampering away through the ropes.
There was as single stiff second, one in which the fighters both stood and attempted to figure one another out. Who would charge forward? Who would land that next damaging hit? Would it be River's fist to Alicia's bloodied face, or maybe Alicia's glove into River's tender side?
Together, they answered that question. They landed hits at the same second.
River winced her pain as her abs tensed briefly, contracting after the initial hit, but she was quick to bounce back. Meanwhile, Alicia barked out a grunt as the teen made further mess of her nose. The blood that had just been wiped away was already back, this time with her nose looking broken.
In order to keep her ribs safe, her strategy had to be to protect them. She'd taken hard hits from Dante and Owen in the past that had left her sore for days. This would no doubt be worse, but her immediate worry was the next three minutes. Her energy needed to be focused, of course it did, but properly focused on not just avoiding initial pain but also making sure that she didn't allow numerous hits to render her unable to continue.
Knowing this, Alicia's energy was very much also focused on River's ribs.
The hits that came her way were heavy. Gone were the punches like bullets, making way for the swinging of sledgehammers.
Jumping around, dodging where she could, River's new strategy was to land a few hits as she danced around, doing what she could to avoid those insanely powerful hands. She just thanked the gods, the spirits and Jet that she'd kept up with her cardio. Hell, she thanked Paul too, all the sex must have played its part somehow.
There were a couple of neat instances where the two women threw hits and blocked one another, practically punching one another's punches out of the air.
Progress wasn't as quick that second round, not for either of them. One thing River noticed though was that Alicia was slowing down. She was getting tired. She wasn't used to her cannon fodder making it through the first round, let alone the second.
Good. This will work.
During the last thirty second of the round, taking a number of hits while doing so, she applied the pressure. The other woman's nose was like a damn faucet, paired with a miniscule gash in her eyebrow too.
By the time the second round finished though, she wasn't the only one bloodied. The final hit, this time before the bell, split River's bottom lip.
Her chest was heaving as she returned to Jet and her corner. She still didn't look around, still didn't so much as glance at her family. Instead, craning to see over Jet's shoulder as he crouched in front of her, she stared at the other woman, seeing exhaustion looking back at her.
They'd agreed to three rounds, but if the three judges couldn't decide, they'd both agreed to more. In all honesty though, River didn't see either of them making it to four. That ill timed hit to her ribs had done a number on her, but more importantly, she'd tired the other woman out thoroughly.
Going into the third round, it was anyone's game. While River had the stamina, she'd also hurt her ribs a little more than she'd realised and was beginning to feel it. The adrenaline was waning, leaving way for pain. She felt it. Every second of every hit, it was rapidly catching up to her. Each crash of Alicia's desperate mitts was like a brick hurling into her. The other woman may have been tired, but clearly her fists hadn't gotten that memo as quickly as her feet had.
Only, her feet had. River's footwork hadn't slowed, but the other woman's had slowed drastically. She was far too used to her fights being over quickly and now it was showing.
In some final desperate act of self preservation, she flew at the teen hard. The teen was hurtled into the ropes for just a second, managing to duck a missile as it flew by her head, then they were back at one another again. One particularly hard punch very nearly did it.
River's knees met the canvas, blood trickling down from her mouth. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, feel it in her throat. She could taste the blood as it seeped around the guard in her mouth. Was this it? Was this going to be the end of her first match?
One thing she'd always known was, no matter how badly she wanted to win, that desire wasn't unique. She wasn't the only one in the ring wanting that. She'd come here with the hopes of winning, but also knowing that she could lose. She had to be ready for either outcome.
There was a second where Alicia was coming towards her, one where the teen worried that she'd chance an illegal hit on her home turf. As her ears rang, she spat her bloody mouthful to the ground and forced herself to stand. She'd go down fighting if nothing else.
The look of respect that she got from her opponent was appreciated. They both knew that she was seeing stars and that she could have stayed on her knees and ended both their torment. No matter how tired they both were though, one of them was going to win this and River still wanted for it to be her. More than anything, she wanted for it to be her.
Back on her feet, she was fair game, so she charged. She charged and she attacked ruthlessly. She was light on her feet as fast as a damn shot, they both were.
The ringing in her ears grew louder, a few harsh hits seeing to it that the stars didn't clear from her vision either. Neither woman was being particularly smart about things anymore, they were simply hitting and dodging, weaving and ploughing into one another for every second that they had left in them. River would be icing her ribs for days following this, she knew that, but each time her gloves came away with just a little more blood, she felt closer to victory. She didn't relent, she couldn't relent, not now. Even worried that she was going to pass out, she carried on swinging. Even as her eyebrow opened up and began to leak blood directly into her right eye, she continued on hitting.
Finally, what felt like eons later, it happened.
River's knees hit the floor one final time and the match was over.
It was done.
Kneeling there, her chest heaved. She coughed and sputtered lightly, slumping forward and catching herself on her balled fists. The bell rang loudly, announcing a winner as the ref ran over to the woman on the mat.
He ran right by her, stopping instead beside Alicia as she lay flat on her back, eyes rolling into the back of her head. Unconscious.
As the world spun and she saw stars, it didn't really sink in. What had just happened, she felt oblivious to. Even as the ref confirmed it as the older woman came to and waved him off, unable to get back to her feet.
She didn't hear the elated cries from her family as she rose to her feet, nor did she notice when the ref made to grab one of her hands.
Instead, standing, swaying, she managed to stumble over to the other woman who was still on the floor, just barely pushing herself to sit up. "Hey," She managed to grumble out around her mouth guard. "You okay? Need a hand?" She was in no position to be offering anyone a hand to stand up, not when her own legs seemed to be made from jelly, but that was what she'd always done. When she and any of the guys had knocked one another down, they'd also been the first to offer a hand back up.
There was an amused look on the other woman's face, possibly realising that the teen was entirely oblivious to the fact that she'd freaking won this thing.
From there on the floor, she accepted the outstretched glove with something of a chuckle, allowing River to help draw her back up to her feet.
They stumbled beside one another for a second, then, to the shock of only River, Alicia was holding her hand up by both of their gloves. On the other side, the ref grabbed her other hand, swinging it into the air.
For the first time, as the stars began to fade and the darkness retreated from the edges of her vision, she began to understand.
She'd... won?
Holy shit, she'd won!
"Oh shit!" She barked out, hearing a soft chuckle from beside her, having come from the other woman. "I won?"
A nod from Alicia.
She'd won!
The second both of her hands were released, she felt like Bambi on ice. She was made entirely of limbs, all of which were fumbling. That didn't matter though, she'd fucking won! She was elated, heart beating like a damned machine gun on full auto. As the ringing in her ears subsided, she heard the claps and cheers, even a few excited whistles.
Ignoring the blood that dribbled down from her brow and lip, she threw herself at the other woman, arms wrapping excitedly around her back. "Are you sure I won?" She was being far too loud, amped up and floating on cloud nine, but she couldn't help it. Luckily, a chuckle and a nod were what greeted her as there was a bright flash from beside them, then a friendly pat on the back.
"You won, kid," Alicia told her, not even the slightest note of hostility in her voice. "Go, go celebrate!"
With a light shove, River was stumbling a couple of step away.
Her family!
Excited, she spun and saw them. She saw him. Had he always looked so handsome, or was it the fact that she was lightheaded? She didn't know, didn't care either, she just needed to get to him.
Jet was at the corner now, all but jumping up and down to congratulate her. She accepted a hug from him, nodding her head as he rambled about something, but the words went in one ear and out the other. She couldn't take her eyes off of Paul, not even as Jet began to rinse out the cuts on her face. He was looking right back at her from down there, approaching the side of the ring with a tiny cluster of her family.
Down there, her dad had tears in his eyes, ones that he finally loosed when she glanced his way. He was so damn proud, she could see that. Brooke even looked proud of her too, finally not on her cell phone as she cheered animatedly, waving a freaking foam finger around and pointing to River with it. Beside them both, her mom was either recording the whole thing or was on a video call with some of their extended family from back in Utah.
"Absolutely, whatever you say." She hadn't been listening, not at all, but she tried to play it off with a smile. He just laughed, entirely unbothered.
When Jet finally gave her shoulder a firm pat, confirming that he was done with her, laughing loudly that he knew she wasn't listening, she was gone.
She didn't wait for him to hold the ropes down for her to slip through, vaulting directly over the top one with ease, landing safely in Paul's arms on the other side.
With her arms thrown around his neck, hands sunk into his hair, she let her legs dangle as he held her close for a second. The rest of the world kept on turning, but they were all that existed. Nothing outside of his hold mattered. "You did so well." He told her, his face pressed so firmly into the side of her head. His arms around her back were tight and desperate. "Holy shit, you were amazing. I love you so much." The heat of his body was soothing her sore ribs already. She didn't want to let go of him, but as he lowered her to the floor with his hulking frame still attached to her, she knew she had to, at least for a moment.
"I love you so much." She panted simply, pressing a soft kiss to the side of his jaw before they parted. It didn't so much as sting, not even where her lip was split open. Kissing him was a tonic, one that she planned to take full advantage of as soon as they were alone.
When they finally parted, the air between them felt electric. She couldn't look away from him, not him away from her. His eyes flitted to her brow and to her lip, worry lacing his handsome face, but his eyes stayed mostly looking deep into her own.
All too quickly, their moment was over. For what felt like the first time in years, Brooke of all people was flying into her arms.
She and Paul dropped one another's gaze.
The excitement from her folks was immediate. Brooke's arms around her ribs hurt, as did those of her parents when they hugged her, but she jumped up and down with them, accepting their love as they showered her in it.
"Dude, you did so good!" Brooke was the first of them to speak, tears streaking down her pretty face as blood began to dribble down her sister's. "Oh, you've got-"
"Here," Her dad grabbed a towel, sniffling back tears of his own as he dabbed her face gently. "Let me..."
The dry towel's fibers were rough, scratching with each dab, but she couldn't do a damn thing but smile. Looking up at her father's proud, weathered features, she could see the flashing of her life in his mind as he so clearly reminisced on each moment that they'd shared together from the day that she'd been born, right the way until that very moment. He was, no doubt, remembering her first ever boxing class. The first time she'd gotten a good grade at school. The day he taught her to ride a bike. The day he taught her to ride a motorbike. That first time he'd walked in on her kissing a girl, laughing as they'd scurried apart with beet red cheeks. Even the darker stuff, like grounding, her accident, hearing that she'd cheated on Skylar.
Every second of it all, it came together to form the young woman who stood before him. The young woman whom he loved so dearly.
"Don't cry, Dad." She laughed easily, but that was it.
Just like that, the floodgates were open. "My little girl," He sounded choked up immediately, pulling her in for a tight hug. She felt his body shake with tears the second her face was buried in his uniform.
"Dad, careful," She muttered, making to pull away, but he held her closer still. "The blood."
"It'll wash out." He stated firmly, crying down into his daughter's short cropped hair. "I'll buy a new shirt. I don't care."
Alma's tears came just as quickly, as did her hug. She didn't wait for Dick to finish up, instead enveloping her husband and eldest daughter in an embrace, shawl and all. She cried and kissed River's head, telling her how proud they were. Her cell was still recording the entire time, forgotten in her grasp.
When they finally released one another, Jet was over, this time with one of the many older men in tow. Also, shocking River the most, Alicia, her opponent, was also coming over.
The two rivals had nothing but smiles for one another, yet another thing she hadn't expected.
Together, with a comically large cheque for three hundred dollar, River, Jet and the old man at hand posed for a photo. She was still beaten and bloody but she didn't care.
She didn't get to keep the huge cheque, apparently it was a custom whiteboard that they wrote names and numbers onto for photos, but she was then handed an envelope of money, one that she quickly passed to her dad for safekeeping. While she doubted anyone would have tried their luck with her to take it, she also figured that the cop carrying a gun was an even safer bet. Plus, she still needed to get changed and wash herself up before they left, not to mention possibly see about getting her eyebrow stitched up.
The place had a medic, someone who also happened to be... that's right, yet another old man. They all looked the same too, just old dudes with handlebar moustaches, bald spots on their heads and wrinkles that told a lifetime of stories. They were grizzled old guys who clearly loved the sport that this place was all about, but they seemed sweet as pie.
"You know," Alicia spoke after this photo, this time to Dick. He'd managed to get his tears under control, as had Alma. "Your girl here? She'd got one hell of a career ahead of her." She clapped River's shoulder fondly, having already taken off her hand wraps.
Huh. One hell of a career. That didn't sound all too bad to her.
Chuckling, Dick shook his head just once. "Gods, can you believe we almost tried to push her towards medicine?"
At that, the other woman laughed. "Some people are meant to heal others, that's for sure, but her? Well, you've got a warrior on your hands, sir. I'm not one to toot my own horn, but I'm not easily beaten. She did a hell of a job."
As they talked, River sat herself down on a stool, finally taking a second to look around. She found herself a little shocked at the faces she saw, not having clocked them all before.
Skylar, it seemed, had come with a small group of three friends. They were all sitting together, talking animatedly. She caught the blonde's eye for barely a second, seeing that she wanted to come over and to congratulate her, but she stayed put while the medic took a good look at River's face and midsection. Other than Skylar, there were a few of the guys from the pack and the imprints, namely Sam and Em, Jared and Kim, Embry and finally Quil. Leah and Seth hadn't made it, but they tended to stay around Jacob and the Cullens more and more these days, so that wasn't all too shocking.
In the end, the eyebrow and lip combo didn't need stitches. She thanked the gods for that. Luckily, a couple of thin pieces of tape did the trick along with a small too-pale band-aid over the eyebrow.
It wasn't too long before Jet lead her back off to get changed, away from Paul, her folks and her friends.
The changing room felt different this time. Had it really been, what, less than a half hour since she'd first been in this room? That felt impossible. Things had moved so quickly.
Holy shit, she'd won!
That though, just that one, kept on going round and round in her head. Soon though it wasn't alone.
One hell of a career. That was what she'd always dreamed of hearing, but... well, how did that work? Fighting required traveling, she knew that much, but could Paul travel? Not according to him.
She tried to occupy her mind with other thoughts though, thoughts that didn't involve her worries. Instead, she thought for a moment of Skylar as she hopped into a cool shower while Jet left her alone. Sweet, beautiful Skylar. Did her friendship really know so few bounds that she'd found the time to bring her new college friends to come and watch her ex fight? Clearly they did and that was amazing, River couldn't deny it. Right there beside Paul, it was clear who her next biggest cheerleader was. She made a mental note to thank her properly for coming and showing her support once she was out of the changing rooms again.
The cool water was soothing as the aches began to settle in. She knew that sleeping beside Paul later that night would be better, but the cold would do for now.
She washed herself quickly, careful with her eyebrow and her lip. Once she was done, she folded her kit away, rolling up her wraps and tucking them into her boots. The whole lot went neatly into her kit bag, then she got dressed into her favourite pair of motorcycle jeans, a "Jet's Gymnasium" tee, some sneakers and her bike jacket, though she slung that over her bag as the strap sat comfortable over her shoulder.
Immediately out of the changing rooms, a breath of fresh air.
"Sky!" She didn't even try to keep the elation from her voice, not one bit. She knew that she didn't deserve the blonde's love and friendship, but she wouldn't deny that she was glad to have them.
She loved Skylar, of course she did, just not like that. Hell, maybe one of these friends that she'd brought with her would help her finally finish getting over River. Just maybe. For the blonde's sake, she hoped so.
They were in one another's arms as quickly as River had greeted her, hugging so very tightly. Skylar felt small in her arms, frail even. She wasn't frail, not at all, but she wasn't Paul.
"Hey, Riv." Skylar's voice was warm and adoring, sounding tired from a long drive, like a comfy bed was finally in sight. "You did amazing out there." She spoke easily into the side of River's head, neither one of them letting go for a good long moment.
Being in Skylar's arms didn't hurt, not one bit. It wasn't as comforting as Paul's embrace, but it still felt a little like home. Even the scent of her perfume was inviting and relaxing. She could have spent hours holding her close, breathing her in. If not for the incorrect message she knew it would send, maybe she would have, but she couldn't do that to Skylar.
Ironically, Paul wasn't even her concern. She knew him better than she'd ever known anyone. She knew that he'd understand the embrace, that he'd know that she wanted nothing from Sky but friendship. Hell, she was pretty certain that, if she so wished, he'd have been game with her fucking the blonde in the changing rooms. He really was fine with just about anything, so long as she wanted it and it made her happy. So, while she wasn't worried that he'd be insecure at all about the hug, she didn't want to make things awkward for Skylar, least of all around her new friends. So, after a blissful minute, she pulled away.
"God, look at you, college girl. You look amazing." She held the blonde at arm's length, taking her in. She was, as always, stunning. "It's so good to see you, Sky."
Weirdly, it was like old times. They started chattering away, first about the fight and then about college, walking over to where the rest of the group was still standing.
Skylar introduced River to her three friends, all of whom seemed entirely interested by her. She heard the usual, stuff like "Skylar's told us so much about you," and "So you're River, then," and it was all fine. One of the girls though, River couldn't help but notice was giving her a look. She couldn't quite figure out what kind, but it sure was a look. It wasn't attraction, she didn't think. No, she'd seen that in Skylar's and Paul's eyes and that sure wasn't it. Maybe she knew that River had cheated on Skylar and maybe she already hated her for it. Hell, maybe she liked Skylar and hated River for having dated her. There was a number of things that were possible, none of which bothered her. She didn't know this girl, nor did she care to.
After a little while of chatting, she ducked out of the conversation, giving Sky one last hug in front of the small group before kissing her cheek in what she hoped was a friendly way and running off to where Paul was standing with... huh, surely not?
"Mr. Hart?"
She couldn't hide the shock in her voice as she neared him. And yet, there he stood with Paul and another man who looked about his age.
The smallest of smiles appeared on her favourite teacher's face as he looked up at her. She took Paul's hand when she approached, it having opened as he'd sensed her behind him.
Unbothered by the two adults before them, Paul greeted her warmly with a kiss to the temple, his lips pressing just above the band-aid. "Hey." His voice was warm on her skin. She wanted to lean into him, but seeing their teacher there was kind of throwing her.
"Miss Nivalis," Mr. Hart greeted with a tight nod. "I must say, that was a rather brilliant show you put on up there. I was just telling Mr. Lahote that I hope to see him applying himself as well in my classroom as he seems to have done in being your cheerleader."
"I'd make a cute ring girl." Paul piped up, speaking matter-of-factly.
She couldn't help but smile at that, shoving him lightly with her shoulder. "Thank you, sir." She glanced once at the other man, curious, then back to her teacher. "I didn't know you were going to be here tonight, sir. Do you... I mean, do you come here often?"
The question sounded absurd. Mr. Hart, whatever kind of man he may have been, didn't belong in this place.
While she didn't know him all that well, she imagined that he spent his time shaking his fists as kids and sipping vintage wines, not coming to bars or watching fights. Hell, he looked like he belonged in this place about as much as her parents did.
At that, he finally cracked a real smile. "Do I look like I frequent this delightful establishment?"
"No, sir. No, you don't."
They shared a smile. Then, seemingly remembering himself, he cleared his throat. "River," Oh, River, not Miss Nivalis? "I'd like to introduce you to Kevin, my husband. He was actually the one who suggested we come here tonight."
Husband.
Now, just like that, she knew why she'd always felt so safe in his classroom. She knew in that second exactly why he'd never allowed for anyone to call her anything untoward in his room, why he'd even been willing to step between her and Paul before he'd known that they weren't fighting still.
For all of the assholes she'd faced off with in the school halls, he'd done that a million times over throughout his life. He'd lived and had chosen love, something that wasn't always an easy feat these days. While she didn't think that he'd seen himself or his struggles in her, she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the fact that he'd so often gone out of his way to keep her safe even when other teachers had turned a blind eye. Sure, maybe she was mentally praising him for just not being an asshole, but for a guy who was known to be an asshole over almost everything, she figured that was actually pretty damn precious.
Grinning like a damn fool, she was quick to take Kevin's hand. "Hi, it's so good to meet you, sir." She shook his hand immediately, feeling wave after wave of something just so plainly warm and good from the both of them. "You know, your husband is about all that made school tolerable for me when I came out a few years ago. He used to let me eat lunch in his classroom, even gave me a ride home last year when someone emptied the gas outta my bike as a prank." She didn't know why it mattered to her that he heard how good his husband had been to her, but it did.
Maybe, she figured, it was because she knew what her fellow students thought of the short, admittedly unleasant man.
"Oh, I've heard a great deal about you, River. I hear that you're as impressive in the classroom as you were in that ring." As Kevin shook her hand, he mirrored her grin. "When Paul here handed me a flyer with my groceries, I just knew we were meant to be here tonight. Witnessing this, seeing a young woman from our home do something like this, it means a great deal to me."
She didn't correct him and say that she wasn't from La Push, she understood the sentiment. Seeing other Native folks succeed was always beautiful, whether it was in academic pursuits or otherwise.
While she and Paul didn't stay standing with Mr. Hart and his husband for long, it sure was nice. He wasn't someone she'd expected to see here, but his support had actually meant a hell of a lot more than she'd been able to put into words. It really felt like the entire community of people who mattered to her had come out. Even Dante and Owen had come, both having apparently ignored their dates in favour of yelling excitedly through her entire match.
When they made to leave the two older men though, Paul had something to say.
"So," He started, getting that adorably curious look on his face. He was looking at Kevin, then back to Mr. Hart. "Your name's Kevin Hart, right?"
Neither man cracked a smile. River just had to assume that they both knew the actor Paul was referring to and, certainly, got this a lot.
"Mm, no," Kevin replied, shaking his head. "We've considered ourselves married since long before we could legally marry. We both chose to keep our own names, so I'm actually Kevin Greatspear, but I can see why you would have assumed."
Wait, did they understand his curious joke?
She was left to wonder that as they walked away, both couples hand in hand.
For maybe an hour or more, they stayed in the bar. Plenty of people came and congratulated River, patting her on the back, a couple of them even taking a picture with her.
It was odd, sure, but she'd have been lying if she'd said it hadn't also been kind of nice.
Through it all, Paul was positively beaming by her side. He was just so damn proud of her, grinning and taking any excuse to say how amazingly she'd done, assuring anyone who asked that he'd been confident in her abilities from the beginning. It was cute, she decided, seeing this side of him. He really was so sweet. As much as she loved him as the reservation's resident asshole, she couldn't help but adore this kind, cute version of him too, the one that she simply couldn't wait to wrangle into bed later. Not that she anticipated that it would take much wrangling at all.
He took her bag and her jacket from her at some point, absently rubbing at the shoulder that the bag had been weighing down.
Just like that, she wanted him. Maybe it was the fact that the cushion of the adrenaline had finally worn off entirely, or maybe the buzz of the fight had gotten her feeling some kind of way. Whatever it was, she had half a mind to sneak back into the changing rooms with him, leaving her to silently curse the fact that she seemed to be impossible for people to pass without some kind of smile and a comment, not to mention how huge he was. There would be no sneaking off, least of all when they still had to share a ride home with her folks.
Like any other couple in the bar, they shared a few small pecks through the night, but that was all.
There it was again though, that overwhelming feeling of domesticity. It was nice. Was this what the future held for them, bar fights and stolen kisses? It may not have been everyone's ideal, but she couldn't help but adore the idea.
Paul had clearly handled things better than either of them had expected, something she planned to thank him for later on.
Know what she really couldn't wait for though? A freaking takeout. Fuck, the thought almost had her moaning. A takeout, maybe some cookies and some cocoa. A freaking pizza. Her mouth was watering.
Whether the spirits were watching over her or her family simply knew her well, it wasn't all that long before they were all leaving, this time as Alma insisted that she and Paul come over for a takeout to celebrate River's win. Even Brooke seemed excited by the premise, something that River hadn't expected.
For as much as the siblings loved one another, it was no secret that they weren't close anymore. Maybe all they'd needed was the distance that River living away from the family home provided.
Before they left, one final thing was handed to River. There, in a frame, were three things. The first, the photo of her and Alicia standing beside one another before the fight. The second, a slightly creased admission slip with her name on it, stapled firmly to the photo of her, Alicia and the old guy around the massive cheque. Then, finally, the third was a photo from after the fight, one that she hadn't seen being taken. It was one that she knew she'd cherish for a long time. There, on that small polaroid, was the moment that she'd realised she'd won. Her arms were thrown around her opponent, shock evident on her face. It was such a happy photo, no two ways about it, even the other woman was laughing and grinning with her.
Upon handing it off to her, Jet took his opportunity to hug River. They weren't two people who hugged one another often, but the opportunity was appreciated by the teen.
While in his embrace, River took her time to thank him for everything. Meanwhile, he did the same, telling her how excited he was for her and that he couldn't wait to see what fights this one afforded her in the future. Other fights. Stupid though it may have sounded, she almost hadn't taken the time to realize that this, this fight, this could potentially kick off the beginning of her getting more fights, maybe even regular fights.
The framed proof of her victory was heavy in her hand. They wouldn't all end this well, she knew that, but she couldn't even begin to express how overjoyed she was that this one had ended like this.
For safe keeping, her mom took that for her, assuring her that she'd put it safely in the car and make sure it didn't get damaged.
When it was finally time for them all to pile into Dick's car, Paul apologizing profusely to Alma for sitting in the front when it was clear that he would have squished everyone in the back, River made a point of heading off to say goodbye to Skylar. Paul sent her off with a smile, content to put her bag in the trunk and wait in the car for her while she spoke to her ex.
Whether having been asked or not, Skylar's friends headed off to Sky's car, hopping in without her as she stayed outside and headed toward River.
Meeting in the middle, they were quick to hug again. It was nice, truly, to just hold the other girl and know that things were good between them. For as terribly as things had ended, River was just glad that Skylar was okay and that things seemed to be going well for her.
Their hug didn't last too long, just another half a minute or so, but it was exactly what she'd needed.
With the assurance that the blonde would drive safely and that they'd stay in touch, they parted ways and headed off to their respective cars.
Squeezed into the back of her dad's squad car, she sat behind Paul for the ride home with her mom in the middle and Brooke on the other side.
At some point during the drive, Paul squished his arm through the gap between the car's body and his seat, stroking River's knee softly. With a smile, she took his hand in her own, rubbing his palm and knuckles with her thumbs as he simply gripped her in return. Brooke, of course, noticed and made a comment about how gross they were, but there was no venom to her tone, she was just being a sister.
They picked the food up on the way to her folks' place, stopping at the same pizza place that she and Brooke had been to that one time that they'd run into Paul. She could tell from the way his hand froze up that he was remembering the same thing too, probably able to see in his minds eye how sad and downright pitiful they'd both been. So, with a smile that she hoped he could feel through the bond, she continued to rub his hand in her own. They'd come so far since then, so far from the times of hurting one another through miscommunication and stupid fuck ups.
With her head turned to rest against the window, confident that her mom and sister wouldn't hear, she spoke solely to him.
"I love you, Paul Lahote."
It wasn't even a whisper, barely even a breath, definitely not audible to even her own ears over the car's blowers. He heard it though. She could tell from the sudden pulse of adoration that she felt, knowing immediately what that had been. More than that though, he turned in his seat to grin at her for a second.
The second Dick was back in the car with the food, they were driving again, back to the family home in little to no time at all.
That evening, the five of them basked in River's victory. As amazing as it had been to have had so many people show up to support her, these people right here were all the support that she needed. She told them as such from under Paul's arms as they'd shared a couch, a pizza box on her lap. Naturally, her mom had cried, Brooke had rolled her eyes while pretending not to be touched and her dad had pretended not to tear up as he told her how damn proud of her they all were.
Hot, greasy pizza sure hit the spot. Better than that though, Paul and Alma took to the kitchen together, whipping up a tray of cookies and a pot of hot cocoa.
Unlike his usual cookies, these ones weren't from a store bought box of mix, these were a recipe that her mom had used for as long as she and Brooke had been alive. Eagerly, Paul learned it, absorbing each tip and trick like a sponge in order to make his imprint the best damn cookies of her life. Similarly, the hot cocoa wasn't just powder and milk, yet more things he was excited to learn.
Of course, there was one final thing she wanted that evening, but not one that Paul could give to her while her folks were there.
Luckily for the young couple, Alma drove them both back to Paul's not long after they'd all eaten and the night had grown dark and cold. She had, of course, send them through the doors with arms full of food, unwilling to keep more than half a pizza for Brooke and a small handful of cookies.
That night, in front of the roaring fire, Paul gave her exactly what she'd been craving.
He worshipped at her shrine for what felt like hours, holding her impossibly close as he teased her into slowly losing herself in his arms over and over again. He told her a million and one times how much he loved her, how proud of her he was, how incredible she was. All night long, without a single care in the world for thoughts of school or work, he showed her the meaning of the word devotion.
Only when they were finally both exhausted did he carry her to bed where they both slept entirely nude, neither giving a damn about the ever present chill that lingered on the air. He kept it at bay for her. She didn't need a sheet or a comforter, no blanket or throw, all she needed was him, so he was there.
Well, if I didn't have more stuff planned, I can't help but think that could have made a cute ending, maybe a nice enough pre-epilogue end. Alas, I do have things planned for these guys, just some more stuff to put them through before things are done. The stuff with the Volturi will honestly stay mostly the same since that's not something River would be present for, so the rest of this won't be massively supernatural, it's just going to be more of what it's already been.
Also, fair warning, I know I've said it before but I just wanted to reiterate that there will be a time jump coming of a few years. I know some people don't like stuff like that, so I wanted to just warn. It won't be a back and forth style thing, but there will obviously be some moments of filling in the blanks of what hasn't been said. That will be in a couple/few chapters. Anyway, thank you so much for having read all of this, I really loved writing it all and honestly I'm just generally really loving writing again, I'm still struggling a little because of other stuff, but the love is very much still there. Please feel free to leave any comments or anything at all, I love to get feedback, but please don't ask if I want to commission you for any artworks.
Thank you again, have an awesome day and hopefully I'll see you next time!