Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2017 16:41:09 GMT -5
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INT. THE SUNRISE SUITE BAY TOWER - THE SHERATON SAN DIEGO HOTEL AND MARINA - WEDNESDAY JULY 26TH, 2017
Matthias Black couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes and started to drift off, Zahra Phoenix would move ever so slightly and throw him through a loop. Just listening to the soft sound of her breathing disturbed Matthias’ peace of mind and after a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, he tossed the covers back and got up. Matthias looked to his right and stared down at his sleeping girlfriend. Zahra was curled into a little ball on top of the covers, her naked body on full display for him. With her vibrant purple locks pulled back into a neat bun on top of her head and her delicate wrists bound behind her back, she was completely vulnerable and exposed. The damage done to Zahra’s body thanks to Cosette almost two weeks ago had yet to heal, and Matthias’ dark eyes traced all the damage that been done to his Queen. Madison Tempest had fought hard and even though she hadn’t gotten the victory, she had left her mark on Zahra; no pun intended. A fresh set of bruises also decorated Zahra’s backside and they had been placed there by Matthias himself just a couple of hours ago. Zahra had taken her punishment well, like she always did. And despite the fact Matthias still felt enough anger towards Zahra that he could probably put her through the entire process all over again, he felt a sense of pride as he looked down at her.
She was stronger than anyone gave her credit for - inside and outside of that ring. Zahra could stand her ground, hold her own against everyone she came in contact with, and she never ran away from any situation she got herself into. Zahra hadn’t shed a single tear during her punishment, and Matthias respected that. He loved that. In fact, there wasn’t a single thing about Zahra Phoenix that Matthias didn’t love. She was his perfect person - the one who had been made for him. Zahra was the only person who accepted him for who and what he was, and allowed him to be himself. She had willingly given herself up to him completely almost the moment the two had met. Their connection had been instant and the chemistry between the two had been undeniable. It hadn’t taken anything more than a look and a single kiss to ignite the fire between the two. The moment Hunter Moxley had introduced Matthias to Zahra, he had known she was the only woman on this Earth for him.
A sigh escaped from Matthias. So-Cal World War had been a disaster for him and honestly, it had been entirely Zahra’s fault. She had destroyed his chance of getting back the Ultraviolent Championship in just seconds. In a few hours, Matthias probably wouldn’t have a job anymore. Himself and Hunter had been left off of the Asylum XIII card. A boxer-clad Matthias stepped away from the side of the bed and snatched up the T-shirt he had left on the back of the chair. The former multi-time champion slipped it over his head and stepped out onto the balcony. Their suite overlooked San Diego harbor and it was a clear and warm California night. Matthias had a condo in Panama City Beach, and still considered Orange Beach home, but he really did enjoy Southern California. He took a seat in one of the chairs and stared out across the water.
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INT. THE RINGSIDE AREA - THE ULTRAVIOLENT COMPLEX - TUESDAY JULY, 25TH 2017
It hadn’t taken long for things to fall apart. As Matthias pushed the broken pieces of table off of himself and Zahra, he could hardly believe what had happened. Tiffany’s theme song was blasting throughout the building and cheers had erupted all around Matthias. The underdog had fucking won. Of all people, Tiffany had won the goddamn match. Zahra had done exactly what she had been told NOT to do, and that was get involved. Matthias had everything under control but lately, Zahra just hadn’t been listening to him. And now thanks to her, he had lost the worst possible match he could lose.
It was the worst moment of his career.
With little regard for her well-being, Matthias pushed Zahra off of him and slowly sat up. He was beaten and broken, bloody and tired. But above all else, he was livid. He glanced over towards the ring, brushing his sweaty black hair out of his face. The scene, the fucking celebration, was sickening. Tiffany on the shoulders of Lindsay Pierce and Aliyah Turner made The Alpha Male rage. But what really stung was the look of satisfaction on the face of Gage Landon. All Matthias saw was red. Gage was the man who had cost him his championship, and forced him over to Europe just to wrestle for a living. Matthias blamed Gage for nearly everything wrong with his life at the moment, but he didn’t blame Gage for costing him the match.
That was all on Zahra.
Beside Matthias, Zahra had started to stir. When she pushed herself into a sitting position, Matthias noticed her face was pale. She took in the scene playing out by the ring and looked around at the crowd. No one was watching them. Everyone was cheering and chanting for Tiffany. Matthias had to get away from all of it before he did something stupid. He forced himself to his feet and pulled Zahra up with him. He couldn’t even look at her.
“Matt…”
Matthias didn’t turn around. He stormed towards the backstage area. If he had paused to look behind him, he would have noticed Zahra wincing with every step as she tried to keep up with him. When she finally caught up to Matthias, Zahra tugged at his hand and started pleading with him. Matthias stopped and roughly snatched Zahra by the arm. “Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” He practically hissed, gritting his teeth.
Zahra tried to twist her arm free, but Matthias knew she would never break his grip. He practically dragged the petite beauty to the back. Zahra eventually stopped struggling and Matthias only let her go when he pushed her through the door of the locker-room. No one was back there anyways. Everyone was either at ringside, in the ‘Friends and Family’ section, or gone. The minute Matthias let go, Zahra started pleading again.
“Matt! You know I di-”
Matthias grabbed Zahra by the chin and glared at her.
“I fucking told you several times today to keep your ass back here, didn't I?!”
Even though Zahra’s eyes were filled with guilt and remorse, she didn't back down. “I just wanted to make sure you won.”
Matthias was dangerously close the striking Zahra, or choking her, so he let go of her face and took a step back. Their relationship was fucked but it wasn't fucked enough for him to completely snap and shatter the ‘love, protect, correct’ motto they lived by. Zahra trusted Matthias with her life, and that's something he took very seriously.
“I can't even fucking look at you right now,” Matthias finally said after a few agonizing seconds of silence. “How could you be so goddamn stupid?”
Zahra tensed at that question. She could handle a lot of things, but being referred to as stupid by the love of her life wasn't one of them. “You have every right to be pissed, but don't fucking talk to me like that. I'm not stupid.”
The defensive edge to her voice just sent Matthias further down that dark path. He finally turned to face her, looking Zahra in her eyes. “I'll talk to you however I fucking want. Your actions were stupid.” He closed the gap between them and gripped both of her arms. “You just cost us everything. My fucking title shot is gone because you forgot your place.”
“Fuck you then.” Something inside Zahra snapped and she brought her knee up, catching Matthias in the stomach. It was hard enough that he lost his grip on her and Zahra slapped him across the face as hard as she could.
The briefest look of shock flashed in Matthias eyes, replaced by one of disappointment.
“Get our shit together,” Matthias ordered, his voice was eerily calm. “I'm going to the car.”
The moment he left the locker-room, Zahra’s shoulders sagged.
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“Matty?”
Zahra’s sweet voice snapped Matthias back to reality.
“Babe?”
Hearing her call for him a second time brought Matthias to his feet. When he stepped back in the bedroom, he saw Zahra struggling with her bound hands. Matthias wasn't the biggest fan of bondage. In fact, they rarely used it. Zahra was more than willing to take whatever he dished out. But it had been used tonight to prove a point. Matthias was determined to make sure Zahra never slapped him like that again.
“What?”
Zahra sniffled and gave him a desperate look. “Please untie me.”
“Is your arm hurting?”
Matthias was referring to the one she had broken back in Sweden months ago thanks to that car accident. When Zahra hesitated, Matthias knew the answer. She never brought that night up because she knew how much it had destroyed him. “Well?” He prompted. Matthias was already swimming in a pool of misery. He may as well drown in it.
“I can't feel it,” she finally admitted and looked away from him.
Matthias bent down and released Zahra’s hands, and relief crossed her face. After working some feeling back into both shoulders and arms, Zahra held them up for Matthias. With a sigh, Matthias scooped her up. Zahra wrapped her arms and legs around Matthias and buried her face against his shoulder. Matthias walked them both back out to the balcony and sat down in the chair. Zahra clung to him and eventually, Matthias tightened his arms around her. All the tension left his body because there was no use in holding on to it. Deep down, Matthias knew Zahra’s intentions had been pure. When it came to the handful of people she loved, no one was more loyal than Zahra.
“I love you,” Zahra finally whispered, breaking the silence between the two of them. Her teeth grazed his earlobe, and she nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck.
“I know you do,” Matthias replied and ran his hand down the length of her spine. Zahra shivered under his touch and pressed her lips against his neck. Matthias wasn't the type who verbalized his feelings, but it had been a horrible night for them. “I feel the same.”
Matthias felt Zahra smile. She finally pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. Her hand brushed his cheek and she began tracing every little cut he had on his face, every little scar and flaw. She had told him several times that he was imperfectly perfect, and beautiful. But Matthias didn't buy into that. He didn't see beauty in anything except for when it came to her. He finally caught her wrists and pulled her hands away from his face. He didn't let go and placed their hands behind Zahra’s back. His eyes found hers. “Where do we go from here?”
Zahra bit down on her bottom lip. “I really don't know. The thought of working for SWS makes me want to die.”
“Viktor and Gage both need to die.” Bitterness filled Matthias’ voice. Zahra hung her head in shame. “I'm so sorry I put us in this position.” Matthias held onto her wrists with one hand and used his free one to gently lift her chin up so she was forced to look at him. “It's done and you learned a lesson, right? Let it go. We’ll figure something out.”
Zahra looked extremely unsure for the first time in a long time.
"Don't look like that," Matthias chided, and patted her bottom. That was Zahra's signal to get up, and reluctantly she did so. Matthias headed back inside, motioning for his girlfriend to follow him. When he pointed towards the bed, Zahra gave him a longing look. A smirk crossed Matthias' face. Zahra quickly pulled his shirt up and off of his body, and then pulled him down beside her. "No matter what, we'll be okay right?"
Matthias nodded and brushed a kiss across Zahra's temple. "We always are."