Post by bloodiedfox on Feb 5, 2022 18:00:31 GMT -5
We fade up to backstage at Supremacy, not long after the conclusion of the main event. A group of security personnel are bodily forcing the now former X*Crown champion Misha Constantine into his dressing room, having apparently finally managed to separate him and Esmeralda von Krauss. Bloodied and bruised, Misha isn't able to stop them getting him into the room and shutting the door. He hammers on it angrily, smearing red on it.
Mishy, dude...
The sound of a familiar voice makes Misha turn. He sneers when he sees that Johnny Five is in the room with him.
What? What insipid idiocy are you going to spout now in some nonsensical attempt to make me feel better about what just happened?
Johnny tries to hide a look of hurt at the response. He manages to keep his voice level.
Look, I get that you're upset after the match, so I'm not gonna take that personally...
Misha cuts him off.
No Johnny, of course you aren't, because that would require you to have some fucking spine, or initiative, or an ability to win matches!
Johnny's brow furrows as he glares at Misha.
Hey, the only reason I lost to Caffrey is because you got me disqualified!
Oh right, how stupid of me! You had him right where you wanted him: locking you in a grapevine ankle lock! What amazing counter were you about to pull out of your ass to save yourself? Hmmm?
Johnny looks away. Misha, however, isn't done.
And then, after I saved you from a broken ankle, you not only failed to drop Caffrey on his head, you managed to get kicked unconscious by Bloodied Fox! They literally played his music for a run in at a company he doesn't even work in, and you just stood there like an idiot while he ran down the ramp and got into the ring to attack you.
Johnny looks back at Misha now, pissed off.
Well maybe he wouldn't be coming to attack us if you didn't block him from challenging for the X*Crown, or if you didn't keep throwing cheap shots at him and his husband every time you promo, or if you didn't have me cost him the Junior Heavyweight title for no damn reason!
Misha pokes Johnny in the chest with a finger.
I have reasons for everything I do, I just don't need to explain them to you!
Johnny slowly looks down at the finger Misha is jabbing him with, then slowly looks back up into Misha's eyes. His reply comes out in a low tone of barely restrained fury.
Take your fucking finger off me right now.
If Misha is intimidated, he doesn't show it.
Or what?
The tense atmosphere is jolted by a knock at the door. Johnny brushes past Misha firmly to get it. He opens the door a crack to peek at who's there, then opens it wider to reveal a security team member wearing a cap and a face mask.
Yeah?
The man doesn't say anything before he blasts Johnny in the face with brass knuckles. Misha looks at him in confusion, only for his eyes to widen when the man pulls off his cap and mask to reveal his identity...
Surprise, motherfucker!!!
Bloodied Fox charges across the room and begins wailing on Misha with strikes. Having already wrestled a brutal match, Misha's attempts to fight back come to little beyond gashing Fox above the eyebrow and reopening the scar across the bridge of his nose (so now you know where those injuries in the BFFN promo came from!) Once Misha is in a heap on the floor, Fox stands over him and glowers down.
You think this is over just because you don't have the Crown any more? Trust me, you start a fight with me, it only ends when one of us is gone from the XHF.
Satisfied that the message is sent, Fox leaves, looking down at Johnny and shaking his head sadly as he goes.
You should get better friends...
A few moments later, Johnny pulls himself up. Steadying himself with the door frame, he looks over and sees the downed Misha. He staggers over and tries to pick him up, but Misha shoves him away, slumping into a seated position against the wall.
Fantastic... bodyguarding work... Johnny...
He punched me with brass knucks!
After you opened the door for him!
Misha regards Johnny with a look of exhausted disdain.
Just go away, Johnny. You're fucking useless to me.
A gamut of emotions runs across Johnny's face: surprise, anger, heartbreak. He opens his mouth to try and say something, but Misha cuts him off.
I SAID GO!!!
Johnny stands there for a moment, then turns and leaves. Misha waits a few moments, then lets his face crumble into a look of sadness.
Goodbye Johnny...
We're backstage at the Hearth. As is usual for a Johnny Five promo, Ellie Stanford is listlessly standing by with mic in hand. Unusually for a Johnny Five promo, however, Johnny is not pacing back and forth or vibrating with Florida Man's bicycle level intensity. Instead, he stands there, head down. To be frank, he looks less energetic than Ellie.
Sup.
Ellie gestures vaguely towards Johnny.
Johnny Five. Wildfire Championship triple threat. First ever singles title shot.
Ellie turns slightly towards Johnny.
Sup?
Johnny doesn't say anything. Ellie blinks.
Sup?
Again, silence. Ellie looks at the camera, then at Johnny again. Carefully, she reaches out and nudges his shoulder.
Dude, you okay?
Johnny slowly shakes his head. Ellie looks at the camera again, then back to Johnny.
You wanna talk about it?
Johnny raises his head and looks into the camera with bloodshot eyes, the bags underneath them indicating he hasn't slept properly in quite some time.
I shouldn't really be here. I'm not a wrestler, not really. I'm just some schmuck who got brought in by his sister's boyfriend to be.. fuck, I don't know. A partner? A bodyguard? A meat shield? An excuse? I look at everything I've done since I got here just over a year ago and I can't honestly say it amounts to much. Anything Misha did, I can't take credit for. Everything that went wrong, I can take a share of the blame. We couldn't beat Team BANG! For the tag titles. I couldn't beat MYOJIN. I couldn't beat Caffrey. But now for some reason I get to fight Sam Sawyer and Zolotach for the Wildfire Championship. Why am I in this match? Is it Caffrey getting some kind of revenge for last show? Is putting me in a title match his way of messing with Misha?
Johnny shakes his head.
I don't know. I know I've never been the smartest man, but right now I feel like I don't know anything about anything. Even the stuff I used to be sure of has all fallen apart.
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When they reopen, there's a new found look of determination in them.
But when everything ends, you hold on to anything. So I'm holding on to this: I do not run. I do not back down. I may not know why I'm in this match, but that doesn't matter. I may be going up against a literal silent badass and a knife-wielding cultist chick who can do magic, but that doesn't matter. I may be the biggest joke in FIRESIDE, but that doesn't matter. At Inferno I am walking into that ring and I am leaving everything I have in it. I will go until the tank is empty, and maybe I'll win the Wildfire Championship, and maybe I won't, but there will be no doubt that I gave my all. Because when everything else falls away, I'm all that I have left. So I'll make that mean something.
Johnny nods to himself, then turns and starts to walk away.
Johnny?
He turns back to look at Ellie.
I don't think you're a joke.
Johnny gives a small smile.
Thanks Ellie.
He walks away, as we fade to black.
"...you have to set yourself on fire.
Mishy, dude...
The sound of a familiar voice makes Misha turn. He sneers when he sees that Johnny Five is in the room with him.
What? What insipid idiocy are you going to spout now in some nonsensical attempt to make me feel better about what just happened?
Johnny tries to hide a look of hurt at the response. He manages to keep his voice level.
Look, I get that you're upset after the match, so I'm not gonna take that personally...
Misha cuts him off.
No Johnny, of course you aren't, because that would require you to have some fucking spine, or initiative, or an ability to win matches!
Johnny's brow furrows as he glares at Misha.
Hey, the only reason I lost to Caffrey is because you got me disqualified!
Oh right, how stupid of me! You had him right where you wanted him: locking you in a grapevine ankle lock! What amazing counter were you about to pull out of your ass to save yourself? Hmmm?
Johnny looks away. Misha, however, isn't done.
And then, after I saved you from a broken ankle, you not only failed to drop Caffrey on his head, you managed to get kicked unconscious by Bloodied Fox! They literally played his music for a run in at a company he doesn't even work in, and you just stood there like an idiot while he ran down the ramp and got into the ring to attack you.
Johnny looks back at Misha now, pissed off.
Well maybe he wouldn't be coming to attack us if you didn't block him from challenging for the X*Crown, or if you didn't keep throwing cheap shots at him and his husband every time you promo, or if you didn't have me cost him the Junior Heavyweight title for no damn reason!
Misha pokes Johnny in the chest with a finger.
I have reasons for everything I do, I just don't need to explain them to you!
Johnny slowly looks down at the finger Misha is jabbing him with, then slowly looks back up into Misha's eyes. His reply comes out in a low tone of barely restrained fury.
Take your fucking finger off me right now.
If Misha is intimidated, he doesn't show it.
Or what?
The tense atmosphere is jolted by a knock at the door. Johnny brushes past Misha firmly to get it. He opens the door a crack to peek at who's there, then opens it wider to reveal a security team member wearing a cap and a face mask.
Yeah?
The man doesn't say anything before he blasts Johnny in the face with brass knuckles. Misha looks at him in confusion, only for his eyes to widen when the man pulls off his cap and mask to reveal his identity...
Surprise, motherfucker!!!
Bloodied Fox charges across the room and begins wailing on Misha with strikes. Having already wrestled a brutal match, Misha's attempts to fight back come to little beyond gashing Fox above the eyebrow and reopening the scar across the bridge of his nose (so now you know where those injuries in the BFFN promo came from!) Once Misha is in a heap on the floor, Fox stands over him and glowers down.
You think this is over just because you don't have the Crown any more? Trust me, you start a fight with me, it only ends when one of us is gone from the XHF.
Satisfied that the message is sent, Fox leaves, looking down at Johnny and shaking his head sadly as he goes.
You should get better friends...
A few moments later, Johnny pulls himself up. Steadying himself with the door frame, he looks over and sees the downed Misha. He staggers over and tries to pick him up, but Misha shoves him away, slumping into a seated position against the wall.
Fantastic... bodyguarding work... Johnny...
He punched me with brass knucks!
After you opened the door for him!
Misha regards Johnny with a look of exhausted disdain.
Just go away, Johnny. You're fucking useless to me.
A gamut of emotions runs across Johnny's face: surprise, anger, heartbreak. He opens his mouth to try and say something, but Misha cuts him off.
I SAID GO!!!
Johnny stands there for a moment, then turns and leaves. Misha waits a few moments, then lets his face crumble into a look of sadness.
Goodbye Johnny...
We're backstage at the Hearth. As is usual for a Johnny Five promo, Ellie Stanford is listlessly standing by with mic in hand. Unusually for a Johnny Five promo, however, Johnny is not pacing back and forth or vibrating with Florida Man's bicycle level intensity. Instead, he stands there, head down. To be frank, he looks less energetic than Ellie.
Sup.
Ellie gestures vaguely towards Johnny.
Johnny Five. Wildfire Championship triple threat. First ever singles title shot.
Ellie turns slightly towards Johnny.
Sup?
Johnny doesn't say anything. Ellie blinks.
Sup?
Again, silence. Ellie looks at the camera, then at Johnny again. Carefully, she reaches out and nudges his shoulder.
Dude, you okay?
Johnny slowly shakes his head. Ellie looks at the camera again, then back to Johnny.
You wanna talk about it?
Johnny raises his head and looks into the camera with bloodshot eyes, the bags underneath them indicating he hasn't slept properly in quite some time.
I shouldn't really be here. I'm not a wrestler, not really. I'm just some schmuck who got brought in by his sister's boyfriend to be.. fuck, I don't know. A partner? A bodyguard? A meat shield? An excuse? I look at everything I've done since I got here just over a year ago and I can't honestly say it amounts to much. Anything Misha did, I can't take credit for. Everything that went wrong, I can take a share of the blame. We couldn't beat Team BANG! For the tag titles. I couldn't beat MYOJIN. I couldn't beat Caffrey. But now for some reason I get to fight Sam Sawyer and Zolotach for the Wildfire Championship. Why am I in this match? Is it Caffrey getting some kind of revenge for last show? Is putting me in a title match his way of messing with Misha?
Johnny shakes his head.
I don't know. I know I've never been the smartest man, but right now I feel like I don't know anything about anything. Even the stuff I used to be sure of has all fallen apart.
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When they reopen, there's a new found look of determination in them.
But when everything ends, you hold on to anything. So I'm holding on to this: I do not run. I do not back down. I may not know why I'm in this match, but that doesn't matter. I may be going up against a literal silent badass and a knife-wielding cultist chick who can do magic, but that doesn't matter. I may be the biggest joke in FIRESIDE, but that doesn't matter. At Inferno I am walking into that ring and I am leaving everything I have in it. I will go until the tank is empty, and maybe I'll win the Wildfire Championship, and maybe I won't, but there will be no doubt that I gave my all. Because when everything else falls away, I'm all that I have left. So I'll make that mean something.
Johnny nods to himself, then turns and starts to walk away.
Johnny?
He turns back to look at Ellie.
I don't think you're a joke.
Johnny gives a small smile.
Thanks Ellie.
He walks away, as we fade to black.
"...you have to set yourself on fire.