Grudge Match: Captain America v Winter Soldier (Cosplay)

Dave gasped as his body slammed into the mat, all the air being driven from his lungs once again. Trying to catch his breath once again, he felt Jean roll him on his stomach, grabbing his leg in a single boston crab. Dave gritted his teeth in pain as his leg was pulled and bent.

He knew he couldn't reach Jean from where he was, but then he saw his shield. Reaching his hand with all his might, his fingers grasped the edge of the metal and he swung it at Jean's exposed back or head. He hoped the impact would force Jean to release him.

"Gahhh" Jean groans as the metallic shield slaps into the flat of his back, making a clanging sound much like a gong. He had had just about enough of that damn shield. Jean momentarily loses control of David's leg because of the shield hit and rather than redoing the move again, he then decides to switch tactics.

Jean grabs David's other leg and puts his ankle between Jean's thighs. He then drops down on top of David's back and locks his arms around David's head, pulling back to cause pain in his back, neck and knee in a classic STF. However, Jean wasn't done there. He modified the hold by laying flat on David's back so he could slip his arm better under his neck, and turn the STF into an stepover toehold sleeper (STS). Now in addition to the pain in his knee, back and neck, David was being choked out as well.

"The sandman is calling, time to sleep" Jean whispered, intentionally exhaling deeper than needed to in order for warm breath to tickle David's ear.

Dave struggled in the hold, but it was clear he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon He needed to get to the ropes!

Raching with one of his arms he made a valiant attempt to get the ropes, as he heard Jean's warm breath on his skin, whispering for him to sleep. The voice was soothing to his dazed mind, but he continued to reach. He couldn't give up. He wanted to show Jean that he deserved a second chance, and lying here and taking it wasn't how he was going to go out!

"Don't fight it, you're not going anywhere..." Jean whispered again, tightening the sleeper portion of the STS. He had a pretty good lock on David here but that guy had a knack for reaching the ropes despite Jean's best efforts. Well not this time, Jean wasn't going to let him escape. David seemed to be earnestly trying to fight back despite his battered condition, and that was enough for Jean.

He shook David's head side to side as he continued to hold out. With him in this condition, it was going to be tap out or pass out time pretty soon. "Nap time is so close, are you going to tap before we get there? Your eyes are getting heavier, your oxygen is low, go to sleep!"

The sounds of the crowd sounded distant in Dave's ears, and only Jean's quiet whispers seemed strikingly clear to him. His eyes were half lidded as his arm dropped a little, still reaching for the ropes. For a moment, he felt his fingertips brush against the ropes, but he failed to grasp them in order to break the hold....not that it would have made that much of a difference anyway.

"tap? ....you're......crazy....." he breathed quietly, fighting to stay awake, but he was barely holding on by a thread.

Jean saw that David's fingertips were nearing the ropes, only a few centimeters between him and freedom. Jean grunted and jerked David's head back, causing him to fail to get a grip on them. "Mhmmm don't I know it" Jean replied. He could tell that David was nearly out; he hadn't bothered struggling with his lower half at all and his movements and speech were sluggish. Just a few more seconds of the sleeper and he'd be knocked out for good.

"Just let it all go, let it all go and fall asleep" Jean continued to whisper, giving David a final good squeeze. When he was confident that he had put him out for good, Jean waved the ref over for the count out with a nod of his head.

The ref lifted David's arm once and let it fall back to the mat. Seeing no resistance or fight, the ref started the count. ONE!

Dave's eye fluttered shut as his arm fell to the mat with a thump, slipping into unconsciousness, with Jean's whispers carrying him off to sleep.

The ref lifted Dave's arm a second time, letting it fall back to the mat withut resistance once more.

TWO!

There was no reaction on Dave's face. His lips were parted slightly as his chest rose and fell, blissfully unaware of what was transpiring.

THREE!

The ref dropped David's arm for the final time and shook his arm to signal a win by knockout. Jean released David's head and slowly set it down on the mat, untangled his legs from David's ankle and finally stood up to the roars of a crowd. Jean was overjoyed for more reasons than he cared to count, throwing a fist in the air for the crowd to cheer along with. Not only was this his first win in the AFW, but now things were looking up between him and David. He had almost forgotten asking his manager to set up the cosplay match when he first started making the Winter Soldier costume, so the thought that it might bring them back together never occurred to him in time.

Jean trudged across the ring and retrieved his taser, fitting it back into the belt and then went to retrieve his mask. He took a final look at the defeated Captain America and had an idea, one that might help play up the cosplay aspect of the match. Jean leaned down and grabbed the shield, sliding over his non-metal arm.

Jean dropped down to his knees back over by David and rolled the sleeping man over onto his back. He slapped his cheek with the metal hand lightly a few times to rouse him. "I'll be waiting for you backstage" he whispered after seeing that David was coming to.

"I'm also taking the shield as a trophy" he announced with a smirk, slipping under the ropes and heading up the ramp. He turned around and blew a few kisses to the audience before he disappeared backstage into the hall. Jean didn't go very far however, turning around and waiting impatiently for David. He had something he was eager to give him.

Dave's eye opened when he felt Jean slapping his cheek. With a groan of pain, he got to his feet, and the crowd applauded him for a great match. So what if he lost? He and Jean seemed to mend the rift in their relationship and all seemed well.

Grimacing as his sore body flared in pain, he made his way up the ramp backstage, where Jean was waiting for him. Dave smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, "Congratz Jean....and I'm sorry for not believing you before...."

When David put a hand on his shoulder, Jean immediately dropped the shield and let it crash to the floor with a clang. Grabbing David by the back of the neck, he devoured his mouth in a needy kiss to show just how much Jean missed him, breaking away only when his lungs felt like they were going to absolutely give out. Panting as he tried to steady his pulse, Jean punched David in the pecs as he looked up at him.

"I'm still mad at you, just so you know" he warned, the flushing of his cheeks degrading any angry authority he wanted to portray. "But I know how you can make it up to me" he grinned, tugging on the front of David's belt as he started walking backwards down the hall. "It involves you and me and a different kind of wrestling...." he trailed off, leaving the rest to David's capable imagination.