Year of the Dragon

Army almost suggested that she should come over and see Manuel herself sometime, take a little trip with him back to Puerto Rico and meet the family, but he killed that idea in the crib before it could even walk. ‘Meeting The Family’ was the sort of thing you did when you’d been dating for months, not less than a day, if fighting and fucking and playing videogames while half-naked even constituted a date.

That was serious talk. Didn’t want to come off creepy and give her the idea he was serious.Wouldn’t want to be anything like that…

So he kept it loose and light and she went with him, talking and telling her things he hadn’t told anyone for a while. Not that his family life was a big secret, anyone with a working set of fingers could type his name into Google and probably get all of that about his life and maybe a few things he didn’t even know. But just sitting around, talking, telling someone how he felt...it had been a while since he’d had the chance to do it. It had been awhile since he’d been around anyone who’d care.

And she listened. Oh, she had that drowsy, fading look that he was coming to like on the whole time, but even so, he could tell she was paying attention. Imugi cared.

He  sighed against her thigh and planted a soft kiss on it, one that he wiped away with his cheek as she rubbed against him. ”I wrestle in Tension, ‘shameless’ is in the job description.” He ran a hand over her upper leg, massaging some of the muscles that she’d used to nearly knock him out in the doctor’s office. It gave him something to do as she spoke, and let him into her own world. It was brief. Short. She didn’t seem all that into spitting it out, but that made it all the more valuable to him, and she stopped and cut it off.

”Hey,” Army moved up her body once more, coming over lay down beside her, mirroring her as best as he could with the height difference. He leaned in and pressed their foreheads together, once more staring straight into her, pressing skull to skull, tasting her breath. ”You can’t ruin the mood. The mood’s whatever you want it to be. You want to talk, that’s cool. Play games, that’s cool. Fuck, that’s cool. I...” He scrunched his forehead for a second, trying to think up a better, more poetic way to spit this out, before he decided to just keep it simple. They were simple people.

”I like this, this thing we’ve got going on. I’m thinking we can make it a regular thing, play it by ear, see where it goes.”

God, that felt so good. There wasn’t any time to really soak it in while she was saying it, but after letting out just a bit of it, a smidgen, Imugi felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. A weight that she didn’t even really notice was there.

Her life had always been one giant move from A to B from the word go. Every day was a challenge, every breath was a struggle. Before long, she learned to just tune everything all out. What was the point in worrying about problems that didn’t have an answer to them? Just keep going. Just keep going. That’s the rhythm her heart beat too, the sounds that filled her ears. She wasn’t living her life. She was just dealing with it.

But then...all this happened, and everything just slowed to a crawl. Army came close, bringing their heads together and their time in balance. Simple as they were, his words brought a brightness to her face, a warm radiance to her body, a steady beat to her heart. Her half-lidded eyes raised slightly, getting a peek at the possible future in front of her. For a second, nothing really mattered. There was nothing outside this room but them. Just their wants and needs. It was hard to describe. Like there wasn’t any clear definition or meaning to it. It was just…

...whatever she wanted it to be.

“I...” She moved her eyes down for a moment, slowly bringing a hand up between them and idly running it over his chest. Her mind searched for a halfway decent response, taking in exactly what was on offer here. There were a lot of things she’d wanted to do since coming to Japan. It was the first time in her life where she didn’t have any real obligations, without a career tethering her down. And she could think of worse people to do it with. What if she was just overthinking this? She had no problem with just fucking and fighting, but she was also feeling something else here. Something she didn’t even recognize and didn’t know how to feel about. She was excited, scared, hopeful, and cynical all at once, being pushed in ten different directions. But it all came down to one thing:

What did she feel about Army?

She closed her eyes for a second, breathing in, then out. When she opened them, her gaze would be looking right back into Army’s. Relaxed. Sure of herself. Just like always. “I’d like that. Really. Tonight’s been a lot of fun. Everything has. It'd suck for it all to just stop once tomorrow comes around. The only thing that has me is...” She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her forehead closer to his, looking down for a moment. “I’ve never gotten too attached to anything. I guess it just..doesn't come natural to me. That’s all, and it’s not like I expect you to understand or anything. You’re a great guy, and I just don’t want you to...” She furrowed her brows and looked back into his eyes. “You’re cool with this? Honestly?”

Army didn’t miss Imugi’s brightening. Granted, with her blue hair she was always kind of lighting up the room, but now there was a glow to her, this real shining energy. At first, he’d thought there way she always seemed so tranquil and calm and even sleepy was weird - and it was, kind of - but now he was starting to appreciate it more. It was like a sudden rise in a quiet song, or vibrant colors in the middle of a dark painting. The contrast made it stick out more, and it was just one more addition to the long, growing list of things that made her different.

Unique. Special. Awesome.

For a moment, silence reigned, and he didn’t interrupt as Imugi tried to gather her thoughts, looking for the right words. She was trying to make some sense out of this and he was in the same boat. He was willing to bet he had a bit more experience with relationships than she did, but that was for normal relationships. Whatever this was, ‘average’ wasn’t the right word for it. Uncharted waters. That was both the fun and the danger.

Eyes forward. Mouth shut. Forehead rubbing against hers. An idle hand stroking her back as she did the same with his chest. He gave his pecs a few playful flexs, but kept it serious otherwise, and when she was ready she looked at him with the same fearless look she’d had when they first met. Like nobody in the world could take her down, especially not the musclebound lunkhead they’d thrown her way.

She pulled him in close and he pulled her in closer, turning that idle hand into a real embrace. He could smell his breath in her breath, leftovers from their many, many kisses. Made him want more, but he kept it held in for now. ”This is about the coolest I’ve ever been with anything. Real talk.” His other hand went behind her head and wrapped a few of her strands about his finger. ”We take it one day at a time. Build on it, fast or slow as you like. We talk, we’re honest, and wherever this winds up going, we get there together.”

His look was cool, but hopeful, sharing in her excitement, her fears, her concerns...but not caring too much, in the end. This could work. He wanted it to, she wanted it it to.

Army moved forward, so close to her lips that a simple pucker would’ve brought them together ”Deal?”

There was an endless avenue of excuses Imugi had ready-made for situations like this. The ones that threatened to become too close and too personal, that set off a little alarm in the back of her head that only grew louder with age every time it went off. It was a list of excuses that’d grown longer ever since she became a national icon. She didn’t need those responsibilities. Those doubts.

'Together'. That word alone struck one of those cords, set sirens blaring in her mind. It was louder than ever, screaming from the back of her skull. For a single, isolated moment in time, her muscles tensed. She could feel her face start to contort, her teeth grit inside her mouth. Her expression started to grow hard and unforgiving...

...and then it softened. She pressed her body closer to his, shared the warmth, enjoyed the sound of their hearts beating in tandem. She didn’t know what she would be getting out of this, knew even less what she even wanted from it, but she had a feeling she wasn’t going to be disappointed in the answer. An easy smile grew on her lips, even as they parted ever so slightly and drew close to Army’s.

“Deal.”

She pressed her lips firmly against his, pulling him close as her hands pressed against the back of Army’s head. There was a subtle, tender difference in the gesture from all the others they’d shared. She didn’t pull away, just closing her eyes. There was something sincere and caring, unlike before.

Steadily, though, things did pick up. When their lips finally parted, she let out a long exhale and dipped right forward again, planting another kiss after another. Her hand moved to Army’s shoulder, pushing against it as she pressed her body forward, straddling over top of him. Her kisses steadily moved away from his mouth, going down the side of his cheek to the crook of his jaw, letting her instincts drive her.

Imugi seemed to have some doubts, and Army would be lying if he said that feeling didn’t go both ways. His track record with women...well, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t stellar, either. He’d never cheated - despite what Rita, his third ex, thought - but he wasn’t known for hanging on too long, either. More often than not, his relationships just kind of fizzled out. Interest was lost. They didn’t click. She had to move and the long-distance thing didn’t suit them.

Japan hadn’t been too different. The two women he could’ve had something going with just sort of left, and it made him wonder if that was just the nature of the beast. AFW wrestlers came and went all the damn time. Come to think of it, he and Carmen were probably the only real long-term Tension wrestlers who were still active.

Why would he think Imugi was any different?

But when her face softened and she smiled, he didn’t care. When she whispered, speaking in that soft, sweet accent he was coming to love, he cared even less. And when she pressed her lips to his - tender, slow, soft, caring - he wasn’t even thinking about it.

This was different from before, a sweetness that you’d kind of expect from her looks, but not from the way she fought or spoke or moved with anything else. He welcomed it, running his tongue along her lips when they parted, and letting it lead the charge when they plunged back. When she pushed against him, he didn’t fight it - hell, he helped her, pulling at her shoulder as she shoved his, shifting about under to get into just the right position. The size difference wasn’t the hindrance he would’ve thought. Any part of her touching any part of him was welcome.

Kisses. More kisses. She went to his neck, peppering it, while he went to her ear and took inside his mouth for a moment, before sampling more of the skin on the side of her face. One hand went to her hair, giving it a few tugs to see how she liked it and to make sure it didn’t get in his lips’ way, the other dipped under her shirt and found a nice, firm cheek to focus on, giving it a strong squeeze, before dragging those nails up along her back. Light scratches, not deep, but not gentle.

Oh, and yeah, it was his shirt, technically. But she could keep it, if she wanted. Looked better on her, anyway.

Imugi was somewhat bipolar about her hair. Sometimes she liked it, sometimes she hated. Sometimes she loved the way it looked, sometimes she thought it was way too much to work with. And whenever someone pulled any of it, well…

It could go two ways, really. Army got a good taste of the first option in the ring time, and she noticed he learned from that mistake. In public, it was one thing. A culmination of bad experiences back when she was the center of everyone’s little world, when people weren’t afraid to get too grabby with her, when she realized just how fun it was to kick the crap out of people. That was the usual reaction.

But in a room like this? With the lights off and the heat building, the pace slowly building between them, and she felt that firm, tight yank at the back of her head? She couldn’t think of a better turn on. Her soft lips left his neck as she threw her head back, letting out a gasp before she bit down on her lip to keep in a lewd chuckle. Whatever women preferred to do things “gentle” with Army were women that were not at all getting the full experience.

“Playing with fire, handsome...”

Through all the humor, there was a tinge of excitement seeping through. Anticipation was building in her body, just ready to surge out all at once. The nails against her back electrified her skin, injecting her with even greater vigor. She arched her back, bucking her hips back and forth and she starting a slow grind on top of him, bringing their bodies closer together as their crotches rubbed together.

She breathed deeply through her nose, taking in his scent as the friction drove her wild. She had a taste already and longed for more. Her head came back down, opening her mouth wide and biting down on his shoulder. Not with enough force to break skin, but damn sure enough to leave a mark. She wasn't letting him forget tonight.

Army wouldn’t lie, he’d honestly kind of forgotten the way Imugi reacted to having her hair yanked at the start of their match. He could blame it on a few things, like the sex and videogames and the lingering buzz of a hard lemonade working his system…

...and that wouldn’t be wrong. Wouldn’t be not true. But the bulk of it came from being the sort of person who just did what he felt like when he felt like it, and that really applied to his sex life.

Her words gave him a subtle reminder, though, and told him that particular mine wasn’t working. Not now, anyway. ”Good,” He snapped back and raised his chest up, a hint of an unspoken chance. ”I like fire.”

And Imugi was more than willing to play hot. She ground down on him and he rose up to meet her, both with his hips and the more natural reaction, the one that was straining to get back out of the boxers. It was a good start, a great way to kick things back up, but it was missing something. A little extra spice.

Imugi beat him to the punch, bringing the heat to him before he could even think up something. What he thought would be a kiss turned out to be a bite, one that sunk deep into his neck and brought a groan that was close to a scream out of him. It was a surprised noise to start, then the pain took over, and a second after that it was pleasure, going through a full cycle. He turned his neck to the side to make sure she had all the space she could want to leave her mark, welcoming the momento she’d leave on his skin.

The moment got away from him soon enough, and he whipped her about in a hurry, nearly sending them tumbling off. Now he was on top, and he used to the position to push her hard into the mattress by the shoulder. Army dipped down and mashed his face against Imugi’s, staring hard as his heave breaths cascaded over face.

”Fucking…” He started to grind again, and his hand traveled southward. ”Or fighting?”

He had a good idea of how she’d answer, but he really wanted to hear her say it.

Sex, Imugi had done before. She’d gone through the motions enough times to get the gist. A bit of kissing, work the hips for two minutes, wait for him to shoot his load, browse phone, leave. Fucking was something was just now getting into, courtesy of Armando Rodriguez, and it was immediately obvious to her which one she’d prefer more.

It wasn’t sex, it wasn’t love making. There was none of the passion, nothing soft or subtle about any of it. This was primal. Carnal. Straight to the point. Unrefined. Just letting it all go.

Army played no small part in that enjoyment, either. It wasn’t just that he was totally down for whatever happened, but it was the way he showed it. She giggled into the bite as she dug into his neck, both hearing and feeling the tones of pleasure seep into this shout. He loved this. She loved that he loved this. It made her bite all the harder, lick with all the more vigor at the skin between her canines, wanting to hear even more of his moans and feel him shudder as she went.

The heat of the moment got away from her, and with a strong buck, she suddenly found herself on her back with a violent whip. She laid pinned underneath Army, looking up just in time to see his face draw near to hers. Her tongue flicked out and licked at his cheek. Couldn’t resist.

She gasped against the hand trailing its way down her body before Imugi reached her hands up, locking her fingers tight around the back of Army’s head, drawing their faces even closer together if that was even possible. She pressed her face forward, speaking a single, solitary word into their waiting breaths.

“Both.”

With a strong yank, she forced their lips together in a hot, sloppy kiss. A “kiss” in the loosest sense of the word as their lips smacked, their tongues wrestled, their noses ground, their jaws grated, their breaths rasped. She indulged every bit of him she could, tiding herself over until that hand snaking down her body reached its final destination.

Yeah, that was about the answer he was going for. He would’ve said the exact same thing if she’d asked him, only it wouldn’t have sounded nearly as good as it did coming from Imugi’s lips. With that sweet accent and that face and those eyes that he swore where glowing in the dark and her hot breath all over his face and their sweat mixing together as their bodies rubbed and…

Wow. He really was getting into Imugi in record time.

It wasn’t like he needed any more confirmation on that, but he got it regardless, as their lips met once again. Not their first kiss, but that was the thing with her - each time they touched, there was something different, something wilder, something new. Their tongues dueled this time, pressing and sliding against each other, trying to push their way in and claim the other’s mouth.

It was hot, heavy, right on the edge of violence, dancing on the tip of a blade. But it wasn’t the only thing going on - hand was busy the entire time. It took a short tour of her body, taking it all the sights he was growing to love. The feel of her muscles along her sides, those iron abs against his fingers, the way each of her cheeks seemed to fit perfectly in his hands.

But that hand had a final purpose, and it got to business, in the end. It only took a few deft tugs here and there to get out his growing hardness, line things up, get into the right position, and…

True to the mood, Army didn’t make his way into Imugi gently. He didn’t knock on the door before he entered, he kicked it down and came barreling inside, invading her and daring her to do something about it.

Not where she thought that hand was going.

Despite being just as eager for round two as he was, Imugi was still thinking a bit too much in the wrong mindset. After how hard they’d started off earlier, a part of her was expecting Army to take things slower this time around. Build off the relaxation they’d worked up together. Take in the night, savor the intimacy moment by moment until they slowly but surely reached that blissful instant.

Stupid, right?

She was enjoying the tender caresses, moaning into his mouth with every grope and rub of her body against his. He traveled as far south as it could go before he suddenly pulled it away. It was a touch that was sorely missed she spread her legs further apart, inviting any inch of contact she could get.

And Army was more than willing to oblige.

“Ssibal!” She threw her head back as his hardened member plunged deep into her tight folds with a single, savage thrust. She fought back a choked gasp of surprise, closing her eyes and savoring the abrupt sensation. Her blue hair splashed against the covers like water against the shore. One hand reached up and gripped at her pillow, the other balled a clump of sheets in her hand. She scarcely had a chance to breathe before he started thrusting into her again, shaking the bed with every jerk of their bodies, her generous breasts bouncing lovely through the confines of her shirt. His shirt.

Her iron legs came up and wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer and deeper into her as he pounded relentlessly. Her mind was awash in the sudden overflow of ecstasy, bucking her hips unconsciously against his, taking in each and every rapid stroke, each rougher than the last. She couldn’t help but smile against the fervor, in the way her body was taken away again by the sensation. He knew exactly which buttons to push, how to quickly get her to that point that left her wanting more. Things would be different this time around, though.