Putting Out Fire With Gasoline

Sometimes Army could be dumb. Really dumb. He didn’t like to admit that, no, but one of the good things about working in Tension was that it gave him some much needed lessons in humility, a good way to reflect on his failings by having them rammed in his face.

His latest one? Ignoring Imugi.

Well, ‘ignoring’ probably wasn’t the right word. He actually thought about her a lot, in part because she was kinda-sorta the reason for a spate of problems that hit him recently. Carmen didn’t take him getting suspended for that unsanctioned medical room match all that well, and made sure to fill his free days with lots of chores and cleaning at the gym. If he wasn’t wrestling, he wasn’t making money, and if he wasn’t making money, he wasn’t paying his share of the rent, which meant he had to earn his keep in other ways. Translation: He was Carmen’s unpaid labor for the time being. Indentured servitude, Felina called it.

It was a pain in the ass, and kept him from stuff he would’ve enjoyed - like, for instance, Imugi. That was part of the reason he hadn’t hooked up with her for a hot minute, but it also came down to him not being sure what the right move was. Imugi was different than any other woman he’d dated, more laidback, more free. They’d agreed to play this by ear, but that meant there would be some fumbling and guessing games. He wanted to take her out somewhere, do something, but he couldn’t quite figure out the right move.

That lead to inaction, hesitation,  and now they’d gone all this time without a word. But he was off suspension now, he had matches lined up, free time was returning and excuses were diminishing. He didn’t know how she felt about it all, but for him, there was a hole that needed filling. He could think of one good way to do it, too.

He made up some bullshit to Carmen about studying for his next match, a good excuse to come down to the Tension arena, arriving just in time to watch Imugi’s match as he hung out in the gorilla position. Sure enough, she hadn’t lost a single step since their bout, facing down the Crusher, this walking mountain of muscle. It was like watching their match from the outside this time - something he’d done for real several times since - seeing the way she worked around the ring, the way she just threw herself into the challenge, no holding back, the way she could turn your power against you, make a strength into a weakness.

It was brave. It was sexy. It was giving him an idea.

He filed that in the back of his head for the moment, though, as Imugi’s match came to a close, with her coming out on top - not without some battle damage, but considering the hulkette they’d put her up against, not bad. Army hung out nearby the curtains, leaning against a wall to the side, his hands in his pockets. With his black pants and his Venom t-shirt, he kind of blended into the shadows. That hadn’t been what he was going for when he put these clothes on, pretty much just yanking the first clean things he could find, but it would work for what he had in mind.

He waited for Imugi to come out and start to pass him by, then whistled her way before she could get off, greeting her with a wave and smile from the darkness.

”Hey.”

Imugi should have been feeling about ten times better than she was right now. She’d come out on top of a hard match against a tough opponent, someone the odds definitely would have favored if it were almost anyone else standing in the ring. On top of that, it was her first fight in a decent while. A good way to grease the gears, make sure she wasn’t losing her edge while she was kicking back.

But really, she just wanted a bath. Wrestling was only half of her career, it was easy to forget. She was still an idol and rising star on the scene with a perfectly good pair of lungs destined for the microphone. AFW may have given her a hiatus, but that just meant more time PR and interviews. More time to rehearse, figure out promotional material, branding, outreach, networking.

Now she was back in the ring, and she couldn't have been more thankful for it. More fights meant more time to recover. Time to recover meant time not doing work. Not doing anything.

And not doing anything sounded so good right now.

The little idol stepped out from the light, her light smile fading into the darkness with an exasperated sigh. The tension in her muscles seared along her sides and up her back, forcing her to move slowly through the dim lights until she could get deeper into the complex. She blinked through ocean blue eyes glowing in the faint luminescence, her half-lidded gaze peering lazily to the light at the end of the small corridor. She was already thinking of the short nap she could take on the train home, the warm shivers of the evening shower against her skin, the weight of her beaten body against the covers as the Kyoto traffic lulled her to sleep.

That was where her mind was. Right up until a familiar voice took her out of it.

Imugi held back a small gasp of surprise, her eyes widening for a moment of disbelief. It wasn’t every day someone was able to sneak up on her, especially if it was who she thought this was. Her fatigue must have been worse than she realized.

A cool wave of reassurance and gentleness washed over her from head to toe from thereafter, all from that one word alone. The tone was much like from the night they’d enjoyed together. Some small part of her tucked away in the coolest recesses of her heart had some ounce of worry that Army would be mad at her. That their little hiatus had taken its toll on...whatever they were making together before it even got a chance to start.

A little dumb, in retrospect. The brunette closed her eyes and snickered, turning around to meet the voice before she opened her eyes and-

“AHHH!” Imugi leaped back at the monstrous white outline smiling maniacally back at her! Her heart thumped madly from inside her chest, threating to burst out from her ribcage...until she saw Army’s dumb smile the next moment. Just above the t-shirt.

The t-shirt.

Her eyes narrowed in a rare, dour glare toward the cloaked heavyweight. She stood up, walked over to him, and kicked her strong leg out like a whip into the side of his knee.

“Dumbass!”

It was weird. All she did was snicker, and even that made him smile a little more. Made him remember the fight, the other fight, the bedroom, the games, the sex, the quiet, the still moments, the warmth, the laughter, all of it. Just one happy memory coming back to him, and a reminder that he should have done this way, way-

”Fuck what?!” Army jumped back and hit the wall when she jumped back, startled by, well, her being startled. He looked around, side to side, trying to figure out what she was getting freaked by and having little clues. It was just the wall and a poster for the last Showdown that really should’ve been taken down months ago. He’d grown his facial out a bit, had something of a proto-goatee going on, but he didn’t think it looked that bad…

Oh. The t-shirt.

It took him a second to follow her eyes - pretty as they were - and figure out what she was looking at, and when the dots connected, he had to bring his hands up to cover his mouth and keep the laughs inside. He'd worn the shirt to get the jump on her, but he didn't think she'd have that. reaction. He was doing a good job, right up until the moment she came out and kicked his knee. That got it all out, even as he hopped away on one leg.

”Wow, you’re taking out every Hispanic you see today, huh? What'd we ever do to you?” He skipped away and brought his fists up in a lazy defense, happy to let her take a few more swings if she felt like it. ”Look, if it scares you, I’ll take it off. Nice and slow.”

This was precious. He was going to keep this one in his back pocket forever.

Part of Imugi’s subconscious was able to see the confusion across Army's face. He didn't seriously mean to spook her. Even logically, things seemed to point that way. They'd gone a long time without talking and, while he could be a pretty easy-going guy, he knew when things had to get serious. She knew that much just from one night together. And honestly? Practical jokes seemed a bit weird coming from him. She expected something with more finesse. Nah, this couldn't have been him.

That's how things were going inside of her head. The outside of the little Korean was nothing but adrenaline and uncharacteristic anger against six-foot Hispanic guys. It added some extra oomph to her kick, so much that you probably wouldn’t think she’d just gotten out of one of the most physically draining fights of her life. Army didn’t seem to sweat it, though. He was all smiles and laughs. She would be too, and that somehow made it worse.

“Shut up! You’re not funny!" She chased after him as he hobbled away and got into his rudimentary guard. Her cheeks only got redder from the suggestion he made, except it wasn’t all from embarrassment this time. She powered through it with a hard shake of her head, whipping her hair about as she closed in on him.

"Big...dumb...stupid..." She batted away at his arms like a cat fussing with a ball of yarn, throwing balled fists that his arms deflected with ease. She huffed and grabbed at his wrists to lightly but briskly shove him away before she stepped back and crossed her arms firmly. She didn’t look so much at him as she was straight ahead, doing her best to frown and resist the slight twitch the corner of her lip was making upward.

"First of all, I wasn't scared. I was surprised. There's a difference. Second of all... " She reached out and poked him with her finger. "...I don't do slow. You should know that by now."

Needless to say, her little play punches did nothing to keep his giggling down - just made it worse, far worse. Imugi had this weird thing going on, where he knew she was dangerous, lethal, completely capable of beating his ass if she had a chance - and, somehow, it made her even more adorable when she came at him like this, chasing him around in a huff. It was a fun, friendly moment that he couldn’t have gotten with just any woman he’d been with.

He liked it. He missed it. Coming here was the right idea.

”...sexy...strong...handsome…” He completed her list as he fended off her kitten strikes and staggered away - far more than he needed to - when she shoved him. He hit the wall and folded his arms over his chest, reducing the laugh to a smug smile.

Army leaned forward after the poke, dropping his voice, low and hot. ”Could always use a reminder.” He tapped their foreheads together, their favorite gesture, then straightened up and brightened up again.

”But sorry, didn’t mean to ‘surprise you’.” He broke out the finger quotes, even. ”Well, I mean, I did, just more like a ‘oh hi’ surprise, less of a ‘oh shit’ surprise.” He hopped forward, still letting his leg heal a bit. ”Badass match, by the way. That DVD counter at the end was on point. Wouldn’t have worked on me, but...”

He gave her a little poke back, both of them knowing full well it probably would’ve. Never hurt to keep the spark alive, though.

Imugi was starting to realize just how weird it was that Army could flip her attitude upside down at seemingly the drop of a hat like that. They’d been apart for just long enough that the contrast between then and now made it easy to notice. She was doing her hardest to feign annoyance, not give in to the cheeky attitude and quips she’d become surprisingly fond of.

But one little headbutt, one touch on the top of their battle-hardened foreheads, and he got her to chuckle. It was slow coming behind the faux frown she was trying to keep up, but it was there, slowly bubbling to the surface behind quivering lips before it burst out with a smile.

So she stood, folding one arm over the other as she listened to him. She pretty much figured he’d seen her fight the second she’d heard his voice. It was more surprising that that thought hadn’t even crossed her mind. Her second match, first in months. Of course he was watching.

Since she was part of the lineup tonight, she knew he didn’t have any matches tonight. His schedule should have been clear. The only reasons he had to be here were to either hit the weights or see her. The t-shirt and jeans spoke for the latter and she couldn’t help feeling a little warm from his presence alone. There was a flattering side to that that she couldn’t help but appreciate.

And then he had to go and botch it by baiting her. She did little more than roll her eyes and take a step into his personal space.

“I’m not even gonna say anything. You’re too cute when you're delusional.” Her hand came up to pat his cheek before she stepped back.

“Glad you enjoyed the show anyway. I could have gotten you in the VIP section if you just called, though.” She made a little gesture close to her ear to hammer that point home, adding a little more to that suggestion before she went back to crossing her arms. “You know. Amongst other things.”

Army’s smile widened even further when she reached up to pat him on the cheek, with that knowing grin on her face. If he had to pick one thing that he loved about Imugi the most - out of a long list - it was this. That calm, strong confidence. There wasn’t a single doubt in his mind that she’d love to prove him wrong someday, that she might even try it right now if he could find a good place for them to go at it.

It wasn’t exactly a standard sort of relationship, but he liked it. ‘Normal’ hadn’t been a part of his life for half a decade, and he didn’t miss it.

There was the electricity between them when they touched, but not just that - there was some warmth, too. He got the sense she was happy to see him, which was good, that was what he was going for - but he couldn’t hold back the temptation to poke her. Just a little. It was just too fun, and she could always bite back harder.

”’Cute’.” He snickered at that one. When was the last time anyone used that word to describe him? ”I’ll take it.”

He leaned back as she folded his arms, looking her over as she mentioned the calling...or lack thereof. He could be dense, he knew it, but even he couldn’t miss the silent cue. He’d fucked up, but if she was really mad about it, he doubted this would be going as well as it was. Whatever they were building, it had taken a few chips, but it was far from demolished. Nothing that couldn’t be fixed, if they wanted to. And he definitely wanted to.

”Okay, okay - I’m a dumbass. I know.” He held his arms out and sighed, accepting it. ”I don’t have a good excuse. I was just dumb and I wasn’t sure when the right time was or if or...you know.” Army shrugged and held up a finger. ”But. I’m here now. And I think I can make up for lost time. If you let me try.”

Maybe that wasn't entirely fair. There was nothing stopping her from calling him. Most people would say that kind of stuff is the guy’s job, to make the first move and show some initiative. But they weren't most people. It’s not like Imugi could give even half a care for the dumb minutiae of what constituted an ideal relationship. Whatever this relationship was, anyway.

She wasn’t being serious, of course, but it’s not like she could control how Army took it. Things were nice when they were informal, easy-going. He did her best to play off his self-admonishing with a more relaxed pose; hand at her hip, little half-smile, not an ounce of tension to show off anywhere on her body. She did like him at the end of the day. She was happy he was here. She did want to see him again, even if some time sooner would have been more appreciated.

Whatever. Live in the moment.

Like he said, he was here now, and her ears perked up when it sounded like he hadn’t come empty-handed. She canted her head to the side and raised a lazy eyebrow as he pointed to the ceiling. More than a couple thoughts, a few of them far from decent, passed through her head as she pondered what he had in mind. A match? A bed? Street Fighter? That was about all they’d got around to sharing in the six or so hours they’d been personally acquainted. He’d had a lot of time to think on it, and she was genuinely curious. She stopped guessing after a couple seconds though and just settled on a witty retort.

And then her stomach growled. A grating, unflattering noise that made her half-lidded gaze grow to the size of dinner plates. Her eyes trailed downward as she brought a gloved hand to her abdomen. Her eyes shot back to Army, already feeling another chuckle working its way out.

“Shut up.” She walked over and took his arm in her hands, clinging close as she brushed up against him. “Buy me dinner, dumbass. Then we’ll hear about how good you make up.” She stepped back and tugged him along by the arm, trying to guide him towards the exit. “Come on. I know a great hole in the wall that’s close by.”

Army didn’t think Imugi was that mad at him - not as much as some others would’ve been, at any rate. If this were a traditional sort of relationship, yeah, the guy would be expected to follow up, call back, do all the legwork, show the interest, make the time. Back in Puerto Rico, he’d had plenty of relationships end over smaller things than this.

But this wasn’t ‘traditional’ in any sense of the word. They were both kind of fumbling in the dark, and they were bound to hit a few walls here and there before they made it to wherever they were going.

As usual, Imugi was cool with it, giving off that smooth demeanor that he was coming to like more and more - it was hard to believe that someone so laid back could be so strong and so capable of wrecking her opponent at a moment’s notice, but there she was. And, also as usual, she was about to throw a little shade his way, just another strike in the endless verbal sparring match.

Her stomach spoke louder, though, and it managed to get a short laugh out of Army. Despite being tiny and mostly muscle, she still had a stomach somewhere in there. When she started to tug him along, he put up a token resistance for all of two seconds, before giving up and letting her pull him along, a tugboat towing a battleship.

”I’m coming, I’ll pay, okay.” His tone was a half-hearted whine, one that wouldn’t have passed on the first day of acting class. ”You can’t eat all that much, anyway. You’re, what? 99% muscle?”

Seriously, he had to ask her about her workout routine, or go together to the gym. She might’ve been the most ripped woman he’d ever met. Crazy. Sexy, but crazy.

Army probably couldn’t have been more wrong if he were trying for an award. People normally underestimated her because of her size, but that was usually in terms of strength or technique. There were plenty of things that were safe bets, of course. People could guess she was fast, that putting effort into...well, anything wasn’t exactly her forte. That she didn’t have the usual build for this line of work. What exactly went into that kind of body was a well-kept secret by one of the most legally prolific idol agencies in the region.

He got a rare opportunity to see behind that specific curtain about an hour later, only a block over from the arena. Akamaru’s wasn’t anything special by Kyoto’s standards. A small little hobble off the beaten path, in a dark alley a fair walk away from the main artery. It was a traditional eatery, with a normal menu and not all that much leg room. There were only ever two people there, the owner and his ten year-old daughter. They both worked the same hours and could just about keep the place clean and busy enough for the lights to stay on.

They were pretty much the most interesting thing in the entire place. There was really only one thing that stood out just enough to keep such a humble and discreet venue fresh in Imugi’s mind in this bustling cradle of culture and commerce.

“I want another one, Sachi! Mr. Gorilla is paying!”

“Hai, Imugi-san!”

Imugi smiled and leaned back in her stool after her third spicy pork bowl was taken away, kicking her legs up on the counter and crossing one over the other. Aside from the big Puerto Rican at her side, the place was as quiet as it usually was. One or two people sat at the window booths together and a man on the other end of the counter seemed to be keeping to himself, sparing the momentary glance their way. Not surprising. They were something of an odd sight. Even without her ocean blue hair soaking up the room, she’d slipped into her jean shorts and blue top before they’d left the arena. It wasn’t as flashy as her ring gear, but showed off about as much skin.

She doubted Army minded that part at all though. As the little girl disappeared into the back, she leaned further back, teetering on the edge of falling flat on her back as she balanced herself with ease.

"Did I ever tell you about how badly Korean girls go for charitable men?” She lifted one foot from the counter and gave Army's head a nudge with the tip of her shoe, humming gleefully as she crossed her legs again.