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X-treme Wrestling Federation »   » Archives » Leap of Faith 2020 PPV
Fight or Flight.
Author Message
Shawn Warstein Offline
Blood In Blood Out



XWF FanBase:
Very random

(heel alignment but liked by many; has earned respect despite breaking the rules often)


#1
07-16-2020, 05:33 AM

The crested over the horizon. Slowly the rays reach my eyes, a guttural growl emanates, as I slowly open my eyes.

“West…”
I muttered under my breath. “Why couldn’t it face west…”

My left arm is numb, as Atara is sound asleep. As I try to gently free my arm she adjusts herself and grabs my hand and pulls it back over her shoulder.

“Just a few more minutes…”
What’s it going to hurt? As we both lay there watching the sun fully rise over the city my phone does that annoying thing it does when I’m comfortable.

*Buzz*

*Buzz*


“Who is it?”
Atara asked as I ruined our comfort to grab my phone off of the table.

“It’s just Noah.”



Noah: Oi Cunt you awake?

Shawn: Yeah… what’s up?

Noah: What time is our train to Bordeaux?

Shawn: 10:30…. why?

Noah: Just checking cunt.

Noah: Something was weird with Atty last night….

Noah: She wouldn’t tell me what was wrong.

Shawn: Well you know her, even if she was on fire she wouldn’t want you to put her out.

Noah: Maybe. I’m going to call her to see if she’s okay.

Shawn: if you want to go ahead but I’m sure she’s fine, just pack your shit and be ready by 10.



“Why is my arm wet?”
A dampness covers my nearly dead left arm. Atty just shrugs and lays back down on the couch. I wipe my arm off on my shirt and head towards the kitchen. With a flick of a switch the coffee is brewing. I lean my forehead on the counter and stare at the ground.

What the fuck am I going to do? What is going on? I shouldn’t have to deal with all of this right now. I have to concentrate on the task at hand. No you moron not Mastermind…. Leap Of Faith and Centurion.

“Everything okay?”
Atara sits up from the couch. Her voice knocks me from my thoughts.

“No...y..yeah. I don’t know.”
I stand up shaking my head. “Honestly I have no clue. And it’s….” I just stop in the middle of my sentence and throw my arms up.

“Well then tell me.”
The tone in her voice changed ever so slightly. To the people who haven't spent time with her wouldn’t be able to tell, but I could. I run the bridge of my nose.

“You know what…. No.”
The eyeroll from Atara was seen from space. “What? What now Atara? In what way have I offended you this time?”

“That…. That right fucking there!”
Atara bursts up from the couch and marches into the kitchen. The anger in her eyes was something you only read about in books. It was as if she was crushing my skull without lifting a finger. “You take the smallest fucking thing and make it a big fucking deal. I just don’t get it with you sometimes! You know what YOU are. You have an ego bigger than the Eiffel Tower, and yet your insecurities constantly get the better of you. So that Shawn, is how you have offended me.”I take a deep breath and lean up against the counter. I tap my fingers quickly across the countertop.

“My ego, my insecurities.”
I run my hand through my hair as I turn around towards the still fiery Atara. Who’s glare hasn’t changed one bit. “Yeah you’re right, but let’s not overlook your flaws dear. Little Miss I don’t need anyone to protect me or look out for me. Yet the second something happens it’s, where were you? I did everything I could to make sure you were safe but it was never good enough was it? You’re a fucking warrior, but you’re not a ronin. I’ve been doing this for far too long. I knew the risks I was putting you in, and I did everything to make sure YOU didn’t get hurt. Gilly attacks you…. Who was there? All three of us get tied up? Who had the plan to get us out?” Her look doesn’t budge one bit. “Who constantly did everything in their power to keep YOUR ego in front? Who constantly put your well-being ahead of their own?”

“Cut the shit Shawn! It was never about me! It was always about You! You...You...You!”
A finger raised in my face gets me to turn my head slightly. “So don’t give me that. And as for the protection? Heroes don’t show up after the war. You know what does show up? Vultures. Picking at the pieces left, doing whatever they need to do to survive. Doing what they need to do to make themselves feel good.”

“I never claimed to be a Hero. If that’s what you were looking from…. then you knew damn well what you were getting into. Yet do you know what the villains do? Do you? Of course you don’t. Because the villain sees themselves as the hero.”
I turn my back towards Atara and look down at my hand. No trembling, no shakes. Solid as a rock. Of course. I clear my throat and turn back around. “I wouldn’t have ever done to you what you did to me…. and you know deep down that that’s the truth. You know that everything I did wasn’t just for me. It was for US. Even swallowing my pride. If you don’t understand that….”

“You know what this was a bad idea…”
Her tone changed. I must’ve hit a nerve, that’s not a typical Att…. hrmm Atara…. fuck it Atty response. She turns around and starts to walk away. “I should’ve gone home. I should’ve listened to Osira.”

“Yeah if that isn't the response you have all the time. Fight or flight. Atty chooses flight.”
The disappointment in my voice carried heavier than I’ve ever spoken to her. Dammit Shawn…. you better not let her walk out of that fucking door, because if you do you know what happens next. I hurry up and stop her as she’s grabbing her heels off of the ground. “Fight god dammit! Fight for what YOU want, running isn’t going to solve anything. I’m only going to chase you for so long.”

“I didn’t have to come to Paris you know. I didn’t have to be on Warfare…”
The mocha colored hair drapes in front of her face, as I reach up and brush it aside. No tears were shed, but they were close. She’s stronger than you give her credit for. She stands tall and takes a deep breath. “I came here for you.”

Do it Shawn. This is what you wanted.

“No you didn’t.”
Hey why don’t you take your fucking foot out of your own mouth. “I came here for you.” I grab her hand and lead her into the living room. She sits down on the couch as I slide the Box, Brick, and envelope in front of her. “Noah and I ran all around Paris to get these before you did. They are yours.”

“Shawn this isn’t….”

“Atty listen to me. I don’t want to fight with you. I don’t want my jealousy to constantly come out. I don’t want to do this alone.”
I stand up. There it is. In the simplest way I could say it. I don’t want to be alone. I want the feeling of being wanted. I hate it when I’m jealous, but it comes from my own insecurities. She’s going to get attention but I think I can learn to realize it’s me she comes back to...I don’t know. “I also don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to. Noah and I have to catch the train to Bordeaux. After Warfare I’ve chartered a flight to Dallas. If you’re there, I want you to be all the way there, no half measures. I want everything. I want the fights, I want you to fight for what you want and tell me when I’m fucking up. If you’re not there no hard feelings.”

You’re an idiot Shawn. You better hope to god that she shows up.

I lean over and give Atara a kiss on the cheek. A few moments go by of her staring at the box in front of her, while I get up and pick up my bag from next to the door. As I reach for the doorknob...

“Shawn wait….”
I turn around to see her holding the box in her hands. “Thank You.”

A smile and head nod as I open the door. As soon as the door is opened there stands Noah. He peeks around and sees Atara holding the box as I shut the door behind me. With a confused look on his face Noah stands mouth ajar while I begin to walk towards the elevators. Noah finally shakes out the cobwebs and runs up next to me, still in a state of disbelief.

“Was that?”
Noah asked while pointing towards the door.

“Yeah.”

“With the..”
Pantomiming a small box in his hands.

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“I don’t know Noah. I don’t know.”
The elevator doors open as we both get in.

————Several Hours Later————

“What did I tell you man!?”
A smile across my face as Noah and I walk out of the arena in Bordeaux. “There was no way I was going to fuck this up. I wasn’t going to miss this match. Legend versus Legend at Leap Of Faith…..” Noah interrupts me.

“Raven against Pryce for some reasons…”
I give Noah a playful smack across the back of his head, and in one fluid motion attempt to hail a taxi.

“Well yes, but obviously No.”
I pull out a small GoPro camera from my bag and hand it to Noah.

“Really? Right now?”
Noah slumps his shoulders and takes the camera from me.

“There ain’t no rest for the King.
” My signature sly smile across my face. Noah begins to fiddle with the camera for a moment.

“And Action….”

“Well then let’s get to work huh?”
I crack my neck and take a deep breath. I exhale it slowly while giving the camera a quick nod.

“One year ago.”

“365 days.”

“From that point on I had one goal in mind. There was one thing that needed to be done. I had to prove to the world that I was and forever will be better than Centurion. But Shawn, we all know that you are, why are you so dead set on proving it time and time again.”

“Because of one fucking match.”

“One fucking blown call.”

“One miserable, insignificant loss.”

“Well that’s what the people on the outside will say. It was a loss that didn’t mean anything. There were no titles on the line. No big prize. Just two Legends fighting to see who was better.”

“Yeah right!”

“To the uninformed it was a throwaway match at last year's Leap Of Faith. I came back and called Centurion out. I told him, it always had to be him. The two of us will forever be linked, this is a fact that we both have to come to terms with. It sickens me that you have that victory over me.”

“And since that day, I wanted to do one thing only.”

“Shove all of my accomplishments down your off centered teeth. So I did just that. I went on to win the X-Treme title, the tag team titles, a 24/7 case, and Lethal Lottery all in quick succession. While you played with the mid card, blowing yourself to full completion. Continuing your impressive streak of being the best of the mediocre. Then I did it. I “lost” the X-Treme title to Atara, I allowed Page and Main to take the Tag Team titles, and I cashed in. The goal had been completed. The race you didn’t even know you were apart was over. I had once again ascended to the top.”

“But there are no scapegoats this time. No one can say I’m Jon Brown’s favorite this time. I’m not the chosen one that I once was. I worked my fucking ass off week in and week out to get here. That’s not to say you weren’t working hard, just your goals were misaligned. While you should’ve used your name and friendships to climb to the top you refused. You wanted to play the martyr. You wanted to give other people a chance.”

“All you did was allow Page, Bourbon, and Kaye get shots that should’ve been yours, but you didn’t want that. It’s funny if you ask me…”

“All this time you weren’t interested in the Universal Title. You were too busy concentrating on a third rate title. You wanted to set the record for the longest title reign of the modern era. A pipe dream if there was ever one. You had to know going in that it wasn’t going to work out. At 43 you had to know that it wasn’t going to happen. You had to know that you were going to break down at some point.”

“So what changed?”

“It was me.”

“It always had to be me…”

“You couldn’t fathom the thought of me being the Top Dog again. Not while you have yet to taste the pie. Hell not even taste. You couldn’t smell the fucking thing. Yet the gods smiled upon you didn’t they? I offered the title up to anyone that would take the shot.”

“Robert Main?”

“Said No.”

“Chris Page?”

“Also a coward.”

“Laying the title on the ground for anyone?”

“Not a single soul.”

“That was until you. Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t you taking time off? Weren’t you stepping away for a bit to refocus? So you saw your opportunity like the scavenger you really are. When no one else is willing to step up…”

“Fuck it! You’ll do it.”

“You will be the one to knock me off of my perch. You will be the savior. So everyone that wants to see me lose will get to see it, right? They all got their fill at War Games, and the Captains match, and since then? That’s right.”

“But Shawn who was also in those matches as well? And who did you personally dispose of both times?”

“Well Centurion of course.”

“I know that you’re going to take that and use it as motivation. Personally I think you’re looking at it all wrong. Those were validating moments in time. It shows that yes when I came back, you were better off than I was, but over time slowly the scale began to tip to my side. Now I’m so firmly planted on the ground that these scales will never EVER favor you again.”

“Recently all you’ve been is just some guy. You are about as necessary to the product as Mastermind. I can see you already calling out who I’ve defended this title against, and you would be right. You are in fact the toughest opponent I’ve faced. Congratulations you’re the tallest kindergartener. Sure it’s a feat when you’re 6, but it doesn’t mean shit when you grow up. Just because you are the toughest, that doesn’t mean that you won’t fall the same way as all of them.”

“Just look at them all, sure is a murderers row, but they all have something over you. Hanari is vastly younger than you. Grif is basically a super, same with Calvary. And at least Mastermind knew he was beat before it even began. You have this weird aura of confidence.”

“I don’t know where you get it. While everyone and their mother thinks you’re leaps and bounds ahead of me. Deep down…. you know that’s not true. Come one Cent, what was your first thought when I came back?”

“Tell the world?”

“No?”

“Okay. Well just know that I know. I’m sure you’ll say something snarky like “The Junkie looks good, glad he’s alive, seriously thought he died.”, rather than what was really said. It’s okay. I’ll let you say it for yourself. It will be much more fitting and fulfilling coming from you.”

“But where does that lead us?”

“Our match won’t go down in the annals of history like Steve Jason versus The Brand….”

“But it should. Those two weren’t around at the same time. Those two were not fighting for the same scraps. No what that match was two over the hill egomaniacs stealing the shine from everyone else. Now don’t get me wrong I have an ego, you do too, but our match MEANS so much more than a what if scenario. This isn’t a fantasy booking ten years too late. For one of us Centurion the question is….”

“What’s Next?”

“What more can possibly be said? I made a self imposed promise that I wouldn’t talk about you being or how you’ve never the Universal Title. All of that is like kicking a dead horse. A phrase that doesn’t make much sense when you think about it. Who is kicking a dead horse? Why is that even necessary? It seems like it’s a complete waste of time…….”

“Ohhhh I get it now.”
Noah peeks around the camera like he just got the point of the saying as well.

“Well then in this case, it’s right on the nose. Almost twenty years we’ve been going at each other and neither one of us will budge. Our ideologies are different. Our way of doing things is different. The way that we hold ourselves accountable for our actions is different.”

“Yet you and I are very much alike….”

“In so many different ways.”

“You’ll never admit it, but when you see someone holding the Universal title that doesn’t deserve it, it makes your blood boil. When someone talks about your family, it makes you see red. When someone says that anyone is better than you, you have to prove them wrong. Even if it means making an ass out of yourself time and time again.”

“Last time we fought, one on one, I foolishly went into it thinking that it was the FINAL CHAPTER. One of us was going to finally be declared the better of the two. Even you have to admit….”

“Come on….”

“It’ll make you feel better I promise. Look you already have built in excuses for the last two times. There were more variables. I was able to use my guile and cunning wits to get the pins. Fine I’m a big enough man to acknowledge those as facts. So the least you could do is be a big enough man to do the same. Just say the three words and I’ll never bring it up again. Come on Andy…. just say it….”

“Shawn Didn’t Tap.”

“That’s why when I was asked about a stipulation, I said nothing. I want to wrestle Centurion in the middle of the ring. One of us is going to close the book on this, once and for all.”

“We don’t need any fancy stipulation. No Helldome, no Ladder match. No X-Treme rules. None of that. I wanted you to feel confident. I wanted you to be at ease. I wanted you to have everything as even as possible. Sure you’re better on the mat, but I’ll knock that nose right off your face. Your technique is as crisp as they come, but I’ve got a counter for everything and you know it. This match right here will show everyone what I’ve known for a very long time.”

“As far as Legends go…..”

“You belong in the Hall of Very Good.”

“Don’t you worry buddy there are a lot of people that don’t belong in the Hall, and they go on to very lucrative careers as an insurance salesman. That or they open a fledgling car dealership. Yet you don’t have to worry about that do you? Nah you’ve got that status. Have you decided to tell everyone how you got that status?”

“Well we’ve all heard it before from you, but that’s just revisionists history isn’t it? There was once a time here where you could fight for a spot in the Hall, and Centurion and myself did just that. You tell everyone that you BEAT me for your spot…..”

“But that’s not quite the truth is it?”

“Sure I was in the match. And yes you did win, but you always seem to glance over the fact that there was a third man in that match. The very same man you pinned to win, while I was just a millisecond away from breaking it up. You remember Killjoy right? Yeah I knew eventually the truth would come out, just had to choose the right time I guess.”

“So keep telling yourself that your biggest accomplishment came at my expense. I’ll allow you to continue to live that lie. It’s the only thing that’s keeping you going at this point.”

“You beat me for it.”

“I tapped out.”

“All of your big wins over me have come under dubious circumstances or straight twisting of the facts. While all of my victories are the same story. Shawn beats Centurion in the middle of the ring, or in some cases the White House, 1...2...3. When it’s just you and I in the middle of the ring, no one else around, the fact always remains.”

“Shawn has always been better than you, and the way you have twisted the narrative to fit your story will be exposed. I never truly hated you Centurion, even when I was at my lowest and most cruel. Pure hate isn’t something I’ve ever had for you, no what I had was contempt. The way you gloss over one simple fact.”

“Shawn Always Wins.”

“That’s going to be a tough pill to swallow. I understand. You’ve been so far up your own ass that you don’t realize that THIS IS WHAT I WANTED. I wanted you to challenge me for this title. I wanted you to step up. Laying the title down, and waiting. It was all for you. I knew you couldn’t resist being the ultimate good guy.”

“You were going to show the world that you are the ultimate Shawn killer. That you were going to be the one to bring me back to reality. Look around Centurion, there are other deserving contenders. Ask yourself why they chose not to engage.”

“Fear.”

“They will say otherwise, but you see it. You hear the rumblings in the back. I hear what everyone is saying. I chose not to respond to them.”

“Maybe it is hubris. Maybe it is because I've faced lesser competition. Maybe I am a fraud and you will expose me.”

“Or maybe…. just maybe.”

“I’ll show the world what I’ve known for a very long time.”

“You are not in my league.”

“You can’t keep up.”

“You are the fraud that is going to be exposed.”

“That your hubris will be your downfall, and the fantasy you have of holding the Universal Title, will be just that….”

“A Fantasy.”

Noah turns the camera around on himself.

“And that’s final!”

I snatch the camera from him and throw it back in the bag.

“Let’s get going. We’ve got a plane to catch.”
I pat Noah on the shoulder as we begin to walk towards the taxi waiting for us by the curb.

“Next stop….”
Noah pulls out his phone and checks his calendar. “Dallas? Again?”

“What can I say?.... They are a stationary federation.”

“So much for a global company….”

Noah and I hop in the backseat of the taxi as rain begins to fall over the city of Bordeaux. As the scene fades to black.

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