Post by cyborg878 on May 8, 2020 13:47:58 GMT -5
It matters not how gravely the world harms us, but only how we chose to stand afterwards.
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Damon Warrens does as he has done for the last two weeks since the vicious attack on he and his partner. The Nitemare sits in his bedroom alone staring at the screen of his cellphone waiting for a call, some sort of update to tell him that everything is okay now. In what has now become a running theme in the World Champion's short time in Alpha Pro he finds himself unable to truly celebrate his great victories. At Battlecade his World Championship victory became relegated to the back burner due to the immediate actions of some Redneck miscreants. Now at the close of Gods of Wrestling, the biggest pay-per-view of APW's calendar year, Damon again cannot celebrate. Not even the week and a half following.
No matter how glorious his win over the loudmouth Aquarius was nothing could prevent Damon from focusing solely on Jaime Cortez. When would they bring him out of the coma. Would they? The doctor's said that the injuries were survivable especially with the care they had provided, but was that some sort of optimistic hope? Damon couldn't trust their words until his love was awake once more. Since that fateful night Damon had become a shell. He barely managed to summon the strength to defend his championship, but beyond that one glimmer of the regular Architect he had become isolated from the world. He ignored attempts from his fellow Architects to reach out. He barely responded to his husband or son. All he could do was sit in silence and blame himself.
Damon stares at the screen for hours upon hours more when finally the screen lights up with a call from the hospital. Without a moments hesitancy he answers.
Nurse Cooper: Hi there! This is Nurse Cooper calling to speak with Mr. Warrens
Damon: Yes that's me! Is he okay?
Nurse Cooper: Yes Mr. Warrens your fiance is okay. We wanted to call and let you know that he has been brought out of his induced coma. Now he is still a little groggy, but he should be alert enough for a visit in a few hours.
Damon: Thank you so much!
Nurse Cooper: Not a problem Mr. Warrens! Have a great day and I assume we will see you later.
Damon immediately hangs up and relief washes over him. Damon perks up at the thought of hearing his love's voice....and then remembers that he is in fact a disaster right now. Damon goes to the bathroom to get himself back to the standards he expects of himself. He neatly shaves off the stubble he has allowed to grow. He steps into the shower to not only wash away the grime that comes with self-wallowing for a week, but also to hopefully metaphorically wash away his negativity. He then begins his typical beauty routine: plucking brows, moisturizing, and cleansing his face. He wants Jaime to see the man he is used to, not the broken and empty husk that has taken Damon's place the last few weeks. Feeling more like his normal self Damon gets dressed and spends the next few hours pacing in anticipation of heading to see Jaime. He eventually goes to his motorcycle and drives off to the hospital.
Upon arrival Damon rushes past reception areas, through a maze of double doors to the Critical Care Unit. He barely acknowledges the smiling Nurse Cooper as he rushes to a room that has become burned into his memory. He stops in the doorway to compose himself before walking in, but that composure disintegrates within seconds of seeing Jaime lying in his bed watching a small bedside television in the room. The Cuban-American man turns and smiles wide upon seeing a tearful Damon who rushes to his side. Damon goes to embraces Jaime, but notices the man wince upon the contact most likely pain related to his broken ribs. Damon recoils feeling guilt at having caused Jaime pain, but Jaime gingerly reaches for his hand to reassure him. Jaime looks up to Damon with a trademark smirk.
Jaime: Mi amor... you look like shit. Hate to see what happened to the other guy..
Damon shakes his head at Jaime's humour. He leans over and gently kisses the man's forehead.
Damon: You know you had me scared for a while...
Jaime: You don't have to be scared, I'll always protect you...
The Devil Himself smiles softly as he slowly rubs his thumb on Jaime's hand lovingly. The two sit in silence for a few minutes.
Damon: I'm... I'm so sorry Jaime. I should have protected you..
Jaime: Don't you dare start that bullshit Damon. We're partners. We protect each other.. it was my turn this time. Don't worry I'll let you take the next turn.
The scene fades out as the two men catch up on lost time. Damon having small pangs of anxiety and guilt at every jolt of pain in his lover's eyes.
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The feed flicks to life and the APW fans are brought into a black smoke filled room. A single light sways slowly above. As it does so the illumination beneath it sways too revealing the APW World Champion Damon Warrens sitting on a wooden chair. The whole sight has a slightly unnerving tone, possibly from the Super 8 film-like camera effect, or maybe because of a rarely seen grin on the face of the champion as he looks directly at the camera.
Damon: Hello APW.. I've missed you. I truly hate it when we must spend so much time apart, but I come bearing phenomenal news. My beloved has started the long walk on the road to recovery. See Jaime Cortez is a man much like myself. A prideful man. A man who cannot be kept down. A man who no matter what the world unleashes upon him, will stand again every time to spit in the world's face. Much like I spit in the face of all of my non-believers at Gods of Wrestling. As I predicted before our match Andre Aquarius ended up being a man of words, not a man of action. Ironic considering the name of his other company. Despite the major emotional turmoil I faced I proved that there may be many Gods of wrestling, but there has only ever been one Devil Himself.
Damon points to himself in case there's any lapse of understanding.
Damon: Which transitions nicely to this week. Smitty and I team together once more for the first time since our loss to the Enforcers. We find ourselves in conflict with the Man Made Gods, the men who overcame the Enforcers to win the Alpha Pro Tag Team Championships....and then promptly disappeared from the ring for a month so they could focus on their other company. Now I know what everyone's thinking... Damon you and Smitty couldn't beat the Enforcers... and the Enforcers couldn't beat MMG...so why even try? Because dear followers ... it's about recovery. When Smitty and I united in the ring last we had a plethora of challenges stacked against us. Not only did we have to contend with the Enforcers themselves, but also dear Irina gave a crooked ref to the match for us to contend with. Not to mention the fractures in the Architects as we prepared for a World Championship bout between us. We go into this match with a very different situation. We only have the challenge of the Man Made Gods. No crooked referees. No fractured team. We have recovered.
The Nitemare basks in the positivity for a moment before continuing.
Damon: See much like Corey Black's elbow that which has been broken can be fixed and made better. That's where the Architects stand now. We were broken, but it's funny what traumatic events can do to people. See for us when news of Jaime's and my attack broke I found that the Architects were true friends and supports. We put aside any distension and focused on becoming that which we were at the beginning of this year: a unified front. On the other hand some people go in a much more destructive direction when faced with a traumatic event. Some of us for instance witness something horrifying like... hmm what's a good example....
Damon scratches his temple before raising his finger as he comes to a realization.
Damon: Some of us witness the murders of our dear brother and sister and try to move forward....by murdering their attacker. Some of us move forward by creating some twisted alter ego to escape the harsh reality that we just couldn't save our loved ones. Some of us are James Volz- sorry Corey Black. The Creeping Death. Which yes I understand sounds like a nickname for a particularly nasty case of silent flatulence. That being said Corey Black is a legitimate threat. He's held the AW Hardcore Championship since August of last year that's impressive for sure! I expect a lot of violence. And I promise to return the favor. But let's be honest Corey... your biggest singles accolade in any company of note is a Hardcore title. You're out of your league a bit, I mean surely FPV must feel like he's carrying you along at this point.
From behind the chair Damon grabs his APW World Chmapionship.
Damon: This is a world championship. Ooooo. Aaaaaah. I know you haven't really seen one of these except for maybe when FPV was carrying it around for his three reigns in Action Wrestling. I mean sure... two of those reigns lasted like eight days... but I mean his name's in the history books: SHORTEST WORLD TITLE REIGN IN AW HISTORY! But at least he's held one. And wait... I'm also holding one. And Smith has held one.... twice in APW. So Corey....one of these things is not like the others. One of these things doesn't belong. But enough about you.. let's talk about FPV. He came in here hot. Won the Rumble in his first match! He touted himself as the man who would hold both AW and APW World Championships!
Damon's eyes go wide at the thought before his face falls into a frown.
Damon: ..and then he promptly lost his match to my partner Smith Jones. The man who promised us this great feat failed....and then lost his AW World Championship...twice. Maybe .. just a thought... if you put your focus on one project at a time you might have been able to actually deliver on your promises. But the same man who in his debut promo critiqued the entrants in the Rumble for not being APW faithful .. is the same man who won the APW World Tag Titles and then fucked off to AW so he could really prove to everyone what being APW faithful really means.
Damon sneers in disgust.
Damon: The Man Made Gods wanted to raise the bar and provide an example for the APW Tag Team Division. The only example you both have provided is how to disgrace a championship within a month. How to turn your back on the company you represent. Smitty and I... we are the example that you meant to set. We have proven ourselves to be APW faithful. Smitty is in several other companies, but still shows up every week to set the bar higher and higher. I have focused all of my attention on being APW World Champion. We are APW faithful. And As FPV learned against Smitty and Andre Aquarius discovered against me...we're really good at putting AW stars in their place. Man Made Gods are imperfect creations.. Architects are perfect creators and we've designed a perfect victory.
The camera flickers off with the last sight being a near mirror of the first: a dark room with a swinging light washing over a grinning Nitemare, this time proudly holding his APW World Championship.
No matter how glorious his win over the loudmouth Aquarius was nothing could prevent Damon from focusing solely on Jaime Cortez. When would they bring him out of the coma. Would they? The doctor's said that the injuries were survivable especially with the care they had provided, but was that some sort of optimistic hope? Damon couldn't trust their words until his love was awake once more. Since that fateful night Damon had become a shell. He barely managed to summon the strength to defend his championship, but beyond that one glimmer of the regular Architect he had become isolated from the world. He ignored attempts from his fellow Architects to reach out. He barely responded to his husband or son. All he could do was sit in silence and blame himself.
Damon stares at the screen for hours upon hours more when finally the screen lights up with a call from the hospital. Without a moments hesitancy he answers.
Nurse Cooper: Hi there! This is Nurse Cooper calling to speak with Mr. Warrens
Damon: Yes that's me! Is he okay?
Nurse Cooper: Yes Mr. Warrens your fiance is okay. We wanted to call and let you know that he has been brought out of his induced coma. Now he is still a little groggy, but he should be alert enough for a visit in a few hours.
Damon: Thank you so much!
Nurse Cooper: Not a problem Mr. Warrens! Have a great day and I assume we will see you later.
Damon immediately hangs up and relief washes over him. Damon perks up at the thought of hearing his love's voice....and then remembers that he is in fact a disaster right now. Damon goes to the bathroom to get himself back to the standards he expects of himself. He neatly shaves off the stubble he has allowed to grow. He steps into the shower to not only wash away the grime that comes with self-wallowing for a week, but also to hopefully metaphorically wash away his negativity. He then begins his typical beauty routine: plucking brows, moisturizing, and cleansing his face. He wants Jaime to see the man he is used to, not the broken and empty husk that has taken Damon's place the last few weeks. Feeling more like his normal self Damon gets dressed and spends the next few hours pacing in anticipation of heading to see Jaime. He eventually goes to his motorcycle and drives off to the hospital.
Upon arrival Damon rushes past reception areas, through a maze of double doors to the Critical Care Unit. He barely acknowledges the smiling Nurse Cooper as he rushes to a room that has become burned into his memory. He stops in the doorway to compose himself before walking in, but that composure disintegrates within seconds of seeing Jaime lying in his bed watching a small bedside television in the room. The Cuban-American man turns and smiles wide upon seeing a tearful Damon who rushes to his side. Damon goes to embraces Jaime, but notices the man wince upon the contact most likely pain related to his broken ribs. Damon recoils feeling guilt at having caused Jaime pain, but Jaime gingerly reaches for his hand to reassure him. Jaime looks up to Damon with a trademark smirk.
Jaime: Mi amor... you look like shit. Hate to see what happened to the other guy..
Damon shakes his head at Jaime's humour. He leans over and gently kisses the man's forehead.
Damon: You know you had me scared for a while...
Jaime: You don't have to be scared, I'll always protect you...
The Devil Himself smiles softly as he slowly rubs his thumb on Jaime's hand lovingly. The two sit in silence for a few minutes.
Damon: I'm... I'm so sorry Jaime. I should have protected you..
Jaime: Don't you dare start that bullshit Damon. We're partners. We protect each other.. it was my turn this time. Don't worry I'll let you take the next turn.
The scene fades out as the two men catch up on lost time. Damon having small pangs of anxiety and guilt at every jolt of pain in his lover's eyes.
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The feed flicks to life and the APW fans are brought into a black smoke filled room. A single light sways slowly above. As it does so the illumination beneath it sways too revealing the APW World Champion Damon Warrens sitting on a wooden chair. The whole sight has a slightly unnerving tone, possibly from the Super 8 film-like camera effect, or maybe because of a rarely seen grin on the face of the champion as he looks directly at the camera.
Damon: Hello APW.. I've missed you. I truly hate it when we must spend so much time apart, but I come bearing phenomenal news. My beloved has started the long walk on the road to recovery. See Jaime Cortez is a man much like myself. A prideful man. A man who cannot be kept down. A man who no matter what the world unleashes upon him, will stand again every time to spit in the world's face. Much like I spit in the face of all of my non-believers at Gods of Wrestling. As I predicted before our match Andre Aquarius ended up being a man of words, not a man of action. Ironic considering the name of his other company. Despite the major emotional turmoil I faced I proved that there may be many Gods of wrestling, but there has only ever been one Devil Himself.
Damon points to himself in case there's any lapse of understanding.
Damon: Which transitions nicely to this week. Smitty and I team together once more for the first time since our loss to the Enforcers. We find ourselves in conflict with the Man Made Gods, the men who overcame the Enforcers to win the Alpha Pro Tag Team Championships....and then promptly disappeared from the ring for a month so they could focus on their other company. Now I know what everyone's thinking... Damon you and Smitty couldn't beat the Enforcers... and the Enforcers couldn't beat MMG...so why even try? Because dear followers ... it's about recovery. When Smitty and I united in the ring last we had a plethora of challenges stacked against us. Not only did we have to contend with the Enforcers themselves, but also dear Irina gave a crooked ref to the match for us to contend with. Not to mention the fractures in the Architects as we prepared for a World Championship bout between us. We go into this match with a very different situation. We only have the challenge of the Man Made Gods. No crooked referees. No fractured team. We have recovered.
The Nitemare basks in the positivity for a moment before continuing.
Damon: See much like Corey Black's elbow that which has been broken can be fixed and made better. That's where the Architects stand now. We were broken, but it's funny what traumatic events can do to people. See for us when news of Jaime's and my attack broke I found that the Architects were true friends and supports. We put aside any distension and focused on becoming that which we were at the beginning of this year: a unified front. On the other hand some people go in a much more destructive direction when faced with a traumatic event. Some of us for instance witness something horrifying like... hmm what's a good example....
Damon scratches his temple before raising his finger as he comes to a realization.
Damon: Some of us witness the murders of our dear brother and sister and try to move forward....by murdering their attacker. Some of us move forward by creating some twisted alter ego to escape the harsh reality that we just couldn't save our loved ones. Some of us are James Volz- sorry Corey Black. The Creeping Death. Which yes I understand sounds like a nickname for a particularly nasty case of silent flatulence. That being said Corey Black is a legitimate threat. He's held the AW Hardcore Championship since August of last year that's impressive for sure! I expect a lot of violence. And I promise to return the favor. But let's be honest Corey... your biggest singles accolade in any company of note is a Hardcore title. You're out of your league a bit, I mean surely FPV must feel like he's carrying you along at this point.
From behind the chair Damon grabs his APW World Chmapionship.
Damon: This is a world championship. Ooooo. Aaaaaah. I know you haven't really seen one of these except for maybe when FPV was carrying it around for his three reigns in Action Wrestling. I mean sure... two of those reigns lasted like eight days... but I mean his name's in the history books: SHORTEST WORLD TITLE REIGN IN AW HISTORY! But at least he's held one. And wait... I'm also holding one. And Smith has held one.... twice in APW. So Corey....one of these things is not like the others. One of these things doesn't belong. But enough about you.. let's talk about FPV. He came in here hot. Won the Rumble in his first match! He touted himself as the man who would hold both AW and APW World Championships!
Damon's eyes go wide at the thought before his face falls into a frown.
Damon: ..and then he promptly lost his match to my partner Smith Jones. The man who promised us this great feat failed....and then lost his AW World Championship...twice. Maybe .. just a thought... if you put your focus on one project at a time you might have been able to actually deliver on your promises. But the same man who in his debut promo critiqued the entrants in the Rumble for not being APW faithful .. is the same man who won the APW World Tag Titles and then fucked off to AW so he could really prove to everyone what being APW faithful really means.
Damon sneers in disgust.
Damon: The Man Made Gods wanted to raise the bar and provide an example for the APW Tag Team Division. The only example you both have provided is how to disgrace a championship within a month. How to turn your back on the company you represent. Smitty and I... we are the example that you meant to set. We have proven ourselves to be APW faithful. Smitty is in several other companies, but still shows up every week to set the bar higher and higher. I have focused all of my attention on being APW World Champion. We are APW faithful. And As FPV learned against Smitty and Andre Aquarius discovered against me...we're really good at putting AW stars in their place. Man Made Gods are imperfect creations.. Architects are perfect creators and we've designed a perfect victory.
The camera flickers off with the last sight being a near mirror of the first: a dark room with a swinging light washing over a grinning Nitemare, this time proudly holding his APW World Championship.
