Post by "The Fabulous One" Dan Fierce on May 5, 2016 19:32:31 GMT -5
Thirteen Year Itch - Chapter Four
"I don't know why I cry
But I think it's cause I remembered for the first time
Since I hated you
That I used to love you"
I Used to Love You, by Gwen Stefani
Dan stood next to his partner in the middle of what seemed to be a vast desert landscape, their fingers intertwined as both he and Brian surveyed their surroundings. The occasional tumbleweed and Saguaro cactus were virtually the only vegetation breaking the monotony of the scenery. Absently, their hands released their hold as the duo turned their attentions to other things. As their grips relinquished, the ground beneath their feet rumbled, unzipping between them.
Dan must have been the only one of them to feel it. Brian seemed to remain oblivious to the goings on as the gap betwixt the couple grew. Dan outstretched a hand, his eyes growing wide with panic. He yelled, yet nothing escaped his lips. Brian seemed to take an interest in one of the cacti littering the horizon, turning his back fully to his lover.
The great growing maw in the earth that separated them yawned even wider. The hole seemed vast, cavernous, even bottomless. Gray clouds seeped up from the depths, hovering at the opening, obscuring any chance at seeing the bottom that may or may not have been there. Dan's anxiety grew relentlessly the more he shouted for his love with nothing coming out, or being returned.
Brian peeled his gaze from the distant cactus, slowly turning around to face Dan. His eyes were full of an aching hurt that made Dan's heart heavy. They looked as they had the time they had attended Dan's niece's funeral; forlorn and grief-stricken, only this time, his baby blues peered into Dan's soul. With a shaking hand, Brian produced a pack of cigarettes, tapping one out into his lips before lighting it.
Brian gaped at the hole in the ground, slowly shaking his head. He reached to his cheeks, wiping away an apparent water flow, but the distance between Dan and his partner had grown so expansive that reconnecting seemed increasingly hopeless. Brian tugged deeply on the nicotine, his exhaling joining the drifting clouds at the base of the canyon. He continually thumbed his cheeks to keep the tears from falling of their own accord as he finished his cancer stick.
Dan became frantic, looking left and right to locate a way across to no avail. He could feel in his soul that Brian was about to turn around once more. This time, there may be no getting him back. His heart knew that if he didn't get to the other side, there would be no fixing this.
The ground shook again, the chunk of land the Brian was perched on breaking free. As he turned away, the island he was on began floating like a raft down an unseen current farther and farther away from an unbelieving Dan. One final time, Dan reached out, his grasp met only by the wind of change.
Dan gasped himself awake from the nightmare, his brow sweating. His heart thundered in his chest while he caught his breath. A sudden realization hit him as he spun his neck with whiplash force to make sure his partner was still beside him. Brian was sound asleep, his CPAP machine hissing in rhythm to his significant other's sleep pattern.
Silently, Dan began to weep, both from relief that it was just a dream and from the circumstances that lead to the thinly veiled symbolism of his sleep state. Slowly, he got up in an attempt to keep from disturbing Brian. He went down to the kitchen to get a cold glass of water. Every time he tried to drink from the glass, he nearly choked. His emotions would let him do nothing except ponder his lucid dreams.
He stood at the sink, gazing out the kitchen window without seeing anything, even the reflection of his lover as he entered the room to check on him. Dan turned, screamed bloody murder, and dropped the plastic tumbler to the floor, liquid and all. Brian held his hands prone with an amused grin as Dan clutched his chest as his ticker got another round of unwanted exercise.
"I just wanted to see if you were okay," Brian informed through stifled chuckles.
"Other than the heart attack you just gave me," snapped Dan, "I'm perfectly fine."
His tone took the novelty out of the situation. Brian's smile wilted into a mixture of hurt and mild anger. "Then I'm going back to bed, grump-ass."
The look on his better half's face sent a shudder down Dan's spine as he watched him turn away. Suddenly, his nightmare was beginning to feel like reality. Without hesitation, Dan shot an arm out, stopping Brian's retreat.
Brian peered at Dan through his peripherals. "What?" The irritation in his voice almost cause Dan to recoil.
"I..." stammered Dan, "I'm sorry." Dan choked back his broiling emotions before continuing. "There is something wrong. Can we talk?"
"I got last week off from the Icemann Invitational, but I didn't have a vacation week. My new BFF Kelli and I put on a school as we literally butted heads. We left it all in the ring, and I gotta say that homegirl has a thick noggin. I still have the knot to prove it. Kelli, gurl... We gotta do that again some time. It was fun competing with you.
"But this week, it's time to put the ol' nose back to the grindstone and do my best to advance in this bitch. The good news is I'm facing a little cutie patootie by the name of John Weyland. Well, okay so he's 4 inches taller than me, but I'm not a size queen. Eye candy can come in all sizes, as far as I'm concerned." Dan paused, a sly grin on his face. "Get your minds out of the gutter."
"From what I saw, I could tell that the kiddo has some talent for sure, but he's still very much a diamond in the rough. I have him easily in experience. Don't get me wrong. I've made it a habit not to underestimate any opponent. Anyone can win at any time, so I won't be letting my guard down for a gorgeous pair of baby blues. Now if his trunks accidentally fall off, that might be a bit of a distraction. Juuuust sayin.
"It's really unfortunate timing for you, Johnny-cakes. You see, this tournament, as well as Manifest Destiny, are sort of a last hurrah for me. I'm getting far too old to be chasing you twinks in tights around the ring anymore. This old horse will soon be putting herself out to pasture. I just want to prove to myself that I can do this. That means I have to roll through you, sweet cheeks. You'd better believe that shit is gonna happen.
"It's nothing personal. I'll even shake your... hand... after the match. See you at Trauma, baby." Dan blows a fistful of glitter before wiggling his fingers at the camera. "Toodles."
