In January, Dior released some intensely sexy photos of Rob in a boxing stance. He was all rippling muscles, sexy stare and a story demanding to be told. I posted the pictures in my FB group … Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation … and I was not the only one who felt the same way. Holly, from my group, pitched an idea and we brainstormed some thoughts about FighterWard.
This is what we came up with …
What happens when you think you have it all, only to find out it was all a lie. Edward Masen, a prized professional fighter, thought he had everything he could ever want or need in his hometown of Chicago. That all changed after one brutal fight, resulting in several serious injuries and a long recovery. His agent and coach pushed him to the limit, ignoring his concerns and focusing on their futures, not Edward's.
Isabella Swan, owner, and amateur fighter for Bull Dog MMA Fighting Club, was perusing the finances for the club, discovering her boyfriend's and Bull Dog fighter, infidelity. Like Edward, she had it all and it was all a lie. After kicking her boyfriend to the curb, she vowed to herself that she'd never date a fighter.
That all changes when Edward walks into Bull Dog MMA Fighting Club, looking for new coaches and representation. He'd lost it all in Chicago, packing up his belongings to start fresh in Seattle. Bella is drawn to Edward, with his beauty, charisma, and talent. But, her vow ...
When everything explodes all around them, their pasts smacking them in the face, will Bella and Edward realize that it was all Worth the Fight?
I have a vague idea of what's going on and where the story is heading, but getting from point A to point B (meaning the climax) will take some time. I'm leaning toward making this into a drabblish-fic. Shorter chapters (about 1000 words or less) with multiple updates per week when I get a surplus of chapters built up.
What I own: A lot of Scentsy
What I don't: Twilight …
Without further ado …
Worth the Fight
Chapter One
Edward Masen was bouncing on his toes, eager to begin the biggest fight of his career. He was pinned against the number one fighter in Europe, Demetri Romanoff. But, Edward had put in the extra work, building up his muscles and stamina to win against Demetri.
Regardless of this fight, Edward noticed there was something off about everything surrounding this bout. Caius, his coach, was too calm. His manager, Aro, was not even at the fight. Aro always came to Edward's matches. Edward was the best fighter in Volterra, the fighting club owned by Aro, Caius and Marcus Volturi. So, the fact that Aro couldn't be bothered to come to Edward's biggest match rose some red flags.
"Edward, it's time," Caius said in his heavily accented voice. "You ready for this?"
Punching his white gloves together, he nodded. "Let's do this."
They exited out of their locker room and waited to be introduced by the emcee in the center of the ring. Edward hardened his expression, almost glaring at the emcee. But, he was staring at nothing. He needed to focus on his opponent.
Demetri was introduced first, walking purposefully from the opposite end of the arena. He wore a blue silk robe, draped haphazardly over his muscled, oily skin. His head was shaved bald with tattoos on his scalp and across his chest. Underneath his robe, most of his body was covered in tattoos … very graphic depictions of violence or portraits of his favorite fighters. He held up his gloved hands, grinning evilly and revealing several gold teeth. He looked in Edward's direction, changing his grin to a snarl and stalking back to his corner.
"And his opponent, undefeated in every contest he's fought this year, light heavyweight, coached by Caius Volturi of Volterra Fight Club, Edward Masen, Jr.," the emcee yelled into the microphone.
The spotlight blinded Edward as he began his deliberate march to the boxing ring. His green robe was cinched around his waist, hiding his toned, finely tuned body. Unlike Demetri, Edward didn't cover his body with ink, hiding his muscles. The only tattoo he had was from when he graduated from high school, shortly after he'd won his first amateur fight. In his mother's script, a mother who'd lost too young, he had the word 'fight' on his forearm. It was a tribute to her. On his other forearm, he had a treble clef, again as a tribute to his mother, who was a music teacher.
Edward's mother was his soul, his conscious. Her soft, lilting voice kept him from completely losing himself to the violent world he found himself immersed. A world in which he didn't want to belong, but was forced into, thanks to his father … his father who had drunk himself into a stupor, losing everything after his wife died.
So, Edward, at the tender age of seventeen, found himself in an amateur fighting circuit, kicking ass and taking names, all in order to keep food on the table. With his first win, he paid for his first tattoo, gave his father some money and moved out.
If only his father could see him now.
Edward, once he stepped into the ring, gave a cocky, crooked grin to the crowd. Since they were fighting in Chicago, Edward was the hometown favorite. The crowd cheered. With barely a glance at Demetri, Edward walked to his corner and slid his emerald green robe off his body. Caius put it on top of his bag and put Edward's mouth guard into his mouth, protecting his teeth.
"He's bigger than you," Caius explained. "Same weight, but his strength is distributed differently. Your speed will be your best tool. Go in hard at first." Edward arched a brow. This went against everything Caius ever taught him. At first, you want to draw your opponent out and then let them get tired, then strike. Never was he told to go in hitting. Caius gave Edward a placating smile. "Trust me, kid. Have ever led you astray?"
Edward struggled to believe him, but gave him a curt nod. He stood up, meeting Demetri in the center of the ring. The referee went over the rules of conduct and they both tapped gloves, in act of good sportsmanship. Once the referee stepped back, proclaiming the fight to start, Demetri's grin turned sinister and he went hard, slamming his gloved fist into Edward's temple.
Edward saw stars, but he put his arms up defensively, bobbing and weaving to stay away from Demetri's harsh blows. Each time Demetri connected with Edward's body, he felt as if he was struck by a freight train. For the most part, Demetri went for his torso, but the slams to his head were the worst.
The first round felt like it went on for an eternity, when in reality it was just three minutes. The bell rang, echoing loudly in Edward's ears, signaling the end of the first round. They separated, sitting down in the respective corners. Caius worked quickly, wiping down Edward's face and giving his boxer water. Edward saw Caius's lips moving, but he couldn't understand what he was saying. With another splash of water, Edward got up, walking to the center of the ring and, held up his hands.
Demetri mumbled something in his native language before pouncing on Edward. Edward did his best to block and parry the brutal attack, but it almost seemed like he was trying to hit through mud. His movements were not his usual, lightning-fast strikes and a dancer's grace. He felt more like an elephant in a tutu, fighting blindly.
What is going on here?
Two more rounds went by in the same fashion and Edward felt more and more disconnected to his body. He mentioned it to Caius, but Caius explained that everyone has an off night. Then, he said to focus Edward's attention to Demetri's left side, which had been injured in a previous bout.
This was more than an off night. It felt like Edward was drugged, completely out of control of what was happening with his body. Instead, he latched onto the idea of focusing his hits to Demetri's left side. Sluggishly, he stood up and the fifth round began. Edward tried to hit Demetri, but without connecting. With a rebel yell, Demetri swung his hand up in a brutal upper cut, hitting Edward's jaw.
Edward's head exploded and he fell to the mats in a boneless heap. Before his brain shut off, he could have sworn he saw Caius speaking to Demetri's coach, shaking his hand. Unable to comprehend the pain, Edward blacked out, lost into the oblivion of darkness and pain.
A/N: What do you think happened in that first fight? Leave me your thoughts.
Pictures of everything that happened (minus the fight) is on my blog. You can find a link on my profile. I'm also on FB: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation. I'm on twitter, too: tufano79.
Thank you to Holly for her ideas about FighterWard! I hope I do this justice!
See you in a bit!