ezra needs to (climbtheladder) wrote in rooms, @ 2015-04-04 22:25:00 |
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Entry tags: | !marvel comics, *log, ezra bard, jules bard |
bards log marvel comics
Who: The Bards
When: backdated a bit to when they had a fight
Where: gross NY alley
What: fighting, emo
warnings: wrestling talk, swears
New York didn’t stop being a gross city. The back alley he was pacing in smelled like hot garbage and cat piss. He could see a hobo sadly humping another homeless man across the street in another gross alley and it made him wonder if his parents thought he’d end up like that. Well, at this rate, he just might. Button Mashers was a godsend and a good enough pay check, but it wasn’t the big leagues and he was getting closer and closer to thirty. The way Jules acted, he didn’t think she was serious about this anymore. All she cared about was typical petty girl stuff that cropped up every time a new chick got more attention than her. Ezra was sick of it. He was sick of being in this gross city, he was sick of not being at the top already and he was sick of Jules being so unprofessional.
Instead of storming off back to the apartment, he paced in that back alley. Wearing his long tights, boots and a giant grey hoodie, he bit his thumbnail down to the nub, until there wasn’t anything left to bite but scar tissue. He wasn’t sure if she was going to come out and scream at him and chop him in the chest until he cried uncle. Ezra was willing to wait, though. The hobos stopped humping across the street and turned into a lifeless looking pile of rags, so he could probably tolerate this alley for another fifteen minutes.
Pacing, pacing. He didn’t feel so mad anymore, even if he knew Jules could make him flip his lid without even talking. Ezra decided that she probably wanted a fight, that she was pissed about something else and wanted to take it out on him. Women. More pacing and he decided that if she didn’t want to take this shit seriously, he was quitting and going to one of the bigger and better promotions without her. Or maybe he would just be a dentist. Yeah, that would really show her.
Jules spent longer inside the ring than she planned to. At first it was only because Ezra had left, but more and more the feel of doing flat back bumps from the top rope killed any other feelings she had. She would be bruised tonight, and that’s how she wanted it. Of course, Jules was more concerned with the matter at hand. Princess Stupidhead. That girl would always get more attention than Jules. She was cute and blond and kept asking Jules if she and Ezra were really married. Jules was certain that the girl was ‘special’ at this point, but her blatant flirting was annoying.
More annoying was Ezra didn’t even seem to care that she was so stupid. And he called her pretty. That was the only thing that mattered for a female wrestler. The reason Jules was even a minor name was because of Ezra. She wouldn’t have gotten this far without him. That pissed her off more than anything. Her career was completely dependent upon him. If he started to like another girl more than her… Flat back bumps took all that worry away. By the time she hobbled out the back door to where the car was, she could tell that her shoulder needed to be wrapped up and iced.
He was still out back. Jules blinked a few times and shifted on her feet to dig the keys out of her duffel bag. “Did you realize I’m the one that drove us after that fantastic exit?” She moved towards the driver side door, specifically not looking at him. That would probably make her angry all over again.
Ezra knew soreness after a day of practice was as natural for a wrestler as getting wet after taking a swim at the pool. He also knew when Jules went a little harder than she should have, not because she was being unsafe, but because she was trying to beat something out of her. Even if they weren’t really married, no one understood her better than he did. Not a lot of people even really cared to. “No.” Ezra didn’t go for the car and instead stood there biting at his thumb. “Can we talk? I don’t know what the crap just happened in there.” He pointed to the back entrance and then hugged his arms around his sides.
“I can’t handle you throwing fits for no reason. You’re being petty or silly or messing around when we don’t have time for that.” Ezra felt jittery, he felt like he didn’t get enough practice in and soon that other lanky guy was going to learn how to suicide dive better than him. Then it’d be all over. Maybe it was already over for him. “We just got into this city. We just got work. I need you on my team or fucking not at all.”
Jules unlocked the door and tossed her bag in the back seat, all the while listening to what he was saying. She would have much rather had this talk in the car, but the weighty stench of trash and ammonia would certainly help set the tone. Especially since he was blaming her for everything. Everything. Of course. It was easy to do. It wasn’t going to be easy tonight.
The slam of the car door echoed loudly through the alleyway, punctuating the scowl on her face as she finally turned her gaze onto him. “Me? You are really going to say that I’m the one at total fault here? Go fuck yourself!” She opened the car door again just so she could slam it with all of her strength. The second time caused the hobos across the way to obnoxiously protest the noise with colorful sexual phrases she didn’t even fully understand. Jules may have been tiny, but she sure packed a solid punch. The impact rattled the back passenger window enough to make it fall off the track. While it didn’t shatter, the unexpected bang made Jules jump, interrupting her tirade for one short moment. It was difficult to look at him. Even with as angry as she was, that was Zach. It was hard for her to be upset with Zach. Especially with that stupid pretty face of his.
“‘Get in the ring. Get out of the ring. Get back in. Get me water. Stay out of the ring. I don’t need you.’ Do you remember saying that? Right before you let her get in the ring?” Her voice went higher and very nasal as she mocked him, but slowed with purpose on the bit that had obviously hurt her. He probably didn’t remember it that way. It was a vastly oversimplified version of what happened from her view. She could have dealt with everything about Princess Stupidface had Ezra not said he didn’t need her. Come to think of it, that probably wasn’t the entire sentence, however Jules and her selective hearing were on top of their game. “You’re right. You don’t need me. I’m the one that always has to depend on you. I’m the one that’s always wrong. I’m the one that messes up. You’re fucking perfect, and I’m goddamn Marty Jannetty. I’m sorry you have to deal with other people having fucking problems.”
“Hey.” Ezra warned at the first car door slam. “HEY!” A louder warning when she did it again and he flailed his arms in the air like she was being redunk. She really was. Jules had one of those latina heat tempers that flared up like a bad scrotum itch and he HATED dealing with it. Cause, you know, he totally didn’t have a temper at all. “Stop being such a psycho!” He pointed at the car and then reached over to pet it as if he was telling it momma wasn’t going to hurt it again. Not while he was there.
“Okay, OKAY! I’m sorry for being a dick, fuck! It has nothing to do with her, though. How many times have we been through this? Some chick looks at me and flirts, what’s the big fucking deal? I’m not going to fall in love with her, I’m not going to make her my new tag partner or valet or whatever the fuck you think I’m going to do!” Ezra was straight up yelling and then he put both hands on her sad little car and shook it back and forth like they were playing earthquake. He let out an aggravated AARRGGGGGG and then kicked the nearest tire. Sorry car.
“You’re not Marty! You aren’t even Christian!” He yelled and then heaved a couple heavy breaths before shaking his head. “I’m sorry for being a dick. I don’t know when I’m being a dick, so I’m sorry. But, you need to lay off these other girls. You’re being HELL OF sexist.” Right, Ezra. Because A) You know what sexist even means to a modern woman and B) That’s totally something to tell a girl.
“Hey, HEY!” Jules snapped when he shook her car. She was allowed to. She paid for the damn thing. It may have only been $200, and completely illegal on the road without some of the muffler, but it was hers. Still he had no idea what he was talking about as he scolded her. Sure, she was listening, and sure he was absolutely right in thinking that she was jealous of that other girl, but she was never ever going to admit to it. Her face turned into a hideous scowl, her arms crossed over her chest, puffing herself up to try and look bigger than she was. It was intimidating to 4th graders. Not so much to grown men.
She really was about to drop it. Jules realized he had some valid points, and was going to give him credit. Then he called her sexist. Her jaw hit the floor and it took her a full five seconds before she could react. How dare he? “Sexist? I’m being sexist?” Jules laughed, shaking her head. It was absurd. “Let me tell you about sexism, buddy boy. When you can only get anywhere by being paired up with a man? And in this business a man can drop a girl at any time? Don’t you dare lecture me. How the hell do I not know that you might like her better and suddenly I have zero career?” Jules was insecure, of course, but that whole career thing may have been the only thing that could cover up her real jealousy.
“You say I have to be on your team,” Jules looked up at him across the car, dropping her arms in a small show of defeat. “I always thought of it as our team. That is the difference.”
“That doesn’t mean you get to play queen bitch to all the other girls who show up! Do you think you’re making it easier for anyone? You aren’t!” Ezra rolled his eyes because he heard about the glass ceiling way more times he could count from like ten different female wrestlers. He knew it was there, he didn’t like it was there, but fuck he was tired of hearing them bitch and complain about it.
But, she was right about him calling it his team. To him, it was always his. It was his idea, she was his wife and this was his tag team. “I don’t-” He started and then realized she was right and well fuck maybe he should just go solo. Did other tag teams think us instead of I? That was so counter intuitive to everything he learned as a wrestler. “Fine, it’s our time. It’s ours.” That was as close to apologizing as he was going to get.
Jules curled her fists into tight balls when he snapped back at her. She wasn’t trying to make it easy for anyone except herself. That was human nature. “It’s not all the other girls. It’s not.” Her face was scrunched up into a scowl, but suddenly she had a moment of doubt. Was it all the other girls? Maybe it was. She had been nice enough to that giant of a woman, didn’t that count for something? “Just the ones that are prettier than me. Or more over than me.” It hurt to have the words come out of her mouth. The simple thoughts hurt far worse than any bump she’d taken. “Or the ones, like Princess fucking Stupidface in there, that I can tell are far fucking better for your career than I could ever hope to be.” Her hands flung towards the heavens in a show of futility when she actually heard what she said, quickly adding, “Okay, so yeah, maybe it is all the other girls. Shut up.”
The window, she needed to fix the window. Her feet started towards the rear door of the car, yet she spun on her heels to face him again. It wasn’t their time. Not by a long shot. Button Mashers was the best Jules could ever hope for. Even better than her best hope, perhaps. Ezra on the other hand… Ezra could main event Wrestlemania. They couldn’t spend their entire business lives together. At some point, their paths would split. Jules always knew this, she never would bring it up though. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t support him and keep pushing him. “No. It’s yours. It’s always been yours. And if you try to think of it as ours, you’re never going to prove Seth wrong for that bullshit he was spewing. You’re not here to earn a spot, but to take one, right?”
Ezra shook his head sadly because in the short term she was right. A pretty girl meant he got over faster. That was just basic entertainment 101. But, he always rolled his eyes at the cheap pops, so why would he want to figure out the easiest way to get over? How long did easy last for any real wrestler? “What about Sensational Sherri? She looked like a pitbull and she could get over just about anyone.” He shook his head again, this time with more determination. “It’s not always about looks. And, you aren’t as ugly as you think you are. We’re the most popular indie tag team that isn’t in ROH. Fact.” He couldn’t help himself.
She had managed to narrow down exactly why he was being so fucking bossy all day. Seth. Seth had made a cheap shot about Iowa and when he looked at the camera, Ezra knew it was directed right at him. “Seth is miles and miles ahead of me.” Ezra admitted and went back to biting at his calloused thumb. “He knows it. I know it.” He sighed with a shrug. “I’m just glad I have a job. That we both do. How screwed up is that?”
Jules could have believed that, had it still been 20 years ago. She lived through enough to know that talent was only important enough in guys. Still, the fact drop made her smile in spite of herself. “Yeah, yeah, and there’s Kong and ODB, and I get it. But how long can that really last? They don’t call up tag teams together, and they sure won’t call up an intergender one.” Her gaze fell, unable to look at him. They were popular, and they were over, but it was the indys. That was like someone saying they were an author because they published terrible dinosaur fanfiction on Amazon. The Bards were good, though. They had talent. They knew how to not only push each other, but also the other workers in the ring. “I’m just trying to look out for what’s best for you. It doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Seth was often a sore subject for the both of them. She knew how hard it was to see someone from the old school as one of the huge names on television. There were other issues, but that was the main one. A close second was how creepy he was. “He’s not…” The words came out softly, but with absolute certainty. “I texted him how fucked up it was.” She rolled her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Seth’s reply wasn’t what she wanted, but it was sadly enough exactly what she had expected. “You are so much better than him. You can piss off a crowd without resorting to cheap heat. You haven’t screwed up a promo since that one in the car, but that was because we were laughing too much. Your sells from clotheslines are legendary. Seth doesn’t know shit. Except how to step on people to get what he wants.” Oh, the tone was bitter, but the Iowa comment had upset her just as much as Ezra. Jules finally looked back up at Ezra, wanting to reach out and comfort him. She couldn’t. Not now. But she really wanted to.
Ezra had always told himself he was the best and now that he wasn’t, it was hard for him to even acknowledge. He started settling (even if that was what they swore they’d never do). Settling for last place because hey at least he got some twitter followers out of it. “Maybe my dad’s right. Maybe-” Ezra didn’t even need to finish the sentence. Maybe he needed to go be a dentist. The money for school was free, he’d be decent enough at it and it was a lot better than hanging in there for this wrestling thing to pan out. Especially when he was only best at being in a tag team.
“I need to go think.” Ezra said, voice high and apologetic to hide the fact that he was pretty close to crying. “About- things. I’m going to get out of your place, okay? I already had another apartment lined up. Don’t come home for a few hours.” He swung his arms at his side and rolled his shoulders back and forth like he was warming up for a match, when really he was warming up for this real life bullshit. “Sorry.” The apology was directed to the fight that started this whole thing. He back up, fist grinding into the palm of his hand and then he made his way out of the alley.