❤️‍🔥marina shafir❤️‍🔥

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@marinashafirrp | Starter

Bathed in purple neon and draped in pink fluorescence, the event was a tribute befitting a brother so loved, so missed. A tournament named in his honor, exemplified by the career he lived and the life he gave. Owen would've been proud. It wasn't the WWE, but AEW had revealed its true colors, the degree to which it cared. Stepping into the crowd-less arena, cloaked in delicate light and some shadow, from behind the curtain onto the silver studded ramp, it could be believed to be home. Pictures and memories noticed on every wall, the Hitman knew he wasn't alone, for Owen was with him. Just as they were always meant to be.

But an occasion to celebrate the Rocket wasn't the only reason that AEW to wandered into. A rumor verified, gossip across the industry; it was fact that Marina had found her place there. Talented, confident, and ambitious, the girl who Bret knew better than others would assume. Alone no more in Calgary, a basement of his own transformed into a training ground for the next generation of superstars. Years spent together, hours devoted to each other, they both learned and loved. Marina was the daughter the Hitman never had. A woman that could be given all affection to, more than just grapples or defensive counters. It was obvious that she was adored.

Life gone in two different directions, it was no lie that Bret was both saddened and overjoyed with the accomplishments Marina achieved. As she gained favor, prestige, and acclaim, the greater the distance between them bloomed. A natural separation, but one that didn't ease the ache in his heart, Bret did the only thing he believed was best: let her go. Freed her from his teaching, the bonds of his love and his protectiveness. She would be given the chance to earn what she worked so hard for without limit. Without him - the extra weight, the wise and stubborn baggage. Bret wanted Marina to relish in her glory.

In spite of hope, the glory that Bret so wished Marina to have was short-lived. Snuffed out like flame to a candle, crushed underneath combat boots and torn leather. As became apparent the minute he walked the arena's halls, Marina celebrated praise with an association that didn't deserve her, that only held her back. A crew orchestrated by Moxley, it was a gang of brutality and bloodshed. So far from the blissful mornings in Calgary; warm suns, hot coffee, gentle laughter and the touch of delicate hands. To know what became of her, Bret's heart shattered, collected at his feet in broken pieces. It were as though Moxley and others attacked himself. There was guilt and pain. A sense of parental urgency, to get to Marina and bring her back.

Standing at the ramp, by luck alone, the ring was occupied by the woman Bret wanted to see most. Hadn't noticed him earlier, still didn't see him, slowly, the Hitman crept to the apron, climbed between the ropes. Recollections of a career played within his mind, habit, moved without rush to Marina, stood at her back. She seemed without her comrades. Practicing, preparing, perhaps acting as bait. Bret couldn't know anymore. Contemplated between being setup for a trap or gifted an opportunity by Heaven, he took his chance regardless of which.

Wanted to reach out, a man renowned for aversion desperate to provide physical affection, instead, Bret stuffed his hands in his jean pockets. Looked around - to spot for potential assailants, to regard friends - landed on Marina and studied her thoughtfully. She had to be there still, the girl he cared for as if she were family. Bret wouldn't believe otherwise.

"Marina?" Bret asked, breath held. "It's me. It's Bret."

Said sternly, like a father not so much disappointed but worried, "I think we have a lot to talk about."

___

her life was simple. a straightforward line that she walked chin up, breaking through any obstacle and never looking back. she was a fighter. tought as nails. taught by the best, and now, shadowing and protecting the one she considered a king. never once did she find herself regretting standing by mox's side. never once did she think her place in the world wasn't protecting his side. though, when someone was so inclined to always look forward, some may say she could be running from something, but none dared to say that to her face. they weren't wrong, but she wasn't about to admit to it. she believed that what she ran from couldn't catch up with her; after all, the past stayed in the past. or so she thought.

one moment, she was practising, feeling the ring, and the next, her always steel-solid focus shattered, drawing automatically towards that voice, that person, recognising him instinctively even when she didn't mean to. the rest of the world disappeared. what she was meant to do dissipated. and for a moment, so did the woman she became, leaving space to a younger, softer version of herself. it was just an instant, a moment flashing behind her green eyes as she looked at him, then, her gaze hardened again. she didn't want to let him see that. she didn't want to have him that close. and she hated how easily it was to acknowledge him despite that.

"bret," she breathed out, slowly, eyes narrowing with mistrust as she took a small step back, strong frame stiff, showing discomfort. "talk?" she released a harsh chuckle, shaking her head. "you want to talk, now?" she wished she didn't care. she wished to appear as detached as the situation required, as she wanted to be. uncaring. rid of the affection she once had. of the weakness. yet, despite her best efforts, it was impossible not to tread into acting out. her tone barely hid her passive aggressiveness. she dropped a hand on her hip while, with the other, she rubbed sweat off her forehead, pretending to take that moment to catch her breath. "let's hear it, then."

there was a flicker of selfishness igniting her chest. a single park. a moment that lingered and risked corrupting her best intentions and all of her duty. while he curled around her, hands reaching and grabbing, strong body closing around her, making her feel small only because of their size difference - which she enjoyed, sometimes, marina wished to order him to fuck her there and there. to pin her to the desk and rip her clothes off and feast on her. he'd do it if she said so. if she ordered. if she begged.

but she didn't. though she didn't let go either. not yet. still allowing herself some selfishness, lingering in that embrace for a few seconds too long. she snuggled in the crook of his neck, her face grazing his stubble. one hand ran across his skull, holding him close. "tonight." she promised, her lips drawing dizzily close to kiss his throat.

the words that followed were enough to get her to dream. she wasn't a romantic. she wouldn't fall into the trap of hope. but she might believe in those words, in that promise. "when we win," she looked up at his face, not expecting nor forcing eye contact. "you can have me for the rest of your life." they were above a simple 'I love you', those words meant nothing to people like them, but voting her life to him, to his causes, to his wellbeing, to his legacy? that meant something true.

never once had she been the type of woman who'd wish for a relationship or marriage, or the white picket fence dream so many people had. she wondered, though, if she had been more mundane, if they had been normal people, whether they'd be awarded something so peaceful like a normal life.

she slipped off him, untangling herself from his arms, as staying so close was dangerous. every second blurred her intentions, making it harder and harder to leave him. any trace of softness abandoned her features as she froze back into her composure. hands tracing behind her back, assuming a military stance. "I will go now and will keep you posted on the progress. I don't want to talk about this tonight." she grabbed the case off the desk. "be at mine at ten. you know the drill: fed and hydrated." like a pre-workout drill. she wanted him strong and with stamina to use up. she was gonna take care of the aftermath with pleasure.

This is, perhaps, not wise for someone carrying this much weight. Making this many calls. Calling this many shots. Two hours in the hot seat playing command center with Pac, more time out in the neighborhood nailing down business at one of the body shops that feeds back to the gang, money and intel and damning evidence all moved expertly like pieces on a chessboard.

He checks up on the latest from the quad cities, a little voice in the back of his mind reminding him that a ghost from his past could complicate matters further. Rollins is seemingly content controlling his nightlife empire, but it's been too quiet for too damn long for him to leave that to chance. He does this by having lunch with one Mr. Dragunov, which is pleasant if tense.

He checks up on a childhood friend who now runs a business on the Riders protection payroll- one of few he fully trusts to never be an issue. Gets promises of info on the names and faces he provides a list of, just in caes they were to show.

Then he starts planning. Typing. Reading the news. Following his gut. He leaves Pac to run business while he loses himself in the future until it's time to get his shit together, eat something small, and take a quick shower before dressing in clean, comfortable clothes and making his way to Marina's place, wrapping up the dregs of his water bottle even as he makes his approach, knock familiar, gentle.

marina functioned best when compartmentalising. her life did not let her mix business with pleasure. the person she needed to be: the shield and the weapon, could not also be the same woman now standing and waiting. she simply had no space in the field, while conducting business, while willing to give her life for mox's cause, to also be in love with him. now looking forward to shedding her armour to let him in even deeper, to let him see further into her, marina sure couldn't be cold and detached.

the rest of the day was spent conducting the business mox required. firstly, she got in touch with her contacts in the special services, now kept on standby while they got back to her. then, she made sure to touch base with danny and wheeler; the youngsters weren't her responsibility, by all means, and she was not to look after their well-being, but this was a serious situation, and the strict rules she lived by were about to be bent. this, she couldn't push to an off-duty requirement. and just after all of that was done, alone, she looked into the case mox assigned to her once more, going through his plans, making sure she knew exactly what he wanted.

her duty, though, was left at the door when she got home.

when she heard the knock at the door, she was not nervous. the buzz of expectation that nestled in her stomach while she prepared the space to welcome mox melted away the second she welcomed him, just as they'd appointed, perfectly on time. "hi," she moved to let him in. there was a warm softness lingering over the way her attention followed him. when he'd step into her flat, he'd notice the way she tidied up and prepared the space, like a nesting ritual, with lit candles and low lights. on the low coffee table by the sofa, there was a tray with the necesary to prepare his drink of choice, if he wanted it, and a pack of cigarettes, all neatly placed. "make yourself comfortable, please," she spoke softly, moving towards him to take his leather jacket off his shoulders. these were not the same people their dangerous business required. now, they had the freedom to be themselves with each other, if they wished.

which was why he stumbled on the first hit knowing the next would be harder because of it and he was so desperately in need for the pain she could give him. the sound of bodies falling on the mat and slaps easily echoed across the room and into his ears; making them ring. both the sound and pain distracting him.

the feel of her hold was all that he had wanted and the pain was the bonus. wheeler had to force himself not to relax in her choke hold as the memories of bryan's bagged face came to be. it was the closest he'd felt to his old mentor in so long.

still, wheeler moved from her grasp with elegance he had been lacking lately. he moved quickly to be behind her; arms wrapping as he tried to get her on the floor. "do you think its a good idea will is joining us?" the question fell from his lips without him truly realising. still, he collected himself and for a moment was able to bring marina on her back.

she let him think he had her. credit needed to be given where it was due, he had been good at finding an escape from her grip, but after that, she let him believe he had control just to get him exactly where she wanted him.

"no." she replied honestly, with a huff. "but I am not about to cross jon's will. he thinks he's seeing something in ospreay and that is good enough for me." then, taking advantage of wheeler's distraction on her reply, she moved up quickly and punched, hooking right under his chin. her hit was held; she did not use all of her power, as she did not wish to break his teeth, but she hit him nonetheless and felt the bite of his jaw on her knuckles. "focus, now." she scorned him, wiggling out from under him with ease and lifting her hips up, wrapping her legs around his torso and forcing him down, squeezing him into another hold. she pulled on him, this time tighter, hurting him a little. the idea made her smile. it was what he asked for, and she was giving it to him. "c'mon, boy. fight me. we'll talk if you make me submit or if I make you bleed." either way worked. either way gave them both what they wanted.

"you are like supergirl," danny mumbled with complete adoration in his tone. "or wonder woman, whichever you think is cooler." the drugs from the doctor were seemingly kicking in but it didn't make his words less true. because marina was the coolest person he knew by far. and she was his favourite, not that he could admit that aloud. he'd have a pouting wheeler to deal with he was sure of it.

danny didn't truly believe her words; he still didn't think they would go that far, even when he knew he himself would. "hmm, okay." he answered instantly even though those doe eyes were beginning to water with the slight discomfort. "think i landed hard on the mat." his hand reached to the back of his head in a clumsy manner.

she smiled, soft and gentle, like she showed no one else, not even mox. not even wheeler. danny was the only one who had such privilege of getting her affection that way. and not because she thought he could not take the tough love she reserved for wheeler, for example, but because she truly cared for him. well... perhaps, it was also a little because she feared he wouldn't be able to take the treatment wheeler went through but realistically it was more her own weakness showing, there. a weakness underlining how she simply couldn't bear the idea of breaking danny the way the riders broke wheeler.

"what does tha make you? my robin?" she had to halt herself from drawing him nearer, forcing herself not to embrace him. the affection she was showing was enough - she couldn't affort to spoil him, or herself.

"did you?" she wondered, frowning while studying his gaze to test his focus and make sure he didn't show signs of concussion. "did you tell that to the doc? did they check?" they better have, or she was gonna bite someone's face off. she then shrugged his words off like it was nothing. a small chuckle slipped from her lips as she shook her head. "he better stay in his lane, or we'll retire him. I am sure he wouldn't have the balls to go all the way against us. makes sense he might think he can bully you around, but you got something he does not have." she gave him a little poke, hoping to watch that concern curling his forehead dissipate.

The confidence. The honesty — or at least the version of honesty Marina seemed willing to offer. Her fingers tapped once against the stem of her glass before she leaned back slightly in her chair, posture loose despite how alert she remained. “Similar,” Rhea repeated, tasting the word for a second. Her mouth twitched faintly. “Yeah,” she admitted after a beat. “I think maybe we are.” The thing about women like them was that pretending softness all the time was exhausting. People liked to act like loyalty came naturally, like being the one who protected, fixed problems, stood beside chaos without blinking somehow made you heartless. But it didn’t. It just made you useful.

Dangerous, sometimes. Necessary. Her gaze dropped briefly toward Marina’s glass before flickering back up, steady as ever. “But similarities don’t always make people allies,” she said plainly. No accusation. Just fact. “Sometimes it just means you understand exactly how dangerous the other person could be.” There was no fear in her voice when she said it either. Only observation. Then, finally, she smiled; small, sharp around the edges.

marina kept quiet for some time. she listened. she paid attention. and she smiled, placid, contained and possibly dangerous. she wasn't relaxed and did not pretend for a moment to be enjoying that moment as the social call it could appear from the outside. her shoulders were tense and her neck slightly strained, showing how her body was ready. her attention may be focusing on the woman opposite her, but her senses were screening the room around her, making sure nothing changed.

"I'd say you want to be my ally right now," she offered. it was a suggestion, and it was meant to appear as friendly as being offered over a drink, instead of forced through some kind of torture. "your boss, too, wants us to work together." another suggestion. calm and controlled, no trace of a threat in marina's tone, it was a matter of fact. if they hoped to keep their business working as well as it had been for the past few years, then it didn't matter how dangerous they could be for one another as much as how dangerous they could be working together. "if you want the all the truth, though," marina paused, leaning a little closer, as if she was about to reveal rhea a secret. "I need an ally right now, so I don't care much about the rest."

she paused, then, studying rhea. her question surprised her. it was a rare type of inquisition, curiosity carving a little too close to the root of the real her. did she wish to pry her open? perhaps, that was to be expected from another woman, and one as sharp as herself too. men were predictable. easy to deal with. but someone like rhea? an equal? marina didn't want to fuck that one up. she needed someone like her at her side for the war to come. so, she shrugged, deciding to forget all about discomfort and offering rhea what she asked for. "people think I can be controlled easily because of the way I am around mox. they think he owns me. they think I am subdued." she smiled, softer now. "but they are all wrong." she wasn't about to elaborate further on the intricate kind of relationship mox and her had, nor was she gonna explain how that was an all-too-easy mistake too many people committed just before getting a taste of their error. "your turn, now. tell me a weakness you have."

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] can we be shrek and fiona for halloween ?

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] would you still love me if i was two inches tall ?

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] fine but i'm smoking weed before you get back .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] haven't you ever wanted to feel like a claw machine toy ?

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] don'tttt i'm gonna be so pissed if you kill me i'm serious .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] literally nobody asked you to contribute hope this helps !

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] i'm sorry you guys aren't on my level but that's not my fault now is it

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] i lied i didn't find it but i bet i could if i looked hard enough .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] that was SPITE not me wanting to impress you .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] do you think birds have holidays ?

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] what if there's bird christmas and we don't even know ?

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] do you pee sitting down ? you kinda just give that vibe .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] i've never seen so many requests for a threesome in my life .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] THERE'S NO RULES AT WAFFLE HOUSE

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] you seem to be feeling a lot of big feelings right now .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] would you be offended if i have some mac and cheese for dinner ?

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] i have cooties and i'm gonna get 'em all over you !!

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] you are so WEIRD come smoke and eat charcuterie with me .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] you're just mad bc i'm cultured n shit .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] i wanna hear it but only once . [ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] then i wanna never think about it again .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] i don't have a horse :/ guess i'm gonna have to ride you instead .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] we gotta get you a cute little vest .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] i'm kidding i put an air tag in your bag last night lol

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] you're ANNOYING i'm gonna bite

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] pleasure doing business i will refrain from getting shot again .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] i won't put bees in your car so that's another gift from me to you .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] you don't wanna name our baby Gargle ?

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] why do you hate comedy 😔

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] yeah but you're like HOT hot . . . have you checked to see if there's a fandom for you ?

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] i'm all for it , whatever gets us things like free spaghetti .

[ 𝒔𝒎𝒔 📲 ] awwwww you wanna cuff me so bad it's embarrassing .

also a good opportunity to start my eddie kingston