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[smokeandglasses]

@shitwaitno

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August TDM - Action

[virtuesignal]

[The moment staffers shoved Concord into the fighting ring, it was over for the man. He wasn't about to move on to anything else. Having a chance to fight wasn't something Concord was going to pass up on. He's not interested in the sexual elements some are getting into, he just wants to be violent. Work out the excess aggression this place is building up in him. It's not war, but it's something close to it, a microcosm. That would have to do.

While he has extraordinary strength and stamina for such things, it literally turns into days worth of fighting. Concord can heal through most injury, but he's still looking battered from so much persistent combat.

Nobody seems to be able to stop him, though. Even the high ranks don't trust he'd take a fall and they're not going to risk getting knocked the fuck out. People really are waiting with rapt attention over who, if anybody, will finally take Concord out of the fight.]

[smokeandglasses]

[The gamblers are in for a surprise, because one hell of a challenger is about to step into the ring. He's a good foot shorter than Concord and at least half of his weight if not less. Though Ali is fairly average as far as men go, he looks comically small compared to Concord.

Most of those gambling up in the stands figure it's an easy victory for Concord, but a few with careful eyes notice Ali's scrunched up browline and crossed arms and make a risky bet. With that posture, Ali is no normal competitor, and the few that pick up on that are about to get filthy rich.

It's only after the bell rings, signaling the start of the match, that Ali finally speaks up:]

So this is where you've been for the last two days?

[Possibly longer as well. "Two days" is just how long Ali has noticed Concord's absence.]

[virtuesignal]

[Concord is cracking his bruised and cracked knuckles before he realizes his new opponent... is someone he'd never throw a punch at. No matter what. Ali does look cute like this, stripped down from his usual professionalism. No suit and tie allowed in the arena, after all. Oiled up is also nice on him, his build so sleek and- wait, what is Concord doing again-?]

... four days.

[Terrible correction to make. He lumbers closer to Ali, sucking blood off his teeth to swallow before reaching him. Concord's aware he's about to be scolded into submission, may as well accept his fate with dignity.]

[smokeandglasses]

Four days! Four! And not a single message! Did you even check your messages in that time?

[There are indeed about 20 messages from Ali, which go from a normal "hey what are you up to" to concerned then to angry.

He does not even flinch as Concord comes closer. The fans in the stands are cheering, but Ali is paying no mind to them at all. His focus is on Concord and Concord alone.]

Have you even eaten in all that time? Slept? Don't think I missed that blood on your lips either!

[virtuesignal]

[Goes to show the haze Concord has been in for the last few days, completely caught up in fighting without any thought to when he should stop.

His expression buckles immediately. Ali is, like, actually quite mad at him! He hates that-! It hurts his troubled heart(s)-]

Listen here- You know I can handle myself-

[he's not going to stand any chance in the face of Ali yelling him down]

[smokeandglasses]

[Hell has no fury like a dragon's anger, it burns as hot as their flames do. Ali might be tiny in size, but his flame is just as large as any dragon's.]

I know you can handle yourself in war. That doesn't mean you should do that all the time! You need sleep and food, just like every other living creature!

[He takes a step in and points a finger directly at Concord.]

You are going to bed. Now. And I'll fight you myself if I have to, don't think I won't!

[He will too, he means it.]

[virtuesignal]

This ain't- nothing like a real war- [Concord won't take a step back and lose ground, but he will lean away as Ali steps into him, scolding him with passion. Hot, tempting passion. The audience goes quiet and Concord swallows nothing but a knot formed in his throat from seeing Ali all worked up on his behalf.

The threat that Ali would fight him over this settles it, though. Concord would never lay a hand on Ali in that way. The unicorn is too softhearted, truly, because it's not even from a concern that the dragon is delicate. Concord knows full well how damn durable Ali is, how tough.

It's Concord who is weak, melts at the dragon's whims- but his pride says Ali does still need to knock him down,]

I reckon you need to topple me over for that. [it wouldn't be difficult, Ali knows full well he could flick Concord dead center of his forehead where his horn was sealed and he'd stagger. Or be more cruel and jab a couple fingers to his scar, lord knows he deserves it to knock some sense into him.

Third would be pulling his hair. That's always an easy get for Ali and Ali alone.]

[smokeandglasses]

[Ali will be honorable enough to not pull Concord's hair or poke him in his scar. Instead, he suddenly pounces at the man, grabbing for Concord's midsection to drag him to the ground. He will topple Concord without prodding his weaknesses, Ali has that much honor at least.]

[virtuesignal]

[Ali simply springs at him, much to the cheering of the crowd. A wiser man might shove him away or grapple him or anything but what Concord does, which is catch him in a bearish hug. He does stagger backwards as he tries to get a decent hold on the slippery dragon in his arms- lifting him right off the ground for his trouble. Which does makes Concord whinny out a laugh-]

Ali-! I reckon that's enough-! [is it, though? Has he actually gone down from it? Or does he just have his arms full of precious cargo now?]

[smokeandglasses]

[He damn near slips right out of Concord's arms due to the oil, and when he tries to grab on tightly his arms slip on Concord's skin too.]

...I have to pin you to win.

[Which is why he's trying (and probably failing) to sweep Concord's legs out from under him.]

[virtuesignal]

That's right. Well. Timber... [Concord's done fighting it, Ali is just too much for him to hope to stand up to. Much to the bafflement of the crowd as Concord simply goes down, toppling backwards into the dust of the pit with Ali held safely over top of him.

Literally taking the fall, but for Ali, he'd do so any time of any day.]

[smokeandglasses]

[They fall to the ground, and even though Ali ends up on top of Concord and protected from the fall by him he still goes 'oof'. But, much to the bafflement of everyone, Ali is actually the victor.

A handful of people are screaming in joy, but otherwise it's quiet enough for Ali to speak quietly to Concord:]

Will you come with me now?

[virtuesignal]

Yes, Ali. You win.

[He'll be obedient, that's that rules, right? Even if he's the ""higher rank"" and supposed to win this, Ali will always triumph over him. That's just the rules. Their particular, peculiar rules...

Concord's considered pinned by the judges, who are not subtle in telling Ali he should "take his prize, for the crowd to witness!"

Which goes right over Concord's head for what that means. He's just realizing how damn battered and tired he is. Phew. Ali is right again, he needed to stop already,]

[smokeandglasses]

[Concord might miss it, but Ali sees it for what it is. Welp. This isn't good, he gets performance anxiety in front of crowds.]

Do you think we can get out of here without giving them the show they want, or am I actually going to have to sleep with you in front of everyone?

[virtuesignal]

[Whelp, when Ali says it so plainly, it finally sinks in with Concord. He flushes with equal parts embarrassment and outrage,]

No! We're not fucking about to entertain these people. They've had their show... [At least Concord gets a last wind from that, hoisting Ali off of him and to one side so he can stand himself up.

He'll give Ali a hand afterward, holding onto to him as Concord is storming from the arena and back to the locker room. He is an absolute mess of bruises, cracked skin, blood, sweat, and dirt. No adding more fluids to that, thanks.]

[smokeandglasses]

[That's what he thought, but it's kind of funny to see how quickly Concord reacts to that. He takes the hand and follows after Concord, but he's biting his lip to keep a smile hidden.

It's not until they get into the locker room that Ali starts to inspect the injuries Concord has. This guy really did a number on himself, didn't he?]

Your injuries aren't healing as quickly as usual...let's get you in the shower first, then I'll take care of these.

[virtuesignal]

[The locker room also isn't exactly private, but considering how long Concord had been willing to fight for the staff, they open up a private care chamber for the two of them. Something Ali "earned" as the new champion. Sure. Concord doesn't fight over it...

The room is a simple space more like a nurses office than anything, but there is a shower not out in the open for them to be gawked at using. Concord puts his hand to Ali's slippery lower back, the man also a mess of dirt and oil, though much less so than Concord,]

You too.

[smokeandglasses]

Right, me too.

[How else can he make sure that Concord takes a proper shower? He's probably going to need help with his hair too, considering how much oil was involved.]

I'll have to comb out your hair too...after the shower though.

[The private chamber has both a standing shower to rinse off and a bath for soaking in. That sounds like the perfect combination for them right now, Concord's muscles have to be aching after fighting for so many days.]

[virtuesignal]

[The bath is probably more intended for an athlete's ice bath than anything, but neither Ali nor Concord would get caught dead subjecting themselves to such a thing. Concord won't waste more time at getting his hands on Ali, stripping away both of their loincloths from the match. The shower is flipped on to hot and fortunately, is at a warm temperature immediately.

He puts his back to the water, letting it largely pummel at his back, pulling Ali close to his front.]

I'd have quit right away, if you just offered me that. [As if he was checking his messages to see what Ali was chirping at him about all this time...]

[smokeandglasses]

Yes, well. I was too mad to think of that at first.

[It was his turn to be cross at Concord. But Ali's anger is like a flame: it burns hot, but dissipates quickly. Taking a shower with Concord is a very quick way to put out anger fires too.

Here is the list of messages in order:]

11:45: Hey, want to grab some lunch? I think I found a place without any drugs in the food.

14:40: or maybe dinner instead?

16:00: Are you napping???

17:00: Please answer, I've been trying to reach you all day.

19:15: Concord you better not be skipping meals again!

19:40: I'm coming over with dinner.

20:10: I tried knocking on your door, where are you?

20:15: Wherever you're hiding, it better be worth the argument we'll be having later!

08:05: Hey, are you back today?

09:20: I talked to some other people, so I know you didn't disappear. Where are you???

09:30: At least tell me where you are, I'll meet you there.

10:30: I've looked everywhere, where are you?

10:35: CONCORD!

10:36: It better not be that fighting ring!

10:37: It's that fighting ring isn't it?

10:40: Fuck.

11:45: I'm here now and I see you RIGHT THERE IT WAS THE FIGHTING RING

11:50: Left side near the back, you should be able to see me.

13:00: ...you're not checking your messages are you?

13:01: Fuck.

13:10: Alright, I'll come to you then.

13:15: When you read all of this later I hope you feel very silly.

[virtuesignal]

[He will feel more guilty than silly, but that's for later. Right now, he's got Ali in his arms. Even if the dragon is still fuming at him, Concord knows ways to placate the other man. Long practiced ways.

He hooks his fingers beneath Ali's chin and lifts it to meet him for a kiss, but...]

Mmm... hold on. [He still has blood on his teeth. He's sure Ali wouldn't appreciate that in a kiss. Concord turns to get some shower water swished around his mouth, gurgled back, and spat out to the drain, all too red. The unicorn checks his teeth after, muttering,]

All good, didn't lose any.

[smokeandglasses]

[Once those fingers are under Ali's chin he tilts his head up and closes his eyes, but then nothing happens so he cracks open one eyelid to peek at Concord. Seeing the man check his teeth and make sure they're all there gets a soft chuckle from him.]

No dentist visits needed?

[I actually googled and many of the dentist practices we still use today were invented between 1890 and 1910.]

[virtuesignal]

You probably wouldn't mind me with a couple silver fillings, right?

[Luckily, he has supernaturally strong and durable teeth, thanks immortality...]

Come here. [as if Ali has gone anywhere. Concord leans down for him again, hoping Ali will be the one to complete the kiss. (Or maybe he's not done scolding Concord, as is his right,)]

[smokeandglasses]

I think silver suits you.

[Ali hasn't gone anywhere, and he just smiles warmly at Concord.]

I'm right here.

[But he does lean in to kiss Concord, since it seems like Concord wants to be kissed. He's still mad about what happened, but he can lecture Concord about it later. He wants to remind Concord of why it's worth coming back together, even though they fight sometimes.]

[virtuesignal]

A fine way to say that I suit you. [Concord mutters, leaning in to give Ali a deep and passionate kiss. More than a little bit of apology in there, though he doesn't want to just say as much. He's a stubborn creature, as is Ali, apologies only matter when given with the whole chest.

A massage of Ali's shoulders, rubbing in some warmth and water to oil soaked skin,]

You don't have to fuss over me. [Just Concord's funny way of saying "I'm trying not to take all your time." His poor communication remains steady, even so far from home.]