A Shark Smells Blood (for Caborn)

[Underdoggo]

"Fucking hell."

It was an open secret that the cafeteria in the main LAW building wasn't the world's greatest. The service was usually slow, the pizza was usually cold, the coffee was usually a bland, vaguely coffee-tasting liquid that perhaps maybe contained a trace of caffeine, and it was often overcrowded. It reminded Makie, unpleasantly, of some of the cafeterias from back in the Kyoto University; yet another way in which being a wrestler reminded her a lot of undergrad life.

Which was why, like so many people in the building, she took advantage of the food trucks parked outside of the building. It was a hell of a lot better than crossing the street towards one of the restaurants and being mobbed by paparazzi, and besides, some of the food trucks served absolutely amazing food. Right now, one of her favourites was parked in main lot, alongside a bunch of others, and was fresh-grilling yakitori, kaarage, and her favourite, takoyaki balls.

It was one of the most popular food trucks that routinely came by. Which was why there was an especially long line today.

Makie's stomach growled. It had been hours since she last ate, and she was in the mood for some decent food, dammit. But the line was moving very slowly, if at all, and she was getting impatient. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, and sighed in irritation. Yeah, she could have gone back inside and headed to the cafeteria inside, but...why? Besides, in the cafeteria she was more likely to run into other wrestlers, for better or worse, and today she was not in the mood for any drama.

She was conscious of more people joining the line behind her. She already knew what she was ordering, so when it came her turn to order, at least, she wouldn't keep whoever was behind her waiting long...

[Caborn]

Mako was making her way out of the building as she ate a cheeseburger from the promotions cafeteria. Now normally, all the food from here sucked. Luckily Mako knew how to get the good stuff.

She’d just go back there and make sure they were made right. After all, her main complaint was that the portions were small. So, with a looming shark looking over the cooks shoulders, she made sure to add a couple patties to make up for it. There weren’t many places to get American food after all. The only reason the promotion did was due to all the foreign talent.

So, having grabbed a few burgers, the woman would make her way home for the day. Normally, the shark wouldn’t even go past the food trucks but her car was parked sorta close by. However, it was lucky that she walked by today. Because as she made her way to past the lines, Mako would see an old friend in line.

Makie Akumetsu! She’d fought the shortie in the past and had a blast kicking the woman’s ass. It wasn’t an easy fight. She literally liked kicking the woman’s backside during the match. Like any good friends they’d had their ups and downs. Rivals to lovers. Lovers to ex lovers. Lover trying to get a quick lay for fun and inadvertently getting kicked in the mouth. Mako knew she deserved that one though. She tried sleeping with the woman who broke up with her due to her sexual antics…and it was not well received to say the least. Still, Mako had a soft spot for Makie and still thought of her as a friend/rival/lover. While the woman likely saw her as an enemy/slut/jack-ass. Again…Mako could see where she fucked up.

Regardless she wanted to try catching up with Makie now that she was here. So, wearing a pair of jeans, a white tank top, and a jacket, Mako would walk up right behind the woman in line. Then, the shark would wrap her arms over the shrimp’s shoulders while pressing her tits into the back of Makie’s head. Giving the shortie a sort of standing boob pillow while greeting her. “Hey there shrimp~ How’ve you been?” Mako would ask, sounding pretty happy to see the woman.

[Underdoggo]

Okay, now we're getting somewhere. The line had just sped up ever so slightly, and Makie was now halfway to the food cart from where she had started. And a good thing too: her stomach was starting to rumble, and the smell of frying chicken katsu really wasn't helping matters for her at all. She was honestly glad she wasn't wrestling today, she honestly never got to eat anything heavy on match days. Days off like this were days where she could indulge herself and allow herself to enjoy the finer things in life without interruptions.

Well, that was, until an interruption made itself known.

She felt a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders from behind, causing her to jump in alarm. That was, until a pair of boobs pressed against the back of her head, cushioning them from behind. She tensed, Wait a minute, she knew those breasts...

She figured out who it was even before the familiar, snarky voice spoke up. Prying herself free, Makie whirled around. There, standing behind her in her usual denim, white tank top and black jacket, was Mako Friggin Adachi, smiling at her with her usual toothy grin.

"MAKO?" Makie practically burst out. "What the fuck are..." She immediately willed herself to calm down, not wanting to create a scene in the line. "What are you doing here?"

When Makie had just come out of training and development, Mako "the Shark" Adachi had been one of her first opponents in the indie leagues. To say that Makie's first match hadn't gone well would be putting it lightly: though she had given it her all, she had nothing on the Shark's sheer strength, skill, and ruthlessness. She idly remembered being slammed through a table, rammed head and back-first into the corner post and being piledriven into near-unconsciousness. It was, in short, a brutal introduction to the world of wrestling.

After the match, she had somehow run into Mako again at an adjacent bar. The two had gotten to trash talking and...well, that had been at the time when Makie had first realized she liked girls, and the next thing she knew, she and Mako were having an intense, passionate round two in her bed.

It wasn't a relationship that had lasted long, though: Mako had never been able to filter out her dirty mind or her sexual wants, and she hadn't been exclusive either. This had all been a lot for a girl who had only recently discovered her own sexuality, and she needed distance. Besides which, Kyo was moving to a new promotion in Kyoto, and Makie had apparently been offered a new contract there as well. So, that was that.

And now Mako was here again, in line with her, with the same shit-eating grin she always had.

[Caborn]

Mako chuckled as she watched her old friend get all flustered. The shark had been a big first, after all. That being the first woman she slept with. It’d be a lie to say that Mako didn’t take pride in that achieving. It wasn’t everyday that you fuck someone out of the closet, after all. Well…it happened a lot more often for the shark than other people…but still Mako was proud of that fact. It’d been a while since they’d been together and it was quickly starting to feel like old times. Although, Makie didn’t seem as happy as she expected her to be. The shark expected there to be a lot more laughing and hugging.

Makie was happy to see her right? Admittedly the woman did break up with her. But that was mostly because her brother was going somewhere in Kyoto and she tagged along. Mako wanted to keep seeing the woman but she understood it might be a bit much for Makie to handle a long distance relationship right out of the closet. So she didn’t try to pressure her into doing something she wasn’t ready for. Still…where was the hugging?! All she seemed to care about was why the shark was here. Maybe she was just surprised? Mako wouldn’t ruin their first meeting by getting offended or anything. So she’d stay her normal easy going self.

“Well I wrestle over there…and my cars over there…you just happened to be in between them. I’m glad you were, though. It’s been so long!” Mako would say as she tried to wrap an arm around Makie’s shoulder for a one arm hug. “So how’ve you been, shrimp? Been seeing any sexy ladies since this one?~” the shark would ask with a big grin as she was referring to herself. Eager to hear about Makie’s love life , Mako would wait excitedly to hear all of it straight from the source.

[Underdoggo]

"Well, I wrestle over there." Oh. That explained it. It had been wishful thinking on Makie's part that maybe, just maybe, the old baggage of her life wouldn't follow her here to LAW. Maybe she had been too optimistic to think that Mako would just stay in her own federation, and that the two wouldn't have to have an awkward situation like this again. Makie really shouldn't have been surprised: Mako enjoyed fighting almost as much as she enjoyed sex, and was constantly seeking out the toughest, strongest, fiercest opponents...and LAW had those in ample supply.

She was brought back to reality by Mako's question, and nearly choked, her face immediately going a shade of red. She became conscious of the other people in the line looking back at the two of them, more than a little curious about this conversation now.

"N-no," Makie stammered. "Not yet...I mean, not that I haven't...." It's really none of your business, she really wanted to say, but the sad truth of the matter was that she hadn't been seeing anyone since she first arrived here in LAW. Which was a damn shame, given how freaking hot so many of the girls (and guys) on the LAW roster were.

[Caborn]

Mako would watch as Makie stammered and seemed to get flustered. Honestly, the shark thought her little shrimp would have an easy time finding all sorts of cuties and hotties to fawn over her. However, this also might’ve been Mako’s lucky day. Makie here was single. Meaning she might be open to having a little reunion in the sheets with the lusty shark. It was still weird that the woman wasn’t happier to see her, but maybe a little fun would remind her 'little engine that could' what she was missing.

“Single huh? Well that’s their loss. Anyone would be lucky to be with you, cutie~” Mako would say with a big smile as she ruffled the woman’s dark hair. “But you know…since you’re not seeing anyone right now…why don’t you spend some time seeing your favorite shark? I even have a few new tattoos I can show you~” the bold woman asked as she rubbed her right breast. That being the location of a couple of tattoos, both old and new alike. It might have seemed a little straight forward but Makie knew how she was. It was no surprise that the shark was as hungry as ever for some good sex. And it was only natural for her to be eager to get some from her favorite shorty.

“How about it, Makie? Wanna have a few rounds in the sheets with me? It''ll be just like old times!~” Mako would ask excitedly as the food line they were standing in started to move forward.

[Underdoggo]

Makie blushed, and flinched involuntarily, as Mako ruffled her short hair. On the one hand, Mako always didn't seem to notice or care about other people's boundaries, but on the other hand...well, the two of them had been intimate in the past. A past that Makie, up until now, had been content to let remain in the past.

Don't get her wrong, Makie had found the tattooed, bleach-blonde shark girl to be incredibly attractive, and if she was honest, she still did. But what had once seemed to her to be a restless sense of adventure and a tendency to push boundaries, now felt more like a lack of respect for boundaries and an inability to keep quiet on personal things like sexual relationships. Mako had never had an "off" button when it came to flirting or talking dirty, and it seemed in that regard, she hadn't changed.

As if on cue, Mako started to openly proposition Makie, suggesting they hook up again. This alone was enough to make Makie blush intensely, but then Mako suddenly started to exclaim, out loud, in the middle of a crowded line, that they do a few rounds in the sheets. Makie went white as a sheet at that moment; she took a slow look around at her surroundings and noted that, yes, a lot of people in the line were staring at the two of them. More then a few people seemed very interested in where this conversation.

"Wha...whadda..." Makie stammered, mortified beyond belief. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" she finally hissed, trying and failing to avoid drawing attention to herself. "Do you ever think about maybe NOT blurting these things out in public?!!"

[Caborn]

Mako honestly didn't mean to make a scene. She just sort of...did. It was a bad habit that most of the time she never even realized was happening in the moment. Of course for Makie, someone who wasn't...lets say challenged by societal norms...the shark must've seemed like a magnet for unwanted attention. Seeing her stammer at first immediately told Mako she fucked up. She didn't know how exactly, but she just had this gut feeling that a lecture was coming and it was her own fault. It was just too bad that she never got these feelings BEFORE she fucked up.

As Makie began to yell and hiss at her, the shark would let go of her ex and back away. Hearing Makie hiss at her like that made the woman wince back as if she was getting told off by a parent. Having been raised by a single mother,Mako wasn't used to being told off by someone she actually cared about. Not because her mom didn't care about or teach her anything. Suzuki Adachi was a great parent...who kicked her daughter's ass when needed. She believed that actions were louder than words, after all. And to be honest...the times she was physical with her daughter were the times Mako sorely needed and deserved a beating. Teachers, security, and bartenders gave her lectures all the time but she didn't give a damn about them, so they were basically talking to a brick wall. Now, though, here was a girl that Mako genuinely liked hissing at her. Asking what was wrong with the shark and complaining that she was too fucking blunt about these things in public.

"Hey, Makie...calm down will ya. I didn't mean anything by it...I'm just excited to see you..." Mako would say, hands raised as she tried to calm the raging shrimp down. "Who cares what other people think...you're the only one I care about here...not some nosy fucks in the background...oh ah...Um no offense buddy..." the shark would say, before looking over her shoulder and patting the closest onlooker on the back. She'd at least try to be a bit more mindful going forward now that Makie was getting mad at her about it. Honestly, most of them looked interested in the scene rather than annoyed by it. These were two wrestling stars, after all, and even the one Mako patted seemed to be giddy that she had touched him. She always thought that was cute how fans would lose it from a little touching. Now wasn't the time to think about that, though, as she tried to ease the tension with Makie.

[Underdoggo]

Makie saw Mako visibly flinch as she lost her temper at her. It was an act that had, in the past, put a pause on Makie's temper, immediately making her feel guilty for her outbursts. Just the look of visible shock and hurt on Mako's face was enough to make her calm down. Makie had always suspected that something in Mako's past-- maybe an abusive lover, maybe harsh parents, maybe bullying or a harsh teacher-- provoked a really strong reaction whenever somebody yelled at her in anger. Makie didn't know the whole story, but it was enough to make her calm down. A little.

But only a little: Mako showed, as usual, that she simply didn't care about embarrassing Makie in public. Suppressing a growl of irritation, Makie put her forehead in one hand. "I care," she replied. As she always had. "We've been through this before, Mako. I don't like having the details of my sex life waved around for other people to know about or talk about."

She sighed, taking a deep breath to compose herself before continuing. "Anyway...welcome to LAW, I guess? Why did you choose this fed, anyway?" God, if Mako had actually followed her here...

[Caborn]

Mako was starting to get the feeling her ex wasn’t happy to see her. Which sucked a lot. Not even because that meant no sex. But because it meant Makie saw her as a problem more than anything else. Hearing how the woman complained to her about they’d talked about not sharing so much info about their bed life hurt deep too. Not even because Makie was mad at her for it. But the shark had no idea what she was talking about. Had they talked about that before? “Fuck’s sake Mako! How can you not remember that you dumb slut!?” she thought to herself.

As the shark silently cursed herself out, Makie would go on to “welcome” her to the promotion and ask why she was even here. At this point, Mako wasn’t sure how to continue. Should she apologize and say she’ll do better? No lying wouldn’t help and the shark knew she’d just open her dumb mouth again without meaning to. Even if she meant it that wouldn’t matter if she screwed up the next day. Should she just walk away? Despite not being a coward that option was really looking like a good plan right about now. Still, she didn’t want to leave it like this. Maybe if they talked some more they’d manage to work this out…

“Oh well I just sort of joined you know? All I want in a contract is to fight and fuck soooo…” Mako would start to explain before realizing she was just doubling down on being a horny block head. “I mean…I didn’t come here for you if that’s what you’re thinking…come on that’d be crazy.”

Jesus Christ Mako! What are you fucking talking about!? SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!

“…Oh wait fuck…that came out wrong. I mean…I had no idea where you were even at in the first place so…”

JAFFURGUBLEEH!!! THE FUCK YOU DUMBING FUCKING BITCH!? Why are you saying these words!? Shut up! NOW! Just stop! Fake a heart attack! Give yourself a heart attack! It’d be less painful than this conversation!

“……you know what…No…fuck this. I’m not gonna act like some rambling mess just cause you get mad at me. First off, SHRIMP, I’m sorry I embarrassed you. I know you can be all weird about sex and I should’ve handled it better. But the moment I started talking to you you’ve had this dumb look on your face like I’m here to collect your organs or something! Keep in mind I didn’t say anything about sex until later. I was happy to see you. Not because I wanted to fuck you. I just like you. You’re a really cool fucking person Makie. But fuuuuuuuck me! Would it kill you to at least pretend to feel the same?!”

Mako ranted. She ranted hard. She didn’t want to, but the shark got herself trapped between fight or flight. And like always…Mako started fighting. She lashed out at Makie. Using the cute nickname she had ft her as an insult rather than a term of endearment as she leaned down and got in her face. At the end of it she just stopped talking altogether and left a dead, unbearable, silence between them.