Bad to the bone

[RedShinigami]

Harmonia Edelstein breathed the cold air of the January morning as she ran her usual route. With her usual companion, her partner, manager and fiance, Molly Forster. A week ago Harmonia had fought the most important match of her life. It should have been the final culmination of all her efforts. She should stand here right now, wearing two belts. One just a novelty piece, but the other one, one of the most prestigious wrestling belts in the world. Oh how did she had worked for it, she and Molly had put all their time and effort into getting Harmonia ready. And now? Like a shattered piece of glass, her dream was over.

Harmonia gritted her teeth and started to gain speed...
If it had been just this loss she maybe could have taken it. But what followed was what really hurt her bad. After an attack on Kyoko after the match and with Molly already being warned by the official not to interfere, the Superstars were now suspended to fight under their name for six months. Their fans had been dissapointed not just by Harmonias loss but also because Harmonia had acted arrogant and cocky in the match, maybe going so far to have lost her chance on the title because of it. But Mollys constant interferences only made the people think about her not as glamourus past with the British Bunnies.

Harmonia had taken it hard. Since last week she barely had spoken with Molly, she was thinking, struggling with herself. The most her fiance had gotten from her were the usual greeting kisses and to sleep back to back with Harmonia occasionally taking Mollys hand in hers, tough when she did it, it was'nt for long and it lacked any loving touch.

Even now, usually they were running in their Superstars tracksuits, when they met fans they stopped for autographs and selfies but today, as if to punish herself, she wore a black Puma tracksuit, nothing of her white and red colouring could be seen. And since morning she had'nt spoken to Molly, only running alongside her in the big park they had chosen as their runningtrack.

Usually Harmonia had to keep up with Molly whose swiftness and speed were legendary even in lightweight circles. But today it was the other way around. Speeding away she went faster and faster, getting into a sprint as she ran and ran and ran...
When the small hill was in sight that used to be the end of their route she did'nt slow down, she took the slopes, panting, gasping, never slowing down as if she was trying to flee.
She could'nt even make out Molly behind her anymore as sweat, cold wind and tears ran down her face. Her heart raced at maximum speed and finally as she reached the top which showed a great view over their neighbourhood and the "Eagles Nest" she stopped.

"Hah...hah...hah...hah..."
Harmonia tried to catch her breath as she bent down, putting her hands on her knees. Her vision was blurred, her heartbeat pumped all over her shivering body before she noticed Molly finally catching up with her.
She did not turn around tough, she still caught her breath and when the shaking and quivering finally stopped she raised her head, looking in the distance.
And then she finally spoke..her first words of the day.

"Six months. Feels like forever...", she said and did'nt turn around, looking into the distance into the fog and mist of the day.
"It was our dream. We put so much work into it and now..."
Harmonias fists clenched tightly next to her thighs and her next words seemed as if she tried to choke down some tears.

"And I blew it. I totally blew it. Maybe...", she said and seemed to relax a little.
"Maybe this six months...are needed...maybe I need it to think about things, get a new plan. The Superstars are over now until summer. And then...seeing what you did, what you did there in my match Molly...", she said in a much harsher tone.
Harmonia took a deep breath as if trying to brace herself for what would follow. And she drew it out, looking down at the eagles nest, her back to Molly.

"No Superstars...no matches. No promos. Whats the use? I have thought about it the entire week Molly and maybe it is finally time that we both...", she started...

Spoiler

[CaptainL]

No one could deny that a change had come over Harmonia Edelstein. And Molly couldn't say it was a change she appreciated.

If there was one thing Molly knew about Harmonia, one trait that shone above everything else, it was her passion. The Austrian believed deeply in everything she did, and she wasn't going to give anything less than 100% of her effort. That was what had driven her to rise above her past as a model and prove that she could be worthy of the honor of being called a Superstar. It had driven her to train her body to its fullest potential, putting both her and Molly through a regimen that would transform them into talent worthy of the main event. And she put just as much of that passion into her sense of showmanship - she'd crafted an image for herself, one that shone through in every flashy move she landed and in every burst of pyrotechnics. Everything she did was with a flair for the dramatic, and she lived larger than life. Sometimes, Harmonia got ahead of herself in that passion, and sometimes Molly found herself having to reel her back in - especially when it came to her fiery temper - but the Englishwoman knew she was just being true to herself.

She knew that because Harmonia was just as passionate of a lover as she was as a wrestler. And since she and Molly had moved in together, Harmonia had gone out of her way to make her feel like the most important woman in the world. The Forsters were already well enough off, but that was nothing compared to the fortune Harmonia had amassed with her business sense - and living in a mansion with all the luxuries that came with it left Molly feeling like a princess swept off her feet. But no amount of luxury could compare to the care and compassion Harmonia showed her - with every look in her eye, every kiss, every time she felt the Austrian's hand in hers. She knew that she was first and foremost in Harmonia's heart, and it made her feel like she truly mattered to someone - that the very prospect of living without her would be unthinkable to Harmonia.

At least, Molly felt that way until now. Ever since her last match with Kyoko, Harmonia had seemed more distant than ever. She barely even said anything to her, let alone heaping attention and adoration upon her like she always had. She knew how disappointed Harmonia had been to come up short in such an important match, especially against one of her deepest rivals - but this seemed to shake Harmonia's personality to its very foundations. It was almost as though she was a different person entirely. And Molly had to ask herself - was that her fault?

Molly's interference in the match had come under a lot of scrutiny. In her mind, she was only trying to stand up for her fiance, but by the end of it all the fans had even begun to boo her - a fact that left Molly stunned, not anticipating such a response in the slightest. And when Harmonia seemed to withdraw from her just afterward, her mind couldn't help but wander. Had this been a step too far? Was Harmonia ashamed of her? If she had just stayed there on the sidelines, and kept herself out of trouble, and not overreached...would Harmonia still be her normal self? She had thought that plenty of times - long into the night, staring up into her bedroom ceiling. But she'd never spoken up. She'd never said anything. To do that would mean having to address that the possibility existed that Harmonia didn't care about her any more. And the last thing Molly wanted was to hear her worst fears confirmed.

Those thoughts had been brewing in her head when she saw Harmonia showing up without her trademark gear, and her doubts and worries were being fed with every time they passed each other without a word. But when they came to what should have been the end of the run, and Harmonia instead sped off into the distance - pushing further and further away from Molly, as though she was trying to get away from her - that made the Englishwoman stop dead in her tracks. "Huh? Moni?" she called out - but of course, Harmonia didn't answer.

Molly couldn't just leave it at that. Something was off. Something was wrong, and she needed answers. Swallowing a gulp, Molly took off, her legs pumping harder and harder at the chill air as she sped off toward Harmonia. Her fists clenched tighter, her nails digging into her palms as though to distract herself from any unwanted thoughts bubbling up from the back of her mind. But then, she couldn't take too long to think about anything. This wasn't the time. She needed to move. She needed to keep at it. She needed to keep getting closer.

At last, Molly came to the top of the hill. As she slowed to a stop, it was only then that the adrenaline born of worry died down, and she felt the aches and pains set into her muscles; she winced, leaning down to rub at her thigh as a pang of soreness shot through her. But then, Harmonia began to speak, and Molly turned to listen.

"Yeah...I know...I'm sorry, Moni..." She looked down, her feet idly shuffling back and forth; she kicked a small rock between them as she thought over Harmonia's words. They came as a sore reminder - that for all the passion and love Harmonia had put into her Superstar image, it had all been taken away from her. Molly could hear the tears in her voice, and it made her swallow a gulp at the thought. She could only imagine the loss and frustration that was weighing on Harmonia now.

But if that wasn't bad enough, it was what Harmonia said next that truly hit her - and when Molly heard the anger rising in Harmonia's voice, time itself seemed to slow to a crawl. Her stomach pulled into a tight knot. The wind around her seemed to fall silent, enough so that she could hear her own heart thumping in her chest. Here it was, she thought to herself. Here it was. The moment Molly had been afraid was coming - it was now staring her down.

Molly took a step back, her eyes welling with tears. Her muscles pulled tighter; her body shrank back, as though she was retreating from something - because she was; she wanted to run far away from here and never have to worry about all this again. And yet, she couldn't. She had to stay and await the painful inevitable. "...we're...we're..." She trembled at the mere thought of the words; to even say them seemed obscene.

"We're...breaking up...aren't we..?" A tear rolled off her chin and fell against the ground as she looked downward. "I mean...I kinda knew this was coming, b-but...I guess I deserve it, anyway..."

Spoiler