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Theo leaned away whenever he could. He slipped from one spot to another, allowing only glancing blows to land that barely hurt. In his effort to evade, however, Theo inadvertently backed himself against the cage near Aussie’s trainer. The grip on his shorts, pulling him tight against the metal fencing, would have had him screaming foul if, coincidentally, he wasn’t getting pummeled in the head and flank by those meaty fists. Two more hands grabbed his ankles, keeping him from raising his legs like he had the first time he’d gotten pinned.
Help!Theo cried out, his tether to Father flaring bright.Please!
Warmth infused Theo from the inside, adding strength to his core, his muscles, and his stamina. He peeked through his upraised arms, which he’d been using to shield his face against Aussie’s barrage, who caught his gaze and stumbled back.
“What the fuck?” Aussie muttered.
Theo suspected his eyes glowed as he ripped himself free from the hands of the trainers holding him. Walt and Daniel shouted at the ref to call the match because of their cheating, but Theo shook his head.No.With Adonai’s will, he would best this Goliath.
The bell rang, and the ref moved between them, arms outstretched, as the door burst open. Theo wanted to keep fighting, but with his mate’s pale face filling his vision, he backed down. He let Daniel back him up and push him to sit on the stool Walt had placed on the mat.
Daniel held up the water bottle. “Drink.”
Theo spat the mouthguard into his hand and opened obediently to his mate’s order. He swished the first mouthful around and spit it into the bucket Walt held before accepting several more squirts, which he swallowed. “Walt,” Theo rolled his eyes up to look at the trainer, who was tending to a fresh cut on his forehead that he hadn’t even realized he’d sustained, “I think you were right about the breathing thing being a ploy.”
“Eh, he’s still breathing hard. Get him moving. Get in and get out. I don’t know if you’ll be able to pin him unless you get him unconscious, so focus on hitting him a lot. Solid hits. Remember, this is underground fighting. Troy says three rounds, but that doesn’t mean he won’t tell you to keep going until someone is down for the count.”
Daniel whimpered quietly beside him. Theo dragged the back of his fingers along his mate’s cheek, wincing at the smear of red he left behind. He glanced at his hands, frowning at the broken skin of his knuckles. Daniel caught Theo’s hands and carefully smoothed a thumb over the back of his hands. The sweet motion had a calming effect on Theo, lowering his heart rate and allowing him to center himself.
“Listen to Walt,” Daniel said, leaning forward until their foreheads touched. “Move fast. Dart in, hit him, and get away. I want to take you home, not the hospital, alright?”
“I want that,” Theo fervently whispered. “Every night,” he added for good measure.
Daniel nodded as he cupped Theo’s cheek and gave him a quick peck before he hurried from the cage, jumping the steps as the door clanged shut. Theo hoped his mate’s silence meant he agreed.
The bell rang, and Theo twisted to his right. Just in time, too, because Aussie slammed into the cage where he’d stood seconds before. When Aussie turned to glare at him, Theo blew his opponent a taunting kiss.
“I will not be bested by a fairy,” Aussie growled, stalking across the mat in a zig-zag motion toward Theo.
Theo laughed. “You won’t. I may have wings, but I’m no fairy.” He intercepted Aussie’s path with a series of rapid-fire jabs, most of which were blocked, before swiftly ducking out of the way of a wild punch.
Again, Aussie tried to come at him from an odd weaving path. Theo mirrored the movements and, with agility on his side, he circled Aussie, getting the man’s feet tangled enough that he tripped and would have fallen if he hadn’t caught himself on the cage.
The move left Aussie’s back exposed to Theo. He ran in, slamming his chest against the brute, crushing him into the metal before pummeling him in the arms and ribs. A well-placed knee cracked another of Aussie’s ribs. When Aussie turned, Theo drove an uppercut right into his chin, snapping his head back.
“Fuck,” Aussie grunted. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! You bastard!” he shouted at Theo. Holding his chest with his left arm, he ducked down and then shouldered free of his confinement, shoving Theo away several feet. Aussie’s breath was fast and shallow, and when he tried to straighten his body, he winced through gritted teeth. Pointing threateningly, he said, “Nobody beats me. Prepare to meet your maker.”
Theo slapped a hand over his mouth and opened his eyes wide. He wanted to laugh. He wanted to fall down and just roll like that stupid yellow, laughing-so-hard-I’m-crying emoji.
Behind him, Jay had no such compulsion to not laugh. Nor did He. Rumbling warmth threaded through Theo from the top of his head all the way to his feet. Theo stopped moving and spread his arms wide. Infused with a wash of fortitude and strength, he closed his eyes, just for a second to indulge in the knowledge that Adonai loved him.
He felt more than heard Aussie’s approach, the vibrations in the mat giving away his opponent’s location. Theo snapped his eyes open as he bounced backward, out of Aussie’s reach. He jumped right back in, though, ducking to the side and sending a perfectly placed side snap kick against those already aching ribs.
Aussie doubled over, clutching his chest, leaving his entire back exposed to Theo. While an elbow to the head might knock Aussie out cold, he stuck to the official MMA rules of no hits to the back of the head or spine. Instead, he ran to the cage, jumped up, and then leapt onto Aussie’s back, crashing him to the mat.
The fall winded Theo for a moment, but he wasn’t the only one not moving. The entire arena was silent as they waited to see what would happen. Beneath him, Aussie groaned. On his front, he wasn’t pinned, and he wasn’t unconscious yet to call the match either.
“Roll him,” Walt shouted, as the ref knelt beside them. “Then pin his shoulders.”
Theo scurried off to do as Walt instructed, but Aussie groaned, “No,” and tapped the mat.
“Match,” the ref yelled. The bell rang, and Theo’s arm was lifted in victory.
“Hot damn,” Walt exclaimed, bursting into the cage, leading the charge of trainers and medical personnel. “That was a great fight.”
Daniel threw his arms around Theo. He hugged him until Theo grunted. “Congrats on the win.” He leaned back, allowing Theo to stare into those beautiful brown eyes. Daniel caressed his cheek once before laying his head on Theo’s shoulder and whispered, “I’m so glad you’re safe. I don’t think I could live with myself if something happened to you.”
Theo smiled, ignoring the pull of injured muscles as he held on tight, basking in his dual victories.
