"Why if it isn't the win-it-all, Roftkal! How does it feel to beat people again?"

"Yo Rof, where you be' getting your medicine? Eh? You don't take any..?"

"So like, what kind of voodoo magic did Rose do you on? You were never good to begin with, and like, now you're winning? I smell bullshit and I'll be sure to find the drugs you use. Aight?" The muscular man with more tattoos then brains threatened Roftkal. But he just kept on practicing on the rubber dumby in front of him, going through the drills Rose gave him.

The guy stared at Roftkal for another two long seconds before puffing his chest and walking away. Roftkal just kept on going through his drills, for that was the only way he could stop himself from practicing his drills on the idiot.

The idiots that congratulate and threaten him for his victories. Victories that he knows he doesn't deserve. He doesn't earn them through technique or even of 'playing it smart', he only wins them because of being tired. Tired to the point that he doesn't rush his moves and act brash because his opponent riled him up.

But it's funny though, everyone in Rooster has noticed it, all for different reasons though. Some because they think he's got steroids that could help them, others because he may endanger their spot in the season, and some just because they can bet on the underdog and win big time.

Course he doesn't understand why everyone is even so attentive to him now, whether that's in a negative or positive way. He isn't that good, he's not buff and definitely not intimidating enough to scare others. So why all the fuss with his lucky wins that just happen to be three times in a row? It just doesn't click in his brain of why-

Linx's shoulder slipped on the rubber dumby due to all the sweat and slapped the rubber floor. A few chuckles floated through the air and Roftkal gritted his teeth.

As he was about to get up, a tan hand appeared in his face and another hand grabbed his shoulder to pull him up.

What the..?

"I don't need your help." Roftkal replied instinctively as he shook off the strangers grip on him and got up by himself. He examined the young man standing in front of him, heavy scars littering his skin.

Jazz, a kind of veteran of Rooster. He's only been part of Rooster for a year now, but he's a Worldwide sensation because of all the new techniques he's created and all the wins he's managed to get with them. To say he's respected in the Greco-Roman wrestling community is insulting. He's idolized to the moon and back.

But what does he want from me?

The two stared at each other neutrally, sizing the other person up.

"Boy, why do your eyes look more empty then the night sky?" Jazz spoke up first, a certain kind of pride floating around him. It was close to arrogance, but the stone hard look he has on his youthful face turned it more into dignity.

Linx didn't respond, for when had he ever talked to a stranger who was demanding him answers? Never. And he wasn't about to break that streak.

Jazz kept on observing Linx and a quiet sigh left his lips. His shoulders lost his tension and so did his eyes, becoming blank. Except they weren't blank with no emotion, they were blank and waiting to be filled with emotion.

"You know," Jazz studied the gym before his coffee eyes landed on Linx again, "I've come across a lot people who do this sport but all for different reasons. Some for the fame, those fools. Some for the exercise. Some to be part of a community, the lonely souls. Some to just brag that they know wrestling, though they quit within a month in. Course there are hundreds of other reasons, but those too are your typical TV answer about family, tradition, dreams, and whatever." He stayed silent for a few moments, letting his words sink into Roftkal. Though by the look of his deadpan face and guarded eyes, Jazz knew he needed something bigger to really interest Roftkal.

"But you? You don't care about wins or loses, don't care for the bets, don't care about your teammates, and certainty don't care of what others think of you. Yet you're probably one of the cleanest, no bullshitting, and hardworking players I've met. But what I'm really curious about," Jazz took a pause, to create a dramatic silence.

"Is why you fight with no spirit, no life, yet you put more effort into wrestling then anybody in this gym? And why, God help me, why you look more tired out then myself?" Jazz stared intently at Roftkal, seeing a glint of confusion and secrecy in his eyes.

He's never going to tell me anything unless he trusts me. But I doubt that'll happen anytime soon. For now though...

Though, Jazz still remained silent for a couple more seconds, hoping that a miracle will happen. For he knows, nobody should ever feel as tired as he does. That no one should keep up a fake image of themselves to the world, while it drains them from the inside out.

But Jazz has support out side of wrestling, his wife and therapist helping the real him, helping Isaac, his true self. While Roftkal doesn't seem to have a support out of wrestling, just his lonely self to shoulder all of his thoughts and emotions.

What is Rose doing with this boy? Is she blind or has she given up on him? I'll find out later, for now though...

"Never mind, you don't need to answer that if you don't feel like it. For now, why don't you train with me? I don't know where Rose is right now, but she should know you can't practice wrestling with dummies only." Jazz wrapped his arm around Roftkal's shoulder, ignoring the flinch that came with the action, and walked the two of them towards an open mat.

_______

Rose, currently on her lunch break, was sitting in the corner of a large café. She checked her phone every few moments, her eyes searching the area for a certain curly haired man.

She lightly bounced her foot, smiling at the waitress that's going around the café to get everyone's order. Rose already ordered her bacon panini, and while she knows her order is coming in five minutes, she doesn't know when Trev is going to get here.

Luckily, he showed up just before Rose was about to call him and calmly shout at him for being late. But he missed that fate and now has to suffer a new one.

His hazelnut eyes scanned the corners of the café and found Rose glowering at him, though her sweet smile might mislead him into thinking he's not in trouble for being fifteen minutes late.

He strolled to their table and sat on the chair opposite to Rose, replicating her sweet smile.

"I see that you're late, Trev. Now do tell, are you late because you just woke up or that you just came from a heavy make-out session?" Rose eyed his tousled hair and slightly swollen lips, even a small hickey showing itself from his beige turtle neck.

His cheeks grew a lovely shade of pink, his wide eyes swirling with embarrassment and shock. At least his mouth wasn't gaping wide, or Rose would've teased about his swollen tongue as well.

Just on cue, Rose's sandwich came in, and just to save Trev some of his pride, she ordered him a mango smoothie with tater tots. She ate her food, it sure tasting better with the small ego boost of embarrassing Trev.

That's what you get for being late.

But the silence was stretching for too long, and Rose soon remembered why they met up. She grew impatient at Trev's silence, but knew she couldn't be too rude for they have just met each other two weeks ago. So she tired to be a little more gentle.

"So about Linx," Trev looked up at the mention of his sweet boy's name, "how can we help him?" Rose knew she was asking quite a vague question, but their situation was quite vague as well. Or more like, Linx is such a vague person, that she doesn't really know where to help him.

He's made sure that she doesn't know how to help him.

"Well, we've already got all the info about Roftkal. So from that, we can piece together Linx's emotional state, since it seems like he acts more on emotions when he's wrestling. From there, we'll probably monitor Linx some more, making sure he hasn't, um, collapsed yet." Trev stared at Rose, hoping his little hiccup wasn't caught.

Of course, it was caught, for Rose was a mother and mother's catch all hiccups.

"That sounds like a good plan, but Trev, were you the one to make the plan or one of your boyfriends?" Trev kept on staring into Rose's brown hazel eyes, trying his best to pretend that he didn't hear that. But Rose wasn't one to take no, and she kept pushing.

"Trev, I need to know that you're okay with the plan. With your plan. Because if you're not okay with it, then you know for sure that there's no way in hell I'm going to be a part of it. So Trev, are you okay?" She omitted 'with the plan', for she didn't want to start watching Trev, along with Linx, to make sure he doesn't make any brash decisions.

He took a few moments to think about it, to think about himself and not the boys or Linx or how he can help the others, but about him. And there was only one emotion he found that was stopping him from smiling his heart out and sleeping easy at night.

"I... I feel almost guilty of stalking Linx. Of watching him from afar, just watching, but never actually helping him out. He's been suffering for so long, and we finally have the opportunity to help him, but no. We wait and watch. And because only Kade and I share this opinion, we can only agree to the plan or else we'll have bigger problems. Plus," Trev, feeling free to talk for the first times in days, couldn't help but continue his complaining about his situation,

"What if we wait for so long, that we fail to catch Linx and he hurts himself? He hurts himself so bad, that we can never help him? That-that he kills himself and we just watched!" Trev slightly panted at revealing his brewing feelings, even his body was quivering for it felt so good to just tell someone.

Rose nodded and didn't respond, sensing that there was more things Trev wanted to voice about.

"And... and I'd never be hated my whole by Linx, then hating myself my whole life because I didn't help Linx. But, I just don't know what to do..." Trev quieted down, getting lost in his thoughts.

Rose, feeling like Trev spoke all of his feelings, decided to give her own two cents.

"Well, what I think you should do," Trev looked up, his attention caught, "is tell your boyfriends about how you're feeling before you have a breakdown and act reckless. Then, I can meet your boys because they don't know we're meeting, right?" Trev shook his head, remembering how he lied that he was doing one of his odd jobs and he'll be gone for two hours or so.

"Good, so while we meet then we can make a plan on how to ease Linx into us trying to help him. After that, we'll decide what to do with Linx, okay? Are you okay with the plan?" Rose asked, her gentle mother voice coming out.

Trev nodded, feeling better knowing that there was at least one plan he agreed with.

His mango smoothie and tater tots soon came by, and the two ate in comfortable silence.

_______