unfair it may be (but it is what you seek)
pairing: christian cage x younger!reader
plot: the jurassic express had all the belief in their mentor that he'll never let them down, so being the cheeky friends they are decided to use that against him.
genre: humor
warning: profanity, friends being little shits.
word count: 3k
author's note: idk i'm not that big of a fan of jurassic express so maybe this is a but ooc? i still think it's pretty cool, and i hope you do too.
votes, likes, and reblogs always appreciated!
♡°.○♡○.°•♡.•°○.♡•°•.°♡•.°○♡°.•♡
"no way, no way!" tay slapped your thigh in excitement making you fake wince because it didn't really hurt, but still. you kinda wanted to make her feel bad about it. "i mean is that so hard to believe though?" anna asked, continuing to pet the large dog beside her as you just sat there, a deep, furious red blush on the apples of your cheeks, crossing the bridge of your nose, all the way to your ears.
"he is hot!"
"fine wine!"
no matter how much you agreed with the things your friends are saying, you couldn't get yourself to lift your head from your hands, way too embarrassed to do so. the teasing glances you knew they were sending your way was not something you wanted for face either.
"who's hot? and did someone say fine wine?" your head snapped back at the deep voice that came from behind you and your eyes widened.
this cannot be happening to you right now. what an absolute nightmare of a day.
you just groaned. it was all you could do, after all. your friends would happily rat you out to someone they were sure they could trust - not to mention the fact that this someone could help you out too - and that included the man who just appeared in the bedroom where you all hung out, sitting crossed legged on the fluffy light gray carpet -- jungle boy jack perry. "christian cage. [y/n] has a crush on him."
"so, no wine?" the man jokingly frowned making anna shake her head. "sadly."
it was only then her boyfriend shifted his gaze to you. he was usually shy and introverted around people he was not familiar with and you were one of those people despite you being close friends with his girlfriend. you just had other friends in the company and usually, you spent your time with them, or with yourself. the only times you joined anna was backstage at a show or, well, now. "that true?"
you broke eye contact with him, instead looking down at your lap and fiddling with your fingers. "yeah."
he sensed your uncomfort and softened, "don't worry i won't tell him." he chuckled. "christian is a nice guy though-" you knew that. that was one of the reasons you found yourself falling hand-over-heels for him. "-don't be scared to confess or something. he won't bite."
"well not unless you ask him to, that is."
it was only then you realized luchasaurus was there as well. as humiliating as this is, at this point, you're just glad christian wasn't there with the men he took under his wing or else you could have died right then and there.
you stared at him, the man standing behind jack perry who wore a mischievous grin which transformed into what looked like a wince in no time. you blinked once, twice. "sorry [y/n]. too much?" his large hand came up to scratch the back of his head in shame, a light dusting of red covered his dark stubble-covered cheeks.
"'s fine." you muttered. "besides, when you're friends with these two, you kinda get used to being teased." you blew a gust of wind as an exhale, pointing to the two blondes in from of you.
from the corner of your eye, you caught a glimpse of jack crossing his arms and shooting his girlfriend a disapproving look. "oh come on, don't look at me like that! they're so easy to tease!"
he playfully rolled his eyes and peeled himself from his lean against the doorframe. "whatever you say, babe. we're gonna go and watch tv again, alright? just holler if you need something."
"we will!"
"you guys are disgustingly sweet." tay murmured from beside her once the two boys were out of earshot. her nose was crumpled and she shot anna a look.
"you're one to talk." you and anna said together making the both of you laugh and tay frown. "people on social media keep on saying you and sammy act like teenagers during their first relationship and you know what, i don't think i disagree."
"bitch."
~
jack perry, unknown to you, unfortunately, was a cheeky motherfucker.
"don't worry i won't tell him." well that was a fucking lie. technically though, his index and middle finger were crossed as he told you that so he wasn't really breaking some sort of unbreakable trust, wasn't he? and in his defense, he knows christian likes you back. no way will he let this opportunity pass the both of you by.
not if he knows the extent of his mentor's infatuation with you.
the first time christian saw you, he was literally stunned by your magnificent aura. the three of them, christian, jack, and luchasaurus were walking and talking backstage about their match, the older, more experienced man giving them a few pointers here and there. they were about to go to catering to grab a light snack before they had to go to the ring when they passed by the tv while you were performing. christian stopped dead in his tracks and stared at you flying around the ring for one whole minute and he only averted his eyes once luchasaurus cleared his throat, the younger wrestler too scared to do so, afraid it'll be taken as him being disrespectful. he's heard horror stories from other, younger wrestlers like him about older wrestlers, how some of them were easily offended and never made their dislike of the younger wrestler a secret.
"sorry," christian apologized and jack perry realized exactly how lucky him and luchasaurus was, having someone as nice and kind as christian mentor them. "got distracted." he wore a sheepish look on his face, his eyes subconsciously wandering back to the tv. to clear himself off of the trance he was in, he coughed gruffly. "we were headed to catering right?" and christian too was glad none of the boys he was with never brung it up again. not only was it weird, but it was also so embarrassing for him in many different ways. first of all, he was forty something - he never likes actually saying his age, always muttering something about how it makes him feel older than he actually is - he shouldn't act like some high school boy anymore. second was how much younger than you are than him. he truthfully has no idea how old you are exactly, but you couldn't be older than thirty to him. third, he was with other people for fuck's sake. he would call himself out for doing that if he was on his own, how much more when it happens in front of other people, ones that looked up to him, no less. fourth, that was so unprofessional of him. he's been in the wrestling business for god knows how many years, he should know better and the worst thing was that he does. he does know better. during that moment, it was just like his body and his mind stopped working in harmony. he had no control over himself and how the intoxicating feeling of having a crush on someone spread through his broad chest, leaving a burning desire where it lay.
just like any other wednesday afternoon, jack lounged around in his locker room with his friend. if their mentor of sorts was just like any other wrestler, he'd be hanging out with them here, but that wasn't the case. instead, he was wandering backstage giving out advice to anyone, especially the younger talent, or maybe even in the ring, providing a more hands-on aid to the other wrestlers. that was who he is, caring, kind, trustworthy, and he'd never, ever let anyone down.
of course for this specific scenario, jack isn't afraid to use that to his advantage. i mean, it's not like christian wouldn't be thanking him later, right?
the older canadian man arrived at their locker room thirty minutes before the show officially started. there was a bit of sweat from his forehead, the clear beads of perspiration running down his temples to his chest. he quickly wiped it off with a towel, "that daniel garcia kid's something else. can't believe that man hasn't even reached his thirties yet. once us old people are gone, aew's gonna be in good hands."
luchasaurus snorted from his place on the black leather couch, already in his ring gear and mask. "you acting like you're prehistoric's making me feel old. stop it."
at that, christian simply shook his head and headed to the changing room with a smile on his face. it was wonderful, truly. a sight you cannot get enough of no matter how many times you see it. you've seen it a thousand times when you were younger, plopped down on the floor, in front of the tv, a bowl of your favorite snack on your lap. and now that you're a wrestler too and his colleague, you've seen that damn wrinkled smile a hundred more times. it didn't matter. you still wanted more. preferably with you both on your sides, facing each other, freshly woken up on the same bed. the sun would be rising and its golden rays would slowly, slowly bathe the man you loved so much. the look in his eyes made him look younger, and his smile lines would bring out the evidence of his experience on this earth making for the most handsome scenery you've seen in your entire life.
when he got out, the two men in the room had their eyes focused on the tv.
it came as no surprise to him that you had the opening match, the one to greet the audience to a good night of wrestling and set the bar for that night and what a high bar did you always set for everyone in the company. your growth since starting wrestling, to where you were before aew offered you a contract was astonishing, unbelievable even. during that time, christian already heard your name being tossed around. much to his disappointment, he didn't really think of it that much back then. your name would come up whenever he conversed with his best friend, edge, the longer haired canadian knowing you because of his wife who helped scout talent for the company she worked for.
and then you were here, finally. christian heard your name again. he never had the pleasure of seeing you wrestle, or even introduce himself to you until that fateful - and embarrassing for him - night. again, you made so much progress in such a short time. your older colleagues looked to you as their equal because of your qualities that made you you and everyone knew that there was something about you, something they couldn't quite touch or name, but is there nonetheless. at this point, they knew you were made for this, undoubtedly and absolutely.
this was obvious during your match tonight and once again, christian found himself entranced, under your spell.
hook, line, and sinker.
jack turned to him when the bell rung, you won, of course. "they sure something, huh?"
with a dry mouth, he found himself having to clear his throat before speaking. "yeah, for sure. talented as hell."
"you like them too, right?"
well, he probably should have stuck to clearing his throat and not drinking water because now, he's in a coughing at what the younger man said.
"you don't have to deny it, it's obvious."
christian looked to the other man in the room for confirmation and he couldn't help the annoyed grunt that puffed out of his chest. he doesn't know if he's frustrated at himself, or his students.
"yeah, and i'm old enough to be their dad."
"you're both adults. it doesn't matter."
"it's weird."
"i've seen weirder, and i'm sure you have too."
"other people are gonna think i'm some sort of creep."
"only you and the people the people who matter know the truth, that you're not. besides, since when did you start caring about what other people think of you?"
"fine, they're gonna think i'm a creep."
"they like you- ouch!"
a water bottle was thrown at the curly haired man's head, courtesy of his tag team partner standing behind him. "you weren't supposed to say that!"
"they both like each other! i'm playing wingman here, alright?"
"yeah, i guess you're right."
"jesus." he cursed, rubbing the back of his head.
"[y/n] likes you too. heard them telling anna and tay and they never lie to each other. i'd never lie to you too. not about this anyway. seriously man, i think you should ask them out to a date or something."
christian opened his mouth to say something, but he wasn't given a chance, cut off before a word escaped his mouth.
"don't you owe me after you-"
"don't you dare."
and dare he did, complete with a cocky smirk and a raised eyebrow - christian wished jungle boy could be this mouthy in the ring - "oh but i do-"
"-so for that thing you owe me, i want you to ask [y/n] out and take them on a nice date."
"isn't that kinda mean?"
"it would be if you didn't like them and they didn't like you back, yeah. but that isn't the case here so.. what's the verdict here, 'saurus?"
"a-okay." he signed the sign language of the letters a, o, k as he did so, further making christian's shoulders slump, weary from the two men. why did he even bother helping them out in the first place again?
"c'mon, man. you owe me. you can't back out of this."
a glare was sent his way, but he knew as well as anyone it was harmless and he was gonna get what he - and christian, and you - wanted.
"fuck you, man. if this goes wrong, you owe me big time." the door was closed behind him gently, but it wasn't long before it was opened again. "do you think we should spy on hi-"
"absolutely." luchasaurus was already out of his seat, walking towards the door while the younger man wasn't even done talking yet.
he smiled a smile that shown all his pearly whites, laying a firm hand on his partner's shoulder, "let's go then." and with that, they discreetly followed who completed their trio.
well, that's what they thought. they weren't discreet at all, bumping into the wall and into each other, muttering curses as a result, knocking over equipment and apologizing while trying to put them back into the proper place with large, shaky, excited hands. the fact that christian didn't notice them wasn't because they were quiet or because luck was on their side, it was simply because the older gentleman was in his head, nervous for what he was about to do.
did he want it? definitely. does he think you actually like him back, his friends telling him the truth? maybe. he wasn't so sure. he knew his friends wouldn't lie to him like that, yeah, and maybe rumors of you liking him did circulate backstage - if it did, he isn't aware of it - but rumors aren't always true, aren't they? he continuously fiddled with the skin around his fingernails and ran his hand through his hair, a telltale sign of the anxiety that was coursing through his veins.
he didn't know how he did, he mostly let his legs lead the way, clearly on autopilot, but nevertheless, he found you leaning on the wall, arms crossed as you talked to your best friend. upon seeing his tall figure in your peripheral vision, you turned to him, only to turn back to your friend in embarrassment when your eyes met and an electric jolt shot right through you. as naive as it may be, you couldn't help but wonder if he felt it too. you thought it was wishful thinking on your part, probably not.
while your eyes left him, his eyes definitely didn't leave you, a silent signal telling you he wanted to talk. your friend took quick notice of this and bid you a talk to you later followed by a wink which made you scowl and frown.
it was then christian walked towards you, one foot in front of the other. now that you were near each other, he couldn't look in your direction any longer, drifting to the things around you, but never exactly on you.
he stopped when he was finally in front of you, and your eyes drifted to the floor subconsciously. you guys haven't really talked much before, the only conversation you've had was him telling you that you did a good job one time when he was at the gorilla position and you just came through the curtains and even then, you assumed he was being nice on instinct. you didn't think much of it because, well, he said that to everyone.
"hey," your eyes drifted to his face, but still not to those gorgeous eyes. "i was wondering if," he paused to scratched the back of his neck nervously. no way, no fricking way. "you'd like to go on a date with me? i-i mean you don't have to if you don't want to. i'm not forcing you to go or anything. i totally understand if you don't want to and prefer someone closer to your age but-" you cut his rambling off with a laugh. "it's alright! a date would be nice." you nodded at him.
"great then." he took a deep breath and made eye contact with you the same time you did the same as him when all of a sudden, there was a loud crash from behind you, causing you to jump in the air and therefore effectively ruining your moment.
when you glanced at the location of the - horribly timed - sound, you saw none other than jack perry and luchasaurus on the floor on their knees. it seemed like they were hiding behind a crate, eavesdropping on your conversation when they lost their balance and accidentally pushed the crate.
"what the hell are you both doing here?" "you told him, didn't you?" well, there was one thing you guys already agreed with.