(A/N: Hey hey! This is just a quick Note to explain what is going on.

1: This takes place during the Arcade game time, or just a bit after (1987), so while ot features boxers from Wii, it's only going to be the ones who appeared in both Arcade games.

2: Pizza Pasta is in this as well. He is referred to as Giovanni.

3: Dragon Chan and Piston Hurricane do not feature in this, because I'm going off  of actually timelines and if they are there current ages in the main timeliness (which is 1997 in my AU) then they would be just kids.

4: Finally, Dream and Macho are not the ones from The NES game or Super Macho Man. They are actually Sandman's and Macho's dads who were both precious champions.

Without further ado, here is your regularly scheduled one shot.

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Silence lingered throughout the locker room. None of the boxers dared to say a word as they awaited the results. The occasional whisper was made every now and again, and it was usually Giovanni trying to calm down an unsettled and overwhelmed child who might have just seen his father's end.

Joseph was one of many bodies in that room. He sat silently, hands clenched together, resting on his lap. He muttered something to himself, though no sound seemed to escape. 

The possible thought of losing someone he saw as a friend, no, as a brother, brought too many unpleasant images to mind. All his life was, to him, nothing but disappointment. Nothing but loss after loss, missed chances and lost opportunities and rejection, from every angle...and now once again he was going to be faced with this feeling. 

But he felt selfish for this feeling. He felt like he was the only one who was feeling this way when this was not true. Many of the others were feeling this too. If anything, some felt it more than he did. Giovanni being one of them.

The other man whom he knew would be affected by this sat alone in the corner of the Locker room. He fiddled with a chocolate bar in his hands and clenched it tight as he leaned his head back against the lockers in frustration.

Another small whimper was heard. Tired and weary, the men all turned to face the small boy in Giovanni's arms, who was currently rocking back and forth to comfort the boy.

"Shh, shh bambino mio, va bene. Papà arriverà presto. Papa will-a be back soon, I promise" he whispered to the child. Joe wanted to speak up and tell him not to lie. But he knew he was trying to keep the child happy...he just wished he didn't have to lie to do so.

The main door to the locker room opened. All the boxers stood up and eyed the entrance as the Referee made his way in. Everyone's faces were drawn with worry, fear, and panic, as the Ref slowly closed the door. His eyes were glued to the ground, and his hands gripping onto his elbows tight. He shuddered as he tried to get his words out, his voice quivering as he opened his mouth. 

With a sigh, he finally spoke.

"Kid Quick....has died..."

The room fell into silence again for a while, until a faint exhale was heard from the corner. The man had stood up and turned himself towards the locker room doors. He did nothing for a while, but quickly smashed the right-side door and screamed in frustration. 

Joseph felt his heart sink as he heard the impact. He brought a hand to his mouth as he choked on his tears, soon sliding down to sir on the floor. His legs tucked in tight, and his whole body trembling as faint sobbing grew louder with each second that passed.

Giovanni held his sobs back as best he could, but a few tears managed to escape as he leaned back against the doors and held the child close.

Soda grabbed his head in shock and brought his drink close to his lips. He took a quick swig of it before shaking his head in grief.

Hugger only stared in disbelief, which soon turned into sorrow as his eyes began to form tears in their corners. 

Tiger was merely shocked by the revelation, seemingly lacking any of the past connection that Quick had with the others. Though he tried to show empathy towards the others, placing a reassuring hand on Hugger's shoulder, though it didn't do much.

Bull seemed to be the only one who refused to belief this idea. He shook his head and grabbed his elbows tightly as his gaze met the referee's. "Bu mümkün değil.  Bu mümkün değil, Kahretsin!" he cried, covering his mouth slightly at his curse.

He looked stomped towards the Ref and grabbed the man by the collar. "HE ISN'T GONE! THAT CANNOT BE POSSIBLE!" he screamed, his voice trembling slightly, "H-HE WAS MEANT TO STAY WITH US FOREVER! HE CAN'T...HE CA-AN'T GO! NOT NOW, NOT EVER!"

Bull stood in silence before feeling his knees begin to collapse. His eyes welled up in the corners as he turned his head down. Tears streamed from his face and onto the ground as he lost grip of the Referee's collar.

The larger man knelt on the ground, silently sobbing to himself. A gentle hand touched him lightly on his back. Turning around, he saw Joe standing there with a sorrowful, but comforting smile. Bull gave a sigh as he leaned into the Frenchman's chest and continued to lightly sob. Joe felt his lip quiver and gently wrapped his arms around Bull, pulling him closer as he let his own tears begin to flow.

The only two who were not too overly emotional with the news were Dream and Macho, who stood to the side and gave a small sigh. Macho shed a small tear as he turned to face his friend.

Dream gave him a nod and soon made his way to the main door, patting the Ref on the shoulder to let him know he should step aside.

"We are all obviously distressed by this news...there is no question..." He said, quietly. He brought his hands together in front of him and sighed, "But we cannot sit in here wallowing in sorrow...right now we need to be strong...we need to...to try and be strong...for him"

"How can we be strong?" Joe asked. All heads now turned to look at him. "We just lost one of our own...a friend...a BROTHER! A FATHER! Mon dieu! How can WE expect to be strong now when we have lost..." He trailed off and looked back towards Giovanni.

He gazed at the boy that was cradled in his arms. He was tired, overwhelmed, flustered and upset...and for all Joe knew, distressed by hearing his father was now gone.

Recollecting himself, Joe turned to face Dream again. "I can't be strong...I'm sorry...but at this time I don't know how I can be strong...for you...or for him"

"It's not easy..." Dream said, patting his shoulder reassuringly, "...it's never going to be easy...but we have to try...for our sake's...for Quickie's...and most importantly for his son...we can be sad...but we can't let this sadness overpower us...Quick would want us to move forward with a smile...not to wallow in tears..."

The room murmured in quiet agreement, some were still quietly wiping tears away but tried to remain as strong as they could.

The Referee then slowly made his way in front of Dream, clapping his hands together. "I know this is going to be hard for a lot of you...but I do want to tell you that the Paramedics will be bringing his body through the lobby and putting him in the Ambo to be taken to the funeral home..." He trailed off as he looked down at the floor again, "...If you guys want to go say your final goodbyes, now is the time to do it...they're burying him tomorrow afternoon...once you guys do...You're all welcome to go back to the apartments and...and take the rest of the week off...Boss told me to tell you guys..."

The men all shared a look between each other and one by one, all stood up and made their way out of the Locker room. Giovanni carefully stood up as he held the boy tight. Looking back, he saw the man in the corner hesitate in moving towards the door. "You-a coming, Jerome?" Giovanni asked, The man gave a small, hesitant nod as he leant his hand against the lockers.

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The staff and boxers of the WVBA all stood in the lobby as the Paramedics slowly walked through. On their stretcher, a lifeless body lay. The face deprived of color, and even with his boisterous and lively afro, Kid Quick barely looked human anymore. The Boxers all slowly approached the body, the Paramedics coming to a stop so they could each get a look at him. 

Joseph took his hand and gently stroked Quickie's face. It was cold, and solid. It was hard to believe this corpse was his friend...his brother...

Gently, he held Quickie's hand and gave a small squeeze as a new set of tears escaped from his eyes. 

"Mon ami... mon cher ami...I am sorry I couldn't save you in time...I promise I will carry on fighting for you, and I will take care of your boy...the way you took care of me...puisses-tu reposer en paix...tu vas me manquer"

Soon the other boxers came up beside Joe and said their goodbyes.

"Goodbye, ya hoser...Thank you for making this such a memorable year for me...I'll miss you..."

"Take care Old friend...be safe please...dikkatli ol"

"आप सुरक्षित रूप से अपने शाश्वत विश्राम के लिए निर्देशित हों...Thank you for everything..."

"Goodbye...my friend...I drink to you my good man...have a safe slumber, до свидания"

"Goodbye old friend...be safe..." Macho said as he backed away to allow the last three to say their farewells. 

Dream closed his eyes and shook his head as he looked at the body. Unable to form words, but he didn't need to say anything. Everyone knew what he was thinking.

Giovanni stood solemnly looking at the body before leaning down and placing his nose on Quick's. "Goodbye my boy...I will never forget you...I promise I won't...te lo prometto,' Giovanni soon backed away to allow the boy in his arms to stand on the ground. 

The young boy hesitated going near his father until he felt an urging hand. Turning to see Giovanni gently nudge him forward, the boy sighed and slowly stepped closer. He placed a hand on his father's head and let a tear fall down his face. Placing a kiss on Quickie's head, the boy slowly pulled away. "Goodbye, Daddy...I love you..." He said, feeling himself begin to choke on tears. He quickly turned to face Giovanni and ran towards him, hugging him tightly around the legs. The older man scooped the boy back up and held him tight.

The Paramedics soon began to walk again until they heard a door slam shut just to the left. All heads turned to see Jerome making his way towards the group. All the boxers stood aside to let him through.

Jerome examined the lifeless body of his friend and sighed. Grabbing Quick's hand like Joe did and bringing his free hand up to stroke his head. "You gave me such great times...such great memories...heck you gave us all a great time...." He started, "...I can't imagine being here if it weren't for you...you got me here...and you stayed by me all that time....There's never going to be another boxer like you...never gonna be another Kid Quick...never gonna be another brother...or friend...really quite like you...You're one of a kind...I think that's what I'm gonna miss most of all..."

Jerome slowly brought his hands back to his side, as he felt his eyes begin to water. He held his sides tightly and let out a quiet sob as he let the body go. "Goodbye My friend...," He said quietly, trailing off halfway through his sentence, "...I will never forget you..."

Joseph brought himself to Jerome's side and held him tight in an embrace. The Paramedics saw this as a sign to go. As the Boxers all watched their friend go out the door, a blanket was placed over top of him.

The lobby soon became desolate as all the workers began to disperse. The boxers soon followed suit, all giving one final wave Goodbye as they made their way back to the Locker Room.

Their friend was now gone...a brother...a father...all of it was gone...

Silence lingered again as the WVBA facility shut its lights off for the night.

Who knew how long until they once again shined as bright as they did tonight? Only time would tell.