fandomhighdorms | The gym, Wednesday morning

Entry tags:

@gym,
river tam

The gym, Wednesday morning

Sometimes exercise was a good way to stop thinking, and today River did not feel like thinking at all. The gym was also empty, so the thoughts of others were far away enough to not require effort to keep them out. She stretched out on the floor, leaning flat over her right leg, trying to keep her mind off the replies she had asked for and not received and turning more to the happiness she felt that she would see Simon again soon.

[River is here to meet Lee, but the gym is very open]

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After spending most of his yesterday stuck to a wall, Lee was actually grateful to be moving around and in clothing.

He walked into the gym, nodded and said, "How's it going?"

River raised her head, holding back a smile. His adventure yesterday was clear enough to her. "Going as can be expected," she said, shifting to lean over her other leg. "Yourself?" She tried very hard not to smirk.

"Oh, dandy," he said and shook his head. "Always a fun time in my world, you know."

"So it seems." Shifting again to stretch over both legs, she added: "In mood for sparring?" She tried keeping her voice neutral.

"That's why I'm here," he said, tossing off the sweatshirt he'd been wearing due to the morning cold. "You?"

Slowly and gracefully she got to her feet. "Yes," she replied simply. She had been looking forward to this. Tiltin her head, she eyed Lee, noting that his arms were really quite pretty. Not that it would do him any good. "Ready?"

"Yep," he said, padding towards her, arms up. "Let's go."

River froze for a second, then lashed out, making a low, sweeping kick aimed at his legs.

Having not expected that, Lee's feet went out from under him and he ended up on his back. He stayed there for a few moments before bouncing back up and throwing a right hook towards her.

The part of River's mind that wasn't focusing on her own next move was listening to Lee planning his movements. She ducked, aiming a punch at stomach before making a quick retreat. There was no hurry, after all.

Lee almost managed to avoid that but it caught him, just a glancing blow but enough to make him wince and step back to regroup.

"You're good," he said before stepping forward again and throwing one hand low and one hand high.

"I know." River grinned. "Like dancing." She kept moving just outside his reach, making a few fake punches to make him uncertain.

He tried to predict her next move, tried to figure out where she'd go next but it was hard with her moving and throwing feints.

So, he kept his hands up in a defensive stance and moved with her, keeping his body in front of hers.

A sudden hard kick was aimed at his right thigh, with a quick punch at his left shoulder following.

And Lee hit the mats, wincing in pain, one hand immediately going to his thigh and the other one going up to try and fend her off.

He swung his arm at her knee, trying to knock her off balance.

Her feet always managed to be out of his reach. Then River deliberately moved away, giving him time to get to his feet.

"Frak," he mumbled, stepping to his feet and shaking his leg. "Come on."

River made another sudden movement, this time launching an attack of fast, whirling kicks and punches, like a precisely choreographed dance, the rhythm fast and unyielding.

All of which connected, some glancing, others full on and Lee knew he'd be sore tomorrow. Hell, today even.

Anything he tried to block just hit his arms which just made them hurt, anytime he tried to whirl away, a kick or a punch just caught him somewhere else.

Regaining as much sense as he could, he swiped a hand across his face, winced when that hurt and swung a wild punch towards her head.

River ducked. She took a few steps back to let him catch his breath, preparing to resume.

"Damn it," Lee said, frustrated. He swiped another hand across his face before clenching his hands into fists and moving towards her again.

And then he tried to step on her foot. Nothing else was working, after all.

For someone who knew in advance what your next movement was going to be, and who also was a good dancer, avoiding getting your feet stepped on was quite easy. River let out a giggle, then once again attacked Lee with a fast sequence of kicks and punches.

The flurry dropped him hard onto the mats and had him tasting blood on his lip. Of course. That was just how his week was going that he'd bust a lip and acquire what felt like eight million bruises in the process.

He swiped at his lip and climbed to his feet again, wincing but not willing to show it that much.

"All these weeks you've been pissed at me for some unknown reason," he wheezed, arms up again, "and that's the best you got?"

River stopped, watching him cooly. "Want better?" she asked, an eyebrow raised. She could do better.

Uh.

He'd just been taunting, teasing, doing what he'd done to Zak the times they'd boxed together.

"As long as it doesn't kill me," he finally said.

"Won't kill you." River's voice actually sounded reasurring, making it sound as if killing was actually a possibility and she had made a decision to avoid it. She spun around, aiming another kick followed by quick punches.

"Tha-" And that was cut off at her latest assault, which sent him tumbling to the mats hard. He saw stars in front of his eyes and thought of just staying there.

That hurt. But, no. He could do it. He blinked a few times, cleared his head and slowly got to his feet, wiping at the blood on his lip and getting his feet back under him.

He was quite stubborn. River couldn't help that it surprised her, and she felt a tiny surge of compassion, although not one she couldn't ignore. He must know he couldn't win and yet he persisted.

"Wanted to say something?" she asked, waiting a moment before launching another attack.

"No," he spat and shook his head. "No, I wasn't going to say anything. Come on."

She took a few steps forward, light yet determined as if she was walking on to a dance floor, then spun around, aiming a kick and a punch, both of them followed by many more.

Frak, she was just too fast and even when he had his hands up, his wrists and arms were just getting battered and bruised incessantly. The boxing he'd learned back home was having NO effect and his back hit the mat hard.

He stayed down for longer this time, breathing heavily and making sure he could feel his legs still.

River circled him slowly. "Had enough?" she asked, almost wishing he had. She could sense the pain, clear enough to make her own adrenaline flow.

"No," he wheezed, clambering back to his feet, listing to one side and looking glassy eyed. "Come on."

Stupid male ego.

River was tempted to knock him out and save him further pain, but the choice had been offered and he had made his decision. She walked straight up to him, prepared to dodge any blows, and aimed two fats kicks, one to each knee, before spinning around and continuing the assault with punches.

"Frak," Lee managed to mutter before hitting the mats face first and coughing painfully. Again, he didn't make a move to get back up.

River knelt next to him, reaching out a hand to push dow on his shoulder, aiming to hold him down. "Finished," she said.

"For now," he said and rubbed his face against the mats.

River released him and stepped away, a hint of a smile on her lips. "Planning on repeating this?" she asked, sounding amsued.

"Why not?" Lee asked, getting to his knees and taking an inventory to make sure nothing was broken.

"If you still want to in a few days," River replied, almost smirking.

"Maybe sometime next week," he said and finally got to his feet, stretching painfully.

River said nothing, still thinking he would reconsider that. Or maybe not, as he had proven himself to be quite stubborn.

She took a few steps back and slipped down on to the floor, stretching out her legs.

Lee didn't say that next week would be far too soon. No way was he admitting that.

"Think I'm gonna go shower," he said and started walking slowly but surely. If he didn't fall down, it would be all good.

River didn't reply, just watched him leave, finding that she didn't wish he'd fall either.

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The gym, Wednesday morning

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