The Gym, Monday After Classes

[rebelseekspizza]

Kathy'd wanted a spar. Who was Dante to refuse? He hadn't had the chance to flex these muscles in at least a week, and that was absolutely tragic.

So he showed up to the gym a couple of hours after classes, his new boombox in one hand. Old-fashioned, sure, but 1) he could take it anywhere and 2) he'd gotten it for free. (Also 3) Kathy had tried to stop him from getting it, which meant bringing it was funny as well as necessary.) He set it down by the nearest outlet; not too long after, the sound of loud guitars would be heard throughout the gym.

If you had the chance to bring your own background music to a fight, you took it.

He sat down on the floor next to the boombox, his legs sprawling out across the floor, his back to the wall. Now he just had to wait until Kathy showed up.

[[ expecting one, but open before. or during, if you're the popcorn-loving kind. ]]

Comments

[spin_kick_snap]

Hey now! It wasn't that Kathy hadn't wanted Dante to have the stereo, she'd just had the insane idea that it should have been paid for. And had even volunteered to do just that!

Revolutionary, she knew.

Dante didn't have to wait long for Kathy to show up. She'd been looking forward to their spar since they'd agreed to it. The loud guitars were a nice touch, even if she did sigh at the sight of Dante's boombox when she walked in. Still it was a good song, definitely got the blood pumping, maybe she could ask Dante--

"Zombie fistfight?" she asked, once she was able to make out the lyrics. "You are such a brat."

[rebelseekspizza]

Hey, now. Dante could've been way more of a brat, but he'd chosen to heal the bite marks that morning. Have a little respect, Kathy.

He looked up from his spot, idly lounging by the boombox. "Hey, I happen to like this song," he said, grinning. "Seems appropriate, don't you think?"

[spin_kick_snap]

She was! There were so many other names she could have called him! Dante probably took 'brat' as a sign of affection! He'd probably appreciate it more than 'Glowstick' or the future 'Drama Queen' anyway.

"Yeah, yeah, it's great," she said, rolling her eyes as she pulled her hair up. "...Who are these guys anyway?"

Because smartassery on Dante's behalf or not, this was a really good song.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Combichrist," Dante said, hopping up onto his feet in a fluid motion that was only a little show-offy. "Not sure if it's your speed."

She'd probably be running to Tumblr the moment she saw one of the videos.

[spin_kick_snap]

"You'd be surprised at what's my speed, musically," she said shrugging. The music on her ipod ranged from K-pop to gangsta rap to black metal. The latter had seen quite the jump since Lottie had come to the island. "This would hardly be the most esoteric band I listen to."

Kathy was perfectly fine with acknowledging the problematic aspects of the things she liked! ...Generally on Tumblr, yes.

"Do you always have a soundtrack when you fight?" she asked, giving a small smile of appreciation to the way he'd gotten up. "Explains the need for the boombox."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante shucked his coat off and dropped it onto the floor next to the boombox. "Whenever I get the chance," he said, his lazy grin and his tone doing a great job of making something sound casual when it wasn't rooted in anything particularly casual to begin with.

"The right tunes make life a little more interesting in general."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy followed his lead, losing her shirt in favor of the tanktop and sports bra she wore underneath. Her shorts were already very short, too, she wanted there to be very little for Dante to be able to catch or hold onto during their spar.

Starting to stretch, she added, "I'd be tempted to do the same in Baltimore, but that kind of kills the idea of stealth."

You know, even more than the rainbows.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Stealth," Dante said, snorting. "Right."

Pffft. Subtlety.

"So how do you want to play this?" he said. "Hand-to-hand, first one to tap out loses?"

[spin_kick_snap]

It was for people who couldn't walk off getting carved from stem to stern! Weird, she knew.

"Sounds good," Kathy said nodding. "I wasn't exactly looking forward to dodging around your sword. All my weapons are either distance or very up close and personal."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Hey, I've got no problem with up close and personal," Dante said - look, he couldn't not take that opening, especially when he could combine it with slipping riiiight past her. "But whatever makes you feel safe and snug."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy turned with him, orienting her body with his. "Well, that's the fun of hand-to-hand, isn't it?" she asked, taking the opportunity to turn the tables and do a slide riiiight by of her own. She was still stretching, sure, that was it. "It's about as up close and personal as you can get in a spar. And you've already said--several times--you like it rough."

[rebelseekspizza]

Suuuure, Kathy. Of course, that mostly just got him to smirk in a way that was slightly less 'smug' and more 'thinking about you naked', but that wasn't why they were here today, so.

"I do," Dante agreed. "Glad you remembered that. Wanna give it a shot?"

He stepped a few paces - but just a few - away from her, stopped, and crossed his arms.

[spin_kick_snap]

"If you insist," Kathy said, darting forward to close the distance between them. She feinted left, then right, then reached out with blurring hands to strike at him. She could punch nine times in a second--how many of those punches could Dante block?

[rebelseekspizza]

Holy shit.

Dante'd known she was fast, but dealing with that in directed strikes rather than brainless floor-humps was something else. Which meant she landed at least a couple of them (not that it really hurt) before his reflexes overrode his everything else and suddenly he was sidestepping, no, side-leaning away from those blows.

With any luck, that'd cost her her balance for about five seconds.

[spin_kick_snap]

Sorry, Dante. Kathy and balance were pretty inseparable. Speed and agility (and bouncing) were the cornerstone of her powers. She punched air another time or two after he leaned out of the way, but her body immediately compensated for the lack of target and she was bouncing back on her heels.

With Dante leaning to the side, her next course of action was pretty clear. She lashed out a kick towards the back of his knee and then hit the ground to try to sweep his legs with her own.

She knew he was much stronger than she could ever hope to be and that he was faster than normal people. Her only hope was to keep him off-balance and herself out of reach when he did go on the offensive.

[smilestopscars]

How had Ezra ended up here?

Easy, sometimes he heard noise from afar and had to investigate.

And why did he have popcorn? Look, he'd gotten snacky after class. He'd been on his way back when he'd investigated the noise and ended up here! It all made sense, it was the universe giving him a present!

... So yeah that was why Ezra was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, munching popcorn while he watched this show.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Having fun?" Kathy asked as she dashed past him after getting flung.

[smilestopscars]

"Of course!"

Hot people being extremely physical? He was having the time of his life.

(Also, he was learning why Dante smelled so funny. Kind of. Mostly not really because even with this display of powers he still had no idea what the guy actually was. But it was attractive, so whatever.)

[spin_kick_snap]

Yeah, Kathy hadn't a clue either, other than someone who could make gravity sit in a corner and cry.

"Glad to hear it!"

Not that she could talk to Ezra much, what with Dante being a bulldozer in tight pants, but at least one time when she had her legs wrapped around Dante in a more violent version of the way she'd wrapped them around Ezra once, she had the grace to look over and blush.

"THIS IS DIFFERENT!" She knew he'd know what she meant.

[smilestopscars]

"Are you sure?"

He was. There'd been fewer clothes back then.

(No seriously, the time of his life.)

"Don't answer that."

[spin_kick_snap]

She wasn't, mostly because they were rolling over the floor together and Kathy was trying to keep the air in her lungs where it belonged.

[rebelseekspizza]

And of course on his pass through after Kathy, Dante had to stop very briefly to steal a handful of Ezra's popcorn.

He was classy like that.

[smilestopscars]

Ezra made a face at that far too late for it to do anything.

(As if it would have done anything in the first place.)

"Hey! Spectators only!"

[rebelseekspizza]

"Entrance fee!" Dante called back to him, completely unrepentant as he snacked.

Besides, he was walking away, which meant Ezra got a great damn view.

[smilestopscars]

That was very true. And also the main reason Ezra didn't argue further but rather just stuffed his face with popcorn and settled back to watch that walk instead.