strangetrip | [GP] training day

There was a trope that in prison there wasn't much to do except work out or read. As colorful as Madonna Inn might be, it was still a prison. And look, somebody had put together a library.

Put fifty some people, many of them military, adventurers, vigilantes, or superheroes of one stripe or another, in a prison with none of the urgent missions or near-death experiences they were used to, the fitness center was going to be a popular place. Maybe almost as popular as the bar.

... Probably not quite that popular.

There were free weights and weight machines, treadmills and ellipticals, yoga mats and exercise balls. A room set aside for classes, if someone decided to lead. A large square had been taped over an area of the floor off to one side as a make-shift sparring space. Sports equipment had been brought back from Bonesville for those who preferred more organized games. And those who had been stuck here longest remembered there hadn't always been a salmon ladder.

In other words, something for just about everybody. And you could usually find someone in there if you were looking for a spotter, workout buddy, sparring partner, friendly competition too.

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When Maya started picking up his own moves, Alec adjusted his own, and eventually he started using more of his abilities, becoming faster and stronger. She was so skilled at keeping up that he wasn't quite thinking and used his full speed to spin around and then kick her hard at the small of her back.

Maya was used to picking up the tiniest, most subtle of movements. Things most people didn't notice. Things she didn't always notice on a conscious level, but filed them away in memory regardless. But she didn't see that kick coming at all. She knew where Alec was, what he was doing, then it was a blur, and the next thing she knew, there was a hard impact at the small of her back that sent her flying off the edge of the mat and flat on her face, the breath knocked out of her.

She pushed up slightly, testing. Ouch. Nothing broken, that she could tell, but she was going to be feeling that for days. In a real fight, she knew she'd have had to say fuck the pain, pushing through it so she could get eyes on Alec again fast. In a spar, she could move a little slower. She hoped.

He was actually a little surprised she didn't move to block it at all and his stance changed, shoulders relaxed. "You okay?"

She hadn't turned in time to see his question, but when she looked, she recognized the neutral, waiting posture. "Speedster?" she asked, wincing as she rolled over so she was sitting on the floor instead of lying on it. She'd stand up in a minute.

It took him a second to figure out what she meant. "Oh. Uh, No. Or yes? I'm just naturally fast." He shrugged a bit. "Comes as part of the whole package. There's some fast cat DNA in me."

Fast cat DNA? Maya blinked, then stood, rubbing at what was going to be a spectacular bruise on her back. "Say that again? I don't think I saw right the first time."

Alec caught that, finally. "Wait... saw?" His mind processed a few times. "Are you deaf?"

"Just working that out now?" Maya didn't go out of her way to hide her deafness. It was a part of her. But she did like how it wasn't as obvious as her skin to mark her as Other. And if it meant she could bust Alec's chops a little, that was just fun.

He looked a little embarrassed, but smirked at her remark. "Hey, I'm fast in body, but not in mind." A lie, but he could poke fun at himself.

"I said big cat DNA. Probably a cheetah, but we don't really know. It's not like the scientists left a list of ingredients for us."

She'd fought alongside people who had powers thanks to science experiments. She couldn't be sure, but it looked like there was maybe some bitterness under Alec's 'no big' attitude. Or maybe she was projecting. She would be bitter if some scientist turned her into a lab rat.

"You did say you were full of surprises." She held up one hand. "Help a girl up." She'd learned to speak with actions before words. This was no hard feelings about the kick and not weirded out by whatever you were turned into, if he knew how to read it.

He helped her up easily with a strong arm. "A guy can't disappoint when he says that to a girl, can he?" He grinned to her. "But you definitely kick some ass being able to keep up. I'm really impressed." And he knew he would be, really.

"Some guys are all talk," she countered, a flick of her eyebrow to answer his grin. He hadn't disappointed... so far. "Actions speak louder than words is even more true for a deaf girl."

As for the rest, she gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I learn from the best."

Alec often came off as the guy who was all talk, but he often followed through, even if sometimes it was begrudgingly.

"Maybe we can compare notes sometime." His smile turned charming and while he really meant it - you always had to be willing to better yourself in combat - it was also definitely said to sound flirty.

"Isn't that what we've been doing?" she asked, a glint in her eyes. "I'd hate to get all sweaty and not get anything out of it."

His smile widened. "Yeah, but there's some moves I want you to show me again without the pounding headache that goes with it."

"I was going to grab a shower." Obviously. After a work out like that. Her focus shifted, still watching his lips but holding to his eyes at the same time. "The one in my room is large enough for two."

Inwardly Alec was all high-fives and excitement, but he had enough training not to show that. His wide smile remained, though his eyes perhaps darkened just a little with the promise.

"It would definitely be a shame not to use the space."

[GP] training day

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