Shiro & Scott, Thursday 2/22

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Backdated because I'm a slacker. To get back into shape, Scott calls Shiro down for a friendly hand-to-hand sparring. Of course, the subject of Alex inevitably arises, but it's a good talk.


It had been a while since he'd sparred with Shiro. Strangely, he'd been tending to do most of his hand-to-hand practice with Ororo or Jean since he stopped hurting too much to enjoy it. He wasn't going to be fighting hand-to-hand with women in most cases in the field, however, so he needed to get back to something closer to a proper balance.

Shiro muttered something about karma as he padded into the gym. He didn't believe in coincidence, so being asked to beat up (and be beat up by) Scott had some significance to it. After putting his things down in the corner, he walked over to the mat and bowed to Scott. "How vicious are we getting?" he asked.

Both of Scott's eyebrows went up. "Shiro," he said, very patiently, "I did not ask to spar with you for personal reasons." He very carefully did not smile. This was kind of funny, actually, that Shiro would assume that... "I haven't been fighting with a proper range of people since I got properly back into training. I'm wanting to fix that."

A faint blush appeared on Shiro's cheeks, and he turned away so Scott couldn't see. "Sorry." He shook his head and started stretching. It had been a while since he'd had the opportunity to practice hand-to-hand with someone who didn't know his style back to front ( i.e., Logan). No time to waste. "What I meant to say was, what are the rules?"

"Basic sparring, Shiro. Don't break anything," Scott said just as patiently as he went through a few stretches. "And no powers, obviously."

"I'm sure I appreciate that." Shiro cracked a few joints, bowed again, and then got into stance. "I am ready when you are." Part of him wanted to have a Talk with Scott because at the very least that seemed par for the course. On the other hand, this was a professional meeting, and he'd be all to happy to keep it strictly so. But given his luck, it probably wouldn't last.

Scott didn't rush his stretching, so it was a few minutes before he joined Shiro on the mats. "So," he said, after a few exchanges of blows. "Everything good? School, etc..."

"School is fine. I have to draw the first five pages of a graphic novel by the end of term. Et cetera is . . . et cetera." Shiro ducked and punch and aimed his foot at Scott's legs to get him off balance. "As et cetera tends to be."

"Blond, cute, and kind of clingy?" Scott managed to get a good hit in while Shiro was gaping at that. It was kind of a cheap shot, really.

Shiro staggered back, more from the comment than from the force of the hit, but quickly recovered and struck back. "Yeah, that," was all he said.

Scott blocked successfully. "Yeah," he said, drawling the word out, and trying, mostly successfully, not to smile. "That."

"Lectures are usually more successful in an office, ne?" Shiro took a few steps back to reanalyze his strategy. He usually got a few good hits in with Scott, even so early in the game. If Shiro didn't rein in his nerves, then he'd get nothing. He forced an artificial serenity he sure didn't feel, and went back in.

He could torment Shiro a little at the same time as he tested his ability to keep his head in the game under some minor emotional stress. Oh, this was just win-win. Scott focused on the sparring for a minute or two, just to lull Shiro into a false sense of security. Or to let the pressure build. Whichever worked.

Mostly the latter. Shiro had known Scott for too long to think that he'd just drop it. But that knowledge was a little bit helpful, since he was so sure what would happen eventually that he didn't have to metaphorically look over his shoulder constantly. So at least he wasn't messing up like he could have been.

They'd both worked up a decent sweat by the time Scott spoke again, in what seemed like a mutual pause in the sparring. "You don't need to worry, you know," he said, breathing hard. "I was mostly just surprised, that's all."

Shiro offered Scott a small grin. "You and me both. It just happened and . . . yeah, that's it. It is happening. I did not imagine it before, either." A lie, but one that he hoped didn't show.

"I have concerns, but they're just my usual concerns about Alex. Not about you." He wasn't going to turn this into any sort of touchy-feeling thing in the non-violent way, but Shiro did need to know that whatever doubts he had about the wisdom of Alex 'moving on' like this (and this earlier), it wasn't because it was Shiro. There were additional considerations here, after all. Team considerations.

"I can at least assure you that I am not using him for his powers to make myself into any sort of semi-divine being," said Shiro before returning to the melee. "Nor am I a manipulative psychopath. So I already have a one-up from his previous girlfriends."

Scott winced and landed a solid right to Shiro's jaw. Team considerations, he told himself. "You'll let me know if he starts acting like he's unduly anxious about you being on the team?" That had been a concern, even though Alex should probably be used to that by now. "I can have a talk with him, if that starts happening... it's not like he and I haven't had that talk before."

Shiro took the hit but quickly countered with a punch to Scott's gut. "He has been unduly anxious about me being on the team since I joined," he said, "So I doubt that will change at all now. And if it does, then . . . uh." Shut up now, Yoshida, he told himself. Scott didn't need to hear about what Shiro would do to drown Alex's protests.

Oh, that had been a sloppy lapse in defense, there. He really did need to be practicing his hand-to-hand more often. "I'm actually relieved, you know," he said. "You're good friends first, and that means a lot."

"That would be why we" - have been going so damn slowly? - "have been careful not to rush. Nothing ruins a friendship more than pigheadedness." Or chopping people's hands off, but that seemed to Shiro like something a little too spiteful to say out loud. In front of a mentor, at least.

Scott decided he was reassured. He also punched Shiro in the jaw as he was deciding that, but really, one had absolutely nothing to do with the other. "So, we're good," he said almost conversationally, and knew Shiro would know he meant team-wise. "I mean, so long as you don't ever hurt him."

"Stop punching me there." Shiro deflected another punch with a rather fancy maneuver, one that would have made Haroun cry for being too flashy, and countered with an uppercut. "You have nothing to worry about beyond whatever issues generally arise in a relationship."

Scott took a step back and raised an eyebrow. It was, on the whole, a lot more diplomatic - and less hypocritical - than pointing out to Shiro that he hadn't exactly been the poster child for stability, these last couple of years.

"And stop looking at me like that." Shiro struck, aiming to literally wipe that look off Scott's face. "Of all the people whom I have known since coming here, Alex's friendship and trust have meant the most to me, more than anyone else's." Even the respect of his teachers, and that was saying a lot. "I would not violate that."

Scott just smiled as he blocked the punch. He was starting to understand just how effective a tool silence could be. Not to mention that it appealed to his sadistic side, and that was always a plus.