Log: Matt & Topaz

[x-daredevil.livejournal.com]

Matt and Topaz work out at the aerial gym. Topaz does handstands. And other stuff. But shhh, don't tell!



The aerial gym was like any other, minus the hard wood floor and exercise bikes. Instead, there were groups of mats and hoops and silk ropes hanging from the ceiling. It was amazing. Matt loved it and since he was currently spending about four days a week here now working, he was a well known regular.

He had brought Topaz with him to the handstand and partner balancing class a few times thinking that it would push her limits without terrifying her. Not everyone was as fearless as he was. Tossing his gym bag in a cubby Matt's shoes followed along with everything in his pockets, then he locked it. "Ready to stretch out?" He asked Topaz.

Topaz followed suit with her own stuff, pulling off her long-sleeved shirt and dropping it in with her shoes and mobile and money for lunch before looking back at Matt. She'd joined him for these classes a few times, but somehow it didn't make her any less nervous. Though even she had to admit she was getting better. "Sure," she said as easily as she could manage, rolling her shoulders a few times and trying to just relax.

It wasn't about perfection, Topaz didn't have the drive or inclination to be perfect or even super competitive, but she was improving and hopefully noticing the results. Matt on the other hand had both drive and a competitive, plus he loved this sort of thing. If only his dad could see him doing sports and challenging himself without fighting or boxing.

Heading out to a free mat, Matt took a seat, just relaxing and letting his body stretch a little. Leaning forward, he easily grabbed a foot, "I'm thinking we should go try that Asian noodle place down the street after this."

If point-blank asked, Topaz probably wouldn't admit it, but she knew she was improving. "Sure, sounds good," she agreed as she stretched one leg behind her and bent the other one. Strangely, stretching made her feel a bit better. Movement, activity. It helped. She'd be fine once she got started, it was just...starting.

The noodle place always smelled so amazing when they headed past from the subway, it was almost a crime not to try it. Laying with his chest to the mat between his legs, he slowly pushed his body up on his hands. That wasn't a stretch, just fun. "I've gotten so much more flexible this summer," he noted, legs wide enough to almost do splits.

Topaz stopped her own stretching to watch, a bit wide-eyed, as he showed off. "Blimey. Too bad you can't get another few weeks in, you'd probably be able to do a full split."

"I'm still going to train at school," Matt pointed out, he was still an X-Man, "Maybe. Don't really care if I can or not. Just like being able to do the flippy shit, as Frank calls it," that was fun. He stood up properly now, "Anyways, you can do one too. Almost," Topaz wasn't as flexible as him, but she could do more than she thought and with practice she could be just as flexible.

"Yeah, that's true." She kept forgetting Matt was with the X-Men now. It just seemed so weird. Not in a bad way, of course. Just...strange to think about. A slight frown pulled at her lips at the mention of Frank, but it was gone instantly, and she was glad Matt couldn't see it. "Last time I tried I needed help getting up." there was a hint of amusement in her voice as she held her arms up over her head and after a moment leaned forward and lifted herself into a handstand. She'd gotten better at that. And being upside down was fun.

Upside down offered a different perspective to most people. Not to Matt, his powers worked the same regardless and he got pretty much the same information upside down as he did right side up. It was useful in a lot of ways. Grabbing her ankles, he held her as a spot to keep her on her hands. "You're doing good," he remarked, letting her go. "You're staying upside down longer."

She balanced for a few more moments after Matt let go, and finally came back down again, smiling lightly. "It's gettin' easier to balance," she said as she pulled her hair back, tying it up. Her hair was starting to get longer. She needed to get it cut soon. "And it's fun," she admitted, ducking her head a bit.

That's why he cut his hair. It was getting annoying having to tie it back for classes. Some of the other guys had longer hair, but Matt was liking it shorter now. "You're getting stronger and your muscles are getting more used to doing work," he grinned, bending into a handstand himself, "I don't get why people go to gyms and do those machines and stuff. Boring. It makes more sense that if you want to work out to do something," it didn't have to be a sport per se, but working a circuit of machines was so dull.

She usually kept her hair short, but she hadn't had a chance to get it cut -- and honestly, she hadn't had a chance to find someone to cut it. Soon though. She hated long hair. "I don't know, there's something to be said about repetitiveness," she admitted as she watched Matt push himself up. "Like going for a walk. Yeah, it's boring and mindless, but sometimes you just need to be mindless." She could see it being dull. But then, she was a dull person.

"Wanna practice some balancing?" he asked, bending backwards into a backbend. "And this is what I do for mindless. I guess I could go for walks too, but...I dunno. Gymnastics works better for me," it also helped keep Matt's attention off cravings when he got them. It wasn't a foolproof method for dealing with his addiction, but it worked pretty well for the most part.

"To each their own, right?" Topaz said with a shrug. She tugged at her ponytail to make sure it was tight, stretching her arms over her head. "Sure, sounds good."

Laying down on the mat, Matt took Topaz's hands, letting her guide him for what positions they were going to do, though obviously the laying down ones were first, at least for him. He could balance her easily, she wasn't all that big. It was fun!

It was fun, though Topaz would likely never admit it out-loud. It was also entirely nerve-wracking, knowing that Matt was the only thing keeping her from tumbling back to the floor. But she carefully lifted herself into position all the same and surprisingly easy, all things considered. She really was getting better this.

To do this required trust, even at this most basic, beginners level, and Topaz didn't do that easily. Matt did moreso, but only sometimes. This required Topaz especially to step out of her comfort zone, at least a little, and it was a good challenge for them both in a lot of ways. "That's good," Matt encouraged. "Hold it now..."

Topaz made a noise in the back of her throat as she held the position, not as shaky as she had once been. This certainly did require trust, but she'd worked with Matt enough at least to know he wouldn't drop her. So the trust came a bit easier. "Alright..."

"Think you can try a throw?" Matt asked. So far, Topaz hadn't tried it.

She opened her mouth to say no, as usual, but somehow, "Sure," managed to slip out. Topaz pressed her lips together, hesitating, but didn't take it back.

That was different. Okay. "Alright," Matt agreed, reviewing in his head how to do this. "Let's do this."