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Her weight shifted quickly to either foot as Sophie jogged in place to get her blood pumping. Warm up stretches out of the way, she felt ready, springy, excited to get her workout underway. She slid a pair of fingerless gloves onto her hands. Her hands fell by her sides as she prepped for her first set of burpies. Sophie loved everything about working out. Pre-workout jitters, the burn of flirting with the line of her own physical limitations and sometimes crossing that boundary. Even the delicious ache of her muscles afterward was a hell of a drug.
“Room for one more?”
Sophie rocked back from her hands to kneel on the floor. Half a burpie down, nine and a half more to go.
Ryan glided across the freshly polished wood floors to stand before Sophie. She wore a beat-up pair of green and white Nike Dunks, a pair of hunter-colored leggings and a windbreaker. A duffle hung from Ryan’s shoulder and her hair was pulled back like she came to play.
“What is this, Love & Basketball?”
“Watched it recently, thank you very much.” Ryan grinned. “But no, smart ass, this is me taking you up on an opportunity to spar, since your hand-to-hand is so bad ass.”
A thin manicured eyebrow rose in confusion. “An opportunity, but not one that had been offered?”
“I read between the lines.”
Sophie smiled. She stood until she was towering over Ryan and not looking up at her. “What a great reader you are.” She pivoted away from the distracting scent of Ryan’s flowery body lotion.
“That a yes?”
Sophie took quick stock of her body. Her arms and legs felt limber, core strong. She had walked into the gym with pent up energy and Ryan arrived right on time. Just the person to give it to.
“Okay,” Sophie said simply, readjusting her ponytail.
Ryan nodded. She turned away to drop her duffel by a nearby wall. “Gotta warn you, I’m no spring chick—oof!”
She was flattened against the wall in an instant. Ryan panted once, twice as her heart lurched from the sudden force that attacked her from behind. Summoning years of martial arts training, she willed her nerves to steel and her breathing evened out. “What the fuck, Sophie?” Ryan barked when she regained her bearings.
“Never turn your back on your opponent,” Sophie hissed against her ear.
"You've been hanging out with Alice too much," Ryan grumbled. Goosebumps raced up and down her neck and arms. Sophie pressed into every inch of her from hip to shoulder. She watched their joined hands against the cool brick wall, felt the warmth of Sophie’s exhale across her ear. Ryan blinked. She struggled against Sophie and the wall with renewed energy, a literal rock and hard place, and Sophie back away.
She smiled at the familiar mystified look on Ryan’s face, accompanied with a pinch of frustration in the set of her jaw, when Ryan turned around.
“And I haven’t even kissed you yet.”
To Sophie’s surprise, Ryan appeared unsurprised by the comment. “You wish,” she replied.
Heat bloomed within her at the vicious tease. “Let’s get started, Ryan!”
It was the last time Ryan allowed Sophie to sneak her from behind, but far from the last time Sophie had her pinned. They circled each other in a ring, giving each other enough space. Occasionally, Sophie would swipe an arm out to test the waters. Ryan remained steady, easily catching on to the taunt. She made Sophie chase her. Not unlike their day-to-day interactions. And just as if it were any other day, Sophie obliged. With lightning speed, she lashed out, and Ryan grunted when she caught the jab right in the shoulder.
The next time Sophie confidently strode in for a hit, Ryan blocked the high aimed blow, and caught Sophie low in the side. Sophie stumbled back in surprise more than pain. Her eyes widened. She tipped her head in a silent compliment then resumed her ready stance.
Ryan unceremoniously unzipped her jacket and threw it to the wayside. Sophie eyed every inch of glistening brown skin she could see. She shook her head. This was a distraction, and the small lopsided smile in the corner of Ryan’s face said just as much.
“You done with your fashion show?” Sophie said, hands on her hips.
“Depends,” Ryan answered. “Are you entertained?”
Sophie scoffed and widened her stance. With Ryan outmaneuvering her at every other turn, the last thing she needed was to be distracted by Ryan’s body. She was a professional. This was part of her profession. Outside of her lack of a current profession, of course.
Though Sophie was indeed good, Ryan was a quick learner. And the longer they sweat, panted, and charged at each other, the more Ryan was afforded the opportunity to learn her opponent. It didn’t help that Sophie was tiring out. But so was Ryan.
She lunged, uncharacteristically, at Sophie and they grabbed at each other’s shoulders like they locked horns.
“That’s cheating,” Sophie panted.
“Loser says what?”
Sophie growled. She leaned in closer and swept a leg out. Ryan’s eyes widened in realization too late as she felt Sophie sweep her off her feet. She held on for dear life as they crumbled to the mat in a heap of limbs.
Sophie made quick work of straddling Ryan and pinning her hands above her head. Ryan gasped, a hint of panic lacing the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Soft palms encircled her wrists so securely and held her to the floor. The warm weight of Sophie's thighs wrapped around her middle and kept her in place. She looked to see Sophie’s triumphant face staring down at her, reddened in exertion. A lone lightning strike of a vein streaked down the middle of her forehead.
The sight of Sophie erased the immediate panic she felt. She wasn’t trapped in some bad guy’s den. She was pinned by Sophie. Which paled in comparison, terror-wise. Sophie was really warm, breathtaking in a way completely unrelated to sparring; and if Ryan were being honest, being straddled by Sophie in the middle of their sparring match was the most action she’d seen in months. Which typically wasn’t a problem, but now felt glaringly apparent.
“So?” Sophie said.
Ryan had yet to say anything. Sophie scanned her face for any sign of distress but found none. Ryan looked completely unreadable and Sophie said as much. When Ryan failed to respond again, Sophie released one hand to snap her fingers in Ryan’s face.
Sophie’s wrist was grabbed, and she was flipped onto her back before she could get a word out. Ryan’s smile stared down at her this time. Sophie’s arms rose above her head in a last ditch effort for leverage, but Ryan held strong, leaning all of her weight forward until Sophie gassed out with a defeated sigh.
Ryan was scant inches from Sophie’s face while her arms laid parallel to Sophie’s. “I win.” She was so close, it was whispered.
Sophie was annoyed. Honestly, she was. But it was hard to find that part of herself with Ryan this close. Every part of her body above waist that she could identify clung to Ryan. “So, you did,” she breathed.
She remained still while Ryan looked deeply into her eyes, across her face, even down her neck. Sophie's mind was a kaleidoscope of bursting thoughts as each painful second ticked on. She and Ryan should spar more often, was among the safer thoughts she was having right now. A familiar pang settled in her shoulder, and Sophie shifted.
“Not that I’m not enjoying you on top of me, but—”
“Sorry!” Ryan lurched backward and scrambled to her feet, face ruddier than usual. She extended a hand to Sophie who accepted the help up. Sophie clutched at her shoulder and rotated the joint.
“Thanks for the spar,” Ryan said.
Sophie rolled her neck, making a mental note to do cool down stretches. She smiled down at Ryan. “No, thank you. Always great practice to fight a new opponent.”
“You mean lose to a new opponent.” Ryan’s smile was radiant. “Are you sore?” she asked softly, taking a step closer.
Sophie waved it off. “I’m good. Your verbal jabs have about as much impact as your actual jabs.”
“Ouch.”
“Something I never said the entire time we sparred.”
Ryan rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” She hazarded a step closer.
Sophie tilted her head to regard Ryan as if the new angle would give her a better clue. There was an energy creeping into the air that she couldn’t quite place. It didn’t help that Ryan kept inching closer to her with the most dazzling smile and bright, attentive eyes Sophie had seen directed her way.
“Glad you’re feeling better,” Ryan murmured.
Sophie nodded, unsure of where the conversation was going, but uninterested in seeing it settle to a close anytime soon. “Tip top shape,” she said. “Thanks for taking care of me while I was sick. Nice to know you care.”
“I always care.”
Their proximity, the sudden energy in the room, Sophie couldn’t have possibly been reading this wrong. A match lit in the pit of her stomach. The thrill of chase was going to be the death of her, as well as a weakness Ryan would exploit in future sparring matches.
Moth to flame, she leaned forward to press her lips to Ryan’s forehead. Ryan stilled against Sophie’s body. The cool touch soothed her nerves and reignited a fire all at once. Their proximity greeted her to swathes of Sophie’s skin. Her clavicle, the straining tendons in her neck. Ryan bit her lip, eyes shutting. Her hands twitched at her side when Sophie pulled away.
“Appreciate it,” Sophie said. She stepped away and Ryan swayed closer expectantly, eyes flitting from hazel eyes to Sophie’s lips.
Energy bubbled from the soles of Ryan’s barely-still feet upward to the frustratingly staticky feeling of her lips. Her heart thumped so hard against her chest, she was nearly panting.
Sophie eyed her knowingly. “If you want me, Ryan, you’ve gotta make a move,” she murmured.
Distantly, the sound of a bubble popping echoed in Ryan’s mind. She remained unmoving as Sophie’s words washed over her like a cold shower. She shook her head and stepped away as if she had been awoken by a spell. Her face pulled into a frown. “I—uh—” The words were never there when she reached for them, leaving her flat on her face when it came to Sophie. “I'm just...not sure of what I want right now, Sophie. Everything feels like it's changed so much. I'm Batwoman, I no longer live in my car, I suddenly have this whole ass family I'm responsible for when I thought my mom was dead. I—" Her helpless face begged Sophie to understand.
Jaw clenched, Sophie held her upper lip firmly shut. She looked to the ceiling and took a clean breath to expel whatever intoxicant had settled between them.
Ryan crossed her arms. "I should probably check on Luke to see how his Batwing upgrades are coming. Wanna come?” she added.
Sophie exhaled audibly. “Right. Think I’m gonna sit this one out. Hope you're able to sort out your wants and needs.” Mounting frustration imbued with age old hope created a confusing churning in her chest that left Sophie both irritated but no less intrigued. “Until next time as always, Batwoman.” She grabbed her belongings and started for the exit.
Ryan’s gaze spanned every inch of her like a caress and Sophie shivered. “Soph.”
The agonized husk of her tone said everything else Ryan wouldn’t as a piece of her followed Sophie out the door.