The Comfort of Familiarity
"You sure you're ready for this?"
Her eyes flicker to the floor, and he smiles wryly at her hesitation. "Dr. Cole said that I may engage in light activity."
"And you call this light activity?"
She adopts a defensive stance, rods poised as she raises an eyebrow in reply. "Yes."
He sighs before following her example, finding comfort in the fact that she trusts him above anyone else to do this with her now. He lets her make the first move, the blow landing on his hip, and notes the wince that she can't quite hide as she swivels.
Their dance is slow, and although he knows that he will find bruises in the morning, it is obvious that she is struggling. They pause for breath, and he contemplates asking her if she wants to stop. She looks at him, and in a rare unguarded moment he sees what this means to her.
He needs this as much as she does, to know that she will make a full recovery. They have lost too much and too many already, the full extent hitting him hard after he had visited the last of the grieving families. Only then did he let himself breath and think and acknowledge. Now, the ache is still present, but somewhat lessened by the familiarity of home and of the people they haven't lost.
He swipes low with his right arm, expecting her to block. When she doesn't, his stick makes contact with the back of her knee with a loud thwack, and she yelps as she loses her footing. He reacts quickly, wrapping his left arm and stick around her waist and hooking his right fist around the offending knee as he leans over her, barely keeping them both upright. Her own rods clatter to the ground as she grabs his shirt in an attempt to regain her balance.
"I think that's enough for now." He leans back, letting go of her leg but keeping his hand on the small of her back as he sets her onto two feet. His head falls forward to rest against hers, his eyes watching the fists that ease their grip on him as she struggles to gain control of her breathing.
"Thank you," she whispers as she straightens.
He retracts his arm slowly, fingertips ghosting over her wound as he does so. "Any time."