Pump it
by
Silver-Eyed Rukia
Rated: T
Summary: Mikasa is a regular at the gym. But when her usual training routine is interrupted by a martial arts performing blonde things end up getting a little rough.
Pairing: Mikasa x Annie (hinted)
Note: Please ignore any mistakes. Or point them out and correct me, whatever you prefer.
Special thanks to: ANBUShizuka for beta-reading this story (lonely_no_more on Archive of our Own)
The music's steady beat, accompanied by the sound of blood rushing through her ears, created a rhythm enticing enough to make the woman lose herself to it, surroundings all but forgotten as she readied herself for the next and final push.
"…15!"
The barbell fell unto its designated mounting with a satisfying clank and the student sat up from the bench, panting and running her towel over her sweat-ridden forehead. As if on cue the music changed to a more endurable song that was now blasting through the gym. The constant noise of weights being lifted and dropped, feet running along on treadmills and people chatting away with each other wasn't even remotely drowned out by the current top 40 but the girl didn't mind. She was used to it and the background noise gave her a strange comfort while working out.
She stood, unlocking her phone to check the message she had just gotten while making her way over to the boxing area. It wasn't all that fancy with just a couple sandbags, mats and gloves but it was good enough to train and stay in shape.
17:41, Tue, Message from Eren Jäger
Hey sis, you coming home soon? I'm starving and Armin managed to burn the noodles again :/ Pick up something for us on your way home will ya?
Mikasa sighed inwardly and hid her phone in her pocket again, slightly annoyed at the fact that she now had less time to train than she had originally planned. Her hand reached out for the door leading to the boxing area only to recoil in surprise when she didn't feel cold metal but cold skin and her gray eyes followed the pale skin to where it originated from: a girl clad in a fashion similar to hers, blonde hair tied into a bun and icy blue eyes staring deeply into her own ones.
"Sorry", the taller girl managed to say before the stranger entered the room before she did, no words spoken from her side. Mikasa shook off her thoughts about the somewhat odd exchange and followed suit, wrapping her hands and putting on gloves before starting some practice blows against one of the sandbags.
Her steady but deep breaths sounded loud to her ears in the separate and music free room, especially now that she knew that she wasn't alone in here. Gray orbs subconsciously darted over to the large wall mirror that was covering one-fourth of the interior and caught sight of the reflection of the small blonde from earlier. One of her heels rose off the floor as she fell into a well-practiced stance, eyes focused as she threw punches into the air with a precision that spoke for the blonde's experience. 'How come I haven't seen her around before?'
The style looked like something she had seen before, but the raven-haired student couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. Her own training all but pushed into the back of her mind she continued watching this stranger. Her chest was hid behind a tank top that did little to hide the rest of her torso, thus showing off her bare midriff and lean figure. Well trained legs poured out of lose fitting shorts and ended in nothing but cloth wrapped feet.
A loud crash from outside snapped her out of her daze and Mikasa's cheeks heated up as she focused back on her own training and the sandbag in front of her. Her mind blamed it on the exercise but her rapidly beating heart knew the real reason. Just watching the fluid movements of the still nameless girl excited her. Not only was it rare for women to be found in this area of the gym but it was even rarer to see them performing martial arts to this extend.
Something out of the corner of her eyes alarmed her to someone's presence and she ducked away from the blow with trained ease, shifting into a defensive position as her mind went into autopilot.
"Huh."
Or it would have if the attacker hadn't been the athletic blue-eyed girl she had been watching earlier.
"I expected you to get decked in the face by how absentminded you are while training."
Skin glistering from sweat and chest heaving from exercise the woman looked at Mikasa in what seemed to be mild surprise, one hand resting on her hip while the other just dangled in the air limply. A slender eyebrow rose and the black-haired student dropped her defensively raised arms.
"Is that your way of greeting complete strangers? Cause it's obviously not a normal hello since you also kind of ignored me before we came in here."
"And you usually stare at women working out like a creep as your way of saying hello?"
The taller of the two found herself rendered speechless at the reply and shut her mouth, awkwardly flexing her arms from lack of knowing what to do with them. Curious eyes followed the motion and settled back on stormy gray orbs afterwards.
"Name's Annie, I just recently moved here so that's probably why you haven't seen me around before. I would have caught you staring earlier if you did."
Her English seemed flawless but held a distinctive accent to it that the ravenhead couldn't quite make out. Some European country maybe? She made a mental note to ask the cocky girl about it later.
"I'm Mikasa and I gotta apologize. It's not like me to be that rude but you just struck me as fascinating. I have rarely seen this fighting style around here but I swear that I have seen it before somewhere." The heat seemed to return back to her cheeks and this time she knew it wasn't her workout but the really attractive blonde standing right in touching distance.
Annie smirked and fell back into her stance, nudging her hopefully soon-to-be training partner into doing the same by feigning a jab to her shoulder. "Well why don't you try finding out, Mishka. If I send you spiraling towards the floor faster than you figure it out I win and you owe me dinner."
Mikasa returned the smirk with a smile of her own, mimicking the pose with a slight difference in her footing. "There aren't that many martial arts where the fighter doesn't wear gloves. And shoes. Plus, what do I get when I win?"
The blonde ducked away from a swift right hook from the taller girl while sending one of her legs crashing into the raised gloved hand, chuckling.
"When? Well someone's confident. How about you still treat me to dinner and I tell you what Mishka means."
Mikasa's fist connected with Annie's forearm, resulting in the smaller girl staggering from the sheer intensity of the punch.
"Deal."
She didn't even notice her phone going off again, nor did she remember the previous message she had received from her brother as she was too busy dodging and dealing blows from this insanely interesting blonde.
18:24, Tue, Message from Eren Jäger
Uhm, Mika? Forget about dinner, I have to get Armin to the hospital and get you a new pan. It, uh…melted…
Well, talk to you later!
PS: Please don't kick my ass later :(
Half an hour, a lot of pain, sweating, two showers and a change of clothes later the pair entered the shared apartment of Mikasa, her brother and his best friend, Chinese takeout in tow. A deep sigh escaped the taller girl's mouth as she spotted the mutilated kitchen and the even worse looking pan in the sink while Annie just ditched her shoes near the door and made herself useful by getting them both drinks and plates.
"I swear, I can't let those two alone for more than a couple hours without risking a nuclear war breaking out in this apartment. The pan looks like it suffered through that to be honest", Mikasa said while picking up the remains of her iron cast skillet, raising an eyebrow as all she actually grabbed was the handle that had fallen off the melted pile of iron still inside the sink.
"Apparently not. I am never going to let you touch my food if you have the same ability to vaporize cooking utensils like your roommates. Also, you gonna bring a fork? I'd starve faster than I'd learn how to eat with those twigs of yours, I ain't Asian like a certain someone."
Gray orbs rolled in fake annoyance and they both settled down with their respective meals and started eating while turning on the TV for some background noise. Minutes went by in silence as they listened to recent news and finished their food before the black-haired woman leaned back, eyeing the person next to her.
"So, how come I haven't seen you around the gym before? You don't appear to be the casual "Going to the gym cause I feel fat" type." Mikasa watched in silent amusement as Annie destroyed the rest of the food that she had offered the smaller woman, wondering how so much food fit into such a tiny person.
"I only recently moved here to study", the blonde said, licking some sauce off her lips and raising an eyebrow at the motorcycle commercial running on the screen before she turned her attention back towards the conversation. "I'm from Germany. My old man's German but my mum's Russian, or at least they used to be. They passed away shortly after I graduated what you would consider middle school. And before you say anything, stuff it. I don't want pity."
Taking the hint to not further push the issue the black-haired girl nodded in understanding. "I never met mine. I got adopted by Eren's dad but he's a really nice guy. I'm currently studying at Sina University along with my brother's best friend Armin. Eren went to study at Maria Community College though, felt like it suited him better."
"Guess we'll be seeing each other more then in the not to distant future, cause that's where this girl is studying to...well, I don't really know yet. Gotta do something other than martial arts for a living though", Annie more or less mumbled the last part, letting quiet settle between the pair. They continued watching the ending of the currently airing show before Mikasa used the break to start the conversation again.
"I literally only met you a couple hours ago and yet we are having dinner together in my apartment. I haven't even done that with Jean and he's been asking me out for months."
Blue eyes closed in thought and when they opened they caught the startled look in her opposite's face upon hearing her words. "Well, I am irresistible and a woman and judging from your reaction he is certainly neither. Thus meaning that you aren't attracted to men."
Silence.
"You concluded that from me not wanting to go out with someone who happens to be a guy?"
"That and the fact that you damn near undressed me with your eyes in the locker room. And while working out."
Mikasa pulled her trademark red scarf over her mouth and mumbled a quiet response, looking at the TV screen.
"Did not. And we are only sitting here because I won and you owe me an explanation, Miss Muay Thai." Her shoulder-length hair was tuck behind her ears as Annie approached her, pushing her back into the comfortable pillows with little effort as she put up no fight.
"Right, sorry, messed things up. I had been watching you ever since I set foot in the gym and tried provoking a reaction from you, but you are either immensely patient or flat out dense", the blonde murmured while running a slender finger over the outline of the taller woman's jaw. "And you only won because you are about 150 pounds of pure muscle. You quite literally "swept" me off my feet."
Something about the delicate motion of Annie's finger sent pleasant shivers down her spine and she swallowed, knowing fully well that only an hour ago those fingers had been the reason she now bore huge bruises all over her arms. It was odd. They had talked while they fought and afterwards, yes, but never would she have expected to invite a stranger into her home, especially not one she was this attracted to. She twitched slightly as Annie shifted to place a leg between hers, continuing her approach, but relaxed soon after when she found nothing but honest attraction in those icy blues.
The channel cut to commercials advertising some new shampoo but Mikasa didn't hear it as her ears filled with the low and incredibly seductive, accented voice of the blonde that was barely inches away from crossing the distance between their bodies .
"Mishka means little bear, Mishka. Fitting for a beast like you don't you think?"
The dazed hum of agreement turned into another sound as the distance between them was finally closed and the taste of Annie's sweet curry chicken exploded on her lips
Mishka (russian): a little and funny bear; here: little bear
Author's Note: In German (and UK English, which we learn in English in Germany) we use the comma after the direct speech, like this: "Bla bla", [subject name here] said. So please bear with it, it's too much work to go back and change it every time since it's how I learned it. I am aware that this is different in American. Thank you for your attention and understanding.
So. My wonderful girlfriend and her neverending love for SnK and more specifically Mikannie finally got me to write something for those two after my...2 year break? Whoops, sorry about that. I swear, I don't mean to abandon things for so long. But there is hope for "Hand to Hand Part II", I really wanna work on it soon. So hit the follow button or read the story for the hopefully soon-to-be update!
Phrase of the Day
I've turned into a monster, a monster, a monster, and it keeps getting stronger.
"Monster" by Imagine Dragons
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