When We Train
The harsh hyperventilating had started to hurt her throat but she would be damned by Loki's odd sense of humor if she easily gave into Snotface.
"Come ooon! I didn't even hit you that hard!"
"Well, you'll wish you had."
That, if she could ignore the ringing in her ears. The bastard might think he was being gentle but he wasn't really aware of his own strength. Either that or he was being an ass on purpose.
Ruffnut rubbed her sore cheekbone and squinted. The sun was right at the top, the day was unusually bright and warm for a Berk spring and they had been hitting each other with wooden sticks for the past hour, because that morning Snotlout had decided that his technique was getting weaker.
Gronklewash.
She knew what was going on; Spitelout and he had a conversation earlier that day and it seemed like somebody was scolded again for getting too smitten with his flying baby and ignoring his fighting training. Even Tuffnut had heard the brawny guy raise his voice while he whined how his son could ride a flame ball with wings but could not defend himself against a girl with a stick. In her honest opinion, Spitelout could use a couple hours in a hot spring to chill the fuck out, but it was not easy to reason with him. Neither with his son. That's why she was being the 'girl with the stick' and Snotlout was taking it out on her butt.
She finally rose to her feet and rubbed her lower back, grimacing. To be fair, Snot's close combat game was getting lazier lately but it was nothing to blow the horn about. Whatever he lacked in technique, he made it up for with his strength. He might not have been the largest guy of their generation but he was sturdy. Ruffnut wasn't sure when did she become better at technique and tricks than him – probably while she was trying to make sure her ass wouldn't get kicked by hunky dudes. She had to have something. She couldn't punch a face into a pulp by sheer force of her arm, as much as she hated to admit it.
"Look," she grumbled, giving up the threatening voice. "You're doing fine; you don't have to try to knock the braids off my head every single time. When you're attacking me, you're not watching yourself. Stop running at me like I'm cattle on the loose. It's nothing you don't know, you're just losing practice."
"Great."
Ruffnut, baffled, watched Snotlout throw the stick on the grass and turn his back at her. She did not expect a scowl. It was hard to decide if she was annoyed as heck since he was acting like this was her fault, or felt for the guy because his father was a pushy jerk. She opted for rolling her eyes. Familiar was the easiest choice.
"What? You gonna sulk like a toddler?"
"Leave it, we're done. If I'm getting lectured by you, there really is no hope. I am messing up. Just great."
That did it. She could feel the anger jumping through her spine towards her temples like pressured steam. Her stick first found its way to the back of his knees and forced him to kneel, then another hit knocked his helmet off of his coal-colored hair. The shock would have been pleasing some other time. Not when he managed to actually offend her.
"By 'you'? This 'you' has been letting you train with her for Thor knows how long, so your father could loosen his grip on your balls, dipshit! If you think I am so below your level, go ask Astrid next time! If you've picked me so you could win easily, your ass is in for a treat because I'm gonna rip you a fresh one!"
With the end of her bat poking at Snot's Adam's apple, the bewildered look in his eyes was almost amusing. Still not enough to calm her nerves.
In the end, Snotlout managed to control his face and change his expression into something less startled but he still was not rising up to his feet. He sat there, kneeling and looking at her as if the sun was in his eyes. After a moment of pause where neither did talk, Snotlout looked away.
"Sorry."
She wanted to stay mad at him, she knew that much. She had it up to the brim with people assuming she was a no good thick head, and hearing it from him of all people hit her hard. They could give each other hell but it would be all good at the end of the day. Not like this. She didn't want to hear the same crap from him.
But the falling of his shoulders made hers relax too. She didn't say it was okay, because it wasn't. Instead, she threw her stick at his arms and walked towards the one he tossed away.
"Get up."
"I want to train with you."
Ruffnut was just picking up the stick when Snotlout finally spared her more than just a word. She looked at him, just as annoyed. "What?"
"I want to train with you."
Ruff wasn't sure why they were both suddenly silent but the sun frying the metal bowl on her head was doing nothing for the time she spent thinking. She shrugged it off.
"Train then. I don't have all day."
A/N: This one came out a bit more angsty than I thought. Hopefully still managed to stay in characters. This is what happens when you sit in front of your keyboard and ramble on. Let me know what you think! x