Spike sliced the air with his hands then swung his hips around and leaned back slightly for a high kick. He held that position for a moment, muscles straining and sweat dripping down his face. One droplet slid down his forehead and clung to the tip of his nose precariously. Spike spun around, sweat spraying everywhere, and began a new series of kicks and jabs and twists.
He hardly remembered the trip back to the Bebop, or even Jet's heated scolding. Somewhere out in space it had finally sunk in: Faye and Vicious. A couple. An item. Lovers.
Spike punched the wall, a metallic thump resonating throughout the room. He let his hand rest against the wall for a moment, then backed away, panting heavily and arms hanging limply at his sides. He sniffed the air suddenly.
A pleasant aroma had permeated his training room. Hadn't Jet come in to tell him about dinner being ready? More than once in fact, shouting something about bell peppers and beef. Spike released a breathy laugh. Yeah, Jet's famous bell peppers and beef…hold the beef. Still, it did smell good and his stomach growled appreciatively. Spike patted it, as if calming a restless beast. He was starving, but he didn't want to go to the kitchen. Didn't want to sit down at the table and face –
"Hey."
Faye. She smirked at him, hand on hip.
"Some workout," she cooed. "You'll never get into shape just standing around like that." Her eyes sparkled with playful teasing, alight with the anticipation of his assuredly smart-assed retort. Spike stared at her silently. A part of him longed to continue the normalcy, to respond with an appropriate sarcastic and witty insult. But his lips stayed frozen in a hard line. Faye's smile faded and she looked at him uncertainly.
"I uh, brought you some dinner…." She held a large plate out to him. Spike glanced down at it.
"Bell peppers and…BEEF!" Spike snatched the plate from her and began shoveling the food in his mouth. Faye's grin returned.
"Yeah, you should've heard Jet ranting when you didn't show up to dinner. I finally had to agree to bring this food to you or he'd have never shut up." So much for normalcy. The old Faye would've eaten the food once she was out of Jet's sight and retreated to her room in self-satisfied triumph.
"Thanks," Spike mumbled.
"Whatever," Faye shrugged uneasily, as if noticing the weirdness of her actions for the first time. She moved to the center of the room aimlessly, then assumed a fighter's stance and punched the air a few times. "So this is where you train, huh?" She whipped around suddenly in a roundabout kick. Spike watched her from the corner of his eye. Not bad, he admitted grudgingly. Maybe if he trained her a little, she'd stop screwing up so many of their bounties. He mulled this over, licking his now bare plate lovingly.
"Want a sparing partner?" he asked finally, setting his plate down and walking over to face her. Faye stared at him in astonishment, smiling in genuine pleasure.
"Yeah, sure. And this time you'll be the one with the bruises." Spike tensed and hunched his shoulders defensively, but relaxed at Faye's lighthearted laughter.
"We'll see about that." Spike stood up straighter, feeling as though a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He hadn't realized how heavily that episode with Faye had been praying at his mind. Her ability to laugh at it made him feel lighter, carefree.
They circled warily, eying each other. Faye curled her hands into fists, holding them up near her face like a boxer. Spike kept both his hands at his sides, relaxed but ready. Faye struck out first, right hand jabbing at his face. Spike dodged it easily and grabbed her wrist, preparing to spin her around and twist her arm behind her back. But Faye pulled away and kicked him in the stomach, causing Spike to released her with a surprised 'Oomph.'
He regarded her more cautiously, and she lifted her eyebrows mockingly. This time Spike attacked, dropping to the ground and transferring all his weight to his hands as he lashed out with his legs, kicking Faye's feet out from underneath her. Faye fell onto her back with a yelp, but immediately flipped back to her feet, using only her hands. This time Spike raised his eyebrows, impressed despite himself.
"Where'd you learn how to do that?" Faye snorted.
"I did have to survive on my own for three years before I had you to protect me, O Supreme Master of Martial Arts. And – " She frowned, hesitating, then shrugged. "And as it turns out, I used to take gymnastics and self-defense classes when I was younger." Spike shifted his weight from foot to foot uneasily. It was weird having Faye talk about her past like that, and strange to think of her as a little girl, participating in little girl activities.
Faye delivered a roundabout kick, aiming for his face. Spike ducked underneath it and leapt forward, wrist bent at a ninety-degree angle and fingers curled slightly over a flat palm. He planned to strike her chin and snap her head back, but Faye lifted her arm at the last minute and blocked him, jumping nimbly back.
Spike exhaled shortly. He was torn between exasperation and excitement. Common sense dictated that he should have defeated Faye a long time ago, but it interested him to find a challenge where he thought there was none. Pride won out, and Spike decided to end it. He leapt into the air, kicking the space just above Faye's head. She stumbled backwards, hitting the wall. Spike landed agilely on his feet and thrust himself forward. Faye tried to dive to the side, but Spike caught her wrists and pinned her against the wall. Faye pouted.
"Damn it, Spike!" Spike grinned wolfishly, peering down at her triumphantly. Her delicately arched eyebrows were drawn together, slanting downwards, and her green eyes flashed with annoyance. The corners off her mouth pulled downwards and her lower lip poked out slightly. Spike noticed her new outfit for the first time – black pants that molded tightly to her slender legs and a dark red tank with a low scoop neck. With her arms raised above her head, the shirt lifted to reveal her flat stomach, the hemline barely covering the swell of her breasts.
She's beautiful.
It was as though the floodgates had been thrown open, and he was being pounded, crushed into oblivion by a torrent of emotion. Every nerve in his body was alive, buzzing and awake. His mind screamed a thousand reasons why he should let her go, walk away, and leave the room alone, but he could only press closer, watching as her features shifted from annoyance to breathless confusion. He lowered his head slowly, as if fighting gravity, until his lips hovered just above hers, his breath coming out in hot puffs and blending with hers. His eyelids slid half-closed, and he covered her mouth with his.
In a world so big and cold
you seem so all alone
then someone enters your life
and makes it all seem right
sometimes things do change
love turns to bitter rage
and you say "Never again"
but emotions always mend
It's the root of all disharmony
but it's the need to feel complete
it's a physical attraction
a chemical reaction
a walking contradiction
a push, pull affliction
it's a love...hate relationship
You can see it in our band
we're all so different
every solution we come to
starts with an argument
but through adversity
the music's in our heart
we'll stay together
you can't tear us apart
It's the root of all disharmony
but it's the need to feel complete
it's a physical attraction
a chemical reaction
a walking contradiction
a push, pull affliction
it's a love...hate relationship
Love...hate is it one in the same
I can't differentiate between
love and hate
love...hate is it one in the same
I can't differentiate between
love and hate
I hate to love, I love to hate you
love and hate is it one in the same
love...hate
We always take for granted
the one's that love
we think they'll always be there
and we treat them as such
but if we really make an effort
to show them that we care
our love will shine through
and the hate will disappear
It's the root of all disharmony
but it's the need to feel complete
it's a physical attraction
a chemical reaction
a walking contradiction
a push, pull affliction
it's a love...hate relationship
So…I'll continue this scene in the next chapter…hehe. Are you guys glad something's finally happening in the Faye/Spike department?
"Love…Hate" lyrics by Sacred Reich.