Author's Note: Sorry for the late update! My little brother's sick, and I've been having to take care of him. Moy malen'kiy medved' means my little bear, moy malen'kiy medvezhonok means my little bear cub. I also just love the idea of Lorna being so tiny and yet really good at fighting. And I love high school boxer! Alex. Soundtrack: playlist?list=PLtJcZcvt9JqnqjE-CbPnUETegWxJYRxjO
WARNING: Slight ableism (possibly?), a kiss without asking first, and mild violence.
Nicky's sitting outside, chatting with Piper when it happens. It being a surprise punch in the face. By a tiny brunette.
Nicky jerks back from a combination of the surprising force behind the punch, and the shock of Lorna fucking Morello sucker-punching her. Sure, she knows that Lorna can fight like a junkyard dog, but she never thought that she'd be the one on the end of Lorna's fists. At least, not without a lot of lube. She hears Piper gasp. Nicky stares up at Lorna.
"The fuck, Morello?!" That's all she manages to get out before she's flipped onto her ass. She hears Piper say something about getting help. She groans in pain, and looks at Morello, begging with her eyes. Don't hurt me again.
"What's going on here?!" Lorna quickly stands up straighter at the hard, Russian accent. Nicky is relieved.
"She started beating me up, Ma!"
"YOU RUINED MY MARRIAGE, YOU CUNT!"
Red grabs Lorna, in order to prevent her from attacking Nicky again. Nicky scrambles up, wincing. She touches her face, seeing blood upon pulling her hand away.
"Explain. Both of you. Now. Nicky goes first." Red silences Lorna's protest with a hand to her mouth, and a twist of her arm. "Go ahead."
Nicky nervously tells Lorna what happened at visitation last week. She sees Lorna's eyes widen and fill with tears. Nicky looks down at her shoes.
Red sighs. She removes her hand from Lorna's mouth. "Now you."
"YOU HAD NO RIGHT! I CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE YOU! SURE, I MANAGED TO CONVINCE HIM THAT YOU'RE JUST SOME CRAZY BITCH! AND IT FUCKING LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE! JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME, NICHOLS!" Lorna wrestles out of Red's grip, and storms off.
Nicky stares at her retreating form in shock. She only snaps out of her daze when she's enveloped in a hug. She lets out a sob, and clutches tighter.
"There, there, moy malen'kiy medved'. You'll survive. That's what we Reznikovs do. And you're one of us. Moy malen'kiy medvezhonok." Red rubs her back, and clutches her tight.
Later that night, Alex approaches Nicky's cube. She's wearing a sympathetic smile, and has a slight bulge in her pocket. "Hey. I, uh…I heard about what happened in the yard today. That was pretty wild, huh?"
"Not really. I mean, she can fight like a rabid wolverine. Teeth, claws, whatever. Y'know, she knows Jiu Jitsu? Yeah, you wouldn't expect it. But apparently, she had to tag along to her brother's classes when they were kids, and ended up joining herself." Nicky chuckles, easily, despite how awful she feels.
"That is weird. I've got something for you."
"What, another helping of pussy?"
Alex laughs."You wish, Nichols." She reaches into her bulging pocket and pulls out two white rolls of fabric. She tosses them to Nicky, who catches them easily.
"The fuck is this?"
"Hand wraps. For fighting. I don't want your ex-girlfriend kicking your ass again. If she jumps you again, and you don't beat her back, I will. Now, let me show you how to wrap."
"Wrap before you tap." Nicky grins. Alex shoves her.
Alex takes the wrapping, and unrolls it. She wraps Nicky's left hand, carefully explaining each step. She hands her the other roll. "Now you try."
Nicky takes the white fabric, and unrolls it. She begins clumsily wrapping her left hand. It's far from perfect.
Alex smiles. "That's pretty good for your first try. Not everyone remembers all the steps at once."
Nicky smiles at her best friend. "How do you know how to do this?"
"I boxed in high school. I was pretty damn good, too." Alex playfully punches Nicky's shoulder.
Nicky stares up at Alex. She knows it's bad. She really knows that it's really bad. She surges forward and kisses Alex.