Duke and Achera's Spar (yesterday)
Achera rolls her eyes at Duke shaking her head slightly at his "supersized" comment. "You know when men brag about that, its usually to compensate for something." She teases a mischievous gleam in her azure eyes as she walks onto the mats cracking her knuckles, still only wearing the gloves. As the music starts playing she tilts her head slightly with a curious expression "Not bad, but why should that be my theme song?"
She asks as she takes a defensive position, her feat were placed with one foot in front and the other behind but a bit off to the side. Her body is on a sideways angle making it harder to land a hit. One fist was raised in front of her face below her eyes while the other was pulled back slightly so it was parallel with her shoulder.
With a grin Ash opens the fist in front of her to make a "come get it" gesture. "Dont worry I wont aim for your ear, I dont fight dirty." She states confidently
Duke smirked. "If you ask my old man, he'll tell you it's compensation or being half a retard." The bitterness in his voice was not disguised very well and Duke's face darkened wishing he hadn't said anything. He started to walk casually in an arc to his left giving him a chance to size her up. [It's not like he hadn't been checking her out the whole time anyway.] Duke paused and turned to face her. "Are you serious? It because you have lightn-" He put his hand on his face and shook his head. "Nevermind."
He went back to his circling. He kept his hands moving up and down along his body. His footwork was exceptional giving him various angles and stances as he moved. It was subtle but in the process of moving around her, the radius to Achera was slowly shrinking. Duke rolled his head around allowing the tendons to pop in his neck. He grinned at her 'come and get it' wave. "That's cute." He teased. He pushed his lips off to one side and shook his head."You better aim for my ear, Sweet Buns. In the real world, there ain't no such thing as a fair fight."
By now, Duke had made almost a complete circle around Achera. They were roughly six feet apart. Duke made a couple feint steps to test her reactions. After a two of these, he turned and matched her stance. He made two quick steps forward and brought his right up in a rising arc as if so slap her across the face. Duke's hands were not balled up into fists. He would slap box with Achera because he didn't want to hurt her should he land any strikes. His left hand was waiting by his cheek in case he needed to defend himself
Ash rolls her eyes at Duke rolling her shoulders to loosen up a bit as he circles her, her azure eyes never leaving him keeping her eyes keen to his every movement. She raises an eyebrow at his "sweet buns" comment, making a "pff" noise. "Good I live in my own world then, huh?" She counters with a bit of sass.
When Duke feints she tenses her muscles but doesnt move from her position waiting for him to get in range first. When he goes to slap her a small smirk comes to her lips. Holding still till his hand is less than 4 inches from her face Ash finally acts with surprising speed. Grabbing his wrist with the hand in front of her face before he could slap her she holds onto it as she turns so her back is now to Duke. Simultaneously she slips her leg behind Duke's right one as she keeps hold of his wrist so he cant pull away. Using Duke's weight against him coupled with her momentum she pulls his leg out from under him and pushs back against him causing them both to fall back. With her free arm she elbows Duke in the ribs as they hit the mat.
A grin comes to her lips "I aint your sweet anything bud. And I never said we were just boxing." She says confidently before releasing Duke and rolling off him onto her knees if he let her
Duke wraps his arms around Achera once she turns her back to him. He squeezes and pulls her against his chest and takes a deep breath. "Damn, you smell good." Back they go. His shoulders land on the mat first and that's fine except her elbow lands in the hole left where one of those things bit him. That didn't feel so good. Duke loosens his grip and Achera tries to roll away. Duke extends both arms in a snap motion catching the collar of her tank top and sports bra in his left hand and the waistline on the back of her pants in his right. His fists grip tight and yank her tiny frame back twisting her body so that she is across his chest. He bench presses her rapidly a few times with ease making sure to use proper form and 'pop' the last inch or two before full extension. "You should really learn to take a compliment, chica." When he goes to push her up a fifth time, he releases his grip at the height of his arms' reach throwing her skyward. He rolls out of the way to his left and bases up into a four-point stance. Just as she is about to hit the ground, Duke dives forward with a balled fist and a solid forearm aiming to catch her on the collarbone and slam her to the mat
When Duke caught hold of Ash's waistband and tank she expected him to throw he back against the mat or put her in some kind of lock. She totally didnt expect him to easily lift her above him and start bench pressing her like she was 50 pounds instead of well over 100. Growling she tries to pry his grip lose but fails miserably.
"You. Are. So. Dead. DUKE!" She said with each time he pushed her up, shouting at the end as he tossed her into the air leaving her to free fall to the mat. 'Why you lil....'
At least Ash thought he was gonna let her free fall but she glimpsed him take a four point position with his fist balled. Twisting so she wouldnt land on her back she saw Duke rushing her just as he leg touched the mat 'Oh dont you even...' Yup he did, he totally slammed her to the mat knocking the air out of her via a way too strong forearm.
Glaring up at the brute Ash forces a few deep breaths to catch her breath. "Well then give me a compliment I can take." She states sassily giving him a wink before her right fist strikes out punching Duke right in the space between the side ribs and the hip. The hit packing more heat than expected. As hes distracted with that Ash quickly bends her legs up to kick Duke off, her knees pushing against his chest first before he feet push off his abdomen.
Before Duke can make a comeback Ash makes a "time out" gesture with her hands. "Hold up Buster, my turn for the tunes." She says with a smile before hopping up to her feet which succeeded in getting a faint grimace from her as her side throbbed something fierce. She ignored it though, she didnt want the fight to end just yet. Walking over to where she put her phone by the punching bag she jogs back to the mat while scrolling through it.
Pausing the music on Duke's phone she sets hers beside his just as her playlist starts. Looking up at him she smirks slightly before going back to the same position she had been when they first started their "tussle" but instead of the fist right in front of her face, her arm is outstretched toward Duke still in a fist playful light in her azure eyes.
[I love the mashup song!!]
Duke saw how hard he had brought Ash down against the mat and sucked in a breath. He hoped he didn't hurt her. His head popped up exposing his side and she winked then busted him right next to his bite wound. He grimaced after being hit in the same wound twice already. Her next move was not totally unpredictable and Duke was able to play into it. When she tucked her legs up to kick him off, he settled his weight down. With her feet in his lower abdomen and her knees in his chest, he wrapped his arms outside her legs and gripped the top of her mid thighs. He pulled back with his arms keeping her legs folded for a moment and pushed forward with his legs bringing his face over hers. He smiled his signature grin and locked eyes with Achera. With a bright twinkle behind his brown orbs, he let a few thoughts having a lot to do with her body being folded and her legs in the air run past his mouth and through his mind. "A better compliment, then. Alright. You're the only woman I've ever met who makes me care what she thinks about me."
[If'n you want ze drama; ask about his mother]
Duke released his grip and allowed himself to be kicked away. It was more just a big hop backwards with some assistance. Achera called timeout and said something about changing the music. Duke shrugged and swung his arms around stretching. He watched her move around and noticed the grimace on her face when she got to her feet. Duke found himself drawn in by the subtle grace of Ash's movements. He'd never sparred with a chick before; had never even considered it. After seeing Achera go ham sammich on the soul suckers, he felt she deserved a chance to get whooped on by the Psycho. Plus, there was always the not-so-hard-to-pull-off 'accidental contact' which Duke still planned to implement if given the right opening. His ears perked hearing her music choice. He curled his upper lip in a 'blech' pose. "Techno's only cool if you're rollin' but" he shrugged his big shoulders "if you want your ass beat to it, I will oblige." The biggest smart-ass grin he could muster crawled across his face
Achera rolls her eyes at Duke's "better" compliment, not believing it for a second. She knew his type, the smooth talker that went from bimbo to bimbo faster than a tom cat. Only finding true interest in the girl he cant have, which at the moment seemed to be her.
Hopping from foot to foot slightly to get her blood going she laughs lightly. "Thats not real Techno. And I dont wanna hear your remarks to my taste in music Mr. Beefed up version of Slim Shady." She quickly retorts, a teasing light in her eyes. "Besides, my playlist is a little more random than yours." As she says that the Techno song ends and Invincible starts, a grin comes to her lips.
Her eyes watch Duke's movements intently as she starts to backtrack in a semi-circle around him. Once she gets about halfway around she suddenly rushes forward with a punch aimed for his cheek. Just as she would make contact with either his cheek or his counter she suddenly stops and drops down smoothly making a swiping kick for Duke's legs aiming to knock him to the mat. If Duke looked at her leg he would see small sparks of electricity surrounding it
Duke let his arms swing back and forth and shook out his hands. He tossed his head back and laughed then leveled his gaze to her eyes. "Ok. You figured me out, sweetness." He started to match her circling with a mirror step. "Except I don't work out to Miles Davis or the Beatles or any of the other hundreds of artists that I listen to…but yeah, you nailed it." He gave her a very sarcastic look. Duke had to admit, he was very much enjoying himself with this girl. However, he was anticipating at some point, one of them would get mad because a punch landed too perfectly.
Duke didn't dodge the shot to his cheek. He wanted to see what sort of power she hd and for a woman her size, she packed a punch but it was barely enough send a shock through his well-beaten jaw. He saw her shoulders drop as Ash began her leg sweep. Thanks to a few street fights with Asians, Duke had the perfect counter. He dropped to the knee of the leg she was aiming for. The kick would connect with his thigh but be ineffective except for the mild shock he received. His arm would come down to try and wrap around her calf. His other hand would snake forward in an attempt to grasp her same side arm under the shoulder. If he is able to get both holds, Ash would find out what it's like to be flung across a room
Achera gnashed her teeth as her kick connected with his thigh instead of his ankles like she aimed for 'Guess he knows a few tricks of his own...' Ash let him grab her calf preparing to kick him off with her other leg. But she wasnt expecting him to grab her arm on the same side. Frowning she was gonna give him a nice right hook to the jaw with her free hand but before she could she was suddenly being thrown through the air 'Fuck!'
Landing hard a couple yards away from Duke she was face down but her forearms were against the floor so she didnt face plant. But that didnt help much when a sharp molten pain shot through her wounded side completely overriding the aches from her fall. Instinctively she presses her left hand against her side gritting her teeth as she faced the ground. Her tank was wet, her palm quickly turning crimson. 'Shit...shit...That does it!' Growling low in her throat she pushes herself up with her other hand forcing herself to her feet.
Ash was panting lightly her face a little pale as she kept her left hand against her side. Suddenly red electricity starts to spark around her before scarlet currents start to swirl tightly around her limbs, Ash was pissed. In a flash of speed she suddenly rushes forward straight for Duke, she starts to throw a punch aimed for his gut but at the last second shoots her first skyward in a powerful uppercut aimed for his chin
Duke grimaced when she hit the mat. He didn't mean to throw her that hard and when he saw the pain shoot across her face; Duke felt really bad and started walking towards her. "Hey, maybe we sh-" He stopped when she started cursing and took a step back. "Oh boy…" He braced himself for a rage-filled attack from Achera. She rose to her feet and Duke saw the blood seeping from her tank top. He dropped his guard but not completely. "Let me take a look at that." He motioned towards her open wound but she didn't hear him.
Red lightning began to crackle around her arms and legs. Even though it was incredibly sexy, Duke knew better than to let himself be distracted. He was going to have to be careful not to fry himself and not to get angry and expose his powers, too. When Achera charged, Duke sat his weight back in preparation for the impending onslaught. The simple strike was easy to block, he crossed his arms down in front of his chest so when she converted to an uppercut, her arm was wedged between his. The electricity filled his body making his hair stand up. Duke held her arm and tried to twist her around so her back would rest against his chest. His other hand sought to capture her free arm. "Ash! Chill! Timeout!" Duke protested and struggled with her. His muscles clenched and spasmed mildly but he fought through the pain. There was a slight enjoyment on his face for a while but as the struggle continued, he began to weaken and feel the strange machinations develop. Prolonged exposure to electrical shock creates rolling numbness, loss of muscle control, lock jaw and eventually disruption of vital functions such as the brain and heart
Achera was too pissed and in too much pain to really pay attention to Duke's words before she rushed him. When he caught her arm between his she struggled against him to break free but the big brute had some series muscles. Growling she goes to sucker punch him but suddenly his other hand clamps onto her wrist thoroughly restraining her arms as her electricity sizzled and popped around them.
Finally Duke's shouted words got through to her as she realized she was electrocuting him, which she really hadnt meant to do. In an instant she stops struggling and her electricity starts to recede before fading completely. Ash was panting hard her back against Duke's chest since he still had her arms locked down. 'Oh crap...' Looking back and up at Duke she wasnt glaring anymore, in fact she looked worried. "Ah Duke im sorry! I didnt mean to fry you, I wasnt....Sorry. You can let go now, are you okay?" She starts off worried and apologetic but ends in a low mumble as she hangs her head. The adrenaline was starting to run out as her vision started to blur around the edges. Ash suddenly felt ice cold but to Duke she would feel unnaturally hot
Duke was burning up inside but his skin was cold and dry. The electrical current had frayed his nerves and was causing him to shake. He could not let go of Achera (not that he minded). His hands and parts of his arms had blisters and second degree burns from thee intense exposure to her power. Duke forced a smile as his eyes drooped. "Don't act like you don't like being in my arms." His voice was soft and crackled from dry mouth.
An intense spasm shook him to his core and his hold tightened around her. Duke had long ago perfected the art of playing dead. (that is a story for another time.) He looked into her cool blue eyes and saw the concern she held. "It's like my arms were made to hold you...Pretty...Eyes..." Just like that, Duke passed out. His slumped into her neck and then his muscles relaxed. When his arms fell, he slid off of her shoulder an's into a heap on the mat. His breathing stopped and his heart beat would not be foundthrough his thick chest
Frowning Ash looked at Duke's arms around her, seeing the blisters and severe burns she felt a stab of guilt in the pit of her stomach. 'What did I do...' her concern overrode her guilt as Duke spoke right before his arms tightened around her in a spasm. Looking up into his deep brown eyes she didnt know what to do
"When your fried up like a Eggo waffle thats been in the toaster way too long, ya I can. You need help!" She responded with obvious worry and guilt in her voice.
And when Duke collapsed against her she felt like she just felt into a glacier, the cold dread washing over her in waves as memories come rushing back to her like stabs in the dark. Right before the hunk of muscle hit the floor Ash caught him against her, thought not for long as the giants weight was too much for her. Determined not to let him fall and get hurt anymore she slowly lowers him to the floor on his back.
Quickly Ash put her hand in front of his lips to check his breathing 'No...no no no...' her eyes tearing up she presses her ears against Duke's chest looking for a heartbeat. 'He cant....' Sitting back up her hands clench into fists. "Duke you big ass brute you better not be dead or I'm gonna bring you back to life just to geld you!" She shouts in anger and sadness before an idea comes to mind. Reaching down she presses her index and middle finger against the inside of his wrist desperately searching for a pulse. For a few seconds that felt more like hours there was nothing, until a strong beat pushed against her fingers.
The rush of relief was too much, the only thing that had been keeping Ash upright was the fear and adrenaline of Duke's life in peril. Now that she knew he was alive her body refused to obey her. With a heavy sigh of relief she collapses on top of Duke's chest/abdomen. Her mind felt sluggish and her vision was more shadows and blurs than anything tangible
Duke felt her small frame catch and lower him to the ground. It was very hard to remain in character. A piece of him felt horrible that he was playing this joke on her. The sadness in her voice, the concern, made his chest ache. Holding his breath, his cheek muscles began to twitch but the ruse had worked as the shadow of her hand passed over his face. Her curly hair tickled him through the thin material of his shirt. The feeling of her head laying upon his chest had a strange impact on Duke. He couldn't explain it or even think about it. All he could do was feel; revel in the moment and hate himself for the childish prank he was playing. Once her fingers wrapped around his wrist, he exhaled the breath he had been holding and inhaled sharply; Achera's scent filling his brain with more conundrums of self-worth and loathing.
He opened his eyes to see her slide down over top of him and started to grin but stopped. No perverse thoughts rushed into his mind's eye, no cheap banter bubbled to his lips nor did his body react the way he would expect when in such an intimate moment with a beautiful woman. Duke's mind was calm and his body was still. He stared at her and felt like something inside of him; deep down where no lights dare to shine, was broken. He shifted his arms so his elbows came to his sides and lifted himself into a propped position. He twisted his torso so his weight rested on one arm allowing the other to wrap around her shoulders and cradle her against him.
"Hey." Duke voice had a static rattling inside of it. He realized he was dying for a drink of water [perhaps that's what happens when an electric current of untold power burns through your body]. He cleared his throat before continuing.
"I'm sorry if I scared you I…" The pause was not to decide if he should tell her the truth but if now was a good time for it.
"I'm gonna take you to get some stitches, Achera." Even though he was weak, he still had enough strength to lift her arm around his neck. Duke hesitated. That was first time he had ever said her name and not used some smart-ass phrase. All of his movements were slow and deliberate. Duke slid his body out from underneath her creating a base that he could use to stand up. His arms gently positioned behind her knees and under her arm and around her back. He rose and felt the burning signature of a Charlie horse in his legs. Duke ignored it and was soon on his feet with the nearly unconscious girl in his arms like a drunk girlfriend or a sleeping child. He arched his back until her head gently rolled against his chest and settled into a spot where she wouldn't be affected by any change in direction.
Duke started to walk away and then remembered his phone and turned to see it sitting next to hers.
"Fuck." It came out as a harsh whisper. He strode over to the devices and knelt down allowing his raised knee to support Achera. He quickly pocketed both phones and rose again taking a firm hold of her once more. He made his way to an elevator and hit the red cross button.
+++++
Duke sat on the outside of the curtain that separated him from Achera and the medical staff who were taking care of her. He had refused treatment several ties for his burns. The last time, his eyes flashed purple and no one had been back o talk to him since. He stared at the blisters and destroyed skin and idly picked at it with acid-tipped fingers. The way he saw things at present, he deserved the pain and mild disfiguration. He was weighing when he would tell her about his idea to play dead. He had single earbud in and was listening to his guilty pleasure of emotional and sad songs
Achera felt like she ran a 20k without a drop to drink then picked a fight with the Undertaker and lost. 'Undertaker....' Speaking of giant muscle men, one seemed to rise back to life as Duke sat up and apologized. Her mind was too foggy for her to really understand the situation or why he was apologizing so all she did was give a small smile. At the mention of stitches she groans giving him a petulant but somewhat comical pout. She was gonna protest to him carrying her but soon found she couldnt move a muscle let alone walk.
Which gave her a strong sense or vulnerability, embarrassment, and helplessness as Duke easily collected her and started for the elevator. Despite those feelings tho Ash couldnt help but feel safe and....Warm? In his strong arms, it helped with the fact her skin was highly sensitive right now, most likely due to her electro-fit.
"Fuck." The sudden harsh word brought her out of her half-conscious state for a few moments as she blinks up at him. "Wha-" She croaked, her throat felt bone dry. But her question was answered as Duke picked up both their phones. Blinking hard Ash tries to stay awake but her thoughts kept drifting, she couldnt seem to keep a hold of one for more than a second, it was like trying to hold onto water but it keeps slipping through your fingers. Soon after her vision went completely dark, the last thing she thought was Duke smelled really nice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Achera came awake to a whole jumble of voices around her along with a whole truckload of pain. Gritting her teeth she groans and theres suddenly multiple hands tugging at her clothes. A sound of scissors snipping through something and suddenly she was shirtless. Finally she forced her azure eyes to open only to be blinded by a bright fluorescent light. Squinting she looks up to see a bunch of Atlantean nurses working on her along with what seemed like a doctor. They were asking her questions but she didnt pay attention, her mind was focused only on one thing.
"Duke! Wheres Duke??" When they kept on telling her to relax and let them take care of her she sat up wincing against the pain in her side as she felt the familiar warmth of blood running over her skin. "I wont let you treat me unless I know Duke is alright!" She nearly shouts though her voice was hoarser than normal. With obvious aggravation the doctor pulls the curtain back just enough to let her see Duke on the other side listening to music in one ear. Making eye contact with him she lets out a sigh of relief but frowns seeing he was still injured. Her relief soon turned to anger as she glared into his brown orbs. "Duke let them help you, if you do-if you-you-dont..." Her words were becoming slurred and her eyes felt heavy, she couldnt seem to get the words out as she collapsed back against the bed. A nurse moved away from her IV tossing a syringe into the trash as she did so 'Ah hell....' and just like that Ash was out, the nurse knocked her out with a good dose of Morphine
[/fieldset]
Duke sat still in quiet contemplation of everything that had happened over the last few days. Sure, he had been kidnapped and whisked away to a world he never knew existed; a world that was relying on him to save it. Yeah, it was weird and different and a bit unnerving. However, he was informed he had super powers, gets to ride a frickin' dragon and to top it all off… there's a really hot chick that doesn't need to be hammered to like him. In truth, Duke had no real reason to want to go back to his old life. He had a few friends but no one who needed him. As the song played out, Duke cleared his throat and cemented the decision to accept what was going down, be a team player and if necessary, he would do it by himself. Duke did not want the last part to ever happen. A lot of the guardians seemed to be pretty cool and he had grown rather fond of Achera (and not just because she was fun to look at).
As if she knew he was thinking about her, he heard her voice, tired and raspy, call his name. He sat upright half rising to his feet before the curtain was pulled back which halted his action. His eyes went wide for a moment seeing her in just a sports bra. "Wow." He finally gets off the bench and to his feet. He takes a step towards her but her stare catches him and he stops in his tracks again. Hearing her threaten him, Duke just smiles his signature charm and tilts his head as she dozes off. "Poor firecracker, all doped up and no music to dance to." He steps forward pulling her phone from his pocket. He stretches the earbuds out and starts towards her when a nurse shoves him in the gut. "You can't be in here." Duke frowns and holds up the device. "I just want to give her this; it'll keep her relaxed longer." The nurse frowns and pushes his chest but Duke refuses to yield even an inch.
"Trust me." Duke gives the nurse a wink and leans forward against her outstretched arm. The tiny blue-haired woman can't stop Duke so she rolls her eyes and moves off to one side. Duke hits play on Achera's phone, a playlist called 'Chillin'' and sets it on her mattress. He then gently tucks in her ear buds. He straightens up to stare down at her for a moment before being shoved out by two nurses. The curtain closes and duke sits back down. He leans his head back and falls asleep. While he is out, they treat his burns with silver sulfide
(And now present day...)
