[I want your drama, the touch of your hand] [closed]

[flailingbento]

Characters: Ichigo and Watanuki
Content: Noodle-fu lessons continue!
Setting: The Convoy's cargo hold
Time: After the lunch hour.
Warnings: ...WELL. THEY'VE BEEN A LITTLE TENSE SINCE THAT HOT SPRINGS VISIT, AFTER ALL.

Comments

[flight_15]

It could have been better, Ichigo felt. Falls were going to hurt a lot more on the metal floor. However, since he was going to be the one taking most of the falls, that was okay. Ichigo could handle it.

The only cargo on board looked like general supplies, and took up maybe a quarter of the total space. Dressed in sparring clothes of his own - pants made out of comfortable, flexible material and an undershirt - Ichigo was leaning against a stack of crates off to the side, waiting.

"'Bout time you showed up," he said casually, straightening up. It was the first time Ichigo had been able to look Watanuki in the eye since they'd run into each other at the bathhouse. Usually, he could keep the accompanying mental images out of his mind, but whenever he'd run into Watanuki again...well, it had been kind of awkward.

But right now Ichigo had something else to focus on: training. He was going to make it so Watanuki could look after himself in a fight, no matter how long it took. It was a neutral topic, unrelated to the changed dynamic in their relationship. The pilot took a few steps into the middle of the room, rolling one shoulder casually. "You warmed up yet?"

[flailingbento]

Putting a few days' distance between them had been a damn good idea. That incident at the hot springs... Watanuki had done his utmost not to think about it, except in a strictly "oh god why" capacity, but this had been kind of counterproductive at first. Thankfully, sufficient time apart had afforded him the ability to look Ichigo in the eye without any awkwardness whatsoever.

Yep. Clearly, he was cured. He'd hardly even noticed Ichigo's arms when he'd appeared out of nowhere wearing just an undershirt on top.

He set his canteen of water and towel down beside a handy crate and moved closer, trying to gauge if his last two hours in the kitchen counted as enough of a warm-up. He decided for the sake of saving time (and because he felt that putting every damn dish on the ship on the top shelf of its respective cabinet was more than enough stretching for anyone) that he was. "Unlike you, I had actual work to do. I'm ready, so quit complaining."

[flight_15]

Ichigo shook his head. "Stretch your legs out first, at least. You're gonna hurt way worse tomorrow if you don't."

Like Watanuki had guessed, Ichigo had taken care of warming up while waiting for the other. It was true -- he didn't have that much work to do besides plane maintenance. He folded his arms, unwilling to start before Watanuki was ready.

[flailingbento]

Watanuki let out an exasperated sigh. Just because he didn't dread this anymore didn't mean he had to act ecstatic about it. "Fine," he grumbled, and bent to stretch. He had to admit, it did help with the inevitable soreness the day after.

He moved through them quickly but thoroughly, noting that he could already stretch farther than he had his first time trying this. "There," he declared when he was finished, straightening up and facing Ichigo with his hands on his hips. "I'm ready. Is that good enough for you?"

[flight_15]

Ichigo, who had been looking away at the crates and idly wondering what was inside them, turned back to face Watanuki as the other finished. "Yeah, okay, let's get started. You remember that throw we were working on last time?" It was good for a real fight -- it involved diverting a punch directed at you, grabbing the arm, and twisting around so you could flip the other person head over heels into the ground. Watanuki hadn't quite been able to master it, since it was harder than the other ones that just involved knocking your opponent's feet out from under them and pushing them to the ground.

GIRL I KEEP IT GANGSTA POPPIN BOTTLES IN THE CRIB

[flailingbento]

He remembered. The look on his face showed he recalled exactly the extent to which he hadn't grasped it last time. He simply didn't yet have the necessary combination of strength and coordination required to flip Ichigo completely over. It would come with practice, he knew rationally; but he'd been moving gingerly for days after the last attempt.

But he wasn't about to complain outright. "I remember," he sighed with theatrical resignation. He slid into the required defensive stance, raising his hands in preparation to take Ichigo's punch, but couldn't help adding, "This isn't going to work."

SHE'S /FLY!/ LIKE A /JET!/

[flight_15]

"Keep saying that, and you'll never get it. Need me to walk you through it one more time?" he offered. "It has been a few weeks." It wouldn't surprise him if Watanuki didn't remember it right.

[flailingbento]

A refresher would be helpful. "Fine," Watanuki said. "It starts with a punch, right?" He remembered how it went, for the most part; it was the technique that was evading him. Trying it slowly first would help.

[flight_15]

"Yeah. Then you block it like this -- grab the arm --"

Ichigo walked Watanuki through what was supposed to happen, showing how the other would catch the arm and pull it down and use it as a fulcrum to flip the person over themselves. Anyone of any strength could do it -- it just took prescision and coordination.

"Think you've got it now?"

[flailingbento]

When he did it for real, it was always all fine up until the flipping part. But that was what they were here to practice, wasn't it?

Watanuki nodded and took a deep breath. "I'll try it." He stepped away from Ichigo and moved back into the starting stance. He wouldn't have realized the look of determination on his face; he was only just beginning to understand how invested he got in performing these maneuvers right.

[flight_15]

He gave Watanuki a nod, then moved back to his position facing Watanuki and threw the punch. It was a hard punch, and would hurt if it connected, but it didn't have Ichigo's full speed and strength behind it. As he did so, he relaxed his body as best he could, acting like he didn't have a clue what Watanuki was about to do. Hitting the floor would hurt less that way.

[flailingbento]

Watanuki drew in another quick breath, tensing a little as he gauged the timing. In the second before Ichigo' punch connected he sidestepped slightly and blocked the oncoming arm, knocking it to the side, off its trajectory. At the same time (this had taken its own damn lesson to get the hang of) he got hold of Ichigo's forearm with his opposite arm, turned his back to Ichigo in the same movement, took half a second to center himself, and pulled sharply down--

--but in that half-second he had given up half his momentum, and the follow-through simply didn't happen. He ended up still standing with Ichigo half-hanging over his back, held in place by Watanuki's grip on his arm. But he definitely hadn't come close to flipping him over.

As it was they were pressed close together for a good few seconds in which Watanuki gauged what had just happened, and how badly he had screwed it up, and exactly how close together they had ended up, and--

Wait. No, that wasn't something he thought about in training. That had nothing to do with this. He released Ichigo's arm and stepped away, glaring at nothing. "Damn it."

[flight_15]

....that was a lot more awkward than it had been before Antrim.

Ichigo coughed, bringing his mind back around to focus on what was happening. "You need to tuck in more," he advised, keeping his face from flushing through sheer force of will. "Get your center of gravity lower. And when you go to flip me over, don't try to pick me up and throw me over your whole back. You won't be able to do it. You're trying to -- pull me over myself, if that makes any sense. Try standing a little to the left when you do it, so you're not right in front of me, and twist me over your arm and shoulder. Like this--"

He took hold of Watanuki's wrist and moved to demonstrate -- not following through with the throw, but stopping when Watanuki was bent double over Ichigo's shoulder. It would only take a little more force to send the cook head over heels into the floor. He held Watanuki there for a moment, then let go.

[flailingbento]

Watanuki was paying attention to Ichigo's explanation. He really was. But he was also paying attention to how he was pressed flush against Ichigo, almost shoulder to hip, and how the broad warmth of Ichigo's back was so very, very close, and--

--No. He moved back the instant he was released, and if his face was flushed it was because he had just failed to perform the throw correctly and was embarrassed by that. He wasn't even supposed to be thinking about things like that, anyway-- this was training! Not the damn hot springs!

"Try it again," he said, moving back into his stance. All it would take to get his concentration back would be to run through it again. When he was thinking about fighting, he wouldn't notice stupid things like that. It was that simple.

[flight_15]

...was Watanuki's face red? Ichigo tried to tell himself it was from training, or from not doing the throw right, but...

...man, this was an awkward moment. It was...probably best not to bring it up, Ichigo decided, and to throw that damn punch before his own face went red.

Which was exactly what he did, as he said, "Look sharp!"

[flailingbento]

The determination to focus on the fight showed from the beginning this time. Watanuki pulled another quick breath, blocked the punch, turned, and without hesitation ducked and pulled Ichigo's arm down.

And this time, whether it was because of his renewed concentration or Ichigo's explanation or some combination of the two, something clicked-- he found a place where suddenly Ichigo's weight behind him didn't feel so much like deadweight, but like momentum, like something that moved under its own power rather than something that he was moving-- all he had to do was guide it, right?

He shifted his weight once more and twisted, closing his eyes for an instant at the feeling of that momentum passing over him-- and when he'd opened them again, Ichigo was hitting the floor in front of him back-first.

Watanuki had only an instant to enjoy his surprise-- he'd never made it this far, but he was supposed to follow through now, right? Yes, he could do that-- that was just a punch, nothing elaborate, and before his momentum was lost he straightened and threw a punch at Ichigo's face in the same motion. At the last second he pulled it, and ended up standing over Ichigo, closed fist inches from his face, breathing hard but triumphant.

...I did it. Try as he might, Watanuki couldn't keep the beginnings of a victorious grin off his face.