Spar with Psylocke

I grinned at her words, feeling the rush of combat beginning to awaken something deep within me. The rhythmic dance of sparring, the quick exchanges, and the adrenaline — it was all too familiar. In my past life, I lived for this. The feeling of an opponent's movement, reading their intent in every shift of weight and every glance.

Psylocke lunged at me again, her strikes faster, more precise. I could see the focus in her eyes, the sharpness of a warrior who had trained her entire life. Her fist shot toward my face, and I sidestepped, parrying with my arm before throwing a knee toward her midsection. She twisted, narrowly avoiding the blow, and retaliated with an elbow aimed at my head.

I ducked, feeling the wind of her strike pass over me. My body was getting into its groove now, my muscles remembering the rhythm of a fight. I feinted a left jab and slipped under her guard, sweeping my leg to try and take her down. But she was quick, hopping over my leg and delivering a sharp kick to my ribs as she landed. The impact was solid, making me wince, but it only fueled my excitement.

"You're getting serious now," she noted with a smile, her breaths coming a bit quicker but her form still perfect.

I chuckled, rolling my shoulders. "You wanted a sparring partner, not a punching bag. Time to step it up."

We moved again, the intensity rising. Her fists flew like bullets, a shower of punches and kicks that I met with blocks and parries. I slipped inside her guard with a hard hook to the ribcage, but she took it with a grunt and spun into a backfist that clipped my chin. I staggered slightly but recovered quickly, the taste of blood in my mouth only sharpening my focus. It's fun to fight like this without using any power.

"That's the spirit," she smirked and wiped a bead of sweat from her brow.

I could feel the smile spreading across my lips, the kind that once used to come across my face when I was at my peak, challenging fighters at their best. There were fights I enjoyed and some that I didn't and was basically forced into. Still, I'm freaking enjoying this moment. It was like riding a bike, you don't really forget how to ride.

My stance shifted, becoming looser, more fluid. I stopped trying to anticipate her and instead let my instincts take over.

When she lunged again, I didn't step back. I met her head-on, blocking her strike and catching her wrist. With a twist, I spun her around and pulled her into a lock, pinning her arm behind her back. She grunted in surprise but didn't hesitate, throwing her weight into me to break the hold. I let her go, but as she turned, I was already swinging a low kick at her legs.

Psylocke jumped to avoid it, using her momentum to flip backward, landing gracefully on her feet. Her eyes gleamed with a challenge, a wild grin spreading across her face. She was also enjoying this moment. "Now that felt like a real fighter," she said, breathing heavily.

I shrugged nonchalantly, even though I could feel the familiar strain in my muscles, the heat of a good fight. "Maybe I just needed a warm-up."

Her smirk widened. "Is that so? Then let's see how warmed up you really are."

She launched at me with a new ferocity, and this time, I didn't hold back. Our strikes were faster, harder. We were moving in perfect sync, almost like a deadly dance.

Punches, kicks, elbows, and knees flew between us. My mind cleared completely, attending only to her movements and the rhythm of her breathing, shifts in her stance.

I landed a hard uppercut to her chin, forcing her back, but she recovered almost immediately and countered with a roundhouse kick that I barely blocked in time. The impact numbed my arm, but I grinned, stepping forward and driving my knee toward her midsection. She blocked with both arms, skidding back slightly from the force.

We paused for a brief moment, both panting, but neither of us was willing to show any sign of quitting.

Psylocke wiped at the sweat on her forehead, her eyes shining with excitement. "I knew you were good, but, damn, Aron. You are like a different person once you get serious."

I smirked, rolling my shoulders as I took a deep breath. "What can I say, I'm all in one package."

"Cheeky brat," she replied, stepping forward once more, her stance shifting, becoming more fluid, almost like a dance. "Then show me what you've got, fighter."

I moved in, my body now fully in sync with the rhythm of combat. I could feel the excitement bubbling up inside me, a thrill I hadn't felt in ages. My movements became sharper, quicker. I ducked under her high kick and countered with a sweeping leg, knocking her off balance. She fell to one knee, but before I could follow up, she rolled backward and sprang to her feet, landing a punch on my cheek as she came up.

The strike made my vision blur for a second, but I grinned, wiping the blood from my lip. "Nice hit."

She smiled back, her eyes gleaming with a wild, unrestrained joy. "You too."

And before we knew it, we were at it again; roundhouse kicks and punches flew through the air as we countered. Every hit I landed back came with one of hers. Straight and pure skill exchange; no powers, no tricks-only two fighters testing the limit of the other.

Finally, we both stopped; our bodies dripping with sweat, our chests pumping up with every breath. We moved around each other carefully and slowly, grinning like lunatics. Well, we ended up having one final round. I kinda held back a little at the end, since it was a friendly spar.

We both lay on the floor, drenched in sweat and huffing in exhaustion...

"You're good, Aron," Psylocke said, her tone filled with genuine respect.

I chuckled, brushing a hand through my hair. "You're not so bad yourself. Thanks for the spar. I needed that."

"Likewise."

"So, I heard you are moving out of the school again," Psylocke suddenly asked me, as if trying to change the topic.

I nodded, wondering why she suddenly changed the topic. "Yeah, I've had enough fun with the baddies... I guess, I just want some peace and a life out there, you know... Away from all the X-Men or hero stuff."

"A normal life?" She looked at me, raising her brows.

"You know it's impossible for me to have a normal life. A moment of peace, yeah, that sounds nice, though."

"Hmm. So, you got both Jean and Kitty, huh? Quite a playboy, aren't you?" She teased me.

"What can I say, I'm irresistible," I replied with a shrug.

"That you are..." She mumbled, her voice barely audible, but I still heard it.

"What?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it." She waved her hand dismissively.

"Wait! Don't tell me you like me too?" I asked her, surprised.

"Don't flatter yourself too much. You are good-looking, strong, caring, and not bad in bed... Ah! Tsk. Forget the last part," She stood up and was about to run away.

"You read Kitty's mind, didn't you?" I asked her, stopping her in her tracks. I stood up and walked toward her.

She paused for a moment, looking at me over her shoulder. "I might have accidentally seen that image in her mind when I met her... And yes, I can't forget it." She admitted, blushing as she remembered the scene.

"I see," I said, nodding slowly, my eyes twinkling with amusement. "So, you like what you saw?"

"Wha- What? No, of course not," she protested, trying to hide the redness in her cheeks. "I'm not some pervert like you."

"Hmm. So, what did you think about it?" I asked her, stepping closer.

She gulped, turning away from me. "It was nothing special."

"Really? Yet, you just said so many good things about me.. 'good-looking, strong, caring, and not bad in bed'... Those were your words, weren't they?"

"I- I didn't mean it that way," she stuttered, refusing to look at me.

"But you did say them," I said, stepping even closer, our bodies almost touching. "So, what do you think now?"

She remained silent, her shoulders tense and her fists clenched at her sides. I could feel the nervousness radiating from her, and I knew that if I pushed any further, she would probably end up using her powers on me.

I sighed, taking a step back. No point pressing her too much just yet. "Well, life is too short for regrets. If you want to talk, you know where to find me." I walked past her, heading toward the showers.

As I reached the door, I heard her voice again. "Don't hold your breath, Aron."

"We'll just see about that..."

"In your dreams..."

"Without dreams, we cannot live. You are already living in my dreams."

"Wha- What?" She looked at me, shocked at what I just said.

I walked out of the training room and entered the shower, chuckling at her flustered reaction. Well, that was a good session. But my mind> 'Without dreams, we cannot live. You are already living in my dreams. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?'

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