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The locker rooms were dirty and lit by a single fluorescent strip light, washing everything out and making it look even grimier than it was. Mikasa sat across from Eren and Armin, methodically wrapping tape around her knuckles as they talked strategies. It was always boiling hot in the basement where they held the matches, and Mikasa could already feel sweat beading her hairline, a single bead rolling down her face before she wiped it away irritably.
She was always calm before a match. Eren liked to try and get her pumped up, punch a few lockers or something equally clichéd, but she liked to sit on her own, tape her hands and let her mind empty. She flicked her gaze around the room, lighting on the dirty concrete floor, the cracked water-stained walls. What a dump. At least underground boxing was living up to its name, though. Just down the hall was the ring, where she could already hear the crowd shouting as they watched whoever was on before her. She dropped her gaze back to her hands, which she flexed experimentally.
“You ready?” Eren’s voice cut through the thoughts, and she looked up quickly to see him watching her with focused eyes. Eren always got more excited than her, always got that scarily intense look in his eyes. She supposed he liked the illicit thrill of the whole thing, the dirtiness, the illegality. She glanced across at Armin, who looked wan in the fluorescent lighting. She wasn’t sure why he came, but was glad of it when he was on hand to staunch bleeding, massage her sore muscles. She nodded and cracked her knuckles, a small jolt of excitement breaking through her otherwise calm mind at the anticipation.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She said firmly, and allowed a small smile as Eren grinned at her, less of a smile and more of an aggressive baring of his teeth.
“You’re up against Leonhardt.” He seriously, holding out his hands for Mikasa’s. He rubbed his fingers over her knuckles, checked her tape and smoothed his fingertips over her palms.
“I know.” Mikasa said wryly, watching his hands.
“You gotta beat her.” He said, staring at her intently. “This match is huge.”
“I’ll beat her.” Mikasa said confidently, feeling that thrill of anticipation go through her again. “I’ll win.”
“You gotta be careful.” Armin butted in, sounding wary. “You know she’s got that move that took you out last time.”
Mikasa rolled her eyes, remembering how her rival had kicked her legs out from underneath her last time, how her breath had left her lungs, her head had smacked into the hard mat beneath them. “Yeah, and I know it now, so I’ll be ready for it.”
Armin looked unconvinced, but Mikasa didn’t take it personally. She knew he was just worried for her. After all, he was the one who patched her up after matches, he knew just how beat up she could get.
She remembered Annie standing over her, a smear of blood across her lips and chin, looking triumphant and cold. She clenched her fists in Eren’s.
“I’ll win.” She said again, resolved.
A sharp rap on the door interrupted them, and Eren stood quickly, looking suspicious.
“Who’s there?” He called, casting a glance at Armin, who shrugged.
“It’s Reiner.” A low, amused laugh came from behind the door before it opened, revealing a tall blond guy who practically filled the doorway. Behind him, an even taller guy hung back, eyes flicking between them all before resting on Mikasa for a long second. She narrowed her eyes, and he started and dropped his gaze to the floor. Bert had always been a coward, she thought with a trace of humour.
Standing between them was Annie Leonhardt. She looked even shorter flanked by her two huge managers, her icy gaze needling into Mikasa from where she stood. Mikasa tipped her chin up as she caught the other girl’s gaze, a silent greeting and challenge. Annie sneered.
“What d’you want.” Eren asked shortly, crossing his arms over his chest and taking a deliberate step in front of Mikasa, who rolled her eyes before standing and pushing him aside.
“Leave us alone for a second.” She said to him, not taking her eyes off Annie, whose mouth quirked up in a cold little smile at Mikasa’s words. Eren rounded on her.
“No way!” He cried. “I’m not leaving you with the…the-” He scowled, throwing the trio a dirty look. “enemy!”
Mikasa rolled her eyes again and laughed, pushing him in the small of the back a little. “Don’t be dramatic, go make friends in the hallway or something.” She said firmly, catching Annie’s eyes again. A strange electricity flickered between them for a minute while Annie held her gaze before smiling, a sharp grin out of place on her usually composed face.
After no small amount of grumbling from Eren, her and Annie were alone, facing off across the room. The light flickered above them, the low hum from the bulb the only sound apart from the muffled shouting of the crowd through the walls.
“You ready for tonight?” Mikasa asked finally, breaking the silence. Annie gazed across at her imperiously, somehow managing to seem tall despite the fact that she barely grazed five foot.
“Are you ready?” She shot back, folding her arms. Mikasa snorted and shrugged before taking a seat on the bench behind her. Standing across from Annie always reminded her of fighting her, sent chills down her spine, heightened her senses. She patted the bench. “Sit down.” She said, and Annie did, slinging her leg over the opposite side before sitting, knees spread.
“Nice to see you calm and collected as ever.” Annie muttered, cracking her knuckles before stretching her arms over her head, muscles tensing for a second as she stretched and exhaled, back popping.
Mikasa watched her, the long muscles of her arms, her taut stomach between her sports bra and the waistband of her shorts. “And you’re as cold as ever, Annie.”
Annie laughed, a short sharp sound as she relaxed back on her hands, looking at Mikasa down her long nose. “They don’t call me the ice queen for nothing.” She said sardonically.
“I’ve seen you plenty warmed up.” Mikasa said lightly, reaching for the tape she’d been using earlier and smirking at the scowl on Annie’s face.
“I’m gonna win tonight.” Annie retorted. “You’re gonna lose like you’ve never lost before.” She added, that little crease between her eyebrows deepening. Mikasa just raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side. Getting Annie worked up was her favourite hobby, because she reacted so well. God, she was easy.
“Is that so?” She muttered, picking at the edge of the tape. “Well, before you do that, you want me to tape your hands?”
Annie sneered at her but shuffled forward, gaze so heavy on Mikasa that she should feel the weight of it as she bent her head over Annie’s hands.
“Reiner giving you his usual spiel?” Mikasa asked, wrapping Annie’s knuckles tightly as she spoke. Annie huffed out a grudging laugh, fingers twitching in Mikasa’s grasp.
“Like an 80’s exercise trainer, it’s intense.” She muttered, splaying her fingers out for Mikasa to wind tape around them. Her hands were always so cold in Mikasa’s. Annie was always so cold.
“Eren was as aggressive as usual.” Mikasa said, fingertips lingering on Annie’s palm, giving her a long slow look before reaching for her other hand. A lock of hair had fallen from her ever-present bun, and dangled in front of her slightly parted lips. When Mikasa trailed her fingers over the inside of Annie’s wrist, over the delicate blue veins there, she inhaled inaudibly, that strand of hair moving with her breath. Mikasa smirked and went back to taping her knuckles.
“Your shoulder fixed up?” Annie asked brusquely after a few seconds of silence. She always got so curt when she was worrying about someone, like she didn’t want it to be known that she actually had feelings. Mikasa smiled to herself as she leaned back, rotating her shoulder experimentally. It twinged, but hurt nothing like it had after Annie had slammed her into the mat months ago.
“It’s almost there.” She said, keeping her cards close to her chest. The less Annie knew about the state of her shoulder, the better. “How’s your ankle?”
“Healing.” Annie said shortly. They gave each other a long, thoughtful look before Annie glanced away, a smile playing over her lips.
“You should look after yourself better.” Mikasa said quietly, her fingers still resting on the inside of Annie’s wrist, right over the hummingbird-fast thrum of her pulse. Annie glanced up, looking surprised before she schooled her face into her usual grumpy expression.
“Why d’you care.” She asked, eyes boring into Mikasa’s. Mikasa scoffed.
“Because you can’t fight me with your full strength if you’re injured.” She said simply, and tightened her grip on Annie’s wrist to pull her towards her, catching her by the shoulder as she moved, taken by surprise.
Annie tilted her head up into the kiss, always eager, always aggressive when it came to this. Hands curling on Mikasa’s throat, blunt fingernails and rough tape scratching over her skin as Annie pressed closer against her. Mikasa pushed back, dropping her hand to Annie’s waist, curling over the bare skin there, thumb brushing the muscles of her stomach as she bit down on Mikasa’s lip.
Annie kissed like she fought. Quick and sly and practised, tilting Mikasa’s face down and rolling her tongue over hers, making a breathy little sound in the back of her throat, cleverly designed to make Mikasa gasp and clutch at her shoulders, giving control over to Annie. Their entire relationship was about control, in and out of the ring, and when they were like this, it was all about gaining the upper hand.
There wasn’t a lot of difference, Mikasa supposed, between fighting and fucking.
Mikasa pushed her back, palm flat over her chest as they eyed each other for a long moment. Annie looking cool and regal, the slightest hint of pink across her cheeks. Mikasa tugged her close for a kiss again, hand slipping up to her throat, a reminder of who had the real power here. Annie just made a soft bitten off noise against her lips, a move that Mikasa took advantage of to nip at the swell of her lower lip teasingly.
They were interrupted by a sharp, irritated rap on the door; probably from Eren, considering he kept knocking long after Mikasa had shouted an annoyed, “What?” in his direction.
She huffed and crossed the room to open the door, catching Eren in mid-knock, hand frozen in the air. He frowned and crossed his arms, leaning to the side slightly to glare at Annie past Mikasa. Mikasa hoped Annie didn’t look too dishevelled.
“Are you quite finished?” He asked testily, looking back to Mikasa, who shrugged and looked at somewhere over his shoulder. Eren huffed in frustration and crowded her back into the room, Armin on his heels. “Look, Mikasa, you’re on in five.”
He sounded genuinely distressed, and Mikasa’s felt a little sorry for him despite the lingering warmth on her lips. She shot a quick glance over her shoulder at Annie, who was staring down at the bench in front of her, hair hanging around her face from where Mikasa had tugged it loose. She glanced up, seemingly sensing Mikasa’s gaze on her, eyes flat and cool. Her lips were kissed red, slightly swollen from Mikasa’s bites, and Mikasa felt a little jolt of heat go through her. She nodded slowly.
“Yeah.” She said deliberately. “We’re done here.”
Annie’s eyes hardened, and Mikasa tipped her chin up a little, challenging. Yeah, that’s right, I’m in control of how this goes, she thought, arching her eyebrows slightly before Annie sighed and rose from the bench.
Eren gave her a hard look as she swept past him, and to her credit she didn’t even look at him, just crossed to the door without a single glance back. Mikasa watched the straight, precise lines of her back, the curve of her waist, and smirked to herself.
“See you in the ring.” She called to Annie’s retreating back, tiny once more between the huge forms of Bert and Reiner. Somehow, she managed to exude more power and strength than either of them did, despite the difference in height.
Annie didn’t even pause, just walked away from her, hands going to her hair to tuck it back into her harsh bun as she disappeared from the doorway. Mikasa planted her hands on her hips and sighed, trying to will some of the tension in her muscles away. Her lips felt sensitive, cold and hot at the same time, and she huffed out another sigh to try and dispel the sensation.
“You ready?” Armin asked from behind her, starting her out of her odd daze. She shook her hands out, silently cursing how ruffled Annie had made her. It would only make facing her in the ring ten times more intense, Mikasa knew, but she hated the pre-match jitters more than anything.
“Game face.” Eren said excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Mikasa managed a smile that was a lot more fierce than intended, her mind ticking over with the thought of besting Annie. Boxing was so physical, it made her heart race like nothing else.
“Game face.” She muttered, before accepting a rough hug from both of them and stepping out into the hall. The sound of the crowd was louder now, and Mikasa squared her shoulders, cracked her knuckles, before striding forward to where Annie was waiting for her.