he doesn’t know about her , but he’s certainly out of breath. this fight’s gone on forever now , so it seems , and neither of them have necessarily budged when it comes to putting one foot near the grave.
it’s almost like a dance , and for their origin ( hers having only recently being revealed to him ) , it isn’t surprising that this deadly waltz has ended in them both being exhausted with very minimal injuries to show. winter’s just as sturdy as he is , definitely more flexible due to her age , and has managed to kick his ass just as hard as he feared she would. john’s heavy breathing is only evidence that the past five years of living on theother side has done nothing but taken a toll on him. he’s exhausted - and she knows it.
“ yeah , ” hurried word is forced out between breaths , palms reaching to rest on knees. right hand reaches to push hair from his face and rid some of the sweat from his forehead. john shakes his head , stands up straight again with both hands now positioned on his lower back , and bends to stretch as if that’ll help him in any way. “ you givin’ up ? ”
fire burns in her lungs. the sharp gasps to recompose do little to alleviate the breathless pain. it’s been a while since she had to work for something to this extent - like mimicking the same routine en pointe until fatigue buried into bones and a flawless performance was achieved only when standing in ones own blood. push on. he’s exposing a vulnerable point, he’s weak, he’s out of practice. but so is she. two years of untraceable toxins and bedded assassinations have left her ignorant of her training.
“ no, “ she’s nodding despite herself, slipping back against a hole-riddled wall. it began in the early hours of the morning, stars still speckled across a sky of black, and the chase has brought them here: straining to hold their bodies up under the first prying rays of light. if she had ammo, she could shoot. if she had a knife, she could throw it. but it’s all been reduced to bruised and split knuckles and broken glass and thrown furniture. he’s bigger. she’s more energetic. it’s a stalemate. winter finally pulls together, a deep exhale.
“ want to go get breakfast? “
