What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger and all that crap l Open

Riley was pleased with himself when he felt his fist make contacts with the boys stomach. As soon as his punch carried out he realized it was a low blow, and any punch to the stomach would be a poor move for the attacker to make. He tried to pull his fist away but the boy fell onto the mat before he could pull back. Riley stared in horror as he watched Lev's small body curl into a ball on the mat. 'No no no no. Did I hit him with my power?' The autumns fist was pulled into his chest as he examined his hands to make sure the gloves were still on. To his relief he viewed the black leather gloves that fit onto his hands perfectly.

The small body ached on the floor as Riley stood over him. 'Shit. What have I done?' Riley bent down and stood on his knees next to the boy. He noticed the short breathing coming from Lev's chest, he was attempting to regain his air after the low blow Riley brought upon him. "Dude, holy shit. Are you okay? I didn't realize..." He didn't expect an answer, but he just wanted Lev to know he would help him out if he needed it.

Lev would have felt really bad if he knew Riley thought his gift had manifested itself through his gloves. Lev tried his best to appear strong because he knew he was and that his weak childhood was far behind him, but he knew it would appear sometime at Beata, considering it was a school full of gifted students who were put in danger from time to time. He gasped and coughed, focusing solely on his breathing. He knew he could breath again, it was just a matter of convincing his lungs of that fact.

He heard Riley just above him, crouching down onto his knees. For a moment there were no words and then Riley spoke. He sounded really worried and Lev recalled similar moments back home when his father went a little too hard and spoke with the same tone. Taking a while longer for his breathing, Lev shook his head. "It is fine. I am fine." He heaved slightly, the effort of speaking taking a slight toll on him. "It is just.... I am just...." Lev fought hard for the right words. How was he supposed to tell someone he was weak? His pride told him to make up a story, but his mind told him that no lie would be much different than the truth. Riley would still pity him. "I was born a month early. My growth was stunted, inside and out. My torso is my weakest point. You did not know, it is not your fault." He muttered, defeated and knowing now, if he ever sparred with Riley again, the boy would take it easy on him.

Riley kneeled over his opponents defeated body. His eyes brightened when he saw Lev's breaths start to return to normal. He listened to every word the boy said once he regained the ability to breath. Being born a month early could seriously stunt a child's growth and it just so happened that Lev was a walking example. Riley settled on to the ground criss crossing his legs, they would only continue their fight if Lev felt well enough to, but Riley highly doubted they would start up again. If they would he would have to avoid all contact with the stomach/torso area. Red eyes glanced over Lev once again, "Is there, uh, anything I can do for you?" He didn't know what to ask, but at least it made him sound concerned.

Riley mused about his opponent as he waited for an answer. He figured Lev would have needed years of intense training to become as good as he was now, expecially with a weakness like his. Admiration stirred in his chest as he realized how difficult it must have been to train. It was hard enough for him to train himself with gloved hands, unable to feel the force or impact inflicted on the other body. Most of the time it was a guess work kind of game.

It made Lev feel awful, putting off the fight because of this stupid weakness. He felt beaten, bruised, embarrassed, humiliated, and broken all at once as Riley knelt above him. Sometimes Lev resented being a fighter. But without that fighting spirit he wouldn't have lived. There were moments when he wondered whether it was better to live with this weakness or if he would have been fine not surviving. Of course he preferred being alive, it was stupid to consider the other option. But he hated the feeling he got when he was proven to be weak. Riley asked if there was anything he could get him and Lev shook his head. There was nothing he ever needed in these moments expect time to take some breaths. It always took him a while to recover from something like this. It had taken him a month to recover from the flu the last time he had gotten it.

Lev realized, after some thinking, that there was something Riley could do for him. "I could use some water." He lied, hoping that Riley would have to leave the room to get him some. Lev had finished off his water before Riley had arrived and he hadn't seen the other boy bring a bottle in, so he hoped desperately Riley would leave to get water and Lev would have time to himself for a few minutes while he waited. That, too, was often the best cure for moments like these.

Riley nodded to Lev when the boy asked for some water. It wouldn't have been a problem if had brought in a water bottle. "I'll be right back then." The autumn student jumped up and walked out of the training area. The closest place to grab a bottle was the cafeteria and that was across the campus. Riley scolded himself, he wasn't one to normally go out of his way and get someone something. It was only in rare occasions, and he figured since he gave the guy a beating it would be the least it could do.

It took at least five minutes to walk to the cafeteria, buy a bottle, and walk back. He made his way over to Lev and handed him the bottle presenting it as a prize. "Tada! A water bottle." He gave the boy a grin, "Feeling any better?"

It was a relief to know that Riley was alright with getting him water. He nodded his head when the other boy said he would be right back and listened for the receding footsteps before letting out a deep, shaky sigh he had been holding in. Gosh, it hurt. Lev let out more, shaky breaths before small tears began to roll down his cheeks. He couldn't let Riley see this. It was stupid, it was just pain. He'd felt it so often before. How was this any different?

Because it was in front of someone, the thought bitterly before he laid down on his back, stretching his aching stomach out. The balls of his hands remained over his eyes to keep back the tears but he lay full body, elbows in the air, where he had previously been crouching. "This is going to bruise." He muttered to himself before he heard the sounds of Riley returning. Quickly he rubbed the wet off his cheeks and spread his arms out to either side of him. There were small red circles around his eyes, but those were the only signs he had been crying.

"Thank you. Yeah, I am feeling better." He responded, not sitting up as he took the offered bottle. First he set it on his stomach, letting the cold numb the pain. It felt kind of good. But when he finally caught his breath completely, his body relaxed save the tension in his gut, he realized he was actually thirsty. Slowly he sat up, using all his arm strength to push himself into a seat position. Opening the bottle he took a thirsty gulp. "Again, thank you. Maybe we can continue this another day?" Lev suggested, avoiding looking at Riley and instead looking down at the water bottle in his hands.

When he returned he was a bit surprised to see Lev sprawled out on the floor. He gladly handed over the water bottle and stood next to the boy. Red eyes peered around the room, it was quiet and empty. A rack of weapons could be seen by the door, metal shinning against the bright sunlight that poked through the windows. His attention was pulled back down when Lev's voice made a reappearance. Riley pursed his lips as Lev made the offer to continue training another day. The autumn student slipped his hand in his pockets and let out a sigh, "Yea man sure. Uh, whenever you're feeling better." He was a little bit disappointed since this was the first training session he was able to get with someone other than himself. Riley gazed down at Lev who had his eyes fixed on the water bottle in his hands, "Sorry about hitting you with that low blow."

Riley spun around on his heels and turned to face the door. He removed a gloved hand from his pocket and raised it in the air, "See you around."

It ached, but Lev attempted to ignore it so he didn't show weakness in front of Riley. He had ruined this whole thing and it was taking all his mental strength to refrain from breaking into tears out of anger at himself. Lev didn't like it when he somehow made everything about him. It just happened. He never told anyone he was weak so no one ever knew to treat him gently. But he never told anyone because he didn't want to be treated gently. "I will let you know when that is." Lev responded, glad Riley only seemed slightly put off. It was enough to still worry that he had ruined everything but Riley was still talking to him like he was mostly normal. "It is alright." Lev said, though it clearly was not. He didn't want to make Riley feel bad, he would really be fine.

It almost upset Lev that Riley was leaving, but it made sense. Riley really couldn't do anything for him anymore and Lev couldn't fight. There was no reason for the taller boy to stay. "Yeah. See you around." Lev said, remaining where he was on the mat, embarrassed and aching, but lifting his hand to wave back.

[out, thank you ^^]