#sparring

Though you had the sneaking suspicion that his ‘decision’ to move them outside was mostly influenced by Scott, who had already been on the newest members of the team several times this week for their recklessness, reminding them that they should treat the a simulated environment the room provided like it was real and avoid causing excessive property damage.

So you and Gambit had been sparring outside for the last hour, and while you’d normally be embarrassed about panting like an overheated dog after a bit of hand-to-hand combat, you gave yourself a pass just this once since it was obvious that Gambit wasn’t doing much better himself.

You lifted your head when you heard him click his tongue in annoyance, completely forgetting about your discomfort as you watched Gambit lift his shirt in order to wipe the sweat off his face, a heat that had nothing to do with the weather making you feel dizzy when you were treated to an up close and personal view of his toned abdomen before he dropped his damp shirt.

You mentally sighed and turned your gaze away from Gambit’s covered stomach in favor of observing the other paired off X-Men spar –all of them looking just as miserable as you felt– as Gambit turned away, the man wandering over to where you both had dropped your water bottles in the grass.

“Who said you could take a break, runt?” Logan called out and you turned to search for him among the crowd, squinting against the sun in order to glare at the man once you spotted him. He was standing near where Jubilee and Rogue were grappling, looking annoyingly put together in his white tank top and bootcut denim jeans, his large arms crossed over his chest as he judgmentally raised a brow at you.

“Fuck off.” You yelled back while flicking him off, Rouge and Jubilee’s fighting becoming sloppy and uncoordinated when they broke out in a fit of giggles as Logan’s face fell into a disapproving scowl at your mouthy response.

“You get two minutes.” Logan growled before turning his attention back to the two girls in front of him, barking at them to fix their forms and leaving you to your own devices. You sighed and pushed to your full height, turning your attention to Kitty and Kurt –who were sparring together– while stretching out the kink in your back that had developed from being hunched over for so long as you studied their individual fighting styles just in case you got paired with them later.

But then your focus was unceremoniously shattered when something cold suddenly touched the back of your neck, the jarring temperature shock causing you to squawk in protest and slap a hand over the affected area as you whirled around to face the assailant, fully expecting to see Bobby. But instead of coming face to face with a grinning Iceman, you were met with a smirking Gambit, who was holding the offending object –your water bottle– in his hand.

“Jesus Christ, Remy!” You hissed as you snatched your bottle away from him, Gambit holding his hands up in the universal sign of surrender as you unscrewed the cap and scowled at him while taking several long swallows of cool, refreshing water.

“Don' be bringin' Jesus into dis mon cher, Gambit ain't thinkin’ of anythin' holy right now.” Gambit practically purred as he moved into your personal space and leaned in to whisper intimately into your ear, the man standing so close to you that you could feel the heat pouring off him.

“You're impossible.” You rolled your eyes and shoved at Gambit's shoulder until he backed off, chugging the rest of your water bottle before finally disengaging with a gasp when you were reminded that you had to breathe.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than pull stupid pranks?” You asked once you’d caught your breath, giving Gambit –who was no more than a few inches away from you at all times– a grateful look when he took your empty bottle and carelessly tossed it back into the grass next to his.

“Not Gambit’s fault you were eyein' up another man when you got a perfectly goo’ view right here.” He replied with a teasing grin and a slight tilt of his head as he gestured at himself. You took the unspoken invitation and slowly looked him up and down, admiring his body clad in just a white muscle shirt that was practically see through, his auburn hair mussed up in a way that reminded you of how he looked after certain fun bedroom activities.

You stopped yourself shy of letting your eyes wander any lower than his waistband and reluctantly dragged your gaze back up to his face, a shiver going down your spine when you met his heated stare, his eyes dark as he watched you all but undress him with your eyes.

"You're such a dog." You murmured, keeping your voice low so as to avoid anyone overhearing –already having gotten an earful from Ororo when she had the misfortune of being assigned to the two of you during a mission earlier that week– your smile reaching shit-eating levels as you stepped into Gambit's personal space, stopping with your faces inches apart.

"You want a treat or something?" You purred as you trailed your hand down Gambit's chest, careful to keep your touch feather-light and teasing, heat pooling in your lower half when Gambit shivered and swayed into the touch like he was under a thrall.

"Oh, mon ange," Gambit said with a slow smirk, his voice low and rough as he pinned you in place with a predatory stare. "You keep teasing like dat, you, Gambit might just take his treat without askin' nice." You inhaled sharply when he caught your hand in his grasp, though he had the forethought to keep his grip loose so that his touch wasn’t demanding or rough since he knew you didn’t like being restrained.

Then, with that infuriating, charming grin, he brought your hand up to his lips and pressed a slow, deliberate kiss to your knuckles, never once breaking eye contact with you.

"Or maybe," He murmured, his soft lips brushing against your skin in a ticklish sensation as he spoke. "You'd rather Gambit earn it?"

You allowed him to linger for another few seconds before flipping your hand around in his lax grip in order to cup his cheek, Gambit’s lashes fluttering as he pressed into the contact like a touch-starved cat. You forgot all about the fact that you were surrounded by other people in a very public place as he nuzzled into your palm, all your attention tunneled in on his half-lidded gaze as you brushed your thumb across his mouth, watching with rapt attention as Gambit pressed a light kiss to the pad before parting his lips and lick across the tip of your thumb.

“What d'you say, cher?” Gambit asked with a knowing glint in his gorgeous eyes as your spit-slick thumb traced over his bottom lip. “Another round? Winner gets whatever dey want." He suggested with a smug smirk, the challenge in his voice unmistakable as he predictably tried to goad you into taking the bet.

“You wanting to gamble then, Cajun? Feel like you’ll get lucky?” You chuckled at the double entendre as you pulled your hand away, feeling equal parts aroused and amused when Gambit blindly chased the contact before coming back to himself with a slight frown, pouting at you like a petulant child at being denied.

You took several steps back in order to put space between the two of you and closed your eyes, turning your face toward the sun as you rolled your neck and shook out the tension in your shoulders, giving Gambit a moment to collect himself as you bounced from side to side on your toes, warming up your footwork in preparation to beat Gambit’s ass.

“Alright. Deal. Loser has to do whatever the winner wants –within reason– for 24 hours. You in, doll?” You suggested, offering out your hand in order to shake on it and make the bet official, and Gambit gave you a wicked grin as he prowled over to you and took your hand, giving it a firm shake in order to seal the deal. 

Though, when you attempted to take your hand back, he didn’t immediately let go, and the only warning you got that he was planning something was the playful smile on his face before he used his grip on your hand to drag you closer and whisper against your ear, his warm breath fanning across your skin making you shiver.

“Oh, mon cœur, you just signed up for a world of trouble.” He said teasingly, the man lightly nipping at your earlobe before finally releasing you and sauntering back over to his starting position. "Hope you're ready to loose, cher. Because, oh, do Gambit got plans for you.” Gambit mused seductively, looking like pure sin as he slowly began circling you.

“I'm gonna enjoy knocking you down a few pegs.” You said casually –confidence dripping from every word like the outcome of the fight had already been decided before it had even begun– and you stared at Gambit like a starving dog might look at a juicy piece of meat, licking your lips as you shamelessly imagined all the ways you could make him beg. 

You adjusted your stance, effortlessly shifting your weight into a fighter’s crouch as you carefully watched Gambit’s every move, looking for an opening, and it wasn’t long before your patience bore fruit. Gambit’s eyes momentarily flitted down to your mouth when your tongue peeked out and you shot forward, feigning left to throw Gambit off before darting right at the last second, landing a solid jab at Gambit’s kidney before dancing out of reach.

“Dat move was filthy, ma moitié.” Gambit grunted as he pressed a hand over his aching side, flashing you a smile that showed far too many teeth to be anything other than threatening, and you just laughed before rushing him a second time. 

You brought your arms up to guard your face when Gambit swung, your forearms taking the worst of the damage before your hand shot out to grab onto the wrist of his dominant hand, twisting it up behind him in a complex maneuver. Once you had him where you wanted him, you wrapped your forearm around his throat and pulled him backward until your front was pressed flush against Gambit's warm back, your voice saccharine sweet as you pressed your lips against Gambit's ear in a mimicry of what the man had done to you earlier.

“It's almost like you want to lose.” You chuckled as you mercilessly hiked his hand up high between his shoulder blades to keep him off balance, brushing your nose up his neck when he tilted his head back with a groan, baring his throat with a strangled laugh.

"Oh cher, Gambit ain't ever gonna admit to wantin' to lose," He gasped, his lean body flexing in your grip before he rolled his hips back against yours under the guise of trying to get free, your hold on him involuntarily tightening as he arched his back. “But maybe he can be convinced.”

"Stop that, you fucking cheater." You forced out through grit teeth, releasing your hold on his arm in order to swat scoldingly at his hip, and Gambit’s eyes glinted in triumph as he took the opportunity to slip away from you. He grabbed your arm and wrenched it away from his neck while simultaneously throwing a vicious jab back at you with his elbow, catching you in the mouth.

You let him go and staggered a few feet away in order to gain some much needed distance,  your face twisting up into a grimace as the distinct, coppery taste of blood flooded your mouth. You bent over, spitting a glob of red-tinted saliva onto the ground and cursing under your breath as you tentatively pressed your fingers against your throbbing cheek, your tongue gently prodding at the tear inside of your mouth in an attempt to gauge how bad it was.

“You alright, cher? You're bleedin’…” Gambit asked hesitantly, his concern and guilt at drawing blood during what was supposed to be a friendly competition practically written all over his face, but you were too angry to care. You lifted your gaze from the blood-splattered grass in order to level a remorseful Gambit with a dark look that promised pain.

You rose to your full height and stalked toward him, Gambit’s eyes widening in alarm as he took notice of the fury practically radiating off you in waves and froze like a frightened deer. Unfortunately for him, his indecision was his undoing, delaying his reaction time and allowing you to get in close enough to grab fistfuls of Gambit’s damp shirt before winding your head back and slamming your forehead into his.

Gambit stumbled backward with an animal noise of pain, the man shaking his head in a vain attempt to clear the brain fog that came with getting his bell rung, but you didn’t give him any time to recover this time as you dropped into a crouch before wrapping your arms around Gambit's waist and throwing you both down to the ground in a brutal tackle. 

Gambit let out a startled gasp at the rough treatment before the wind was knocked out of him, and the fight devolved into the two of you grappling like feral dogs from there, tearing up grass and chunks of dirt alike as you both fought to stay on top.

“Hold still, asshole.” You growled as you got the upper hand and rolled him over onto his stomach, straddling his lower back to keep him from bucking you off as you yanked his shirt up over his head –leaving him bare chested– so that you could wrap the fabric around his wrists in makeshift bindings, incapacitating his arms and leaving him defenseless unless he wanted to break the rules and use his powers to blow his muscle shirt to pieces.

"I won. Say it.” You snarled as you leaned down over Gambit’s back, using your body weight to further pin him down, refusing to move no matter how much Gambit squirmed and cursed.

“You're gonna have to make me.” Gambit wheezed in a frankly unsexy manner as he turned his head so he could glare daggers up at you in blatant defiance. “And dat's gonna take a hell of a lot more den pinning me down, cher.” He added stubbornly and you huffed in exasperation, pushing yourself upright so you were sitting on his lower back before scanning the yard until you found Logan, who was instructing Morph on how to properly block.

"For fucks sake, Remy. You’re such a sore loser." You sighed with an exasperated eye roll before calling out to Logan. "Logan! Call it! He's pinned so I won, yeah?" You asked eagerly, repressing the urge to grin when the man’s head snapped around, his eyes narrowing as he took in the way you had restrained Gambit, who was busy muttering under his breath in frustration as he began struggling anew.

Then Logan’s face broke out into an amused grin at Gambit’s expense, a low, rumbling chuckle rolling across the yard as he crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head at your antics, regarding you like a proud dad. “Oh yeah, he ain’t goin’ anywhere, runt,” He called out with a dismissive wave. “You won.”

You let Gambit stew in his loss for another minute before dutifully helping him untangle his hands from his grass stained shirt and pulling Gambit back to his feet, reveling in the bright, embarrassed flush dusting Gambit’s cheeks as he aggressively brushed blades of grass and dirt off his chest.

"Espèce d'enfoiré ! Garde ton arbitrage de merde et fous-le-toi là où je pense!” Gambit hissed like a pissed off cat, going limp in defeat as he turned his head to sneer at Logan, who returned the Cajun’s furious expression with a mocking smile. 

“See? That wasn’t so bad, was it, you drama queen?” You said with a faint grin –trying to cheer him up a bit– before you licked your thumb and brushed it over Gambit’s chin, wiping the thin layer of dirt coating his skin off in a silent apology for how rough you got with him in your anger, and your heart melted when some of the tension eased from Gambit’s shoulders and he leaned more heavily against you.

“Désolé.” He muttered quietly and you looked at him in confusion until he reached up to carefully cup your swollen cheek, the man frowning as he swiped a thumb over the tender skin, his eyes sad as he stared at you like he would take your pain onto himself in a heartbeat if he could despite his own injuries. You reached up and grabbed his hand, gently drawing it away from your face and interlacing your fingers together before pressing a reassuring kiss to his knuckles.

Gambit visibly softened at your easy affection, his eyes turning warm and loving as he ducked down and pressed a kiss to your temple, and suddenly the bruises and scrapes you’d gained during your intense sparring session weren’t so unbearable.

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