Chapter Text
Sparring with Mary was always an... adventure . She fought with an intensity, a wildness about her that none of the other sisters possessed. An unpredictability that had resulted in more than one busted lip, bloody nose or black eye. It wasn’t uncommon to see a Sister wince whenever they were called to spar with the American. Lilith though? Lilith loved sparring with Mary. Not that she would ever show her of course. She couldn’t have Mary thinking that she actually enjoyed her presence. That’d be ridiculous. Absurd.
Lilith simply enjoyed a challenge. An unforeseen consequence of training for combat (for war, really, there was no justifying the amount of training she’d been put through as anything else) from an early age meant that she was more than adept. Fighting came as naturally to Lilith as eating, or breathing. It was in her blood after all, going all the way back to the First Crusade. It wasn’t often that she found a match, or near match, in skill. Shannon was one, Beatrice was swiftly improving as well (that girl fought like she was fighting her own demons). Mary was perhaps the most surprising member of the short list of people that Lilith found a challenge in fighting. It was refreshing, a breath of fresh air.
At this moment though, Lilith had ulterior motives in wanting to get Mary onto the sparring mat. As Mary would put it, Karma is a bitch .
Mary groaned when she hit the rubber sparring mat, her arm already flaring up in pain from where she landed on it. The throw had not been gentle, that was for sure. That’s okay, two can play at that game. Pushing herself up, Mary craned her head up and glared up at Lilith from under a furrowed brow, the woman’s smirk setting Mary’s aboil in her veins. She was so damn smug, it was infuriating. There was an underlying, fierce glee in Lilith’s eyes at throwing Mary to the floor. It sent shivers (not of fear, but Mary wasn’t going to touch whatever the Hell that feeling was with a ten foot pole) running down Mary’s spine and had her breath catching momentarily in her chest. Really, it was only logical to react that way when fixated with a stare of that intensity. Lilith had a way, a look about her that was remarkably predatory for a nun. Then again, the OCS was made up of no ordinary nuns.
“Careful princesa ,” Mary mocked, tone biting and spitting the pet name out like it had personally offended her, “If I didn’t know any better, I would think that this is personal.”
The look of pure death that Lilith fixated on Mary had the American’s stomach dropping and an abrupt sense of ‘ oh I shouldn’t have said that ’ settled over her like a funeral shroud.
Rushing to her feet Mary barely had the time to raise her arms and block the sudden, furious onslaught of punches and kicks that Lilith was sending her way, dodging and weaving to the best of her abilities. ‘ Okay, so maybe taunting her like that wasn’t the greatest idea ,’ Mary thought just before her world was reduced to stars in her eyes and the hard surface of the training mat pressed into her face once more, courtesy of a ruthless kick from Lilith, the instep of her foot making solid contact with Mary’s jaw.
“Shit,” She muttered under her breath before pushing herself back up to her feet once more. Spitting a wad of blood away from where the two of them were sparring (or had it turned to fighting? Mary wasn’t quite sure) Mary sought out her busted lip with her tongue. After a kick like that it didn’t hurt to check and make sure it was still there.
A quick glance to the sidelines showed a number of the Sisters wincing slightly. Except for Shannon. Shannon, the traitor , looked far too amused by watching Mary get the shit beat out of her though there was a sympathetic smile pulling at her lips.
Lilith took a savage delight in the busted lip she had given Mary, some of the rage (Lilith hated the implication that she only got where she was because of her mothers. She was plenty good enough by her own merit) that had overtaken her washing away.
“You should work on your dodging, Sister Mary.” Lilith taunted, chin raising and a proud glint settling in her fierce eyes. “I’ll give you a hint. In order to dodge, you need to not get kicked.” Her voice was mocking, talking down to Mary as if she were talking to a child. “I don’t even know why you’re called Shotgun Mary, you have all that power in your name and you can’t even beat me.” Lilith sneered.
Oh yes. This was most definitely not sparring anymore. This was personal. This was a fight.
Mary launched herself forward and took deep satisfaction in the minute widening of Lilith’s eyes and the flash of alarm when Mary closed the distance between them, fists flying and swinging towards Lilith, the taller brunette parrying until finally Mary’s fist connected solidly into Lilith’s gut. The rattling, choked off gasp that she sucked in sounded like victory. Not a total victory, of course, but enough of a win to send a rush of satisfaction coursing through Mary’s veins.
Lilith practically growled, looking up at Mary from under her eyelashes and casting her a baleful glare. It was remarkably frustrating how little her various glares and scowls seemed to affect Mary when they’d at the very least unsettle the other Sisters. (It was remarkably refreshing , but Lilith didn’t let herself dwell on that. It was much easier, safer , to focus on how Mary made her blood boil instead.)
“I don’t know, princesa. Seems like I'm doing just fine. You, on the other hand?” Mary shot Lilith a wide smirk. Gloating came easy and it was well worth it seeing how much it riled Lilith up. The pet name was risky but...the way it made Lilith snarl and clench her jaw with her chin tilted up? The sheer intensity radiating from the other Sister had Mary’s arms erupting in goosebumps and her breath hitching. Really, she ought to stop poking the bear, but the show of emotion it coaxed from the normally closed off woman? It was far too enticing. Even if that emotion was fury. (It was a good look on Lilith, it was like playing with fire, Mary decided, gut twisting. The realization that she couldn’t wait to get burnt should have concerned her more than it did, really.)
“Stop. Calling. Me. That.” Lilith spat after recovering her breath before the two engaged each other again. This bout was quicker, less calculated and messier on both sides. Each kick, each punch, was emotionally charged.
It came to a crashing halt whenever Mary ended up flat on her back (on the mat again ) with Lilith straddling her waist. Lilith caught the fists that came flying at her face and slammed Mary’s hands above her head, using her weight to help pin them to the training mat.
Both of their chests were heaving, sweat dripping down both of their faces. Lilith’s hair was visibly disheveled, even from underneath her wimple. Strands had escaped, framing her immaculate cheekbones, some sticking to her sweaty forehead. Mary’s busted lip had busted back open after Lilith’s knuckles had clipped it, the skin around it already bruising.
The energy between them, previously furious, no, wrathful , had shifted to something else.
Something charged with a different kind of heat, a different kind of intensity.
Lilith’s breath caught and without realizing it she’d gone still, tongue peeking out to wet her lips. Her eyes went on an adventure without her even realizing it, trailing down Mary’s pinned form with an unforeseen hunger that she was unprepared for, pupils blown wide.
Mary’s hands pinned above her head had her arms (she was wearing one of the sleeveless hoodies, God forgive Lilith for making note of it) clearly on display, toned arms out for the whole world to see. And Lilith did see . It was shockingly hard to tear her eyes away from her triceps and the hint of bicep she could see from its place pinned to the training mat. Her sweat slicked skin had Lilith suddenly fervently wishing that they were alone because holy Hell , she’d love nothing more than to bite and lick a path along Mary’s neck and regretfully hidden collarbones.
When you’re attracted to someone, your pupils can dilate as much as 45%, Lilith idly recalled the random fact, unconsciously taking her lower lip between her teeth when her eyes came back up to meet Mary’s. The other woman’s pupils were also blown huge, poorly concealed hunger visible as she stared up at Lilith.
Mary’s pulse was pounding , blood hot and heavy in her veins, thoughts foggy with desire and a burning need . Lilith’s legs bracketed her hips, lithe body extended above hers. Mary had never hated a training uniform more than she did now. She had felt what it was like to have Lilith close whenever she’d ‘ helped ’ the taller woman with her shotgun but now? With tension thicker than molasses between them? Mary had never craved someone so much in her life.
Wait.
Oh.
O h.
Eyelids fluttering, Lilith snapped back into the present and her eyes widened in shock when she realized just how intense the energy between the two of them had gotten. Just how ragged her breathing had gone and just how hot her body was burning. Just how hard her body was throbbing with a heady mixture of desire and the knowledge that they couldn’t . It wasn’t allowed to happen.
The whole exchange hadn’t lasted long, maybe thirty seconds but the effect it had on both of them?
Jerking back, adrenaline flooding her veins and leaving Lilith feeling uncharacteristically shaky, Lilith released Mary’s wrists and stumbled to her feet. Her cheeks were flushed hot and Lilith knew it extended down her neck and chest. Desperately trying to regain control of her expression and trying to force her blush to die down from sheer force of will, Lilith cleared her throat before extending a hand. “I believe I won.” Lilith spoke, voice stilted and choked with a forced airy casualness.
Mary, still laying stunned on the floor, pushed herself up onto her elbows and stared up at Lilith with darkened, hungry, eyes before slowly accepting the offered hand. The easy strength in how Lilith hauled Mary to her feet did nothing to dampen the look in Mary’s eyes and the heat that was still flooding both of their bodies.
“This time.” Mary finally spoke, attempting to blink some of the hunger from her eyes, the unspoken challenge of next time hanging heavy between the two of them.
Despite herself, despite her doubts and wariness around the fact that she’d never hungered quite so strongly for anything (the Halo didn’t count. Lilith didn’t want it, not truly. It was her parent’s wish for her to be Halo Bearer) before, Lilith’s lips quirked into a small, competitive little smirk.
“We’ll see.”
“What. Was. That?” Beatrice breathed next to Shannon, eyes wide as saucers. The vision of Sister Lilith hovering over Sister Mary, their heavy pants, the prolonged eye contact and the tension that could be felt from the sidelines would be seared into Beatrice’s brain for quite some time.
“That, Beatrice, would be the start of a very tiring exercise in self control for the both of them.” While Shannon’s words were grave, the glee in her voice was unmistakable. Her eyes were alight with mischief and she was trying her hardest to suppress the toothy, roguish grin that so desperately wanted to spread across her face.
While she’d undoubtedly get entertainment from watching the game of cat and mouse that was sure to pick up between Lilith and Mary, Shannon was already looking forward to the day they’d give in.