Imaginary Attacks from Imaginary Foes

Ignicio huffed tiredly as he high-kicked an imaginary opponent, sending a few punches their way, ducking out of the way of the imaginary attacks from his imaginary foe.

He had been in the hall for hours already. He'd been up at the crack of dawn and slipped out of Dick's bed to come down here. He hadn't left since.

His dark hair was soaked through with sweat and the few strands that weren't drawn back in a ponytail were sticking to his face and neck uncomfortably.

The Incubus inhaled deeply as he paused or a quick break, turning to grab his abandoned shirt and a bottle of water. He mopped up the swear on his face and neck with the shirt as he swigged from the luke-warm bottle.

He was clad in only a pair of skin-tight black shorts that were easy to move in. His feet were bare as usual and the silver dogtags still hung around his neck.

Richard huffed irritably, exiting one of the empty halls. |He was planning on dusting the glass chandelier in the ballroom - something that he had not done for a few months now. But when he went to collect the ladder, it was not there.

He assumed he may of left it somewhere. That or someone took it, which riled him up despite the lack of evidence. Whatever the reason, he had wasted an hour of his too long of life looking for it.

With another irritated growl, he opened the door of the other empty hall and froze.

Mouth parted a little, baby-blue eyes were stuck on the body in front of him. He was unable to tear his eyes away from the Incubus, and how his body moved, muscle highlighted by a very slight sheen that that he felt he should of found unattractive.

When Ignicio stopped fighting the imaginary foe, he tried to turn around to hit himself with a book. Instead, a blush began to frame his face.

He poured a little water into his hand and splashed it over his face, rubbing the cool liquid over his neck and shoulders, feeling instant relief from the hot sweat coating his skin.

His red eyes caught Dick and he nodded casually, eyeing the blush on his cheeks with a mental grin.

"Evening, Dick."

His eye line caught one drop of water slip down from the face, heading south over tanned skin, firm chest, toned and chiselled stomach and down onto the waistline of the skin-tight shorts. He gulped and snatched his eyes back up to look into wine eyes.

"Evening." He flushed further when it came out, not only a minute later, but higher then intend. Clearing his throat, he hoped that would make it pass as just the fact he had a funny throat.

Still frozen on the spot, he tried to think of something to say, only for his brain to turn around and come back with nothing, other then telling him this would be a good time to shut his mouth..

"Were you looking for me?" he asked, dropping the shirt on the ground and stretching his arms above his head.

His muscles stretched and rolled under his tanned skin, sweat and water curving over the defined muscles.

"Or am I just being self-centred?"

His eyes began to drift lower and away from the eyes again, studying the firm and defined body.

Gulping again, eyes unmoving, he rummaged through his mind to remember exactly what he was he was looking for again. Coming to nought, his brain turned around to hit him with an excuse, rather then just stuttering there like an idiot.

Composing himself a little, now with something intelligible to say, he still murmured out: "I was wondering if you could teach me?"

He did want to learn, after his spat with Hellsing. It did make him wonder what if they got into a physical fight.

He almost nodded to himself to tell his brain well done.

His brows furrowed slightly.

Dick didn't know how to fight?

He had just assumed that he knew something other than long-range archery.

"Yeah, of course." He cocked his head, tossing the bottle back of the floor and backing up towards the centre of the hall. "C'mon."

He planted his feet and lifted a hand to curl his fingers in the universal 'come at me' gesture. "Come at me with all you've got."

Finally ripping his eyes away from Ignicio's, he followed the other Prince, not letting his eyesight drop again, because those shorts were... really... tight.

Flushing, eyes flicking back up, he watched Ignicio stand his grounded and ask him to come at him "with all you've got."

With what?

Next to Ignicio, he felt; short, tiny and puny... Empathise on the puny.

Licking his upper lip, the feeling of being out of his comfort zone replacing his embarrassment, as he was a little unsure of what to do.

Why did he ask Ignicio if he could teach him again?

Resisting the urge to slap himself, he aimed a punch at Ignicio's jaw, knowing it will end badly.

He rolled his eyes, catching Dick's fist easily and tapping his side with his free hand.

"Pathetic, dear." He lifted Dick's hand to press a kiss to it before pulling back. "You're not getting anywhere with that crappy punch."

He took a few steps back, dropping Dick's hand as he planted his feet again, bringing his fists up. He gave two swift punches to the air in front of Dick's face. "You've got to focus. Don't punch half-heartedly; it'll get you beaten."

The dying blush appearing again, he pulled away his hand. He was a little unsure what it was for, the kiss or the comment.

Blinking he moved his head a little bit back as fists flew his way - inches from his face.

"I've figured that much." He murmured under his breath.

Looking at Ignicio, brows drawn together at the comments, he attempted to punch him in the jaw again. This time, with a little more intent, rather then just half-heartedly throwing his fist.

"That's better," he replied with an encouraging grin as he caught the fist again.

"But you really need to come at me like you want to knock me out." His lip twitched. "Remember when I painted the room in the ballroom? You came at me like you serously wanted to tear my throat out."

He paused and pursed his lips. "Okay, you seriously did want to tear my throat out but come at me like that."

The Incubus grinned widely. "Come on, do it!"

Richard snarled as that memory came back into mind. He still hasn't forgiven Ignicio for that day.


"Plus you broke the vase." He clenched his fist, eyes narrowing. "Left this mayonnaise stuff all over the ballroom, which took forever to clean up." He unconsciously stood his ground a bit more. "And made me look like a complete and utter fool."

This time, he really was setting out to break Ignicio's nose. Or jaw. Or a set of teeth. Or maybe even just punch his whole face in.

He grinned at the growl.

"Remember that time you found one of your paintings destroyed and Giacinto took the blame?" His eyes flashed and his grin turned feral. "It was me. Put my fist right through it."

A laugh rumbled in his chest as he ducked the fist, swinging his leg up to catch Dick in the chest. "That's more like it!"

Richard eyes widened, freezing as he slowly process the information.

Ignicio.

Destroyed one of his paintings.

The one which took him months to do, of his biological eldest sister.

And Ignicio just punched it... For no apparent reason!

"You bastard!" He growled, elbowing Ignicio's back and aiming his knee into the other vampires gut, seeing red.

He grunted when Dick elbowed him, but caught his knee, yanking it upwards.

The Incubus arched a brow down at the younger man, standing tall above him, completely recovered from the elbow to his back.

"You have potential, kid." He offered a hand down to him.

Yelping, he felt himself fall flat on his front. luckily he planed his hands on the ground in time so his nose was not flatten out on his face.

Growling still, he glared up at Ignicio, still pissed off at him for destroying the painting. And then a little more pissed of at the comment.

"I am not a 'kid'." He snapped, refusing the hand to get up himself. Though, he was half tempted to shift into a tiger and rip the hand off.

Crossing his arms in a huff, he had enough sense not to try and punch his face in.

He arched a brow when Dick stood up sulkily.

"You wanted me to teach you and I'm teaching you. Duck." He span, swiping his leg deliberately above Dick's head so, even if he didn't duck, he wouldn't get hit.

"The best way to teach someone." The best way he had learnt how. Being beaten into the ground until he picked up how to duck and dodge and imitate.

He wasn't going to go easy on Dick because they were lovers.

He ducked, more on instinct then trying to avoid the kick. most probably not enough if the kick was aimed at his neck.

He continued to glare at the Incubus as he stood up straight again.

He was most probably not wearing the right clothes for his sudden fighting lesson. Fitted shirt, 'work' trousers that left no room for his leg to stretch pass running, and his boots underneath them.

"Back." He stepped forwards, aiming a punch just short of his face. "Back." Another punch. "Duck." High kick.

"Y'know, it happened a long time ago. Don't dwell in the past, it's not good. Giacinto and I have told you this in the past. Back." Punch.

He sighed softly. "You need to get better clothes for working out. Or just wear nothing. I do that half time time."

He took a step back, then another, ducked a little bit later then he should, but missed the kick.

"I don't dwell on the past." He snapped, stumbling then falling onto his arse.

Hissing a little, his glare was now framed with a blush.

"And I am perfectly fine in what I am wearing." He snarled, getting back up, this time a little more light on his feet.

"You're dwelling pretty well right now. You're angry about something that happened decades ago."

He rolled his eyes and dropped into straddle splits, looking up at Dick with an arched brow before standing to his full height again. "Do that in those clothes. You need to be perfectly flexible when you're training."

"It's preferable to be entirely naked - it's how Giacinto and I usually train - but I had to make do. A kid could have walked in and that would have led to an awkward situation that I didn't want to deal with."

He bent at the waist, getting in Dick's face. "Those trousers are not good for fighting."

He was about to grumble back at the made that it was legit since he only found out who did it today. Instead, his mouth hung open as Ignicio legs split into a wide stradle.

Momently stunned, it took his a few seconds to resort back: "If I could even do that in the first place."

Not flinching away as Ignicio's face came close to his, nose to nose, his frown deepened. What he really wanted to to do was to turn his head away, or run of and read a book in a corner.

"I am not taking them off." He stubbornly stated. "And even if I did, what will I wear instead?"

He rolled his eyes heavenward with a quiet groan, head lolling back. "What do you know about fighting? How flexible are you?"

Was he going to have to go right back to basics? He didn't want to do that. That'd be a lot of effort on his part and the last time he had tried to teach someone from the basics it had gone terribly wrong. He didn't usually have the patience.

"We need to get you some training pants. I'll teach you like this today - just today - and then you go out and buy a good pair of training pants, you hear? A nice, comfortable, flexible pair."

He looked down at the floor, brows still knitted as he answered the question: "Little, and I am not sure."

He bit his lip, a little embarrassed that he knew naught about something. Twisting his ring, he looked back up, a little grateful that he was not going to be suddenly forced out of his trousers.

His earlier anger simmered down as it was replaced with his embarrassment.

"Sure?" In all honestly, he did not expect to do this more then once... Well, really, he did not know what to expect when he asked Ignicio to teach him.

"The basics, it is. First I need to know how flexible you are."

He took a few steps back and cocked his head to the side. "Try and kick as high as you can with your other foot on the ground. Roundhouse kick me as high as you can."

He needed to know how far his lover could split his legs. He'd have had him go down straight into the splits but a roundhouse kick was a nicer way of doing things. Splits could hurt like a sunnova, you could decide how high to kick yourself.