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The young couple met on a rainy day. Yixing passing by the campus cafe when he saw Rin taking shelter underneath the shop's canopy. Recognizing the curly haired girl from his literature class.

"Hey, it's Rin right?" Yixing gains her attention. She nods. "My name's Yixing. We have Mr. Murphy's class together."

"I remember." Her voice is soft against the pelting rain.

"Did you drive here, or..."

"I took the bus." She answers.

"I can wait with you at the stop. Who knows when the rain is going to let up." Yixing offers.

She smiles gratefully. "Thanks."

Raising the umbrella higher, Rin steps out to stand beside him. "Maybe we can get a coffee sometime." His eyes flicker to the shop and back to her. Her smile diminishing into something more shy.

"Sure."

One coffee meet turns into a few more when Yixing invites her out to a pub near campus. Rin steps into the rowdy place of patrons, glued to the tv screen as players in checkered jerseys kick at a blur of a ball, shouting when it soars into a net. Her mane of copper curls glows a fiery under the twinkle light. Nervous fingers pushing a clump behind her ear, piercings and ear cuffs clinking against her rings.

"Rin!" At the call of her name, her head snaps to the direction, eyes lighting with relief at the sight of Yixing. With a smile and a small wave she makes her way over. "You make it here okay?"

She nods. "I took a cab. Parking seems like a nightmare."

Yixing smiles. "Yeah, I had to park around the corner." The two each order a drink, a light ale and a perry cider.

"You know, you never really told me what it is that you do?" She says, alluding to their last conversation. Cut short by Yixing's afternoon class clashing with her free period. Her question prompted by the various bruises that pop on his face. He always smiled when she asked about them, saying they come with the profession.

"First rule of fight club, don't talk about it." Yixing's answer catches her off guard. Blinking owlishly as parts in shock. Until he bursts into chuckles. "I do amature boxing."

Rin speaks with her lips against her tumblr. "That sounds like a code for underground fighting." She takes a drink.

Yixing smiles. "I wish, maybe then I would get paid instead of working part time down at the record shop."

She raises a teasing brow. "Oh, so you get those bruises for free?"

Yixing laughs. "You could say that. I think the experience is worth it."

"Planning to go pro?"

"Some day."

Rin hums. "Big dreams."

"What do you dream of?" His question is met with silence as the woman across from him directs her eyes elsewhere. "Rin."

The woman in questions sighs. "I-my dad wants me to go into accounting and my mom wants me to be a teacher like her. To them shaping clay isn't a realistic dream to have."

"I'm sure they say that as they eat from their nice ceramic plates." The two share a laugh at the irony.

"Maybe some dreams are...meant to stay that way." Rin shrugs.

"Only when you don't fight for them." The two sit in a brief silence. Both taking a stip of their drink in a wordless 'I'll drink to that' before Yixing changes the subject. "I have a fight Saturday."

Rin perks back up. "Oh. Is this an invitation for me to come watch you get your face bruised."

"There may be something psychotic about putting yourself in a position to be injured. But when my feet are on the mat, when I have my hands raised and my eyes locked on my opponent. There's something just...right in the way I take in his movements. Does he lean forward? Does he step first? Does he not protect himself the more he swings, as time passes? It's like a game of chess."

Rin can hear his passion for the sport in his tone. "You sound dedicated."

Yixing smirks. "Every morning, from 5am to 9am."

"That's why you have classes in the afternoon." Rin realizes.

"So, you gonna come watch my fists of fury."

Rin chuckles at his mini quick jabs, bobbing and weaving invisible punches. "Yeah...sure. As long as no one's face gets bashed in. Including yours." She agrees with a stipulation. She's never been one for brutish violence, even in movies.

"Can't promise I won't be the one bashing someone's face in." Yixing winks, earning a playful eye roll. The conversation shifts to a more lighter, yet no less stressful, subject. College. Specifically the term paper assigned by Mr. Murphy due at the end of the week. One which Yixing may or may not have started yet.

The little brunch restaurant sat on a corner street was bright and monochromatic with light woods and tile. Each table having a small plant placed on top with a menu, napkins, and cutely painted sugar and creamer jars.

"He actually got you to agree?" Rin's friend Yumiko says with disbelief. "The power of dimples. Wonder where else Mr. Zhang plays dirty." She concludes as she wraps her lips around her straw.

"Classy." Rin comments, placing another bite of cake in .

"Mmhm. As if you haven't thought about how big he is." Rin's caught off guard, choking on her sip of tea, by the lewd words said so casually. 

"Don't you have a boyfriend?"

"Taking a little peak never hurt anyone." Yumiko shrugs, taking sip of her cappuccino. "Besides even Marko would agree that Yixing is just beautiful. I mean that man should be hired by Calvin Klein."

"How do you still have a boyfriend?'

"Well Rinnie. When a bee is born, they pollinate-"

"Okay." Rin stops her. Her friend cackling at what Rin can only assume is the look of horror on her face. "Is this how you're going to teach your kids about the donut hole?"

Yumiko snorts. "That's one way to describe it. I can see how your gonna tell little Yixing's about how when mommy and daddy love each other very much, they bump hips until a baby is made." She demonstrates with her hands, interlocking her fingers as she bumps her palms together creating a smacking sound. 

"How are we friends?" Rin asks almost in a whisper as she glances around to see if any judging eyes were on them, it wouldn't be the first time. She knows the saying of opposites attract but they also shouldn't give you heart attacks with innuendos in public. 

Yumiko smiles. "Because I'm your spirit animal. I do the things you would do in another life."

Rin hums. "Yeah. That." 

"You'll always be my little peanut butter reese cup." Yumiko smiles.

Rin's face scrunches in disgust. "Is that what you call Marko? Do you also have a thing about food?"

"If you're wondering if I like whipped cream off my body, I'm not opposed to trying." Yumiko hides a laugh behind a clearing of , if Rin wasn't still breathing Yuimko would think her friend had died. It's too fun to friend. She knows Rin isn't a prude by any means, she just refrains from saying anything too vulgar. Always one for more flowery, subtle, words to get her point across. "But yes I do have little nicknames for all my special people. You can call anyone honey or baby, but who else is calling you cheesecake or my little sweet potato pie. It's more personal." She rambles.

"Or crazy." Rin comments. Giving a smile of sugar as she's given a playful glare. 

The venue was more organized than she expected. Which was exactly what you would see in the movies. An abandoned warehouse, makeshift ring in the middle, crowds of people standing around yelling out for the opponent of their choosing to 'Finish him'. But it was less mortal kombat and more rocky-esque. The event space was a medium size filled with blue seating surrounding a boxing ring.

The cheers were no less vicious in their volume. Roaring at the exchange of punches between the men in the ring. Rin didn't know how she felt. It wasn't exciting or entertaining for her to watch men punch each other, but then again she knew nothing about the two men in the ring. Has never seen them fight before, meaning she wasn't invested in whether they won or loss.

Yixing had compared boxing to a chess match. She didn't see the comparison. It seemed like experience won over skill. Silent and accurate winning over loud and explosive. Then again it could be that she's looking at it from a spectator point of view and not first hand.

She perks up at the announcement of the main event. Barely able to contain her smile as Yixing walks out, letting out a small cheer which blends in with the others who are rooting for the 'Young dragon'. It wasn't until he de-robed that Rin remembered he would be fighting shirtless. Should she look away? Is that a tattoo on his back? But then how would she see the fight? The reason she's here in the first place. She instead turns her eyes to his opponent, he was of a similar build and she's noticed this in the other fights as well.

Once the match officially starts the last thing on Rin's mind is Yixing exposed torso or his unmentioned tattoo, which may or may not be in the design of a dragon down his spine. Too busy holding her breath each time his opponent's arm extends to jab or punch at Yixing's face or body.

Her signature lined lip and gloss combo was replaced with a more natural lip tint. Even so she doesn't chew on her lip, a habit Rin grew out of after trading clear chapstick for tinted lip balm in high school. She rubs her lips together instead to release her nerves.

She watches Yixing movements, more like entranced by them, they took on a form of elegance if one would used that word to describe how a boxer moves in the ring. Sure footed in his steps, intentional in the extension of his arms. Not using his punches as a way to expose his opponent, the hot headed man's impatience doing the work for him. Yixing doesn't keep the show going for long, maybe if his opponent was less focused on trying to punch as hard as he could Yixing would be a little more inclined to keep the fight going. To give the people a show, but that doesn't mean their time was wasted. The crowd roars once again when Yixing's opponent drops to the mat, dazed. It was as his hand was raised that their eyes connected.

The taste of blueberries and cream were sweet on her tongue as she scoops another spoon of ice cream into . The smell of sea water filling her nose in the light breeze, her legs dangling next to Yixing's as they sit beside one another om the edge of the pier.

"Was it as gory as you imagined?" Yixing teases as he takes a bite of his own ice cream.

"The violence was actually underwhelming. I think I've seen too many fighting games. My expectation is unrealistic."

Yixing raises a brow, pulling his spoon from his mouth. "What? You actually wanted someone to get their head knocked off?" He chuckles as she shoves his shoulder.

"No....maybe." 

"And what about my fight? Was that also underwhelming for you?" His eyes are eager as he looks to her, waiting for a response. 

She takes her time, eating another spoon before answering. "You...reminded me of water almost."

"Water?" Was the last word he was expecting.

"Yeah, like..." Rin sighs. Eyes looking up to the starry sky as if to find the words she's looking for. "There's a fluidness to your movement. Mistaken for a weakness by your opponents. Something they think can be overwhelmed with power. You allow them to exert themselves and only then do you land the K.O punch."

"It may have been underwhelming, but it doesn't sound like you were disappointed." Yixing smirks. 

"No. I might even be willing to attend another. If invited." Her nonchalant tone, given a raised brow of surprise, doesn't match the cheeky smile she throws his way.

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